The hard part of an Orlando trip is not finding something to do. The hard part is deciding which things to do in Orlando with kids actually deserve a day, since the options range from big theme parks to science labs, treetop rope courses, alligator swamps, and quiet lakeside parks. Every age in the family gets its own kind of day here.
Jump to:
- The World-Famous Theme Parks in Orlando
- Walt Disney World Resort for Younger Children
- Universal Orlando Resort for Older Kids
- SeaWorld Orlando and Its Water Park
- Animal Attractions and Alligator Encounters
- Indoor Activities for Hot Afternoons
- Free Things to Do in Orlando With Kids
- Outdoor Fun Beyond the Parks
- Making the Most of Your Orlando Family Vacation
A lot of that comes down to the weather. Sunny skies through most of the year mean outdoor plans rarely fall apart. The summer storms that do roll in tend to pass within the hour. Families learn fast to save indoor activities for a rainy day in Orlando. The playground can wait for the cooler stretch before dinner.
The rest comes down to range. Within a short drive of International Drive, a family can meet Disney characters in the morning. The next day they can feed a giraffe. The big names get all the attention, but plenty of the best Orlando attractions for kids are quieter. They are cheaper than the ticket prices suggest, too.
That range matters most for parents juggling different ages. A toddler who naps at noon and a teenager who wants roller coasters can still share one week. It works as long as the schedule mixes big days with slow ones. Orlando rewards families who leave a little room to breathe. That is what makes it such a good place for family travel.
- Food deserves the same thought as the itinerary. This guide to eating your way through Florida rounds up Orlando restaurants worth booking between park days, from fast breakfasts to somewhere that will still seat a tired family at nine at night.
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So here's a closer look at the best things to do in Orlando with kids, from the world-famous theme parks to the free outdoor spots that local families use every weekend.
The World-Famous Theme Parks in Orlando
No first trip skips the parks, and there is no shame in that. Orlando theme parks are why most families book the flight in the first place. The only real question is which gate to walk through first, since each one suits a different age group.
Walt Disney World Resort for Younger Children
Walt Disney World Resort holds four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Parades, fireworks, and Mickey-shaped snacks fill the gaps between rides, which helps a lot when little legs start to drag.
Families visiting Disney with younger kids get the most out of Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, where the pace is gentler, and character meetings come thick and fast.
Anyone doing Disney World with toddlers should plan a midday break back at the hotel. The Disney parks stay open late, so a nap in air conditioning buys the whole family three or four more good hours after dark.
Universal Orlando Resort for Older Kids
Universal Orlando runs two theme parks, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, plus the Volcano Bay water park next door.
Older kids tend to lose their minds over the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where the wands actually work, and the butterbeer is real. The rides hit harder here, with more drops, more speed, and more height limits to check before you bring the kids.
Between Disney World and Universal, the split is clean. Disney does more for the little ones, while Universal wins with tweens, teens, and the grown-ups who saw the same films at their age.
SeaWorld Orlando and Its Water Park
SeaWorld Orlando mixes animals with rides, which makes it an easy sell for kids of all ages.
Children can pet stingrays, watch orcas and dolphins, then ride something fast like Mako while the youngest kids stay busy in the shaded play area. The animal talks add a bit of learning without feeling like a lesson.
The neighboring Aquatica water park makes a good second day for anyone who wants slides and a lazy river instead of another round of queues.
Animal Attractions and Alligator Encounters
Central Florida sits on real swampland, and the wildlife is half the draw. These family-friendly attractions near Orlando cost less than a theme park in Orlando and usually take half a day.
Gatorland
Gatorland has drawn families since long before the theme parks arrived. Kids can watch an alligator wrestling show, hold a baby gator, walk a boardwalk over the marsh, and even zip line above the water. Shaded paths and a splash pad make the heat manageable for younger visitors, and the keepers talk conservation between shows.
Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
The Central Florida Zoo sits in Sanford, about forty minutes north of the city along Lake Monroe.
Shaded boardwalks wind past rhinos, giraffes, black bears and a reptile house, and the splash ground gives kids a proper cool-down halfway through. A petting barn, a miniature train and a playground round out the morning.
This zoo stays quieter than the big parks, which suits families with kids who melt down in crowds.
Sea Life Orlando Aquarium and the Orlando Eye
Sea Life Orlando Aquarium sits on International Drive and features a walk-through ocean tunnel that puts sharks and rays directly overhead. The visit takes about an hour, so it pairs well with something nearby.
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That something is usually the Orlando Eye, the tall observation wheel across the courtyard. Each glass capsule is air-conditioned, and on a clear day the view stretches across downtown Orlando and out toward the coast.
Indoor Activities for Hot Afternoons
If you're looking for things to do when the rain starts, you'll have plenty of options. These indoor activities for kids focus on touching, pressing, and making things rather than reading signs on a wall.
Orlando Science Center
The Orlando Science Center is four floors of hands-on activities, from a dinosaur hall to a working weather lab to a rooftop observatory. Toddlers get their own section, KidsTown, with water tables and a climbing area designed for kids under seven. Live demonstrations run throughout the day, and the giant-screen theater gives everyone a place to sit when feet start to hurt.
The Crayola Experience
The Crayola Experience at Florida Mall lets children name and wrap their own crayon, paint with melted wax, and make art on digital screens.
Most of the exhibits end with something kids can carry home, which makes the gift shop argument much shorter. Two hours covers it, and the whole family stays dry while a storm blows over.
WonderWorks Orlando
WonderWorks Orlando is the upside-down building on International Drive, and yes, the entrance really does look like a house fell out of the sky.
Inside are more than one hundred exhibits: a hurricane simulator, an earthquake room, a bed of nails, and a laser tag arena on the top floor. The ropes course gives older kids something to brag about, while the bubble lab keeps the smallest ones happy for ages.
Free Things to Do in Orlando With Kids
Not every good day here comes with a ticket. These free activities fill the gaps between the expensive days, and this kind of family fun often becomes the part everyone remembers.
Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando
Lake Eola Park is the green heart of downtown Orlando, ringed by a walking path, a large playground, and a fountain that lights up after dark.
The resident swans have been a local fixture for generations, and the pedal-powered swan boats cost very little.
Free concerts and weekend markets run at the amphitheater through much of the year, making this Orlando park an easy Sunday morning with a bag of pastries.
Disney Springs
Disney Springs comes with free admission, so families can wander the waterfront, ride the boats between districts, and watch street performers without buying a park ticket.
The two-story Lego store, with its dragon rising out of the lagoon, holds children long enough for parents to finish a coffee. Splash fountains near the marketplace give little ones somewhere to get soaked, so pack a spare shirt.
Outdoor Fun Beyond the Parks
For families looking for things to do in Orlando besides Disney, cheap options and fun activities rarely require booking weeks ahead. Free outdoor space is everywhere in the Orlando area.
Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park
Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park in Kissimmee strings zip lines, rope bridges, and obstacle courses through the pine canopy.
Courses run from a low junior loop for small children up to a high course that tests kids and adults alike, and every climber stays clipped in. Two or three hours in the trees leaves everyone tired in the good way.
Kennedy Space Center
About an hour east of the city, Kennedy Space Center gives families a full day among real rockets. The retired shuttle Atlantis hangs in its own hall, and the rocket garden outside lets children stand beneath launch vehicles that actually flew.
Astronaut talks, a launch simulator, and a bus tour to the pads fill the rest. Check the schedule before you visit Orlando, because watching a real launch beats every ride in Central Florida.
Making the Most of Your Orlando Family Vacation
Ask any family what stayed with them months later, and it is rarely the ride everyone queued two hours for. It is the small stuff. A kid asleep in the car with sticky hands, a shared plate of something at the end of a long, hot afternoon, a joke that only makes sense to the four people who were there.
Keep that in mind as the planning spreadsheet grows. Orlando offers more in one week than any family can reasonably get through, and that is fine. The list is not a checklist to finish. Leave gaps in it. Let the kids get bored by a fountain for twenty minutes, because the things kids will love most rarely have the longest queue.
The city will still be here next time, with whatever new thing has opened since. Your children at this exact age will not, and that is the part of a family vacation nobody thinks to photograph.
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