Page 65 - 2024-2025 Travel Guide to Florida

Auto Museum which includes cars from James Bond and Batman movies. At nearby iFly Orlando, test your bravery at this indoor skydiving experience. Don’t tell the kids, but at WonderWorks indoor amusement park on International Drive, they can learn while having fun in this 28,000 square feet of edutainment. Fun Spot America, a family- owned theme park in the area, features multi-level go-karts, thrill rides, family rides and an arcade. (There is also a Kissimmee location.) Just north of downtown Orlando, the Orlando Science Center offers interac- tive, hands-on exhibits, an observatory, and two theatres for educational films.
Venture over to Black Hammock Adventures in Oviedo for airboat rides on
Lake Jesup, home to one of the largest alligator-infested lakes in Florida.
The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Sanford is home to more than 350 animals and the Barnyard Buddies Children’s Petting Zoo. Feed the giraffes then cool off in the Wharton-Smith Tropical Splash Ground.
Near Ocala, a must visit in this region is the venerable Silver Springs State Park, Florida’s first attraction, known for its famous glass-bottom boats.
A 30-minute drive east gets you to another silver spot, the Silver Glen Springs where recreational activities are as popular as the enormous middens that bulge beneath a canopy of live oaks. These springs are one of the best!
BEACHES AND OUTDOOR GEMS
Whether nature-made or artificial, the Central Florida region is home to plenty of options for the family to cool off or explore. Sebring is home to nearly 100 crystal-clear lakes and the Highlands Hammock State Park, one of Florida’s oldest parks and a gem you must not miss. The park is renowned for its beautiful old-growth hammock and thousand-year-old oaks. If extra lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a black bear and the endangered Florida panther. An elevated boardwalk traverses a cypress swamp where you may observe alligators, birds and other wildlife. Birdwatching, catch-and-release fishing and ranger-guided tours are other popular activities and a fully accessible tram tour allows visitors to view wildlife relatively up close.
In Polk County, the Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park covers more than 8,000 acres of scrub, sandhill and flatwoods land.
Like fishing? In Osceola County, Lake Tohopekaliga, known as Lake Toho, spans 42 miles in circumference, and is a hotbed for bass.
Take the family waterskiing, wake- boarding, wakeskating, wakesurfing, knee- boarding and tubing at the Orlando Watersports Complex. A short drive west, Lake Louisa in Clermont is the largest in a chain of 13 lakes and is designated an Outstanding Florida Water Way. Grab a pole or canoe and relish in the beauty of Lake County.
INSIDER TIP
Going to the Hard Rock Live for a show or a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe? Avoid the massive Universal Orlando parking garages and long walk (it is long) and valet park. You will be much closer to your destination and happier when you leave. Besides, general parking is $27 and so is valet for two hours or less. For more than two hours, you’ll pay $40 after 6 PM. But, if you don’t mind the walk, arrive after 6 PM when general parking is free.
VOLCANO BAY, UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT
2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA 63