Have you spent endless days walking the miles and miles of theme parks and just can’t stand in line for the next ride one moment longer?

Well, this post should help you out, as we look into some of the smaller venues that take you off the well beaten path and try to offer something a bit more unique.

First a word on Orlando’s theme parks

So, how does one find unique things to do in a small city that gets 60 million visitors a year? From ghost tours to paddle boats to the largest rose garden in Florida, there is bound to be something that interests you.

Orlando Florida is known as the theme park capital of the world for a reason. Between Disney World and its many parks, Universal Studios and its many parks, plus SeaWorld and LegoLand, you can easily think that that’s all Orlando offers.

While we’re big fans of the big parks (looking at you Harry Potter World, we do love to find the quieter places to unwind and experience other things as well.

That said, Orlando is the most visited city in the US and there will always be people around no matter where you go. However, in comparison to the larger theme parks, the places on this list will generally be quieter and give you alternate things to do in Orlando.

While we’re on the subject, many places on this list aren’t in Orlando itself, but within quick and easy driving distance from your hotel so make sure to visit Official Disney Resorts Site if you’re thinking of visiting Orlando and looking for something close to all the action.

Unique Things to do in Orlando

Without further ado, here are 15 unique things to do in Orlando Florida. Hope you enjoy it.

Strain your neck at the Giraffe Ranch

Ever been licked by a giraffe, nipped at by a zebra or ridden on a camel? I’ve been lucky to do all three, and lived to tell the tale.

At Orlando’s Giraffe Ranch, you can explore wildlife via a driven safari tour, a camel safari tour or on a Segway safari tour.

What do they all have in common? They all take you on a ride to see a huge variety of African, Asian, Australian and American animals from rhinos to hippos to lemurs and ostriches. Every tour includes hand feeding some giraffes so watch out for that two foot long blue tongue, it will surprise you I guarantee it.

Go on a ghost hunt at American Ghost Adventures

Never been on a ghost hunt?

Have you ever been fascinated by the supernatural? Want to explore the darker (literally) side of downtown Orlando?

The American Ghost Adventures tour takes you on a ghost tour that includes some history, a few ghost stories and a brief investigation inside some of the most haunted buildings in downtown Orlando. When the sign says you will be provided ghost hunting equipment or you can bring your own, you know you’re in for a unique experience.

Stroll through the Bok Tower Gardens

What do acres of trees and the Singing Tower have in common?

Both can be found at Bok Tower Gardens just outside Orlando in Lake Wales. The Singing Tower is a 205 foot tall, circular pink and grey marble building with a carillon on the top floor with 60 giant bells connected to a clavier (piano like device) that fills the surrounding garden with rich reverberating sound when being played. With over 250 acres of trees, reflective pools, winding paths and a thriving bird sanctuary, there’s plenty to explore on a nice day.

Defy gravity at Spook Hill

What does gravity, illusion and roads have in common?

Spook Hill in Lake Wales (close to Bok Tower Gardens) is known as a gravity hill. While uncommon enough to warrant inspection, especially if you are already down the road at Bok Tower Gardens, this anti-gravity phenomenon puts you at the bottom of a seemingly small hill. When you put your car in neutral your car will magically start driving up the hill. Perception is a wondrous thing.

Go indoor skydiving at iFly

Never been skydiving? A little nervous jumping from a plane?

Well, you can go indoor skydiving at iFly Orlando. With state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnels, you can experience the thrill of skydiving only a few feet off the ground. It’s a great experience when you’re with a group and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll walk away with a smile whether you’re five or 105.

Visit the indie-inspired Ivanhoe Village

Love the indie scene? Want to see where hipsters dwell, art lovers peruse and wine connoisseurs congregate?

Ivanhoe Village comprises of an eclectic group of retro retailers, art museums, craft breweries, boutique wineries and savory restaurants. You can hunt for records at Rock & Roll Heaven or check out vintage clothing at Deja Vu Vintage. You can have a beer at Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company or a glass of wine at the Imperial Wine Bar. You can even stroll or bike the many lakes and pathways that call this little area of Orlando home.

Get mystified at the Orlando Science Center

Love science? Want to know the secrets of the universe and to unlock age old questions in a fun setting?

Then the Orlando Science Center is your ticket to happiness. With four floors of interactive exhibit halls, an observatory, theaters, labs and workshops, there’s no better place to learn as you play than a science center. With ever changing exhibits, 3d films on giant screens, a hands on dinosaur exhibit and huge playrooms for the little ones, it also makes a great indoor rainy day activity and is located in Ivanhoe Village.

Walk around Lake Eola

What do swans, ducks, turtles and an amphitheater have in common?

They all can be found around Lake Eola in Orlando. With a mile-long walking trail skirting the pretty little lake, you can easily walk it in an hour. Between the artisan markets, the local wildlife and the nearby restaurants, it’s easy to spend a few hours here.

If you want to go the tourist route, take an electric swan boat out for a ride at night, but if you want to chill with the locals, sit down on one of the many benches and watch the real swans swimming and walking around.

Take a paddle boat out on Lake Fairview

Have a fear of land and speed?

Then taking out a paddle boat on Lake Fairview is a sure way to put a smile on your face. There are actually a large variety of boats you can rent to spend the afternoon on Lake Fairview in Orlando. You can rent everything from kayaks and canoes to pontoon boats and fishing boats.

Strike a pose at Madame Tussauds Orlando

Have you ever wanted to stand next to your favorite superstar? Wondered just how tall a particular famous person was or just how round their belly really was?

Well, you can likely see their doppelgangers at Madame Tussauds in Orlando.

Gimmicky? Yes. Quirky? Definitely. Unique? Well, unless you happen to be a world class wax carver or painter with uncanny skills at making true to life replicas, the answer is definitely yes. While there are wax museums found across the world, Madame Tussauds Orlando is worth checking out if your celebrity curiosity knows no bounds.

Sink your blues away aboard Titanic Orlando

Ever wondered what life aboard the Titanic was like?

Whether you love history or just loved the movie, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is a great step backwards to the beginning of the last century with exhibits highlighting the wonder of that fateful ship.

This two hour romp gives you a replica boarding pass as you become a passenger aboard the historical ship. Featuring more than 300 artifacts as well as full room recreations, if you loved the Titanic, this should be placed on your list of things to do in Orlando.

Tackle the unbelievable at Wonderworks

Ever walked into an upside down building?

While I tried to step away from amusement parks, this place leaves a lasting impression. Complete with over 100 hands on exhibits, Wonderworks is more entertainment than education, but it doesn’t mean you won’t learn something along the way.

From walking through a 100 mph hurricane to experiencing a 5.1 earthquake there’s a few other activities that are worth checking out including playing a giant piano, sleeping on a bed of nails and experimenting with a giant Tesla Coil.

Go for a hike in the Tibet-Butler Preserve

What does the worlds largest amusement parks and a preserve have in common?

Nothing, except they’re both found in Orlando. If you need to get away from the chaos known as theme parks, there’s not much better place in Orlando than the Tibet-Butler Preserve.

With raised boardwalks, numerous trails, marshes, trees, plenty of birds, turtles and small animals, the preserve is a great free way to get away from the crowds and back into nature. With a small visitors center complete with clean bathrooms, it’s a great way to spend a quiet morning after a day battling the crowds.

Walk among the roses at Harry P. Leu Gardens

Ever been in a rose garden so large you’re not sure which direction you came from?

The largest rose garden in Florida can be found at the Harry P. Leu Gardens. This sprawling 50 acre estate, only minutes from downtown Orlando, comprises over 40 different plant collections and different dedicated gardens from a butterfly garden and herb garden, all the way to a bamboo garden. If you love camellias, this is one place you don’t want to miss as they also have one of the largest camellia collections in North America.

Glide through the bogs at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures

What do huge fans and small flat bottomed metal boats have in common?

They can both be found together at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures. Whether you take one of the personal tours or go on the larger 16 person boat, going for a swamp ride on an airboat is a unique adventure.

As you cruise along you’ll see everything from huge alligators to wading cranes to piles of turtles basking in the sunlight. You might be able to convince yourself you’re going there to experience nature but the truth is, those airboats are a ton of fun to ride on.

Have any other unique places in Orlando that are worth sharing? We’d love to the hear about them!

More Fun things to do in and around Orlando

• 10 Fun Things To Do at ICON Park Orlando
• Harry Potter Souvenirs from Universal Studios Orlando That are Worth the Money (and Where to Buy Them)
• Universal Orlando Tips to Save You Time and Money
• The Best Road Trips in Florida
• 21 Best Things to do in Destin Florida Bucket List

Between the world class amusement parks, the miles and miles of gorgeous white sand beaches, the lushness of the Everglades, the relaxed vibes of the Keys, the nightlife of Miami and the unmistakable beauty in the Florida Panhandle you can bet that if you can’t find what you’re looking for in Florida, you’re simply not trying hard enough.

While heading to one area in Florida can be a fun trip, no real Florida vacation is complete without taking at least 1 road trip. While you can drive from down south in Miami up through Orlando and over to Pensacola in under 10 hours, even while passing through some of Florida’s largest cities, the best road trips in Florida take only a few hours at best from the major cities.

That said, while you can rent everything from a scooter to a Lamborghini while in Florida, if you truly want to get away from the crowds, you can also rent a camper in Orlando and take your time visiting some of Florida’s hidden gems.

Best Road Trips Around Miami, Florida

While Miami has a ton to offer from beautiful beaches to amazing nightlife (including latin salsa dancing, Cuban inspired dishes and more famous people showing up around town than any city outside California), sometimes you need a few days to relax.

There are 2 quick day trips that come to mind when based in Miami. The Florida Keys and the Florida Everglades. Each can be done in a day but both deserve to be part of the best road trips in Florida.

Road Trip to the Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is one of Florida’s most chill destinations with some of the longest bridges in the country linking dozens of small sandy islands known as keys. Heading out to the Keys for the day (as they’re affectionately known) is a popular Florida day trip from Miami and even Fort Lauderdale.

Heading south, and less than an hour away from Miami, is the first (and often final) stop, the largest key/island in the archipelago, Key Largo. In Key Largo you can go scuba diving or take a snorkel tour at the first underwater park in the United States, the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, which comprises part of the Florida Reef, the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. You can also rent kayaks and check out the park at your own pace or pretend you’re Bogart and Hepburn and take the African Queen Canal Cruise.

If you choose to continue your 2 hour, 100 mile drive down the Florida Keys you will encounter many cute parks and small towns, more bridges than you’ll ever see again and then, finally, Key West. Key West is the southernmost city in the contiguous United States and is only 95 miles from Cuba. You’ll find plenty of relaxed vibes, great diving, Cuban inspired cuisine and homes from Hemingway to Truman as well as a rum distillery and plenty of places selling the ubiquitous key-lime pies (so named after the archipelago). There are also dozens of Bed and Breakfasts in Key West as well as several campgrounds if you decide to stay overnight.

Road Trip to the Florida Everglades

The Florida Everglades are home to everything from Alligators to panthers and are a great juxtaposition to about all things Miami. Featuring thrilling airboat tour rides in the swamps to awesome mile long boardwalks high over the varying terrain, the Everglades are unlike just about anywhere else you’ll find and make a great day long road trip.

Since Miami and Fort Lauderdale are just on the outskirts of the Everglades National Park, they’re a popular starting point for an Everglades excursion. Some people find that Key Largo can also make a great entryway to the Florida Everglades so if you’re straight off the heels of your Florida Keys road trip, Key Largo could be a great stopping point for the night.

While you can drive over to any number of Everglades airboat tour operators that provide tours aboard fast moving airboats (they are a ton of fun), we suggest that either before or after your tour you head to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center before entering the Everglades National Park proper and continuing your journey south to the Flamingo Visitor Center. There you can take a ranger lead tour of the Everglades and you can also stop by the many boardwalks and hiking trails like we’ve done numerous times on your drive back up to Miami. The Anhinga Trail is often rated as the best of these and shouldn’t be missed.

Best Road Trips around Orlando, Florida

While theme parks and outlet malls dominate the landscape around Orlando and Kissimmee, after a few days of dealing with the crowds you’ll want to escape to someplace quieter and with fewer lines. Since Orlando is fairly central, you can literally go in any direction for a Florida road trip to see different scenery.

Our recommendations for day long road trips from Orlando includes a trip to Daytona Beach as well as Cape Canaveral and St. Augustine. So whether you’re feeling nostalgic, space crazy or just need a day at the beach this section has you covered.

Road Trip to Cape Canaveral

NASA and space rockets. For some people that’s all I need to say to have them asking where and when can they go there. For the rest of us, NASA’s Cape Canaveral center has been launching rockets into space for over 70 years now and includes some historic launches including the first rocket into space as well as the launch of the first US astronaut into space.

Less than an hour away due east from central Orlando, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center and adjacent to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are worth a visit if you’re interested in seeing some actual rockets that have actually been into outer space. It’s also a great place to bring any kids (young or 99+) to live their goal of becoming an astronaut. As well as the NASA visitor site, there is a lovely lighthouse in Cape Canaveral that you can hike to.

Road Trip to Daytona Beach

After hours spent in lineups and days spent dropping money like it’s on fire, you deserve some beach time. One of the most famous beaches within a hour of Orlando happens to be Daytona Beach. Yes, that Daytona Beach.

Just as famous for it’s Daytona 500 NASCAR raceway as it is for it’s yearly Spring Break college party status, Daytona Beach can get a little busy and even a little rowdy a few times each year. Outside of those days though, it’s actually a nice beach town and a good way to get some fresh air and sunshine.

Located just an hours drive northeast of Orlando via Highway 4, Daytona Beach is an easy recommendation for most people. It can also be a great destination if you happen to be a spring breaker or love NASCAR, just make sure you time your trip to coincide with either of those timeframes and if you’re not, do yourself a favor and avoid heading there then.

Road Trip to St. Augustine

While not as cool as a space center and not as fun as a day at the beach for some, the city of St. Augustine still has loads of appeal. St. Augustine is just north of Daytona Beach and is a hefty 2.5 hour drive northeast of Orlando. While it is actually closer to Jacksonville (40 miles vs 100 miles), chances are better you’re coming from Orlando anyway.

Known as America’s oldest city, St. Augustine’s original fort was built in 1672 by the Spanish to protect the city from water raids. Castillo de San Marcos is a huge fort and houses tons of old artifacts and often has historical re-enactments. The crowning glory of the old castle is the daily firing of the cannonballs where they use authentic canons to recreate what it was like back in the day. You can also walk along the solid castle walls and capture a glimpse of a bygone era.

St. Augustine proper is a lovely city complete with charming cobblestone roads, quaint restaurants and cafes as well as numerous historical landmarks around town.

Best Road Trips Around Tampa Florida

If you find yourself in Tampa Florida and are looking for a road trip you have some great options. Go northeast for an hour and you’ll find yourself in Orlando, home to some of the largest and best theme parks in the world including Disney World and Universal Studios (including our families favorite place, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter).

Northwest of Tampa you have Crystal River, home of manatees and mermaids while southwest will get you to idyllic St. Petersburg and due south where you’ll find the gorgeous sand beaches near Sarasota.

Road Trip to Crystal River

Dreaming of sea sponges, mermaids and manatees? This little road trip has all three, a little nature and some beautiful coastline as well.

Heading west of Tampa will bring you to Clearwater and its surrounding areas. Once you hit the coast you can enjoy the charms of Dunedin and Palm Harbor however if you continue north on highway 19 you’ll eventually hit Tarpon Springs. It’s famous for its Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks where you can walk among the boats and check out the mountains of sea sponges that litter the docks.

After you check out the sponges, it’s time to get back in the vehicle and continue following US-19 highway north until you get to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, home of the world famous Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid Show. This classic old school Florida mermaid show has been running for over 70 years! Sitting in the submerged 400 plus seating amphitheater is a true throwback to Florida’s roots and the underwater mermaid show is worth every penny. There’s also over 500 acres of state park to explore here coupled with options like snorkeling, canoeing or kayaking in the crystal clear waters or even hitting up the local waterpark, Buccaneer Bay.

After some time here, we can continue working our way north until we hit the quiet calmness of Crystal River. Situated around Kings Bay and spring fed by a cluster of 50+ springs, the clear water around Crystal River stays at a constant 72°F or 22°C temperature year round.

This inviting water attracts the West Indian Manatee (also known as the North American manatee or sea cow) which happens to be the largest surviving member of the manatee family. Home to some of the largest year round collections of wild manatees in the US, you’re sure to see some along one of the many paths around the city or at the Three Sisters Springs boardwalk in the winter months when you will see more manatees in the water (around 300 from November to March) however there are still approximately 60 that reside in the waters around Crystal River year round.

If you’re there in the warmer months you can elect to take a guided tour or rent a kayak or boat to go search them out yourself but please remember that manatees are a protected species so please keep your distance. The return trip back to Tampa should take around 1.5 hours (80 miles) so plan your day wisely to include at least 1 ice cream stop.

Road trip to St. Petersburg

If you’re craving a quieter city than the busyness of Tampa with a nod to the arts, St. Petersburg might be your ticket to happiness. Set along the coast around a half hour southwest of Tampa, the city boasts 10 museums (including the Salvador Dalí Museum) plus loads of beautiful parks and beaches. It also houses the Mahaffey Theater, home of the Florida Orchestra.

Road trip to Sarasota

Due south of both St. Petersburg and Tampa, Sarasota is home to some of the nicest sand beaches in the world. Siesta Beach in particular has topped best beach in the USA several times and is often included in the top 25 beaches of the world lists so it’s no surprise we included it here.

So, when only 60 miles or 60 minutes of travel time is what’s separating you from one of the nicest beaches in the world, where do you go? That’s right Sarasota. The sand at Siesta Beach is nearly 100% quartz-crystal sand and is so pure it never gets hot. Considering Florida can get quite warm in the summer, that and clear water are a great combo.

Best Road Trips Around Pensacola Florida

Whether you’re there for the beaches or the water, you’ll love the areas around Pensacola Florida. As the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola is actually only a few hours from New Orleans, is minutes from Alabama and is considered a nice place to visit by every one that goes there.

However, if we head east of Pensacola, we not only have some of the nicest water in Florida but also one of the largest populations of bottle-nose dolphins in the world.

Road Trip to Destin

While Miami Beach has the beautiful people, Sarasota the fine sand and Daytona Beach the wild parties, everyone who’s been there knows Destin has some of the nicest water in Florida. Known as the Emerald coast, this region of Florida has good reason to boast about it’s gorgeous waters.

Only an hour from Pensacola lies Destin Florida. Known for its clear emerald waters, Destin is unique for it’s sunken beach nicknamed Crab Island. People flock to this protected stretch of water that averages only a few feet deep and even set up floating shops, restaurants and playgrounds. The water is so calm here you can rent a pontoon boat for the day and drop anchor or, if you’re feeling really party like, rent a floating Tiki Bar complete with your own personal bartender and captain.

Road Trip to St. Andrew State Park

No trip to Destin would be complete without also taking a drive out to St. Andrew State Park on the steps of Panama City. Located another hour past Destin and 2 hours (110 miles) from Pensacola proper lies one of the most visited parks in all of Florida. What makes St. Andrew State Park unique is that it houses St. Andrew’s Bay which in turn houses the largest population of bottle-nose dolphins in the world.

While you are pretty much guaranteed to spot a dolphin here on your own, one of the best ways to see them up close is to take the ferry boat to the popular Shell Island. There are no amenities on Shell Island but it makes a great day to get away from it all and to see pods of dolphins first hand.

The Best Road Trips in Florida

Whether you’re visiting busy Orlando, hectic Tampa or decadent Miami, the truth is that Florida truly has something for everyone. If you’re stuck in a large center and looking to get away from the crowds, there’s always a nice road trip you can take to clear your head and either get back to nature or somewhere different enough to make your trip memorable. Beautiful beaches, old forts, swamps, rockets and dolphins are only some of the things you can see and experience while you’re in Florida.

Let us know if we missed your favorite Floridian road trip and we’ll try to include it on our next Florida post. Safe travels.

What to do in San Diego

Here are our top picks for family things to do in San Diego. First here’s a little history on the city.

About San Diego

San Diego was founded in 1769, making it the oldest city in California. There’s a lot to love about San Diego, including its virtually perfect weather throughout the year. It also has more than its fair share of attractive tourist spots, including 31 lovely ocean beaches along 25 miles of shoreline from Sunset Cliffs to La Jolla, and a whopping 340 parks. The city is also culturally rich, with almost too many museums, galleries, and art studios to list in one place.

If your kids are up for it, Old Town San Diego Street Historic Park is a great place for a stroll and unique shopping. Kids will love learning about the natural world and varied wildlife in the expansive San Diego Zoo.

Feeling peckish? San Diego has a thriving food scene, with plenty of options for kids. Be sure to try San Diego’s own Cali-Baja cuisine, and the adults can try some of the hundreds of craft beer options.

Planning a relocation to San Diego? Thanks to it’s great locale near the Baja Peninsula and it’s fantastic weather, the city has been continuously growing for over 200 years.

San Diego, though it’s only a few hours south of LA, has a much chiller vibe than it’s famous neighbor and unsurprisingly hosts some of the best tourist spots in California. People from all around the world have had the time of their life here and in this article we’ve picked 5 of those places that you can visit on your next trip to San Diego.

The San Diego Zoo

Situated north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is one of the largest and most famous zoos in the United States and is known the world over for it’s inhabitants. It’s a non-profit wildlife sanctuary that houses more than 3,500 animals, which represent more than 650 species and subspecies. If your kids are plant lovers, there’s also a botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants.

This enormous zoo and safari park is home to rare, endangered, and vulnerable animals. Some of the most famous animals residing in the zoo currently are the giant pandas, which, thanks in part to the San Diego Zoo team, is now listed as vulnerable (rather than endangered).

Other kid-pleasing animals in the zoo include kangaroos, koalas, rhinos, leopards, polar bears, sloths, and bonobos. You can even sign up for a behind-the-scenes tour to get a closer view of the day to day responsibilities of the caretakers as well as have up close animal experiences.

The Zoo also has fun activities for it’s visitors, like the Kangaroo Express Bus and the Skyfari Aerial Tram, along with plenty of free-roaming animals that make the experience all the more real.

USS Midway Museum

Permanently docked at Navy Pier, the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway is open to visitors. During it’s heyday, It was one of the largest ships in the US Military.

Along with the USS Midway, the museum also has 30 restored Navy aircraft to see, plus incredible views of San Diego Bay. Kids will keep plenty busy with over 60 exhibits, including hangar, flight deck, and below deck exhibits. If you have time, there’s an incredibly popular audio tour that brings the history of the ship to light (bring your own headphones, if you can).

Balboa Park

San Balboa Park is much more than a green space. It’s home to 17 museums, theaters, as well as the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Balboa Park is an open space urban cultural park, with enough to keep the kids (and adults) busy for days. There are dance classes, gardens, performing arts, museums, shopping, tours, and plenty to eat and drink.

Looking more closely, there are a dizzying number of attractions here, including the Balboa Park Carousel and miniature train, the Cabrillo Bridge, California Tower, El Cid stature, Escape The Nat escape room, the impressively large Moreton Bay fig tree, the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, the Photographic Arts Building, the San Diego Mineral and Gem Society, Sefton Plaza, the Spanish Village Art Center, and of course the San Diego Zoo.

The Casa del Prado, often just called del Prado, is made of several reconstructed buildings first built for the Panama–California Exposition in San Diego’s Balboa Park. It’s a working site, and often home to weddings, events and activities.

The Casa del Balboa is a single building in Balboa Park. It was originally called the Commerce and Industries Building, and later called the Canadian Building, the Palace of Better Housing, and the Electric Building. Today, Casa del Balboa houses the Balboa Art Conservation Center, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts, and the San Diego History Center.

Gaslamp Quarter

Built-in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the Gaslamp Quarter takes up 16 and a half blocks in San Diego’s downtown. It’s a recognized historic district, with plenty of character and charm. It’s also known for being one of the most visited places in the city.

The Gaslamp Quarter is probably best known for city nightlife, and it’s the place to go to catch the latest theatre, comedy or jazz performance, see the trendiest clothes and people or eat the best cuisine. That said, there’s plenty for kids to do here.

The Gaslamp Quarter is easily walkable, but the kids may enjoy taking a bike taxi. It’s likely the most kid friendly during the day.

The Beaches of San Diego

San Diego is easily the city of the beaches, so visiting the beach is an absolute must when you visit. Some of our favorite San Diego beaches for kids are Coronado Beach, Del Mar City Beach, Moonlight Beach, Mission Bay, Cardiff State Beach, South Ponto Beach, La Jolla Shores, and Silver Strand State Beach.

Mission Beach is a great choice for families that want to relax, with great spots to sunbathe, and a buzzing beachfront Boardwalk, with a sea view café. It’s also a great spot for adventurous families that want to surf. Ocean Beach is a chic and relaxed vibe, while dog lovers will adore – you guessed it – Dog Beach.

Coronado Beach is great for beach volleyball, but it’s also home to a unique experience – ice skating! You can skate at Hotel del Coronado, with stunning view of the beach.

Looking for some more California and west coast fun and sun? Check out these great reads:

• Bucket List Oregon Coast Road Trip
• Why you need to visit Hot Springs Resort in Desert Springs
• The Best Road Trip Audiobooks
• Universal Studios Hollywood Tips to Save you Time, Money, and Hassle!
• Best Weekend Getaways from Los Angeles

Do you have any other ideas for the best attractions in San Diego as a family? Let us know!

Looking for some fun Destin activities?

If you love beautiful beaches and great water activities, it’s good to know that Destin is one of Florida’s not so hidden treasures.

Situated around the halfway point between Florida’s theme park mecca of Orlando and Louisiana’s very popular city of New Orleans, Destin is a Florida Gulf Coast playground with miles of white sand beaches and calm ocean currents.

The water activities in particular around Destin are what typically draw in the visitors and why Destin and it’s neighbor city of Fort Walton are known in the Florida Panhandle as places not to be missed.

Things to do in Destin Florida

So, whether you’re in Florida for a day or for a week, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Destin with or without kids, here’s a list of some of the best activities Destin and the surrounding areas have to offer.

Crab Island

One of the biggest draws to the region is the ever popular Crab Island which isn’t an actual island but a large submerged sandbar situated between Destin and Fort Walton in the entrance to Choctawatchee Bay.

With water depths ranging from 2 to 4 feet, gorgeous sand beneath and zero waves, Crab Island is a great place to hang out for the day. Check out our post on things to do in Crab Island if you want to find out more about it. Crab Island is one of the most fun things to do while in Destin Fl!

Take a Cruise in Destin Florida

No matter your tastes, Destin has some amazing day and night cruises. Whether you want to party like a local, capture the wind and go sailing, search for friendly dolphins or just cruise the beautiful blue green waters off the coast, there’s a Destin cruise perfect for you. Not sure which one to choose? Here’s some of the more popular Destin area cruises.

Destin Dolphin Tours on a Boat

With several well known dolphin pods surrounding the waters around Destin, going on a dolphin cruise in Destin practically guarantees some dolphin time. As well as dolphin spotting, several Destin dolphin excursions include fishing and a lunch. Kids will especially enjoy a Destin Dolphin tour.

Dolphin Tours on a Jet Ski

Don’t like crowds? Crave a little more speed or want to be closer to nature? Then take a guided Jet Ski tour and get up close to nature. There are a few options for guided dolphin jet ski tours out of Destin and Fort Walton that will have you smiling ear to ear as you zip across the water. If the call of nature includes zooming around at 30 miles an hour then this is the cruise style for you.

Destin Sailing Tour

Whether you’re jumping on a small single sail boat or hopping on a huge catamaran, the outcome will be the same. At Destin that means the wind at your back and no sounds save the waves slapping your bow. With miles of gorgeous coastline and calm seas all around, going sailing on the Emerald Coast is a guaranteed good day.

Sunset Cruises around Destin Florida

Love sunsets? Who doesn’t. Due to the angle of the coast in this area, Destin has some amazing sunsets that can only be truly enjoyed while on a boat. Whether you’re looking to be inspired by nature’s beauty or just want that perfect pic to send back to your loved ones, going on a sunset cruise in Destin is a surefire way to end the night on a high note. Coupled with some dolphin sightings and maybe a drink or two, going on a sunset cruise is a great couple or family activity for everyone.

Destin Tiki Cruises

Enjoy partying while the sun sets on one of Destin’s infamous Tiki Cruises.

Sure, you can jump on a pontoon boat (great for families) or get on one of the larger party barges (great for dancers), but Miami has nothing on a Destin Tiki party boat. This one definitely isn’t for the family and a few last the night so choose your party boat wisely. These floating Tiki Huts come complete with a bartender and how hard you party just depends on who you take with you. A tiki cruise is one of the most unique Destin Florida attractions you’ll find!

Go Jet Skiing

Hate dolphins, yeah, who doesn’t. (Just kidding.) Love speed, freedom and the open sea? Well, if you’ve never done it then it’s time to get on a Jet Ski. With some great options around Destin and Fort Walton, renting a Jet Ski is a great way to get away from it all and leave your troubles behind.

Rent a Stand Up Paddleboard

Prefer a quieter existence to the roar of the Jet Ski but still want some alone time? Then renting a paddleboard is where it’s at. We love ours and use them every chance we get. You can rent a stand up paddleboard in Destin by the hour, day or even the week. Not much beats a slow paddle with the chance to see dolphins or even giant rays beneath you while you check out Crab Island or the miles of coastline.

Rent a Kayak in Destin

Love everything about stand up paddleboards but hate standing? Then maybe renting a kayak in Destin is more your thing. We love them both but when we really want to put on the miles or don’t want to risk getting wet we take out our kayaks. Destin is a great place to rent a kayak and is an easy way to get yourself out on the water if you want to save a little bit of money.

Go Fishing in Destin Florida

Whether you love deep sea fishing or just catching a few small ones for an impromptu fish fry on the beach, Destin has you covered. With options ranging from renting a small fishing boat to chartering a large captained vessel, the options are huge. With one of largest fish chartering fleets on the east coast, You can see a few Destin fishing options here on Tripadvisor.

Rent a Pontoon Boat

Want to do all the above? Then maybe a pontoon boat rental is the thing for you. With captained and self guided rentals available, you can rent a pontoon for the day and get a chance to do it all. It’s one of the best things to do in Destin Florida with kids, for sure.

Start by some early morning dolphin spotting followed by a little fishing for that tasty beachside fish fry then follow it up with a few hours hanging with the locals at Crab Island before stopping at one of the several delicious restaurants that permeate the entire Destin area. Then get back on the boat for a little more dolphin sightings as you wait for sunset. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Want the best of both worlds? You can rent both a pontoon boat and a jet ski.

Banana Boat

While many head to Florida to visit the popular theme parks surrounding Orlando and others head down to Miami for the nightlife, far away from the hubbub of Disney or the wizarding world of Harry Potter you can find an area ripe for entertainment. That’s right. I’m talking about Banana Boat rides. Nobody does them better than the crews around Destin. Haven’t tried it? I dare you to grab a few friends and tell your driver to hit it.

Parasailing in Destin

Far below the clouds but high above the crowds, you’ll find me. That’s right, due to the calm waters of the bay, parasailing is a popular activity in Destin. Whether you brave the skies alone or with a friend, there’s several outfitters in the area who can tow you up for a view of the area that only the birds know.

Destin Beaches

Love beaches? We sure do and we’ve walked on some of the best in the world.

Hitting the beach is definitely one of the best family things to do in Destin, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s a free thing to do in Destin as well!

Destin has some great beaches and even more importantly, has some great sand. If you love to make sandcastles but want a little tutelage, then maybe think about taking some sand castle lessons while you’re in Destin. The best part is they come to you!

Destin Harbor Boardwalk

After a long day on the water, stretching your feet is a great activity. so make sure you check out the Destin Harbor Boardwalk. With dozens of restaurants, including some of the freshest seafood in the country as well as shops, hotels and attractions you’ll almost be sad you stayed on the water so long.

Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park

Penguins, dolphins, alligators and more can be found at the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park located on the nearby beach in Fort Walton which happens to be just a few minutes drive from the Destin Harbor. Dancing dolphins, inquisitive sea lions, sharks, rays and even pelicans can be found at one of the Panhandle’s first aquariums and wildlife education centers.

Big Kahuna’s Waterpark

Waterslides, tube runs, mini golf and more can be found at the Big Kahuna’s Waterpark during the summer months. If your kids (or your adrenaline seeking friends) need a little more excitement than a day at the beach can bring, then hitting the local Destin waterpark might raise their spirits.

Other things to do in Destin Florida

While there are plenty of things to do in Destin Florida, the most important thing to remember is to have fun and be safe.

Let us know in the comments below if we missed any of your favorite things to do in Destin Florida!

Want to have some more Florida fun? Check out our posts on the  best beaches in the Florida Key, and family fun at LEGOLAND Florida 

Wondering what there is to do on Crab Island?

Here’s everything you’ll need to know, including great dining, attraction, tours, and events.

We always have so much fun when we visit Florida! It’s a beautiful spot for sun and sand, as well as visits to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter World at Universal Orlando, LEGOLAND, and the stunning beaches of the Florida Keys.

Crab Island is the perfect place to catch some of that famous Florida sunshine and fun!

What to do on Crab Island in Destin Florida

Crab Island is an underwater sandbar near Destin, Florida, near the Marler Bridge, at the entrance of Choctawhatchee Bay.

Crab Island is a popular place for both tourists and locals enjoying the sun.

Is Crab Island busy?

Originally a quiet escape used to anchor boats, Crab Island has become more and more popular with each year. Today, Crab Island is usually full of people catching rays, wading through the clear water, and enjoying the social scene.

At its busiest, you can see hundreds or even thousands of boats on Crab Island on a warm summer day.

When is Crab Island open, and when should I visit?

Because Florida’s Crab Island isn’t an official state park, it doesn’t have posted opening and closing hours. That said, most people visit during the day to enjoy a day in the sun.

Most of the floating restaurants and vendors are only open from March or April to October.

The water at high tide is exceptionally clear and enjoyable, though you can visit at low tide as well.

How do I get to Crab Island?

Crab Island is just two minutes from the harbor at Destin, Florida.

There’s no land access to Crab Island, so you’ll have to get there over water.

Important! Because the currents can be strong, and there’s a lot of boat traffic, please don’t attempt to swim to Crab Island for safety reasons.

The best way to get to Crab Island is probably by pontoon boat or jet ski rental.

Most visitors rent a boat, or take their own. If you’re an inexperienced boater, it’s best to anchor on the outside of the sandbar, as currents and wind can make you bump into other boats if you’re too close.

Pontoon (party boats) are a great choice if you’re a large group, or if you’d like to stay for the day. In fact, pontoon boats are hugely popular here, earning Destin the nickname of “Pontoon Capital of the World”.

The easiest way to visit is to check out boat rentals to visit Crab Island in Destin, Florida.

It’s easiest to rent a boat or other watercraft either out of Destin Harbor, or Calhoun Avenue.

You can even hire a boat with a boat captain to take you out to the island.

You can also take a shuttle boat out to Crab Island from Destin Harbor. It’s a 32′ glass bottom boat that stays on the island for 2.5 or 3 hours. Adult tickets start at $40, and all trips are round trip.

As of 2020, taxi boats were no longer allowed to take people to Crab Island and drop them off.

Crab Island is also accessible by jet ski, kayak or paddle board.

Where did Crab Island get its name?

Today, Crab Island is an elongated sandbar. It wasn’t always that shape.

The island was created in the 1960s by the Army Corps of Engineers by dredging the Destin Pass. The extra material was dumped where Crab Island stands today.

Over the years drifting sands and hurricanes buried most of the island in sea water, covering up the original shape of the land: which was shaped like a crab.

Today, the island may no longer be shaped like a crab, but it definitely has thousands of the tiny little sea creatures on the sandbar floor.

What should I take to Crab Island?

You’ll be spending most of your time on Crab Island outdoors, so it’s a great idea to bring outdoor gear.

Sunscreen is a must, and definitely bring a swimsuit and towel if you plan to get into that crystal clear water.

There are plenty of food options, but if you don’t want to eat out, bring a cooler filled with drinks and something to eat.

How deep is the water at Crab Island?

Crab Island is actually an underwater sandbar. The water depth ranges from two to ten feet deep. In most parts it’s one to four feet deep.

Are there restaurants on Crab Island?

Because Crab Island is underwater, there aren’t fixed restaurants. Instead, you’ll find food vendors lined up on the island.

Vendors offer typical American casual food, with burgers, fries, ice cream, hot boiled peanuts, soft drinks, and sandwiches being hugely popular.

If you’re looking for snacks or supplies, there are mini stores that sell beach equipment like towels and sunscreen, as well as chips and pop.

You can’t buy alcohol at Crab Island, but you can bring your own.

Some vendors accept credit cards, but many are cash only, so be sure to bring some cash!

Activities on Crab Island

Because Crab Island is water based, most activities are built around fun and sun.

You can rent large water trampolines or even an inflatable slide if you’re there with a group.

Because large inflatables are becoming more and more restricted on Crab Island as of 2020, you may see fewer (or none) of them available for rent.

Kayaks and paddleboards are available for rent as well, and are a fantastic way to enjoy the clear water of the sandbar.

If you’re feeling a bit more like a motorized thrill, you can even rent a jet ski.

Snorkeling is also popular on the island. You can bring your own snorkel, rent a snorkel kit at the Destin harbor, or rent a snorkel, fins and mask from one of the rental places on the sandbar. You’ll need to be aware of boats if you’re snorkeling here, as the island can be crowded on summer weekends.

You’ll see a lot of parasailers out on Crab Island. Most rides don’t take more than half an hour, and it’s a unique way to get a different perspective on the local scene.

Sports on Crab Island, Florida

Water volleyball nets are set up all over Crab Island. It’s easy to paddle up and ask to join in a game, or you can even rent your own water volleyball net yourself.

If volleyball isn’t your thing, there’s also water basketball and smash ball.

Dolphin watching is a lot of fun in these waters. Dolphins and other marine life are commonly seen at Crab Island, though you may have better luck on a day when the island isn’t overly busy.

Looking for more fun stuff to do? Check out Destiny Water Adventures website for boat and jet ski rentals, plus great ideas for tours and activities.

In years past, there was a Crab Island Waterpark set up at the island. These days, there’s a tour that takes you to Crab Island, stopping at inflatables along the way.

Note: Because large inflatables won’t be allowed to anchor overnight on Crab Island as of 2020, you may see fewer of the large waterparks going forward.

There are plenty of other tours out to Crab Island, ranging from an adventure tour with plenty of water activities included, to the simple shuttle run, which just includes a visit to the island.

Every year, there’s an annual kickoff party in May. There’s a DJ, with plenty of partying and dancing.

Throughout the year, musical acts perform most Saturdays at noon.

Have you been to Crab Island in Destin, Florida? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!

We visit the Universal Orlando theme parks every chance we get and each time compile notes and tips on the best way to maximize our time there for the next outing.

Want a great deal? See prices for a 3 day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE here on Undercover Tourist.

Deals change often, so see all the latest Universal Orlando deals here!

Like a lot of families visiting Orlando, some of our favorite family memories occurred during our time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’m honestly not sure who enjoyed it more – us or our kids! Universal has done a stunning job of making the entire experience special and memorable!

While we’re huge fans, it’s no doubt a visit to Universal Orlando is expensive, so you’ll want to make the absolute most of your visit to the three Universal Parks, and come home with wonderful memories for yourselves!

Top Universal Orlando Tips

It’s no secret that you could spend weeks at Universal and still not see every show, enjoy every ride, and snack at every restaurant. We’ve got tips that can help save you money, and just as importantly, help save you time and hassle.

Now that Universal’s added the spectacular Volcano Bay water park, there are now three full sized parks here: Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay.

Visit for at least three days, but four is better

Each of the three Universal Orlando parks is huge, and you’ll only get to sample a portion of the rides, food, and activities in a park in one day.

Three days will let you dedicate a day to each park, while four days will give you a chance to go back to your favorite rides and attractions, and catch anything you missed the first time around.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll need two days to check out Hogsmeade (in Universal Islands of Adventure) and Diagon Alley (in Universal Florida). You can visit both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in a single day, but it would be a rushed affair, and you would miss a lot of the details that make each experience unique.

Where to stay

We actually stayed off property during our last visit, since we had plenty of time to visit.

Check prices for all hotels near Universal Studios Florida.

Many of the Universal Orlando hotels include Unlimited Express Passes and early park access to help you beat the morning rush. Since the hotels are on site, you’ll be able to use the free shuttle, saving money on parking and time driving to the parks.

All on site hotels offer Early Park admission (one hour before regular opening hours) and free transportation to the Parks and CityWalk. Other perks include complimentary delivery of merchandise from the Resort to your hotel, appearances by Universal Orlando characters, and priority restaurant seating (for Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort).

There are a few hotels onsite, including Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Leows Royal Pacific Resort, Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel, and Leows Portofino Bay Hotel. The hotels include a Free Universal Express Unlimited, which is worth up to $89 per person, per day (not offered at at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort or Cabana Bay Beach Resort).

Check prices for hotels near Universal Studios Florida.

Save money by buying tickets online in advance

The last thing you want to do on your trip to Universal is spend a lot of time waiting in line buying tickets. You can save a lot of time, and even a fair bit of money, by buying tickets online in advance.

One of the best deals Universal currently offers is the save on a 3 day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE.

We’ve heard great things about buying passes in advance on Undercover Tourist. Unlike a lot of other sites, taxes are included up front (so no surprise fees at the end), AND shipping is free. Plus, you’ll save $42 over paying at the gate.

See all of Undercover Tourist’s Orlando ticket deals here.

See the 3 day, get TWO days free deal here!

If you’re only going for three days, you can still save with Universal’s special, where you get one extra day FREE if you buy a two day Park to Park pass. See prices for the 3 day Park-to-Park pass with two days FREE here.

Our Top Harry Potter Tip: Get a Park to Park Pass

Get a two day Park to Park Pass if you want to access all of the shows, rides, restaurants, and attractions at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is split between the two Universal Florida parks (Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios). Hogsmeade is in Universal Islands of Adventure, and Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios. Both Hogsmeade and Diagon Ally have unique shops, rides and experiences, so you’ll want to go to both. You’ll also need a Park to Park pass to ride the Hogwarts Express!

You could do both parks in one day, but you’d miss a lot, and you’d definitely be exhausted! On our last trip, we spent two days almost exclusively checking out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and we still didn’t see and do everything in both areas!

Check prices for the two day park hopper, get ONE day free deal here!

You can check out more of our specific tips for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter here.

Save time with the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App

The free Official Orlando Resort app is a must. We used it to help plan our itinerary for the parks, and to let the kids mark the attractions they didn’t want to miss. In the park, the app was indispensable! We used it to figure out where we were and to help decide where to go to next.

Even better, the app is instantly updated with wait and show times. It’s also great for finding rides, and sorting out which restaurants to visit. Since the restaurant menus are included in the app, it also makes it really easy to pick a spot everyone in the group will enjoy.

Another bonus for the app is that you can save your parking spot so you can remember where your car is located. (Which might not sound like a big deal but trust us it is. The parking lots are huge!)

Here’s an extra helpful, time saving app tip! You can set up alerts for when ride wait times drop, saving you a lot of time waiting in line.

FYI. If you don’t have a data plan, don’t worry, there’s free WiFi available throughout the Orlando Universal parks!

Download the app on iTunes here. Get the app on Google Play here.

Universal Tip: Go Early

There’s so much to do at Universal Florida, and tickets are pricey enough, that you’ll definitely want to maximize your time. Go as early as your ticket allows, and stay right until closing, and you can maximize your time at the parks.

We’re not early birds, but we make an effort to go as early as possible, because we always find crowds to be much lighter in the morning before noon. Try to be at the park at least half an hour before opening, or get early access. Parking opens well before the gates to the actual park does so don’t be afraid to come a few minutes earlier.

Also factor in the fairly long walk (around 10 minutes) from parking to the entrance, plus the time you’ll need to pass through the entrance line. Depending on which lot you’re coming from, there are motorized walkways from many of the parking areas that will speed your arrival.

There are also a few ways to get early access to the parks, including staying at onsite parks, or getting Unlimited Express passes, which we talk about a little later in this post.

Stay late at Universal Florida

We find that crowds at Universal really dropped off around 6 pm, in the three hours before closing, and stayed quieter until the park shuts down. This, or early morning, is the perfect time to take in the busier rides and attractions at Harry Potters Wizarding World. Since most people have experienced and left this area of the park by 6 the lines are way shorter.

If you really want to enjoy that time, I suggest you grab an early supper (Three Broomsticks is our favorite Harry Potter restaurant) at around 4:30 pm and start checking out the rides around 6 pm.

Make sure you check closing times! Closing times for Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure were different when we visited.

Get an Express Pass at Universal

An Express pass lets you skip the normal lines and jump in the express line.

We love the Express Passes, as they save us plenty of time in lines during the busier afternoon lineups. They’re not cheap (around $50 a person) however, when you factor in all it’s cost you to get to that point, that $50 could be the difference between getting to go on all the rides you wanted to and not.

I’d say the Express Pass is almost essential during times when the Parks are crowded like Spring Break or Christmas. That said, if you’re going during a particularly quiet time, you may want to save some money and skip the Express Pass altogether.

Important! You can’t use Express Passes at Fievel’s Playland, Pteranodon Flyers, Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides or Ko’okiri Body Plunge, but we found they were a lifesaver for other rides in the Universal Parks.

To save time in lines, use the alerts in the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App to let you know when a wait time has dropped (get it on iTunes here | Google Play).

Go during a quieter month

If you have the flexibility, try to avoid traditionally busy times like weekends, Christmas, Spring Break and summer holidays. Mid week during the off season could be your best bet.

Orlando Informer has a helpful Universal Crowd Calendar.

Use child swap at Universal Orlando

If you have kids, child swap is one of the best time savers around. You’ll need two adults for this, but it’s a fantastic perk.

With a child swap, the entire family stands in line together. At the last moment, one adult waits with the children at the front of the line, while the other adult rides. When the first adult is done, the adults swap, and the adult who waited with the child first now goes to the front of the line.

Just tell the greeter at the front that you want to use child swap. They do this all the time, so it’s a quick and efficient process. Our son also joined both of us when our daughter decided she didn’t want to go and got to ride twice with no lining up!

For example, we used child swap on Escape from Gringotts, when our eight year old decided at the last moment that she didn’t want to go. That ride actually had a designated area for parents with small children off to the side complete with activities and monitors playing Harry Potter movie snippets.

Since a lot of the Harry Potter themed rides have unique and entertaining happenings (like walking through Gringotts bank and having the goblins give you the evil eye), the designers at Universal have filled the lineup areas with plenty to see and do as you wait for your ride. If you don’t get in line, you might miss out on more than just the ride itself.

Take the single rider line

If you want to get onto the rides even quicker, and don’t mind riding without the rest of your group, use the single rider line.

This saves a lot of time waiting in line, especially on the busier rides like Escape from Gringotts and The Hidden Journey. Though it’s usually a different line than the normal one, you can still walk in with someone and hang out with them in line and then only do the ride on your own at the end. This is a great way to go if you already went on the ride together the first time and just want a quick second or third ride for yourself.

It can also turn an hour and half Hulk roller coaster ride into a 15 minute ride! Just make sure to ask the attendants if there is a single rider lane since not all rides have it.

Note: Due to it often being a different line, both the single rider lane and Express Pass lane might bypass some of the interactive areas the designers included for the regular line bound guests. If you want to see and experience everything pre-ride, you might want to stay in the regular lines the first go around.

Pay for Preferred Parking at Universal

We get prime parking whenever we visit. It’s a great perk to have a short walk to our car at the end of a tiring day and it gets us out of the parking lot before most others.

Preferred Parking also makes the walk to the gates entrance a lot faster and gets us into the park quicker. Preferred parking is currently an additional $10 a day more than regular at $30 (it’s $20 for regular parking).

The only time I’d consider skipping Prime Parking would be if the parks are especially quiet (which is almost never!) or if we stayed in a very nearby hotel and took a taxi or Uber over. Of course, if you stay at one of the on resort parks you not only get in earlier but you also get free transportation.

Buy a wand for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We debated getting the wands for our visit, but I’m so glad that we decided to buy one for each kid.

Wands bring shop displays to life, and really bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to life! Our kids used their wands at both parks. You can also bring your wand with you the next time you go to Universal Studios, so you only need to buy them once.

Wands cost about $50 USD per wand, so they’re not cheap, but our kids spent hours casting spells in shop windows at Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

Don’t forget to look at the special map in your wand’s box! The special map that comes in your interactive wand’s box will guide you to wand spots in both worlds!

Most articles will tell you to buy your wands at Ollivanders in Hogsmeade or at Wands by Gregorovitch in Diagon Alley. They both have a good selection of wands and the choosing ceremony as well however both places can be ridiculously busy!

If there are big lines at Ollivanders or Wands by Gregorovitch (there always are), buy your wand at a cart instead, like we did. There are wand stands located throughout both Harry Potter Worlds with practically no one in line.

We picked our wands up at a cart in Hogsmeade at the Islands of Adventure, near Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Since the wand chooses the wizard, Dumbledore’s wand chose our daughter, and Sirius Black’s wand chose our son. The stand attendant was patient and helpful, and our kids got their wands much more quickly than if we’d stayed at Ollivanders.

Take the Hogwarts Express train between parks

Even if you’re not a huge Harry Potter fan, taking the Hogwarts Express between Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida will save you a lot of time, and let you rest your weary feet.

Try to take the train both ways, since it’s a different experience each time but be weary that the lineups can be slow! The train was down for most of the first day were there and opened only sporadically the second day. That made the lineups when it was running especially long. Also note that

Eat in the Parks or at Universal CityWalk

There are so many places to eat at the park, and it’s such a huge walk to parking, that you’ll definitely want to stay onsite for meals. There’s something for every taste at Universal.

You can save some money by getting one of several different dining plans that are offered by Universal. What you get really depends on your appetite, who’s in your party, and how long you’ll be at the parks. Check the different options.

Tip! You can get ice tap water free throughout the park! Just ask!

There are so many places to grab a bite here that we haven’t been able to try them all (or even a good percentage of them), but here are a few we loved.

As you’d expect, there are plenty of Harry Potter themed restaurants (and butterbeer!) at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We really loved the Three Broomsticks, but the Leaky Cauldron gets great reviews as well.

If you’re looking for a good burger, we liked Crusty Burger in Universal Studios. It’s a Simpson’s themed restaurant, with a big selection, and a lot of seating. We had the vegetarian black bean burger, and a regular burger, both of which come with tasty Cajun onion rings. Our littlest had a cheese pizza, and we washed it all down with incredibly thick chocolate milkshakes .

Our go to snack is always Auntie Annie’s Pretzels at Universal Studios for a warm bucket of cinnamon sugar pretzel nuggets to share. The only negative is that there’s almost always a line during busy times.

There’s a huge selection of restaurants at CityWalk, which you pass when you first walk into Universal Orlando on your way to the main entry gates.

CityWalk is a great choice for a bite at the end of the day, since it’s on your way to the parking lot. There are dozens of restaurants here, including Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Hard Rock Cafe, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, Johnny Rockets and so much more.

While you’re grabbing a bite to eat at CityWalk, you can also check out mini-golf, clubs, shows, movies, karaoke and concerts. You don’t need a ticket to Universal to get into Universal CityWalk so you’re free to come on your off days as well.

Plan your meals ahead

If you have any special dietary requirements (vegetarian, gluten free, allergies, and so on), choose your restaurant wisely. We had three vegetarians in our group, and there were veggie options at every restaurant we visited, but we were definitely limited in what we could eat.

For example, at the Leaky Cauldron in Universal Studios, they only had soup and salad as a vegetarian option, so we decided to eat elsewhere.

Use the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App (get it on iTunes here | Google Play) or check out the Universal Orlando website to check out menus in advance.

Take a day off from Universal

Yes, I know you’ve traveled all this way to go to Universal Studios in Orlando Florida however, most multi day passes are good for a week. That means that if you bought a 2 day pass, you can go on day 1 and day 7 instead of going back to back days.

Why, you might ask? Between the miles and miles of walking, the crowds, the sights, the rides and the food, a full day at Universal will be tiring. Doing two full days back to back can overload even the hardiest of theme park lovers.

Our suggestion, if you have the time, skip a day or two and take in quieter sites for those days or sleep in and enjoy the pool and food at your hotel. That way, once you’ve gotten your wind back, you can fully enjoy your second or third or fourth day at the park with renewed vigor!

If time is limited, consider the VIP Experience

If you only have a day at Universal Orlando, you’re going to need to maximize every second. One way to do this is to splurge out a little with the VIP Experience. See VIP Experience prices and more on the Universal website here.

With a VIP experience, you can skip ALL of the lines. You can also get a personal Universal Orlando tour guide. It also includes a continental breakfast, plus you can choose several other options. The VIP Experience is definitely pricey, but worth considering.

A VIP experience gets you priority front-of-the-line access to all rides and attractions, including all of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions and experiences. Plus, you can get behind the scenes tours, complimentary valet parking and reserved seating at shows.

You can get a private VIP experience, with just you and your party (which includes two full service meals), or a regular VIP experience. I didn’t know about the VIP experience option when we visited, but it sounds amazing.

See information on the VIP experience here.

What to wear and bring to Universal Orlando

Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes.

You’re going to be walking all day long within and between parks, and when you’re done, you’ll be walking back to the front entrance and the parking lot. That’s a lot of concrete and if you don’t have good shoes you’ll be done by lunch.

I wish I’d worn my Fitbit when we were at the parks last time. I bet I easily put on 20,000 plus steps a day!

Since the weather in Orlando can vary depending on the season, bring along a jacket or even a rain poncho if you think you’ll need it. During our last visit, the mornings were cool enough for a jacket, but afternoons were warm enough for shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

Don’t forget sunscreen! We forgot ours during our last visit, and I got a mild sunburn just from being outside during 65 degree weather and light cloud cover!

Some of the major rides include free lockers right before or after the ride however most of the larger rides won’t even let you take along a phone and wallet with you. Having a backpack isn’t a bad idea but you will be forced to locker it often. We found having clothes with lots of zippered pockets to be helpful and being able to split the family up occasionally meant we didn’t have to rent a locker for the day either.

Check for deals before you buy tickets!

Before you buy your tickets, be sure to check out Universal’s deals and specials. They often have some fantastic deals, and offer special rates for Florida residents as well. 

Right now Universal has a fantastic special, where you save $53, plus get one extra day FREE if you buy a two day Park to Park pass.

See prices for the buy three days, get TWO DAYS FREE deal here!

The Best Things to Do on the Oregon Coast

Any good Oregon coast road trip itinerary will start and end with an oceanfront view. Sure, there’s a lot to do here besides taking in the beaches and coastline, but we’ve made special note of can’t miss vistas, plus notes on unique things to do, as well as tips for what to do if it’s raining or the weather’s a little off.

Our road trip started in Portland, and then followed the coast from the top of northern Oregon in Astoria, down south and finally ending in the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor near the California border.

Where to Stay

We love the road trip, but we’re not fans of the standard, tired, road trip motel. Wherever we travel, we look for a clean, stylish and affordable place to stay.

There’s tons of places to stay in Oregon however clean, affordable, stylish motels are surprisingly hard to find, especially in popular tourist spots like the Oregon coast. When Motel 6 asked us to try out some of their newly renovated properties we were keen to give them a try. The renovated properties have flat screen TVs and stylish bathrooms, plus wood style floors (which I love, as wood seems so much cleaner and fresher than carpet).

Scroll down to see pics and our take on our favorite Motel 6 in Lincoln City, Oregon.

Where to Eat

There’s no shortage of great grub in Oregon, but the coast is best known for fresh seafood and, lately, a booming craft beer scene. Plus, as any hard core road tripper will tell you, road trips also mean diner food and lots of it. We also kept this a budget trip, so we made good use of our Motel 6 fridge to self cater.

What to see and do on your Oregon Coast road trip

Wondering what to do on the Oregon Coast?

The Pacific Northwest’s Oregon coast is home to rugged cliffs, secret coves, seemingly endless beaches, and amazing marine life.

Our route along US Highway 101 takes you from Astoria in the North, all the way down to the California border in the south, traveling past historic lighthouses, charming seaside towns, giant sand dunes, and beautiful national and state parks. You can start at the stunning Lewis and Clark National Historic Park near Astoria at the south, and weave inland to check out the Crater Lake National Park near the California border. 

Portland

Portland is Oregon’s largest city, and well known for its cool and hip vibe. It’s a great city to land in but since we were more interested in visiting the coastal areas of Oregon (Portland is over an hour from the nearest beaches), we didn’t spend much time in Portland itself. If you’re interested in visiting Portland, make sure to check out it’s many parks, microbreweries and coffeehouses as well as the iconic Washington Park.

Astoria

Astoria is one of my very favorite Oregon coast drive attractions. I’ve stopped by here many times, and love the gritty, historic vibe of this little city.

It’ll probably look instantly familiar to you, as Astoria was home to filming plenty of TV shows and movies, from Kindergarten Cop to the Goonies.

We had a great meal at Buoy Beer Co., which is perched right on the water, but there are plenty of other cool micro brew pubs here.

Astoria sits at the mouth of the Columbia River, and the old harbor is now home to some cool restaurants and fancy hotels. Be sure to check out beautiful Fort Stevens State Park, plus the Military Museum with gun batteries buried in sand dunes. There’s plenty of hiking, biking, camping and a pretty beach near the Peter Iredale 1096 shipwreck.

If you’re looking to while a way a little time in town, check out the Astoria column (and it’s great view over the city) as it’s worth a stop, plus the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and the Astoria Riverfront Trolleys are fun as well.

You really can’t miss the Astoria-Megler Bridge, with it’s striking steel frame architecture and beautiful views. If you have kids (or you’re a kid at heart), you may want to pop even further North to visit Great Wolf Lodge water park, about two hours north of Portland closer to Seattle. If you take the #5 highway from Portland to Astoria, it’s only an hour out of your way. We stayed a night, and wished we’d had a few more days to spend there! Check prices here.

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach is one of the most photographed landmarks along the Oregon Coast, and one of the top must-see Oregon coast road trip stops. It may not be the most unique thing to do on the Oregon coast, since it’s so popular, but it’s an absolute must visit.

There’s a bustling little town here with some good food (stop by Bruce’s Candy Kitchen for sure), plus the whimsical DragonFire Gallery, and wine and beer tastings at the cute but touristy Wine Shack.

The landmark Haystack Rock protrudes 235 feet out of the Pacific, and it’s well worth a visit. The day we visited, it was pouring rain, but we managed to get a break just long enough to see Haystack Rock peeking out among a dark sea and moody storm clouds. Even on a bad day, it’s stunning.

On a clear day, take time to walk along Cannon beach itself, which has some wonderful tidal pools, and see Haystack Rock up close.

Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach is a charming seaside village of just over 1,000 people with a picturesque beach. Make sure you stop by the Beach Bakeshop for home baked and delicious treats. I loved the scones, but you can’t go wrong with any of the treats here.

Take the time to go down to Rockaway Beach wayside, a cute little beachfront stop with public parking. There’s a playground, restrooms, and the main attraction, a stunning view of the off-shore Twin Rocks. Animal lovers like me love the friendly squirrel family that makes its home here.

You can also catch a ride on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad here, or in nearby Garibaldi below.

Garibaldi

If you enjoy trains like me, or just like taking a relaxing ride with great scenery, check out the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. It’s a slow ride with plenty of stops in a historic 1925 steam train. The train runs from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beach (you can depart from either town).

If you have time, the Garibaldi boat basin is also a fun place to take a stroll and check out the working docks and boats.

Tillamook Creamery

Honestly, we stopped by the Tillamook Creamery on a whim because it was rainy and we were looking for a break from the rain.

Turns out, it’s a huge tourist attraction, with a packed parking lot, and a remodeled interior. On the plus side, there’s free cheese tasting that makes the wait well worth it. There’s a new building, with the sampling area upstairs, and a huge gift shop with Tillamook things to purchase.

Lincoln City

We spent a good chunk of our time in Lincoln City, one of the most popular small towns along the Oregon Coast.

There’s a great mix here of stunning scenery, cool shops, great food, and plenty of activities. The top draw here is the beaches, which stretch for seemingly endless miles along the coast. They’re perfect for beach combing, playing in tidal pools, and long, leisurely walks. We spent time both on the beach in town (which we accessed near Chinook Winds Casino) and Siletz Bay beach.

Siletz Bay beach is long and packed with driftwood and tons of people enjoying campfires along the water. There’s also tons of harbor seals and lots of people crabbing and clamming along the mud flats in the area.

Make sure to stop by Eleanor’s Undertow at the public beach access in Siletz Bay for some delicious ice cream.

We spent a few days in Lincoln City riding out a blast of rainy weather, and found some fun indoor things to do in town. There’s a decent movie theater, and a smallish outlet mall, but we really loved Prehistoric. This small shop dinosaur themed shop specializes in authentic and manufactured fossils, plus has a cool selection of gemstones. There’s also a cheesy but fun animatronic baby T-Rex out front that the kids loved.

We had a great breakfast at the Pig n’ Pancake, which serves typical breakfast American fare and makes a great waffle. The rest of the time we grabbed some to-go meals at the local Safeway and IGA grocery stores and heated them up in our motel microwave.

While we were in Lincoln Beach, we stayed in the the newly renovated Motel 6. Forget whatever you think about motels – this was a clean, stylish and affordable place to stay with some rooms overlooking the Oregon bay. This motel is part of Motel 6’s newly renovated properties and even the furniture here was a little different, with a clean, comfortable and contemporary style.

We’ve long been fans of the Motel 6 renovated properties. We stay at the Swift Current, Saskatchewan, property almost every year on our yearly road trip to visit family in Western Canada. It’s a great value and we love the clean and simple lines!

Depoe Bay

Just south of Lincoln City is Depoe Bay, one of the best places in Oregon to watch whales. Most people go to see the nearly 20,000 gray whales that migrate from mid-December through mid-January on the way to Baja Mexico or in March to see them migrating back up north.

There are plenty of tour companies that will take you out on the water, but the Whale Watching Center is a great place to start. You can watch from the windows to catch a glimpse of orcas, humpback whales, dolphins, and even the occasional blue whale.

Ainslee’s Salt Water Taffy is well worth a stop to curb a sweet craving and there are stunning views from Tidal Raves if you’re up for a seafood meal.

Devils Punchbowl

Just south of Depoe Bay, on your way down to Newport, lies the Devils Punchbowl State Park. The walk to the Devils Punchbowl is only safe at low tide, but the walk itself is a wide and fairly easy stroll. There’s a small waterfall, and plenty of tide pools for exploring. Do not hike to the Punchbowl during high tide, as it’s dangerous!

Love wine? Oregon’s wine region, Willamette Valley, is home to over 550 wineries and is only a short hour’s drive to the interior. Willamette Valley runs south of Portland through Salem and down to Eugene.

Nye Beach, Newport

Nye Beach is a wonderful place to hunker down for the night. It’s a scenic beach town with lovely bakeries and bookstore. The Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach is a local’s favorite for, you guessed it, fresh chowder.

If you tire of the small town vibe, nearby Newport offers plenty of activities and food options. Newport also has two historic lighthouses that are worth checking out. One is called the Yaquina Bay lighthouse and the other is the Yaquina Head lighthouse.

Newport is also known as the Dungeness crab capital of the world, so it may be worthwhile to take in some seafood at the highly recommended Local Ocean Seafoods while you’re there. On your way from Newport to Cape Perpetua, stop by the cute The Chocolate Frog shop for homemade candy, saltwater taffy or ice cream.

Pocket book a little light? You can go on your own clam dig or crab hunt and cook your own seafood delights to help keep your costs down while in the area. Check out this page for some of the best crabbing sites around Newport.

Cape Perpetua

Cape Perpetua offers a stunning view over the local coastline.

This is dramatic coastline, with scenic attractions with names like Devil’s Churn and Thor’s Well, which are both worth a visit. If you’re looking for something less dramatic, stop by the cute Little Log Church. Nearby, you’ll find craft beer at Yachats Brewing + Farmstore.

Florence

The sea lion caves in Florence are a series of interconnected caves and caverns about 11 miles south of Florence. It’s a privately owned sanctuary, so there’s a charge to enter. It’s a wild place, the USA’s largest sea cave and a year-round home to the Steller sea lion.

Take time for the easy hike nearby at the pretty tree covered Hobbit Trail to the ocean.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head Lighthouse was built back in the 1890’s and is as charming and historic as that date suggests. It’s still active, and you can visit at night to see the lighthouse in action.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is the largest stretch of coastal sand dunes in North America.

Sand dunes tower up to 500 feet above sea level, and are perfect for ATV play, hiking, sand boarding and sightseeing. The Oregon Dunes Visitor Center near Reedsport is a great place to start, and packed with information about local wildlife and activities.

One of Charles’ favorite offroad memories involves driving a dune buggy over the Oregon dunes and getting himself into a little trouble back in the day. Needless to say, it’s best to follow the rules while riding the giant dunes however if you enjoy atving, 4x4ing or motorbiking then this area shouldn’t be missed and is one of the best sand areas in the country.

Shore Acres State Park

Shore Acres is a chance to immerse yourself in Oregon’s flora and fauna. Set among sandstone cliffs, there are two rose gardens and a Japanese garden. Plus, you can see one of the tallest trees in the world here. It’s a 95-foot tall Monterey Pine that has a massive 208-inch round trunk.

Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor

This is a stunning 12 mile long stretch of shore almost to the California border. Photos taken here are stunning, and there are stone formations like Arch Rock and Natural Bridges that are all worth a look. Unfortunately, we didn’t get as far south as this on our Oregon coast road trip this time however it’s on our must see list for our next trip down to California.

We drove our car down from BC, Canada, for this trip, and had a blast!

The next time we take this trip we want to take a few weeks, grab our new-to-us RV, and really explore the state and national parks. There’s just so much to see!

Have you visited the Oregon coast? What were your favorite things to do? Let us know in the comments – we’d love to hear!

On this trip we rode a train, spelunked in a massive cave system, fed giraffes, played on water slides, explored nature, climbed a mountain, swam in giant pools, ate at some delicious restaurants and ran wild in a former elementary school.

It was a great experience, and since it was just my son Cole and I representing the family on this trip, we spent some amazing time together getting a chance to further strengthen our already great relationship. Read on to see our top picks for family fun!

Kid Friendly Things To Do in Colorado Springs: Day 1

So what kids activities did we enjoy in Colorado Springs? Well, the first day we rode a cog train up North America’s most visited mountain, Pikes Peak. We then wandered through the beautiful Garden of the Gods. Next, we descended to the depths in the Cave of the Winds and we ate s’mores as well as went on a MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs. And that was only a small portion of our time.

Before we even hit Colorado Springs, we had the opportunity to visit the area around Cañon City. At just over an hour from Colorado Springs and to the west of Canon City itself, is home to some of the best whitewater rafting in the state. Not only did we get our feet wet while white water rafting down the Arkansas River, we also checked out the newly opened Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience. We even had the chance to spend a night in the newly built Royal Gorge Cabins. If you’re curious, you can check out our Cañon City Colorado family experience here.

That said, overnighting in Cañon City was only one small part of our family Colorado tour.

The second day we had breakfast and a pint in the re-purposed sprawling Ivywild School, fed giraffes at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and finally relaxed in class and comfort at the sprawling Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Sound like fun? It was, and now here’s the lowdown on all the fun things to do with the family in Colorado Springs.

Ride a cog train up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs

The entrance to Pike’s Peak is just 15 minutes west of Colorado Springs in quirky and charming Manitou Springs. Hosting nine natural mineral springs and a collection of spiritualists, visiting Manitou Springs itself can be a great way to get the kids drinking water while you do the Springsabouts Walking Tour and sample the varieties of water the springs offer (and yes, each spring does taste different).

The entrance to Pike’s Peak highway is also found in Manitou Springs and though you can drive yourself up to the summit of Pike’s Peak (it’s about 19 miles of crazy switchbacks), or climb the 13 mile long Barr Trail (only for the fit and bold), we chose to go up via the old Pikes Peak Cog Railway train that runs year round (weather permitting).

Once we picked up our tickets and determined our departure time, we got in line and jumped into one of the three open aired coaches our train provided for that run. Luckily for us, the windows close because, as we got closer to the peak, our very hot day suddenly became much, much cooler.

On the way up the 14,115 foot summit of America’s most famous mountain, we saw waterfalls and rock formations, old miner cabins and a post office. We also saw deer and about 2/3rds of the way up we saw a bunch of yellow- bellied marmots known locally as whistle pigs. These huge woodchuck shaped ground squirrel relatives were fun to watch and the kids loved spotting them. Some days you can also spot bighorn sheep and even black bears.

Tip! Remember a jacket, even in summer! What started as a very warm summer day at the bottom became downright cold by the time we reached the top

Once you get to the summit of Pikes Peak, which takes just over an hour each way, you can stretch your legs and walk around the top before the Pikes Peak cog railway returns you to the bottom. The entire trip lasts three hours and 10 minutes, so it makes a great morning or afternoon getaway.

Up on Pikes Peak, you’ll find washrooms (there are none on the train so make sure you go before you leave) as well as a snack bar featuring some unique donuts (they had to be specially crafted to rise at a high elevation) and also a gift shop. Other than that, the view in all directions is simply beautiful so make sure you have a camera with you.

Note! Departure times, seating assignments and return times for the Pikes Peak cog train from the summit are all preset in advance, so make sure you pay attention to the times otherwise you could be left at the summit.

Descend to the depths in the Cave of the Winds in Colorado Springs

While we were in Manitou Springs, we also checked out the infamous Cave of the Winds. These caves were discovered over a century ago by a couple of young brothers and then later explored in depth by a slew of early adventurists.

Over the years, as new tunnels have been discovered, the Cave of the Winds has been opened up to the public and is now a major tourist destination. The huge complex features multiple cave trips, two adrenaline inducing aerial lines (the Bat-A-Pult and aptly named Terror-Dactyl free fall) as well as the Wind Walker climbing course that sits directly over a 600 foot drop. It also has a large concession area, a picnic area, a giant slide and a mining station for kids.

We did the 45 minute long Discovery Tour and that was perfect for the kids.  We walked up and down pathways and also stairs and ladders as we explored everything that a million year old cave system features. We saw tons of stalagmites, stalactites, amazing waterfall like flowstones, fossilized shells and other speleothems (cave decorations).

At one point, our guides shut off all the lights and, well, you haven’t experienced darkness until you’ve stood in the middle of a cave a hundred feet below ground. It really made me want to take the special Lantern Tour where the group travels only with handheld lanterns like the early spelunkers and explorers did while telling ghost stories and delving into the caves past.

For the truly adventurist, there’s also the well reviewed Cave 101 tour where you strap on your helmets, grab your flashlight and climb and crawl your way through undeveloped caves and smaller passageways. Claustrophobics need not apply for that tour.

Wander the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

If gods roamed gardens, you might find them in this oversize 480 acre garden of giant colored sandstone formations. The Garden of the Gods was donated to the city of Colorado Springs in the early 1900s from the head of the Burlington Railroad, Charles Elliott Perkins, after he passed away.

Set forth with strict provisions, the Garden of the Gods nature park is set to remain free for all visitors and free from all structures not prevalent to maintaining the park for all time. As such, you won’t find much in the park except the world class Visitor & Nature Center and the Café at the Garden. It’s simple, but still one of the many fun family things to do in Colorado Springs that’s worth a visit.

You can walk around the park, take a Segway tour or, go on an open aired Jeep excursion that drives around the park just like we did. A guide will tell you all about the history of the park and the formations you’re seeing. No matter how you see the Garden of the Gods you’ll be rewarded with amazing views of the main 300 foot sandstone formation as well as all the different colors of the smaller formations.

Inside the sprawling Visitor & Nature Center is a museum featuring local flora and fauna as well as the cool multi screen Geo-Trekker theater experience explaining how all the red sandstone rocks were formed and how they became part of the amazing scenery. (Shows start every 20 minutes.)

Eat s’mores, enjoy waterslides and go on a MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs

What’s the best way to end a long day seeing all the sights and sounds of Colorado Springs? Well, if you’re a kid, or a kid at heart, not much beats water slides and s’mores.

The newly opened Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs has that and a lot more and the kids loved ending their day there. The rooms were a huge hit as well with many theme rooms and, every kids fave, bunk beds!

On the fun side, not only were there indoor water slides for the whole family, but there is an indoor ropes course, indoor mini golf and of course, MagiQuest! All it takes is a special wand and your kids will be running around the huge Great Wolf Lodge waving their magic wands at everything they see as they go on their very own magic quest.

Not only that, there are ice cream parlours, candy stores, restaurants, pizza joints, and, luckily for parents, a bar you can sit in, as your kids run around burning off whatever remaining energy they have. The kids might have their own favorite memories of Great Wolf Lodge, but mine will be sharing a few delicious locally produced beers with my fellow parents.

To be honest, sitting by the campfire roasting s’mores was definitely a highlight for everyone and we all vowed we would be back to Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs again in the future.

And so finished our fist day of fun things to do with the family in Colorado Springs. Want to see more things to do in Colorado outside of Denver? Check out our post of fun things to do in Canon City Colorado as well.

Fun things to do with kids in Colorado Springs: Day 2

We had so much fun on our first day in Colorado Springs that the entire group was excited to see what was in store the second day. Luckily for us, it was a little slower than the first day but we all welcomed the relaxed pace and had a good opportunity to enjoy even more things to do with the kids in Colorado Springs.

Eat, drink and be merry at the Ivywild School in Colorado Springs

Ever had that dream where you’re walking through your old school but it’s not quite as you remember it? Even better, ever dream that your old school has turned into a happening place filled with delicious eateries, micro brewers, art spaces and a movie theater in the gym?

Well, the former students of Ivywild sure must when they walk through the revamped Ivywild School in Colorado City. This actual decommissioned school built back in 1916 was on the verge of being torn down in 2009 before an enterprising group of individuals decided that yeah, they could work with it.

So a dream became reality and the Ivywild School has been converted into a trendy boutique of shops, eateries and micro pubs with the expansive Bristol Pub headlining the site.

The interesting part? They left the majority of the old school in place. Nowhere is that more evident than when walking in and looking at the principals office or seeing the old style urinals and the crazy kids artwork in the boys washroom.

Even walking down the halls makes you feel like you should have a hall pass for skipping class, and the fact that you can order dozens of tasty micro brews in old classrooms just highlights the surreal feeling you get while walking through Ivywild School.

Kids will love that there’s no teaching at Ivywild School in Colorado City and it will definitely fuel a few daydreams of what their own classroom might look like if they put in a restaurant or a few vats of cider in the broom closet. It also doesn’t hurt that the food you can get at Ivywild School is much, much better than anything I ever got in my school canteen.

The hard fact is that the Ivywild’s Old School Bakery had some of the tastiest cinnamon buns I’ve had in some time. Even better, all the eateries in Ivywild School also practice the food to table approach with gardens planted throughout the old schoolyard and close ties with local farmers. It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

Feed giraffes at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs

What has four legs, a blue tongue the length of a small child and has to be standing 10 feet below you to look you squarely in the eye? No, it’s not a giant lizard, it’s a giraffe and they’re just one of the many highlights we found while walking around the beautiful Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

The coolest part about having these gentle giants at eye level is you can feed them lettuce right from your hands. It’s still a little unnerving to see those huge giraffe tongues come out but the look of happiness they have as they grab their lunch from you is undeniable. Who knew lettuce could taste so good?

As well as hand feeding giraffes from the largest giraffe herd in the Americas, at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo you can take a chairlift called the Sky Ride that will have you soaring above it all. Not only do you get some amusing bird’s eye views of the many animals below but you get some amazing views over Cheyenne Mountain and a good portion of the valley around Colorado Springs.

Love animals? The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has over 750 animals and 170 species from all over the the world. We thought we walked just about everywhere while we there but, as we left, we realized we still hadn’t seen everything.

From lions, tigers and snow leopards in the African and Asian exhibits to learning about and interacting with chickens and goats in My Big Backyard, there are tons of things for kids of all ages.

They also have some great wildlife encounter shows that get you up close to the animals and we both enjoyed the elephant exhibit and the hippo section. Their monkey and primate section were also quite extensive, especially the gorillas and orangutans.

Since the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is also the only mountain zoo in America, they also have an extensive collection of local wildlife like mountain lions, grizzly bears, moose, river otters, lynx and porcupines. Even though all these animals exist back home, it’s still nice to see them in an authentic mountain setting.

One of the kids favorite areas at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was their walk-through aviary in their Australia section, where you can have budgies and parakeets eating right from the palm of your hand. As you leave this area, you walk through the wallaby walkabout which has small wallabies hopping about freely everywhere around you. We had to usher the kids out of this area otherwise they would have spent all day following the little kangaroos around.

Ever dreamed of being a zookeeper? Who hasn’t? Well, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has an area called The Loft where you get to go behind the scenes and see what it takes to make it all happen. From training and weighing, to feeding and cleaning, The Loft is designed from the ground up especially for kids (and would be kids). It’s not only a great space for hands on training and learning, it also preps them for all the responsibilities that comes with taking care of animals themselves.

Relax in comfort at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs

Ever watch a summer movie of teens hanging on the beach, then playing a little beach volleyball before heading to one of a half dozen different swimming pools, tennis courts or basketball courts while the parents are off enjoying a round of golf or maybe spending the day being pampered at the spa? Well, the Cheyenne Mountain Resort is that place.

It turns out that this huge sprawling mountainside resort with their own private lake is the dream resort of my childhood. Before arcades, wave pools and fancy electronics were a thing, the Cheyenne Mountain Resort would have been my epitome of resort high life.

With their own private 35 acre lake complete with a sandy beach, volleyball courts, canoes, kayaks and SUP rentals, they have the outdoor enthusiast covered.

They also have an aquatics center complete with four outdoor swimming pools, including a huge 50 m Olympic sized pool with water slide, a splash pad and a kiddie pool as well as an adult only pool and spa. They also have another heated pool in the main complex.

If you’re a tennis fan, they do tennis with 17 covered and uncovered tennis courts including two outdoor clay courts. For the fitness buff, there’s an expansive 9000 sq. foot fitness center complete with yoga, spin and cross training group classes.

One of the coolest features of Cheyenne Mountain Resort is that the resort has its own championship grade golf course surrounding it that makes this mountain sided, lake adjacent course not only one of the most beautiful in Colorado but also one of the best. With over 300 days of sunshine in Colorado Springs, and separated by the Rocky Mountains from snow loving Denver, you can enjoy golf 365 days of the year here. For the kiddos, they even open the course at night with a mini putt glow golf course.

Not only were the grounds beautiful at Cheyenne Mountain Resort, the food was tasty as well. From their award winning Sunday brunches at Mountain View Restaurant, to tasty bites and local brews from Elevations Lounge, I always left the table satisfied.

Staying at Cheyenne Mountain Resort was a treat not only for adult me but also for 12 year old me who never got to go to a cool camp in summer. To say that I was a little jealous of my son Cole getting to stay here probably speaks more about the place than all those sentences I just wrote. It’s a lovely place and you and your kids will definitely enjoy it.

Some final words about Colorado Springs

Well, that about wraps up our time in Colorado Springs. We saw and experienced some amazing things and my son and I both had a great time checking out everything the area had to offer.

If it’s your first time heading to Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA, know that it borders the Rocky Mountains. It’s a gorgeous hilly area with beautiful vistas and stunning plateaus’s around every corner.

There are so many great things to do in Colorado Springs with kids that you might just need to come back more than once. That’s okay, I’m sure you’ll discover even more to do the second time. For even more ideas, make sure you check out my previous post on fun things to do in Canon City Colorado as well.

How to get to Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs is about 70 miles due south of Denver down highway I-25 S. It’s just over an hour by car from the Denver International Airport (DEN) or you can fly directly into Colorado Springs (COS) from 15 cities across the USA.

What are you favorite family things to do in Colorado Springs? Let us know; we’d love to hear!

Many thanks to Colorado Tourism, who hosted us. We definitely had a great time in Colorado. You guys were the best!

Earlier this year, we had a chance to team up with LEGOLAND Florida and checked out their amusement park and waterpark as a family. We’ve been huge LEGO fans for years, and we have the bins of LEGO pieces in our living room to prove it, so we were thrilled to visit!

While it’s not as big as the Universal or Disney parks in Orlando, there’s still a lot to see and do in LEGOLAND. It can be a bit confusing and overwheming, honestly, so we spent our time at the park looking for helpful tips and tricks to help when you visit LEGOLAND Florida. You’ll find everything in here, including the best rides and attractions, how to save money, where to stay, and where to eat in the park.

Read on for our…

LEGOLAND Florida Tips and Secrets

• How to Save Money

• What to Bring

• LEGOLAND Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

• Best things to do at LEGOLAND Florida

• Attractions we didn’t love as much

• Where to stay near LEGOLAND Florida

• Where to eat at LEGOLAND Florida

• LEGOLAND Water Park tips

• How to get to LEGOLAND Florida

How to Save Money

First, let’s get you the best deal we can for LEGOLAND. Generally, you’ll save money buying tickets online, rather than at the gate. Plus, you’ll avoid having to wait at the gate to buy tickets!

Undercover Tourist

If you’re looking for a great deal on park tickets, check out Undercover Tourist first, which offers a significant discount over gate admission. They also don’t charge sneaky delivery fees or extra taxes like some sites. Delivery is instant, as these are electronic tickets sent to you by email.

For example, when we looked, the Undercover Tourist price for adult 1 day park and waterpass admission was $95.91. At the gate, the price was $113.99.

See prices for a single day ticket.

See all discount LEGOLAND tickets on Undercover Tourist.

Living Social

You never know when a good deal will pop up for LEGOLAND on Groupon or Living Social, so be sure to check before you go!

See deals here.

What to Bring

It’s pretty easy to spend the whole day at LEGOLAND, so pack accordingly.

• Camera. We took most of our photos with our smartphone, but you may want to bring a waterproof camera for the waterpark.
• Sunscreen. We like water resistant spray sunscreen.
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Jacket, if it’s cool
• Comfortable shoes. The park is a lot smaller than Universal or Disney, but there’s still a lot of walking.
• You can’t bring coolers, food and beverages into the park. However, there are exceptions for infants and if you have special medical needs. Bottled water is allowed. Alcohol is not allowed.
• An emergency poncho (great for The Quest for CHI water ride, trust us). Get a pack at Amazon.

LEGOLAND Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

LEGOLAND Florida is not open every day during the low season, so check hours and dates before you go.

If you adore LEGO, look at getting a two day pass, as it’s only about $10 more than going one day on the Undercover Tourist site. See 2 day pass pricing on Undercover Tourist.

Bring minfigures to trade. All LEGO employee wear minifigures on their name tags, and they’re happy to trade. Just don’t bring your rares though since most of fairly standard issue. There’s also a minifigures ambassador with hundreds of minifigures who’ll trade, if you can find them!

If it rains, indoor activities like LEGO Mindstorms, building a minifigure, the Imagination Zone and the LEGO NINJAGO ride will keep the kids busy.

There’s a lot of walking, so if you have young children consider bringing a stroller. You can rent strollers, but they’re first come, first serve with no reservations. Looking for a great stroller – check out this list of the top travel strollers for a good pick.

There’s no free WiFi in the park, unlike at larger parks like Universal Orlando.

What age is best for kids at LEGOLAND Florida? The LEGOLAND best age for kids is probably under 12. Our son was 11 turning 12, and while he still enjoyed himself, I think he would have loved LEGOLAND even more when he was a little younger. That said, we saw plenty of teens and older adults having fun!

Wait times vary a lot, depending on weather, peak season, and even time of day. Almost all the rides had a sign at the front listing the current wait time, and we found them pretty accurate. If you have limited time or you’re visiting during peak days like Christmas, you can buy a Premium Play Band that offers front of the line access. You can buy it when you arrive on the day of your visit.

Is there a LEGOLAND Florida app? Nope. Unlike Universal or Disney, the LEGOLAND Florida Park doesn’t have an official app yet. We looked through the app store, and there are a few unofficial apps, but they got horrible reviews, so we decided to forgo the app. You really don’t need one, as the park is not overwhelmingly big, and we found the wait times and lines much more manageable than the larger Orlando Parks.

Best things to do at LEGOLAND Florida

There’s a lot of fun to be had at LEGOLAND, but these were our favorite rides and attractions.

Build your own LEGO character at the Minifigure Market

This was one of our kids absolute favorites of our LEGOLAND Florida secrets. Well, it’s not really a secret, it’s more of a don’t miss! At the minifigure market, the kids can build their own customized LEGO character.

It costs $9.99 to build a set of 3 mini figures, which includes 3 heads, 3 torsos, 3 legs, 3 headgears and 3 accessories, plus a handy holder to bring them home.

LEGO NINJAGO The Ride 

Make sure you try the Lego Ninjago ride!

It’s one of LEGOLAND’s newer rides, and a lot of fun! Lines were long when we passed it when we first entered the park, so we waited until the end to try it. Such a mistake! We only had time for one ride as it was closing on the way out, but we wish we’d gone on it several times. The good news is there wasn’t a single person in line in front of us so we just walked directly on.

To play, you put on 3D glasses, and practice your ninja moves while the computer records your movements.

The Quest for CHI

This ride was an absolute blast! It’s an interactive boat ride with water cannons, where you shoot bystanders and other boats with water guns. When we were there in March mid-week, the wait was only about five minutes.

You will get soaked! If you want your clothes to stay dry, LEGOLAND does sell ponchos for around $5.99 at different places around the park. If you want to save a few bucks, grab a poncho at a dollar store on the way or order one directly from Amazon before you go.

The Battle for Brickbeard’s Bounty

Full disclosure here: this about about as cheesy as they come. That said, we all had a lot of fun watching this live water show at the site of the old Cypress Gardens. As it’s set on the water, you’ll see lots of acrobatic water skiing with plenty of live LEGO action. We especially loved Miranda, the head of the Imperial Navy.

Just a note, though, if you’re in the front few rows you’ll likely get wet but the crew definitely gets the crowd going.

Imagination Zone

The Imagination Zone was one of our kids’ favorites. There’s a lot to do here, including free play with a huge number of LEGOs. The kids loved the Flight Zone and Wheels Zone where you pick up parts to make your own flying or racing machine.

In the Imagination Zone, the kids can also build skyscrapers, virtually build water creatures, or even take a LEGO Mindstorms course. You have to sign up to take the course since it fills up every day so we decided to skip it to our son’s displeasure.

Flying school

This looks like an upside down roller coaster, and gives you the feeling of flying through the air.

It’s especially lots of fun for the older kids (and us too). Our eleven year old son had a blast here, but our eight year old didn’t want to ride. The minimum rider height is 44 inches, and kids below 52 inches tall need to be accompanied by a responsible rider of this height or taller.

Dragon Coaster

We all tried the Dragon Coaster, and honestly had fun. It’s a smaller coaster, so don’t expect terrifying thrills and drops. There was only a 15 min wait when we went in March.

Attractions we didn’t love as much

In the LEGO Driving school, the kids go through driving instruction, and then drive around a track in a LEGO-themed mini car. This was really cute, but the driving portion only lasted about five minutes, and the line up took about half an hour.

Did you know there are LEGOLAND locations all over the world? You can visit LEGOLAND in Florida, California, Denmark, Dubai, Malaysia, England, Germany and more! There are also LEGOLAND Discovery Centers all across North America. See all LEGOLAND Discovery Center locations here.

Miniland USA is a large outside area dedicated to LEGO displays, most of them USA-based. It’s a pretty impressive display that takes up a good chunk of the park, with detailed recreations of scenes in LEGO miniature, like Daytona Speedway, Las Vegas, and the White House. While it’s cute and shows a lot of imagination and creativity, many of the scenes are fading and showing a little wear.

LEGOLAND Joust is ride where kids sit on the back of LEGO-themed horses that pretend to joust. It’s honestly an adorable ride, but our kids, at eight and eleven, were just too big to fully enjoy it. Little kids should love it.

Where to stay near LEGOLAND Florida

VRBO

When we travel, we often stay at an VRBO, because it gives us a full kitchen and more room to run around. Since we were spending two days visiting the Universal Studios The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (check out our post on it here), we picked an Airbnb closer to Universal, and we drove out to LEGOLAND for the day.

See VRBO listings.

LEGOLAND Hotels

There’s a cute, new LEGOLAND hotel right outside the LEGOLAND front gates! This is our top pick if you’re visiting LEGOLAND in Florida.

That said, you have two options for staying at LEGOLAND: the LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and the LEGOLAND® Beach Retreat. Because we were based in Orlando, we didn’t get a chance to stay here during our visit, but they would have been our first choices for a hotel near LEGOLAND.

The bonus is that people staying at one of the LEGOLAND resorts get early access to LEGOLAND Park! That’s right. Hit the park before anyone else and then sneak out during the afternoon rush for a quick dip in the pool (or a nap) and then enjoy the park again until it closes.

The LEGOLAND® Florida Hotel

The Legoland Florida Resort is within walking distance of Legoland Florida Theme Park. Rooms are LEGO themed, and there are plenty of fun surprises for the kids!

More than two million LEGO bricks make up over 2,000 LEGO models throughout the hotel.

See prices and availability now.

The LEGOLAND® Beach Retreat

The LEGOLAND Beach Retreat is about half a mile from the park itself. It has 83 themed bungalows, each with its own whimsical LEGO décor inside and out. There’s a pool, a kid’s outside play area, and lots of fun activities for the kids.

Click to see prices and reviews

Holiday Inn Winter Haven

The Holiday Inn Winter Haven

This is a good family choice, with good reviews and a pool. It’s only about a nine minute drive to LEGOLAND Florida, and walking distance of Winter Haven Amtrak Station.

See prices and reviews.

Where to eat at LEGOLAND Florida

There are plenty of places to eat at LEGOLAND. You probably won’t find five star dining here, and prices are generally on the expensive shade of reasonable (as are all theme parks), but we found the food to be decent.

Granny’s Apple Fries

We heard great things about Granny’s Apple Fries, so we tried them for our first snack. Honestly, they were good, but I don’t think they were as good as their reputation. The apples were a little sour for our taste.

They come with whipped cream, which is a huge plus. The combo with a drink was the best deal we saw, at $2 more.

Fun Town Pizza and Pasta Buffet

FunTown Pizza and Pasta Buffet is a great alternative if you’re a big eater or absolutely starving. It’s all you can eat and drink. Prices are $9.99 for children plus tax, and $15.99 for adults plus tax and they include beverages.

Firehouse Ice cream

We were pretty much sold at ice cream. This is a great place for sundaes, floats and coffee.

Panini Grill

Looking for something healthy? We ate at Panini Grill for our main meal, and it was pretty good, especially for amusement park food. I’d give it a solid C+.

Our meal at Panini Grill ended up costing $45 for two adults and two kids. The $10 adult panini meal has an option of roast beef, ham and white cheddar, chicken Florentine, and the vegetarian panzanella. Drinks are extra. For kids, the $6.99 kids panini meal includes a drink, fruit and chips. Kids’ choices are ham and cheese, or ham only, or cheese only. There are free fountain drink refills so it’s a good place to quench your thirst. The Panini Grill is in the Imagination Zone.

There are also plenty of other food options at LEGOLAND Floride, including the Fried Chicken Restaurant, Castle Burger, Sunshine Sweets and more!

LEGOLAND water park

We were pretty tired after an almost full day of rides and attractions at LEGOLAND, so we almost skipped the water park. However, we decided to buckle up and spend an hour and a half here, and I’m glad we did. It’s a fun place to hang out.

We started by building a LEGO raft on the lazy river. The water was just a little too cool for us in March, but once we were in we had a blast. We ended up going around the lazy river three times.

After that, it was on to the wave park and water slides. Charles and Cole had a blast taking the tubes down the Twin Chasers tube slide and careening down the giant dual Splash Out slides while Jordan and I enjoyed the wave park.

Locker rental at the LEGOLAND waterpark

We didn’t want to wander around all day at the main park in our swimsuits, so I was happy to find out that you can rent lockers inside the LEGOLAND waterpark. We used them to stash our clothes and valuables while we were having fun in the water.

It’s $7 for a small, but the small truly tiny. It would work for a single person, or two people without much gear. A large is $10, and this was plenty big enough for clothes and shoes for the four of us. It costs $13 for a jumbo, which would work for a larger group.

You pay using an automated system, where you pay with credit card at the automated kiosk. You’re then given a code and locker number to match.

This part is a bit tricky. To end the rental, there’s a RED END RENTAL Button at the bottom of the locker keypad. The problem is that it’s virtually impossible for an adult to see, as it’s tucked away under the keypad. Luckily, our eight year old daughter pointed it out to us.

How to get to LEGOLAND Florida

Driving to LEGOLAND Florida

LEGOLAND Florida is approximately 45 minutes away from Disney World, an hour from Universal and around an hour from the Orlando Airport. It’s address is 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 3388.

Parking at LEGOLAND Florida

Parking at LEGOLAND Florida costs $15 online and $17 on site. Most of the parking stalls are only a few minutes walk from the front gate and there are plenty of stalls with shade. Parking opens 30 minutes before the gates open and there are handicapped parking spots right outside the front gate.

LEGOLAND Florida Shuttle Bus

If you don’t want to drive, there’s a shuttle to LEGOLAND Florida that picks people up at I-Drive 360, the massive entertainment complex at 8401 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. Parking in the garage is FREE.  The LEGOLAND shuttle bus pick up area is outside the parking deck by the back entrance of the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye on the Universal Boulevard side.

The LEGOLAND Shuttle bus picks people up at 9 AM and drops them off after the park closes. You need to book the shuttle at least 24 hours beforehand and arrive 30 minutes before the shuttle leaves to be guaranteed a seat.

Final Thoughts on LEGOLAND Florida

All in all, we had a great day at the LEGOLAND Florida amusement and waterpark. Unlike the bigger parks, there’s definitely more room and shorter lines to deal with however, that said, it’s more geared for those under 12 or for people that are huge Lego fans. We had both so it was resounding good day for all of us.

Have you been to LEGOLAND Florida? Do you have any LEGOLAND secrets or tips to share? We’d love to hear them. Leave us a comment below!

My son Cole and I recently had the opportunity to check out some activities around Cañon City, in the heart of wild Colorado, and to be perfectly honest, we both had an amazing time.

Quick facts about Cañon City, Colorado

First off, let’s talk about the town’s name. It seems a few years back they added a tilde over the Ñ so the town is actually pronounced Canyon City as opposed to Canon City. Didn’t realize that? Well, neither did I until we talked to some locals on the plane ride down there and they couldn’t figure out where Canon City was either.

If you’re looking at a map, Cañon City is around 2 hours due south of Denver, Colorado and an hour southwest of Colorado Springs down long gorgeous highways. The city has been around since the mid 1800’s and has quite a nice historic downtown.

Since it has the warmest year round temperatures in the state, thanks in part to its high elevation (5,300 feet or 1,600 m) and the mountains to the West that protect it, Cañon City is also known as the “Climate Capital of Colorado”.

When we were there at the beginning of summer, temperatures were already starting to soar in the high 80’s (that’s low 30’s in Celsius), however, luckily for the residents and visitors alike, there’s always a breeze in the valley and there isn’t much humidity so it’s a very dry heat.

Family Things to Do in Cañon City Colorado

For anyone who hasn’t been to the area, Cañon City is famous for two things. The first is its many long-standing penitentiaries (there are 13 in the area) and the second is amazing whitewater rafting, climbing and exploring just west of the city.

This means that Cañon City is a fantastic place to take in outdoor pursuits for the whole family, from white water rafting to checking out dinosaurs at the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience.

Royal Gorge Cabins: Where to stay and eat near Cañon City

We were fortunate to be able to raft the amazing white waters of the Arkansas River with the region’s biggest whitewater company, Echo Canyon River Expeditions. Not only that but we also had the opportunity to stay onsite in their brand new Royal Gorge Cabins. They have both one and two bedroom bungalows with lofts, so Cole got his own king sized bed, while I got mine. Needless to say we both had a great night’s sleep.

I can go on and on about the amazing views at the Royal Gorge Cabins, the understated luxury, the comfortable beds, good showers, nice kitchens and the beautiful outdoor living areas, but I think a few pictures might be better suited for this.

To put it simply, if I was doing a review on the new Royal Gorge Cabins at Echo Canyon it would rate five stars. Both the buildings themselves, as well as the people, were first class. I especially loved the extended outdoor area with its two way glass fireplace. It would make the perfect place to sit around with friends after a long day spent rafting on the river.

For those that truly love the outdoors,  Royal Gorge Cabins even has some gorgeous glamping tents for rent for those if you’d like to have a few s’mores around the campfire, but still want to sleep in a comfortable bed at night.

Not only that, we had some delicious fare across the street over at Echo Canyon’s 8 Mile Bar & Grill. Their fresh fried waffle chips were worth the trip in themselves, and everyone raved about their fried pickles. We ended up eating there for both lunch and dinner and both times we left satisfied.

For those that like their beer cold after a day on the water, 8 Mile Bar & Grill also has 16 draft beer options. Throw in a king sized firepit, some beach volleyball courts and lawn games to occupy the little ones and what more could anyone ask for?

Echo Canyon River Expeditions white water rafting near Cañon City, Colorado

For anyone coming to white water raft the Arkansas River, there are several whitewater companies to choose from just to the west of Cañon City.

If your goal is to spend your day or half day on the river like we did, Echo Canyon River Expeditions is the biggest and highest rated over at TripAdvisor. All the guides, boats, buses and equipment were top notch.

On top of that, we had the pleasure of meeting Andy, the owner of the company, who was both extremely friendly and highly knowledgeable on the river and the area in general. What’s more, even with up to 50 boats running a day during high season, he still manages to get out and guide a few times a week so he’s always in touch with every aspect of the company.

Due to the Arkansas River still being high from the late Spring thaw, and because we wanted to do a Colorado family rafting trip versus the more adventure filled one, we ended up going the Upper Arkansas River run. After being fitted for lifejackets, wetsuits and helmets, we all waited for the bus to take us to our location.

30 minutes or so later, and after the guides set up all the rafts for us, we jumped into the boats and set off. Along with Mack, our guide and seven other boats, we hit some class three and class four rapids and everyone on our boat had a great experience. Not only were the rapids fun, we even saw a black bear running along the river beside us!

We enjoyed white water rafting so much in Cañon City that Cole and I both want to go back and raft the famous Royal Gorge canyon section of the Arkansas River. After numerous tales from the owner and some of the experienced guides, the class 4 and 5 rapids sound like an exhilarating ride filled with breathtaking scenery.

There are also some gorgeous views from the Royal Gorge Bridge, which is one of the highest suspension bridges in the world, and some good zip lining in the area, which we didn’t get to try, so yes Colorado, we will be back!

Dinosaurs in Cañon City, Colorado

After our morning on the water and another quick tasty snack at Echo Canyon’s 8 Mile Bar & Grill, we headed next door to the newly opened Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience. If you or your kids love dinosaurs then this place shouldn’t be missed. Not only does it have some great indoor exhibits with plenty of information, including castings of some locally found fossils, but it also has a collection of full sized animatronic dinosaurs just outside to get a feel for just how big dinosaurs were back in the day.

As well as the guided exhibits, the kids really loved the three story rope course outside. Ever adventurous, I decided to liberate the child within me and walked the heights as well. I think I enjoyed it more than a few of the kids but that’s another story. I will say the wind can really gust near Cañon City so that coupled with the heights made the climb that much more exciting.

The cool part about Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience is that they have a miniature rope course designed for three to five olds and a dinosaur dig area where kids can unearth their own dinosaur fossils. Rope courses are becoming popular the world over, but this was the first time I saw one aimed perfectly for the toddlers complete with safety gear especially designed for them.

Besides for the indoor and outdoor exhibits, there’s also a small canteen and a very generously sized dinosaur shop at the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience with more dinosaur merchandise than I think I’ve ever seen in one location. We walked away with tshirts, mugs, gems and dinosaur candy. All perfect to bring back to my daughter Jordan who was at home.

We also had the pleasure of meeting the family that built the Cañon City Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience. Not only were they super friendly and knowledgeable, their love for all things dinosaur related was quickly evident. I’m curious to see what they add next to their ever growing Dinosaur Experience.

Colorado Springs and area attractions

Overnighting in Cañon City was only one small part of our Colorado tour, so stay tuned for my forthcoming review on Colorado Springs and the many things you can do in that great little city.

These include riding a cog train up Pike’s Peak, checking out the beautiful Garden of the Gods, visiting the giraffes at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, eating s’mores and going on a MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge (find helpful Great Wolf Lodge tips here!), descending to the depths in the Cave of the Winds, having breakfast and a pint in the Ivywild School and relaxing in comfort at the sprawling Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Many thanks to Colorado Tourism, who hosted us.