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.

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!

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!

You see, for the last two months of our South American trip, both of our kids devoured the entire series of Harry Potter books. Once done, we all started re-watching the movies together as a family since Charles and I are huge Harry Potter fans as well.

So, when we had the chance to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando on the way home, we were thrilled.

We had heard nothing but good things about the Harry Potter world, but honestly, the Universal Orlando Parks blew our expectations out of the water. Every detail was perfect and lovingly crafted. We truly felt like a family of muggles magically dropped into Harry Potter’s world.

Check prices for a three day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE here. 

Aside from having a fantastic time, the four of us learned a lot during our visit, so I wanted to share our tips for visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to make your visit easier, faster, and save you money.

Top Wizarding World of Harry Potter Tips

Get the Park to Park pass

To start off, in order to access everything both wizarding worlds offer, make sure you get the Park to Park pass.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is split between the two Universal Florida parks, with Hogsmeade in Universal Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley in Universal Studios. The parks both 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!

Check prices for a 3 day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE here.

Try to visit for at least two days

It is possible to visit both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in one day, but you’ll likely be rushed, and you’ll miss a lot of the carefully crafted details. You’ll also miss everything else both parks have to offer.

If you can, take at least two days to visit, and don’t forget about the Park to Park passes. Even better, right now Universal has a fantastic special, where you get two extra days FREE if you buy a 3 day Park to Park pass. See all of the Universal Orlando’s deals here.

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.

Save $53 on a three day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO DAYS FREE here. 

Get the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App

We grabbed the app the day before we went to help develop a game plan for the big day and to let everyone in the family mark the attractions they didn’t want to miss. Once there, we used the app constantly during our visit to figure out where we were and to help decide where to go to next.

Tip! If you don’t have a data plan, don’t worry, there’s free WiFi available throughout the park!

The app was so helpful for checking out wait times and show times, finding rides, and figuring out which restaurant we wanted to go using the interactive park map. You can even set up alerts for when ride wait times drop, save your parking information, and check out restaurant menus! Download the app on iTunes here. Get the app on Google Play here.

Stay at an onsite hotel

Many of the Universal Orlando hotels include Unlimited Express Passes and early park access to help you beat the morning rush. Since no car is needed, you’ll also save time and money by using the free shuttle service.

You can choose between

• Cabana Bay Beach Resort
• Loews Sapphire Falls Resort
• Leows Royal Pacific Resort
• Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel, or
• Leows Portofino Bay Hotel

Free Universal Express Unlimited is included, 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.

Important: Universal Express access is not valid on Fievel’s Playland, Pteranodon Flyers, Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides or Ko’okiri Body Plunge.

All on site hotels offer Early Park admission (one hour before regular opening hours) and complementary transportation to the Parks and CityWalk. There are some other great perks, including 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).

You can also get Early Park admission if you buy a Universal Orlando vacation package through Universal Orlando, even if you don’t stay at a Park Hotel.

Did you know that there’s a Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan and California?

Interactive Wand Hacks and Tips

First, get the new interactive wands

They ring in at $47 USD per wand, but our eight and eleven year old spent hours casting spells in shop windows at Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. They were worth every penny, as they brought the shop displays to life, and really made our kids feel they weren’t mere muggles! They also used them at both parks each day we were there and you can bring them with you the next time you go to Universal Studios.

You’ll find the spell locations on the map included with your wand and will see the corresponding medallions with the nature of the spell on the ground. Don’t worry too hard about finding them, there are usually a few kids lined up trying to get them to work, as well as a special wizard helper showing you exactly how to make the perfect wrist movement.

Wand Tip! Since the camera sensor is small, stand just in front of the medallion. It seems that tight wrist movements work best and make sure you aim towards the four red dots.

There are a bunch of locations to master your wand skills in both Diagon Alley as well as Hogsmeade. One of the kids favorites was the wingardium leviosa spell to float a feather and make quiddich balls float in the air at Spintwitches Sporting Needs in Hogsmeade!

Buy the interactive wand at a cart

The most popular places to buy an interactive wand are at Ollivanders in Hogsmeade or at Wands by Gregorovitch in Diagon Alley. Both places can be very busy, especially Ollivanders, since it also has the special wand selection attraction.

If they’re busy, and they probably will be, pick up your wand at a cart instead of in the small and often busy wand shops. 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. There was almost no wait at the stand, and they had the most popular wands on display. 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 gone to Ollivanders.

If you want to buy your wand at one of the shops, it’s usually quieter at Ollivanders in Diagon Alley than Ollivanders in Hogsmeade. The Diagon Alley Ollivanders is also bigger, with a larger selection of wands, and you’ll get the experience of having the shopkeeper help you choose your wand.

Secret Locations! The special map that comes in your interactive wand’s box will guide you to wand spots in both worlds, however there are also a few secret spots hidden throughout the park. Here’s one to get you started: check out the storefront at Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary in Diagon Alley.

Here’s the next best thing to picking up your wand at Olivanders. These aren’t interactive wands, but they’re carefully boxed and get good reviews.

Harry Potter’s Wand

About the wand show at Ollivanders

You can also visit the wand show at Ollivanders in Hogsmeade to get help picking a wand. The show lasts about five minutes, and Ollivander himself will select one person from the crowd to demonstrate a wand selection ceremony. The show’s free, but you’ll have to pay for your wand.

It’s All About the Butter Beer

Make sure you try the butter beer

It’s non-alcoholic, and comes in three types: regular, hot, and frozen. I absolutely loved the regular butter beer, and I’m not a fan of sweet drinks, so I thought I wouldn’t like it. In fact, I now get butter beer cravings! I think it may be time for a trip back to get some!

Regular butter beer tasted like a mix of cream soda and root beer, but less sweet than either, topped with a butterscotch flavored creamy topping that doesn’t melt into the drink. I found it both tasty and refreshing.

Our 11 year old, Cole, loved the new hot butter beer. The hot butter beer tasted a bit like white hot chocolate with the same butterscotch flavored topping as regular butter beer.

Charles tried the frozen butter beer, which we’d heard was the best. Surprisingly, it was our least favorite. We did drink it on a fairly cool day in Florida (it was about 20 Celsius /65 Fahrenheit at the time). We may have enjoyed it a lot more on a hot day in the summer.

You can also get butter beer ice cream in the park!

Share a butter beer

The butter beer portions are fairly large, so if you’re buying for a small child, consider sharing. Our eight year old couldn’t finish hers, but luckily I was able to help.

If the stands are busy, you can get butter beer with your meal at Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron. Even better, there’s a secret entrance at the back of Three Broomsticks that will let you get into the bar, which is part of the restaurant. This can save you a wait in the Three Broomsticks restaurant line. Just go down the alley on the side of the Three Broomsticks to find the entrance.

If you love butter beer as much as I do, and plan to make it your main beverage while you’re in the park, forgo buying your butter beer in a souvenir mug. You don’t get discounts on butter beer refills, and the souvenir mug is smaller than the disposable cups. As a note, you do get discounts on other beverages in the souvenir mug, so if you’re drinking other beverages it may be worth your while. Plus, you’ll get the mug as a souvenir.

Where to Eat

Eat at Three Broomsticks. We loved Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade so much that we ate there twice in two days. The food is British inspired, with treats like shepherd’s pie, kids mac and cheese, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and roasted potatoes. It was all absolutely delicious.

For supper, for a family of four we got two side baked potatoes, one salad, two corn on the cobs, a kids Mac and cheese, a roast chicken, two regular butter beers, two hot butter beers, and our total came to $65.18. We were absolutely stuffed, so next time, we’ll be sure to save some room for a pumpkin drink and the delicious looking sticky toffee bread pudding.

If you can, eat outside of the usual 11 to 1 pm lunch window. On our first visit to Three Broomsticks, there was a line way out the door. We only had to wait 20 minutes, but when we went at around 2 pm on our second day, we walked in with only a five minute wait.

Plan your meals ahead

If you’re a vegetarian, or if you have special dietary requirements, choose your restaurant wisely. We had three vegetarians in our group, and there were veggie options at every restaurant, but you may be limited in what you can eat in certain restaurants.

For example, at the Leaky Cauldron in Universal Studios, they only had soup and salad as a veggie option, so we decided to eat elsewhere. You can get menu information on the Universal Orlando App or the Universal Orlando website to plan ahead.

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

Shopping – Our Harry Potter World Tips

If you have time, quickly stop in all of the shops, since each shop has something unique. Each shop is beautifully Harry Potter themed, with everything from the Owl Post where you can buy stationary, quills and ink (and send a postcard from the Hogsmeade Post Office that’s stamped with a Owl Post postmark) to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley where you can dabble in dark arts merchandise.

Our favorite shop in Diagon Alley was Weasleys Wizard Wheezes novelty joke shop run by the Weasley twins Fred and George. You’ll find fantastic jokes and magical stuff like Pigmy Puffs, U-No-Poo pills and Puking Pastilles.

Berties Bots Every Flavor Beans

Sugarplum’s Sweetshop was another favorite, with the inventive Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans (but watch out – they do come with vomit and booger flavors!), and fun treats like Cauldron cakes and Exploding BonBons.

In Hogsmeade, our favorite shop was Honeydukes sweets shop. It was one of my personal favorite places in all of Hogsmeade. We found wonderful treats like chocolate frogs and exploding bonbons.

Honeydukes Emporium Exploding Bon Bons

Dervish and Banges was another winner, with fun magical items like Golden Snitches, and brooms like the Nimbus Two Thousand.

If you’re short on time, skip Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods in Hogsmeade. Filch’s Emporium is more like a regular gift shop with merchandise like clothing.

Both Universal Orlando Parks have a pickup service, so you don’t have to tote your purchases around all day. Just buy your souvenirs and pick them up at the end of the day. If you’re staying at an on-site hotel, you can even arrange to have your purchases sent directly to your room.

Rides at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was our favorite of all the fantastic rides, shows, and experiences at Universal Orlando. I don’t want to spoil too much of the surprise, but the ride felt the most like the real world out of any theme park ride I’ve ever experienced. It honestly felt as if we were truly swooping through Harry Potter’s world on broomsticks. Even our little eight year old, who doesn’t love scary rides, thought this was one of the best rides in the park.

Because this ride is so popular, it can have longer wait times, but there are so many interesting things to see in the line as you wait that the time really flies! On the way in you’ll see the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room, moving paintings, the Gryffindor common room, and even Dumbledore’s office.

Escape from Gringotts

If you’re in Diagon Alley, ride Escape from Gringotts. It’s a fun, 3D ride with incredibly realistic looking animatronic goblins, lots of twists and turns, and fire-breathing dragons. You may even catch a peek at he who shall not be named, Lord Voldemort, himself! Even if you’re not a big fan of rides, it’s well worth your time to stand in the line for all of the incredible sights and sounds of Gringotts Bank on the way in.

Look up on your way into Escape from Gringotts

The dragon on top of Gringott’s breathes fire periodically. You can actually feel the heat from his flames so get your camera ready – you won’t want to miss it.

If you’re a fan of Hagrid (like I am), check out the Flight of the Hippogriff ride in Hogsmeade. You’ll see Hagrid’s hut while you’re in line.

Saving Time at Harry Potter World

Get there early

We are not morning people, so morning starts were the hardest part of our day, but we did find the crowds to be much lighter in the morning before noon. Try to be at the park at least half an hour before opening. It’s a fairly long hike from parking to the entrance, and it does take a few minutes to pass through the entrance, and then through the park to the Wizarding World of  Harry Potter as well.

Stay late

We found that the crowds really dropped off around 6 pm, in the three hours before closing, and stayed quieter until the park shut 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 already.

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

Look at getting the VIP Experience

With a VIP experience, you can skip ALL of the lines plus get your very own personal Universal Orlando tour guide. You also get a continental breakfast, plus you can choose several other options.

That means you can get 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 also 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 want, but it sounds amazing. I’d be especially tempted to get it if I was short on time!

See information on the VIP experience here.

Visit the other Universal Park attractions mid day

Harry Potter world is incredibly popular, and many of the shops and lines can get crowded early to mid afternoon. We used this time to check out the rest of Universal Orlando and Universal Islands of Adventure. Since the rest of the Parks are so huge, they feel much less busy during peak times compared to the Harry Potter areas.

Go during a quieter month

If you have the flexibility, try to avoid traditionally busy times like weekends, Christmas, Spring Break and summer holidays. Orlando Informer has a helpful Universal Crowd Calendar.

Get Express Passes if you’re visiting other areas of the park

An Express pass lets you skip the normal lines and jump in the express line. We loved having the Express Passes, as they saved us plenty of time in lines during the busier afternoon time and allowed us to experience nearly everything both parks had to offer.

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).

Use child swap

We used child swap on Escape from Gringotts, as our eight year old decided at the last moment that she didn’t want to go.

With a child swap, all the family stands in line together. At the last moment, one adult waits with the child when the other adult rides. When the first adult is done, the adults swap, and the adult who waited with the child goes to the front of the line. Just tell the greeter at the front of the line that you want to use child swap.

I loved that even the Escape from Gringotts child swap waiting room was perfectly and carefully Harry Potter themed, with clips from the Harry Potter movies that coincided with the attraction playing on a TV on the wall.

Take the single rider line

If you want to get onto the rides quicker, and don’t mind riding without the rest of your group, use the single rider line. This will save you a lot of time in queues, especially on the busier rides like Escape from Gringotts and The Hidden Journey.

Hogwarts Express Tips

Check to see if Hogwarts Express is running before you go

If the Hogwarts Express is up and running, go as early in your trip as you can, to make sure you don’t miss it. It was down a few times over the two days we visited, and we’ve heard other people say it was down for part of their visit too. You can see it’s status on the Universal Orlando app mentioned above.

Ride the Hogwarts Express both ways

It’s a real train that that you can ride from King’s Cross in London or Hogsmeade. The experience is different each direction, but you’ll be sure to see the beautiful scenery of the English countryside, Hagrid on a flying motorcycle, Mad Eye, Harry, Hermione and Ron, and the Weasley twins, and even a dementor or two. The ride is also a lovely way to rest your feet for 10 minutes.

There’s also a fun surprise at Platform 9 3/4. If you pay close attention while watching people ahead of you in line, they’ll appear to walk through a wall to get to the platform.

Other Harry Potter Orlando Tips

There’s free WiFi throughout the park. We found it fast and reliable, so turn off your data roaming to save money. Thanks, Universal!

Visit the Night Bus

The Night Bus and wizard driver Stan Shunpike are outside of the Wizarding Worlds Diagon Alley on your way back into the rest of Universal Islands of Adventure. Stopping by for a photo op is well worth a few minutes. The driver and his little friend, Dre Head the Shrunken Head, were a lot of fun to talk to.

Call the Ministry of Magic from the telephone booth

You’ll need to figure out how to use a rotary phone for this one! If you dial the numeric equivalent of M A G I C (it’s 62442), you can hear a special message from the Ministry of Magic.

Go to the shows!

They’re well worth seeing. You’ll find the Frog Choir and the Triwizard Spirit Rally shows in Hogsmeade, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard show and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees show in Diagon Alley. Check the Official Universal Orlando App for show performance schedules (get it on iTunes here | Google Play).

Don’t be afraid to dress up and have fun!

Deluxe Harry Potter Child’s Gryffindor Robe

We saw plenty of people in Hogwart’s robes and house scarves with interactive wands in their hands everywhere throughout the park. Adults seemed to be in on the fun as much as kids so don’t be afraid to embrace your inner wizard.

elope Harry Potter Gryffindor House Infinity Scarf

Indulge your inner dark wizard in Knockturn Alley

It’s perhaps a little lesser known that some of the other Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions, but Knockturn Alley is chock full of interesting things to see and do.

Create your own moving pictures at Shutterbuttons

We somehow missed this during our visit, but it sounds like a wonderful keepsake. In the shop, you’re guided through 12 scenes, and you can purchase a DVD photo album in a collectible Shutterbuttons’ tin.

If you have any questions, just ask the staff

I was amazed with how helpful the staff were, even if I was asking them something that was well out of their field of expertise. They also stayed in character throughout Harry Potters Wizarding World and didn’t let us muggles get into too much trouble. Top marks to Universal for their amazing staff, who were always friendly and welcoming!

Hidden Secret: If you’re patient, you can see Kreacher the House Elf peeking through the windows at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Pay for Prime Parking parking if you’re driving

We got prime parking both days we visited, and it was wonderful to have such a short walk to our car at the end of the day. We also managed to walk to the entrance a lot faster. Prime parking is an additional $10 a day at $30 (it’s $20 for regular parking).

Read and watch before you go

If you haven’t see a Harry Potter movie, or read the books in a while, consider catching up a bit before you go. There are so many little tidbits and in-the-know places and items throughout the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that it makes it more fun if you know the backstory before you go. If you have time to catch up, there are lists of all of the movies and books at the end of this article.

That being said, you’ll still enjoy the park regardless. You just won’t be as amazed at all the little details Universal included while making it.

Saving Money on 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 get one extra day FREE if you buy a two day Park to Park pass.

Check prices for a 3 day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE here. 

See all Universal Orlando deals here.

If you’re looking to make panning simple, check out Orlando Vacation packages. Orlando Vacation has specials, discounts, and customized plans on hotels and theme park tickets. Call 1-800-641-4008 for planning assistance.

Is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on your bucket list? If you’ve been, do you have any Harry Potter Universal tips to share? Tell us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

We were kindly hosted by Universal Orlando Resort during our trip, but they didn’t tell us what to write, and all opinions are all our own. They definitely didn’t encourage Micki’s current butter beer obsession, or get Charles to buy the kids their own wands, and they definitely didn’t force us to smile all day. Those came all by themselves.

A few years ago, we took a long road trip through Southern Florida.

We hit all of the attractions Southern Florida is known for: the Everglades, Miami beach, Disney World and even the gorgeous Florida Keys.

When we finally made it to Florida’s West Coast, we only had time to spend a few days in Sarasota, St. Pete, Clearwater and Tampa before we had to beeline back to the East Coast to fly out of Orlando.

Which is a huge shame because as we drove further and further north on Florida’s West Coast, we started to fall in love with the quieter beaches and the more relaxed way of life it offered.

So when Gulf County Florida (GCFL) approached us to introduce you to Gulf County, we  thought we’d love to share our wish list for visiting on our next trip.

Winter is just starting at our home base here in British Columbia, and I’m already craving a little sunshine and warmer weather.

While it may be winter in Florida, a Florida winter is definitely not the kind of winter we have here in Canada. In Gulf County Florida, there’s no snow, no cold, and only a relaxed way of life and warm weather.

Check out these Winter Fun Events and activities I’d love to try in Gulf County during the winter months of January to March.

Go for a bike ride and ice cream on Loggerhead Run Bike Trail at Cape San Blas

Cape San Blas is a 17-mile long barrier peninsula that curves around St. Joseph Bay, with surf and white sand beaches on the Gulf side and smooth, shallow water on the Bay side. We’ll stop to pick up seashells along the white sand beaches and check out some of the cool stores.

Take a sunset cruise from the Port St. Joe Marina

The beaches of Gulf County face west across the Gulf of Mexico, making for some beautiful sunsets.

Take a little time out to volunteer

I love the idea of being able to do a little bit to help keep Gulf Country beaches clean. So often, when we travel, I think about the impact our visits have on the local environment, so it’s rewarding to have a chance to give back. Walking along the beautiful beaches near Port St. Joe with the kiddos while helping to keep it clean doesn’t sound like too tough a slog :).

Wading or Kayaking in St Joseph Bay

The waters in St. Joseph Bay are exceptionally clear and clean, and filled with saltwater from the Gulf that makes a thriving habitat for many creatures and sea grasses. Around the top of Cape San Blas, the shoreline seagrass makes a great habitat for Clown Conchs, Periwinkles, Seahorses, Starfish and Fiddler, Horseshoe, Spider and Blue Crabs.

Visit the SaltAir Farmers’ Market

This sounds like a great way to enjoy some fresh air, grab a bite of delicious food and enjoy some live music at the same time. On the the first and third Saturdays of each month during the winter in Downtown Port St. Joe, the SaltAir Farmers’ Market offers fresh seasonal produce from local farmers, Gulf seafood, Tupelo Honey, cheeses and breads, plus handmade crafts, jewelry, art and pottery.

Visit the mysterious Dead Lakes near Wewahitchka

The name alone (Wewahitchka) is reason enough to go check out this area. The Dead Lakes are home to various wildlife like snakes, alligators, deer and turtles, as well as flora like magnolia, bald cypress, magnolia and the White Tupelo tree. Teaming up with a local guide for an eco-tour sounds like a fun experience.

Relax at the beach

GCFL is best known for its relaxed beaches, and I’d love to take some time to build a bonfire on the beach and stare up at the stars with the kids. Taking some time to fish off the pier, or just wandering over white sand dunes during your Florida holidays sounds wonderful too.

Want to learn more about Gulf County Florida?

To find out more, visit the Come visit GCFL website and sign up for the Golf country Florida newsletter, or visit GCFL on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

What adventure would you choose in Gulf County Florida?

National parks like the Everglades National Park in Florida are doing an outstanding job of introducing many people to those wild places and wild animals that are in so much danger. We had a chance to explore the Everglades a couple of years ago, and came out of our experience with a deeper understanding of the diversity and importance of wetlands around the world.

Spanning an astonishing 1.5 million acres, the Everglades National Park is an International Biosphere Reserve and a must-visit attraction for tourists in Florida. It was formally established in 1947 to conserve the land and wildlife habitat after decades of drainage and degradation by farmers and settlers.

Access to the Everglades by one of the many land or waterway entrances is simple. Private vehicles can access the park for a one-off fee of just 10 dollars for seven days unlimited access. The park, a World Heritage site, is open 24 hours, seven days a week, every day throughout the year (though some entrances close seasonally). If you’re visiting Florida you’ll find car hire in Miami is easy to arrange and collect allowing you to enjoy the park at your own leisure.

The park’s main attraction for most visitors is its diverse wildlife, with alligators especially high on the must see list. The American alligator can reach up to 15 feet in length, and the Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles co-exist.

The Everglades walking trails give you a chance to get up close to some of these giant reptiles. We were often within 20 feet of alligators lounging in the sun, but they seemed far more interested in napping than catching us for a late lunch.

The Everglades is also home to a wide array of bird life, particularly wading birds. Hundreds of bird species, both endangered and not, make the Everglades their home. The warm, shallow waters make for a perfect nesting and hunting habitat for many birds, and sightings of blue herons are common.

Hiking and camping are also extremely popular within the Everglades, with a huge range of trails and tracks to explore. There are even wheelchair accessible walkways at Anhinga Trail, Gumbo Limbo Trail, Pahayokee Overlook, Mahogany Hammock and West Lake Trail.

As Southern Florida can be very hot and humid mosquito nets and repellent, and plenty of water are essentials. If you want to avoid the worst of the heat and humidity, the relatively dry winter months from December to April are considered an especially good time to see the wildlife. During winter, water levels are fairly low, ensuring that animals congregate at watering holes and meeting places.

There are thousands of miles of waterways throughout the Everglades, making it a popular place for boating, fishing and other water-based activities. The Ten Thousand Islands region, accessed via the Gulf Coast Visitor Centre, is only accessible by boat or canoe.

There are also plenty of opportunities for ecotourism within the Everglades. Licensed guides provide boat tours exploring the natural habitat, while there are accompanying tours available for bird watchers. You can sign up for boat tours at the Gulf Coast or Flamingo visitor centers.

Visitor centers dot the Park borders, providing a wealth of information, maps, guides and exhibits.

Today, the Everglades National Park is only a fraction of the size it was before human settlement, and it continues to be in peril. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee lists the Everglades as one of the World Heritage Sites in danger. Decreasing water inflows, nutrient pollution, loss of marine habitat and decline in marine species played a role in UNESCO’s decision to list the Everglades as in danger.

As a visitor, you can support conservation efforts in simple ways, including clearing up any litter and by ensuring you respect the wildlife and flora of the park.

After a few quiet days laying low and acclimatizing ourselves to the US, our wanderlust finally kicked back in. I hadn’t been to Florida since I was in my mid teens and really didn’t remember that much about it. One thing I do remember is that we didn’t go any farther south than St. Petersburg. This trip I was adamant about seeing the Florida Keys and going for a hike in the Everglades.

We managed to rent a car and headed south for a few days of exploration. The kids and Micki were excited to see some alligators and I was hoping to stumble on a panther. With only 30 to 50 left in the State I knew the odds were against me though. We ended up staying at the Ramada in Florida City. It was a nice enough hotel that backed onto a huge Outlet Center where Micki picked up some cheap things for the kids. Florida City was also the best place to venture into the Everglades and to see the Florida Keys.

We decided to see the Keys first since we knew we could “sweeten the deal” with the kids being good if we promised to go see Gators the next days. This actually worked out quite well. As we left Florida City and drove down the Overseas Highway to start our trek over the dozen of bridges connecting the Keys we saw some alligators in the fields off to the sides. They were only fleeting images really but just enough to tweak the curiosity of our little nature lovers.

To be honest, driving the Florida Keys with kids wasn’t the most exciting thing we did with them in Florida. After about the 4th or 5th bridge they started to lose interest in them quite rapidly. At least they enjoyed watching the people, boats, birds and the blue water on both sides of the highway. We also had an extended playtime at the beach park in Tavernier where they were able to spend a little energy and play in the water.

We also stopped many times along the way and enjoyed some ice cream or a little walk down one of the many piers and boardwalks that you find as you drive along. Cole and I really enjoyed one in particular. It was close to Caloosa Cove Resort and the tide was out so we got to walk down by the water and watch crabs and other strange tide pool organisms get chased down by cranes and other sea birds. We also saw a few lizards and had the longest race we’ve ever had against each other. Jordan had fallen asleep at that point and poor Micki drew the short straw on who got to stay with her.

One thing I never realized about The Keys is that they’re not as prestigious as I once believed. Most of the places along the route are run down and needing some love. The houses look like they need a fresh coat of paint and a little yard work. Sure there were some mansions off some of the side streets along the waterfront but what you generally see as you cruise along the highway are shacks and dilapidated homes. Maybe the years of hurricanes and constant storms have scared away the “middle class” and left only the truly rich and the brave fisherman.

Anyway, as we approached the ridiculously long 7 mile bridge, made famous in the movie True Lies, we started to realize that we probably wouldn’t make it all the way to Key West unless we stayed the night. It was taking a lot longer to drive down than we anticipated and we weren’t relishing the idea of pushing the kids too hard at that point. Had we thought farther ahead we wouldn’t have left all our stuff back at the hotel in Florida City. As it was, it was a Friday and the drive down was crazy bumper to bumper traffic for the most part and we didn’t think we would even be able to find a room on such short notice.

After crossing over we made it far as Big Pine Key before deciding we’ve seen enough and slowly made our way back to our hotel. Thankfully the traffic was still heading South so we made much better time going up. By the time we got back it was already dark out and we were all tired of being in the car for most of the day. I think we grabbed a quick snack and all of us were in bed early that night.

So there you go, we made it to within 40 miles of the farthest point South in Florida. Looking back it seems silly we didn’t drive the extra few miles making it to Key West however we also realize that with kids distances sometimes have a way of stretching longer. Those extra few miles would have taken us 3 hours longer by the time we drove down, looked around and taken a few pictures and then driven back up. I guess that’s the trade-off when you travel with a family. Luckily, experiencing and seeing something new and exciting through the eyes of your child is a priceless gift that often outweighs the extra work and occasional sacrifices of travelling with kids. I can say with honesty that we definitely felt that way the next morning when we checked out the Everglades.

Of course, there’s a few good stories that go with our time in the Everglades but I’ll save that for a separate post.

So on that note, happy travels everyone from one Barefoot Nomad to another!