I have to be honest, I was having nightmares about visiting Orlando in the summertime. It can be very overwhelming and a bit crowded to say the least, but our epic summer road trip started in Orlando so we had to brave the heat and crowds regardless. As one of the most popular family vacation destinations in America I owed it to my kids, myself and you to see what Orlando was all about, so here are some of the best Orlando theme parks and some of the highlights for us.
Orlando Theme Parks & Attractions
Aquatica
Aquatica was my absolute favorite family theme park in Orlando. This was by far the most fun we had as a family. It is a classy water park that has so many fun water slides, splash parks rivers and thrill seeking slides too. My kids absolutely LOVED the Roa’s Rapids, not to be confused with the lazy river, which they have too, but the rapids requires no tubes, you can opt to wear a life jacket or go without, as long as you are a strong swimmer of course. The water literally pushes you around the river and there are a few sections that really take you on a little ride. We could not get my son out of this, we must have went around 25 times, giggling and laughing all the way.
They have plenty of areas for toddlers with the splash parks, smaller water slides and two large wave pools with shallow walk in entries. They also have the Dolphin Plunge which is a water slide that goes through a large pool with swimming dolphins. We worked our kids up to even try some of the bigger water slides that our family could go on all four of us together or in tubes for two people. Aquatica is definitely a water park not to miss and truly a memorable day for us.
Fun Spot USA
Fun Spot is a fantastic place to take the kids! There are two locations, one in Orlando, which was just had a huge renovation and a smaller one in Kissimmee. We hit up the one in Kissimmee and had a blast. This park was the perfect place for some pint size fun. Our kids do not like a lot of the big rides so the classic rides and the toddler sized ones were perfect for them. We went mid-day and so our kids practically had some of the rides all to themselves. They also have a great arcade that is a perfect spot to sit and cool off.
Fun Spot is not just for the little ones, they have multi-level Go Karts, plenty of thrill rides and roller coasters. In fact, the Orlando Fun Spot has the only wooden roller coaster in all of Orlando. If you are a adrenaline junkie then you’ll want to check out the World’s Tallest SkyCoaster, which is pretty much a human pendulum swing, 300 feet in the air. Our daughter refused to let us go on this. Fun Spot is absolutely a great way to spend a day in Orlando, it’s a little bit like a classic carnival but modern and more exciting.
Wonder Works
We kept driving past this upside down building and my kids kept saying “Can we go there!” and “When can we go there!?” WonderWorks is a really fun interactive playground for kids and adults. Its a little bit like a science museum but with a lot more things for kids to participate in. We spent the most time in the bubble room, the kids loved making bubbles and even being put inside a bubble.
My kids and husband did the neon ropes course which was high above the arcade inside WonderWorks. You need closed toed shoes to do this, so I was not able to participate, so I stayed on the ground to take pictures. It was a fun atmosphere with music and all the lights glowing. My daughter got very scared when she was up on the ropes course and the guide really helped her conquer her fear and walked with her through the course. I really appreciated him taking the time to help her. We also played laser tag and was one of my favorite things we did as a family, the kids loved running around, hiding from us and shooting us!
The Most Unique McDonalds in the World
McDonalds. Yes, I said it, McDonalds. We went here twice and this is under theme parks because we didn’t go there to eat – well okay, I did have a cheeseburger, coffee and an ice cream cone. BUT, my son had the most fun here and pretty much said this was his favorite thing to do in Orlando. He’s a bit of a arcade junkie and well, the entire second level of this McDonalds has an arcade. In fact this McDonalds also has a small bowling alley, indoor playground and a variety of activities happening through out the week! The best part, it was air conditioned, no 1/2 hour lines, coffee and my kids were happy. WIN.
Universal Studios
Universal Studios is a really great theme park and probably one of my favorites. This is a great park for families that have teenagers to toddlers, there is really something for everyone! There are plenty of thrill rides for the older kids but if you have young ones there is plenty of rides to entertain them as well. Our favorites rides were the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Shrek 4-D, the classic E.T Adventure and Spiderman. My son did get a little scared on the Spiderman ride, but after it was over he thought it was “awesome”. My sons very first roller coaster was Woody Woodpeckers Nut house coaster, and he still talks about it!
There is also an adorable area for younger children that is all about Doctor Seuss. We rode the Seuss Trolley Train ride and loved seeing the park from up high in the sky. If you have toddlers this area is made for them. If you have Harry Potter fans of course the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a MUST see and do.
*Editors Note: We did not go to Universal this trip due to the new Harry Potter opening, but we were there a year before for the Minion Mayhem ride press opening and absolutely LOVED it.
Disney World
I do not recommend going to Disney World in the summer, it is HOT and crowded. The best time to go is January or February, but we braved the heat and had some fun anyways. My favorite is the classic Tea Cups so this was our first ride and The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland sat with us in our tea cup! It’s a small world is another family favorite of ours, seeing all the countries represented is so much fun, we can ride that one over and over again. It was our first time riding the Pirates of the Caribbean and what my kids actually loved the most was the Scavenger Hunt around this area of the park. They got a map and had to find hidden clues that lead them to their next clue. This was a great activity for them to do and a nice break from standing in lines waiting for rides.
Pirates Cove Miniature Golf
This is not necessarily a theme park per se, but there are so many places to mini golf in Orlando Florida and it’s a great activity for all ages, we took both the Grandma’s and had a great time! The best part, it doesn’t cost a lot of money either. I do suggest going right away in the morning before it gets too hot or head there closer to sunset for cooler temperatures. We went to Pirates Cove and the course was really nice and a lot of fun.
As you can see, we had a lot of fun at each park and they all have their unique personality. However, if you ask me which were my top two and ones I want to visit again, I’d say Aquatica and Universal Studios.
Disclosure: This was a self initiated trip to Orlando, however @VisitOrlando supplied me with a press pass for some local attractions and I was given media tickets to Disney World, Fun Spot and Aquatica. However, all my savvy thoughts and sassy opinions are my own.
