Hey everyone! Chrissa here!
and if you're looking to get away from Orlando for the day, I've got 11 day
trip destinations that are really fun.
So let's get into it.
The first place
that I want to talk to you about is not too far from Orlando,
but is a really great area to get away for the day.
The Apopka Wildlife Drive
is located about an hour north of the major attractions in Orlando
and is an amazing way to see tons of Florida wildlife.
There are over 174 different bird species that have been found here,
and there are alligators almost everywhere you look.
If you want to stop and take pictures,
there are several places along the route that you can do so.
Please note, though, that if you do want to check out the Apopka Wildlife Drive,
it is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m.
It can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours to be able to do this drive.
And it's all one way, so there are no rest stops along the route.
If you do plan to go,
make sure that you bring plenty of snacks and that everyone is OK
to hang out in the car for at least the next three hours.
The next place that I want to tell you about is a beautiful escape
from the hustle and bustle of Orlando, and that is Bok Tower.
Bok Tower is located just south of Orlando in the city of Lake
Wales in Central Florida.
There's 250 acre sanctuary.
Not only has this beautiful singing tower, but it also has multiple gardens
and a beautiful visitor center along with miles of hiking trails
and this amazing, beautiful estate
that will get you dreaming of having a home just like it.
This amazing singing tower and the ground surrounding
it was established in 1929 by Edward Bok as a gift to the American people.
The grounds surrounding the tower was designed by a famous
landscape artist, Frederick Olmstead, who was commissioned by Bok to create
and I quote a spot of beauty second to none in the country.
And the jewel of this beautiful park is the famous singing tower
designed by architect Milton Medary and was built
between 1927 to 1929.
This tower is 205
feet tall and made of pink marble and coquina,
and as a neo gothic and art deco style.
There are 60 bronze bells within the tower that are played
in the playing chamber near the top of the tower.
The next amazing day trip that I want to tell you about
is Rock Springs Run and Kelly Park in Apopka.
This is just under an hour north of Orlando
and one of my favorite places in the area to get away.
Rock Springs Run is a beautiful river that starts just north of Kelly Park in
Apopka and is one of two designated
wild and scenic rivers in the state of Florida.
And is part of a complex ecological system of the Wekiva River
Basin with 8 miles of this beautiful spring water to enjoy.
One of my favorite places to launch from on this river is King's Landing,
and there are a couple of directions that you can go on the water after
leaving the canal and you can't go wrong no matter which direction you go.
If you head to the right after leaving the canal, you'll head
over to the emerald cut area of Rock Springs Run.
And this two miles of crystal clear water and surroundings will make
you feel like you just paddled into the middle of a beautiful jungle.
If you have more
time on your hands after you head back to King's Landing,
then you'll be able to head
down the left side of the river, which is a completely different experience.
But just as beautiful on this side of Rock Springs Run the river really opens up
and makes it a lot easier to navigate if you're in a canoe.
The water also gets darker and goes from this clear sandy bottom
to a beautiful inky black that almost appears like a reflection pool
if you come to an area that hasn't been disturbed in a while.
On this side of the river is your best opportunity
to be able to see wildlife like birds, turtles and alligators.
And if you get far down enough, you'll even see a family of otters.
My next area is not far
from Rock Springs Run, and that's Mount Dora.
Mt Dora is one of the cutest towns in Central Florida and definitely worth
the trip.
Mt Dora is just under an hour from the major theme parks in Orlando,
and if you're looking for something
that's laid back and peaceful with loads of unique shops
outdoor cafes and galleries, then this is definitely a place to go.
Mt Dora is known for its unique shops and a really great place
to find locally created gifts and art.
Many of the shops hold unique finds that are made by local artists,
and there is even a whole antique mall and flea
market located just down the street from the downtown district.
In addition to the shops and the restaurants,
Mt Dora is also located on the edge of Lake
Dora, which is one of the most beautiful lakes in Lake County.
One of the things that it's known for is the Mt Dora Lighthouse,
and it's one of only three freshwater lake lighthouses
located in Florida and is a favorite place to watch the sunset.
By the way, if you are finding this information
helpful, I would love it if you could hit that
like button and subscribe if you would like to get more ideas
like this to do and my beautiful state of Florida.
If you're a space enthusiast like I am, then
you won't want to miss the next trip, which is to Kennedy Space Center.
If you haven't been in a few years,
you'll want to save a day and head over to the Space Coast.
Located on Merritt Island on the east side of Florida,
the Kennedy Space Center is one of NASA's ten field centers,
and the visitor complex exhibits a number of historical spacecraft
and exhibits that allow you to walk up to a piece of history.
The Kennedy Space Center is broken down into a few different mission zones.
The Rocket Garden, which is an outdoor rocket display,
all of which are real, except for two of them.
Right next to the Rocket Garden is heroes and legends.
And this amazing exhibit showcases America's first
astronauts and the qualities that define a hero.
Next up is the Apollo Center.
You do have to take a bus to the Apollo Center,
but you absolutely have to go because you'll get to walk back into time
and relive the first crewed NASA mission
in 1968 with the Saturn V rocket in the firing room.
Here, you'll be able to experience everything from the safety
checks, the countdown and even the launch.
Also in the Apollo Center is the path to the Moon exhibit and a collection
of artifacts that showcase Apollo's missions VII to X and the technology
that it took to keep the astronauts safe as they traveled to the Moon.
When you return from the Apollo Center, you'll be dropped off
right in front of the Atlantis center, which you can't miss
because it has full scale rocket booster replicas sitting right up front
and the space shuttle Atlantis as one of my favorite mission
areas in the park and definitely a can't miss.
If you're looking to get out into nature,
Rainbow Springs state park is located about an hour and a half north of Orlando
and Tampa and just miles north of Dunnellon, Florida.
This park consists of over 1,400 acres and has 3 entrances.
The head springs, the tubing facilities and the campground.
Rainbow Springs is open every day from 8am to sunset,
and the cost to enter is $2 for adults and kids under 6 are free.
Here in Rainbow Springs you can go swimming or venture down
the river in a kayak, which is what we did when we visited the head springs.
Canoe and kayak rentals are available throughout the year, and the park offers
very affordable kayak rentals for the day.
One thing that Rainbow Springs is really known for
are these beautiful waterfalls on the hiking trails.
The gardens and the waterfalls at Rainbow Springs State Park are cultural assets
that remain from the days of when the head springs used to be a private attraction.
These waterfalls have been renovated and replicated
while preserving their historical significance.
And if you do end up visiting the park in the spring,
the entire head springs area bursts with flowers that are pink
purple in white with their famous azalea blooms.
Next up on my list might not sound appealing
if you're not a race car fan, but hear me out on this.
If you are visiting Daytona, you won't want to miss
swinging by the Daytona International Speedway.
Even if you're not a race car fan.
They do a full tour of the new stadium and the grounds every day
starting at 9:30am, and I couldn't recommend this more.
On the day that we visited, there were race cars on the track,
which gave us a unique opportunity to get up close and personal
with a few race cars as they took off.
If the race track is cold on your visit, you'll get the opportunity
to get out on the race track and step on the starting line.
So you can go on this tour a few different times
and get a completely different experience.
One of my favorite parts of the tour is when we got a chance to walk
up to the top of the stadium and check out the view from there.
You can see everything which explains why the tickets at the Speedway
get more expensive the higher that you get up and is such an amazing view.
At the end of the tour, your guide will drop you off
right in front of the Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America,
which is included in your tour.
You can take your time through these famous cars,
some of which inspired a few Disney movies.
The next place that I want to tell you
about is probably one that you've passed by if you've ever made
that trip between Orlando and Tampa, and that's Dinosaur World.
Dinosaur World is a theme park that's located in Plant City, Florida,
just off of Interstate I-4, which makes it easily accessible
for anyone that's either visiting Tampa or Orlando.
This theme park has over 200 dinosaur replicas spread throughout
12 acres of land, and it will surprise you with how much there is in this park.
Not only are there these ginormous dinosaur replicas
that will make you feel tiny, but there's also a museum
that features real fossils, and animatronic dinosaurs.
There is even an interactive gem mine where the kids can choose a bag
and run it through a mining slush to see if there is any treasures they've found.
If you have little kids that love dinosaurs,
then you'll definitely want to take a day trip to this park.
Next up is
one of my favorite beaches in Central Florida.
And if you're thinking about going, it's about an hour and a half
from the major attractions in Orlando, and it's only a short 30 minutes
if you're visiting Tampa.
Clearwater Beach not only has this beautiful white sand, amazing view,
but the waves are also not as strong on this side of Florida,
which makes it a bit easier on the little ones.
One of my favorite places in Clearwater is heading to Pier 60,
which is pretty centrally located, and it also has all of these conveniences
that you'll went for a day trip to the beach,
such as playgrounds, bathrooms that are open 24 hours
a day, and all of these inflatable slides and attractions.
There is
also this ice cream shop, and of course, this awesome pier
that stretches out over 1000 feet into the Gulf.
Mandalay Avenue also runs parallel to the beach here
and is stuffed with a number of different shops, restaurants and cafes.
If you want to get out of the sun for a while,
this is only a short walk away from Pier 60.
While you're in Clearwater Beach.
Don't miss your chance to head to the Clearwater Beach Aquarium.
This nonprofit aquarium is dedicated to their mission of rescue,
rehabilitation and release, which they do on a regular basis.
And this aquarium has been known to be home to some amazing dolphins,
one of which was the famous Winter who was the star of the movie Dolphin Tale.
Winter sadly passed away in 2021.
But you are able to still visit her memorial
and to do a virtual reality experience while you're there.
Next step is probably one of
the prettiest springs that I have ever been to so far.
Silver Springs State Park is located just outside of Ocala, Florida,
which is about an hour and a half north of the major theme parks in Orlando.
There are a number of things to do in Silver Springs,
and one of the most popular ones is to take a glass bottom boat tour.
These famous glass bottom boat tours have been a part of Silver Springs history
since the 1870s, and it gives you this amazing underwater
view of several of the springs throughout the park.
There are two tours that you can take a 30 minute tour and an extended hour
and a half tour that is available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
And if you want to spend even more time on the water,
there's also several miles for kayaking and canoeing.
You can rent the kayaks and canoes either hourly or for the entire day.
And this paddle trail is absolutely beautiful,
and it will make you feel like you just got transported to a different world.
It is one of my favorite places to kayak,
especially because there's a family of manatee
that call these springs home, and we were lucky enough
to be able to see them while we were kayaking back up the river.
Last about
definitely not least is my absolute favorite day
trip from Orlando, and that is St Augustine.
St Augustine is located on the east coast of Florida
between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, which makes it an easy trip for anyone
who's visiting Jacksonville, Daytona or even Orlando.
one of the best ways to get around St Augustine is by taking
one of the trolleys, and if you love historical landmarks,
then you'll love St Augustine.
One of the places that I recommend you going
while you're there is the Castillo de San Marcos.
The Castillo de San Marcos is one of the oldest masonry forts in the U.S.
and was built by the Spanish and completed in 1695.
The Castillo has a rich history that is deeply rooted in St Augustine,
and I think it absolutely should be a part of your day.
Just a short walk away from the Castillo is
the very first Ripley's Believe it or Not.
This place is also known as the castle,
and this historic house was built by William Warden in 1887.
It was visited by Ripley's several times during its short duration as a hotel,
and he loved it so much that he attempted to purchase it a few times.
So when Ripley passed away, his estate purchased the castle for him to showcase
Ripley's beloved collection of curiosities
and what would be the very first Ripley's believe it or not.
Just down the street from Ripley's is the Fountain of Youth.
This park doesn't just hold the famous fountain,
but a whole archeological park near where Ponce de Leon landed.
This park features historical replicas, some educational presentations
that include a real cannon fire,
as well as live peacocks that roam freely around the park.
One of my favorite areas of St
Augustine, is the historic district where St George Street is.
St George Street is a full pedestrian road that you can walk
all the way down to the plaza and is overflowing
with unique shops, restaurants and other historical attractions,
like the oldest wooden schoolhouse built over 200 years ago.
You'll want to reserve some time to walk around this area
because there's so much more to see, and I've been to St Augustine
several times and I don't think I've seen it all.
There's a number of different shops, restaurants
as well as some smaller attractions, and most of them are locally owned
and is one of my favorite ways to spend the afternoon.
If you're looking for another amazing day trip and would just like to head
to the closest beach to Orlando, then you'll have to check out my overview
on Cocoa Beach that just popped up on the screen.
Until next time, everyone, I hope you have an amazing day
and go out and enjoy some Florida sunshine.