Ultimate Florida Family Vacation Planning Guide For Every Budget and Travel Style

Some of my favorite memories with my son are Spring Break  and Summer vacation trips.  And even though he’s a college kid now, making his own plans, he still likes to have the occasional adventure with his mom.

I think I’ve done pretty good for a single parent with limited resources on making sure we have always managed to have some fun, even if I couldn’t take off from work for his entire break.

Spring Break dates for elementary, middle, and high school usually ranges from March to April so the time to solidify those Florida family vacation plans is toward the end of the year prior.

I usually start to plan our summer getaway around the early part of the year, around February.

Let’s Plan Your Epic Florida Family Vacation!

Whether you plan way in advance or are a last minute kind of planner, I have some great Florida family vacation destination for every budget and travel style.

I’m happy to share with you some of my family’s favorite trips and I’m sure you will find an idea that fits your interests and your wallet.

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Outdoorsy Florida Family Destinations

Visit Rainbow Springs

Our camping trip to Rainbow Springs in Dunnellon, Florida for Spring Break 2013 is one of the most memorable.   It was a first time tent camping experience with 2 adults a teenager and a pre-schooler sharing a 10 person tent.  

There is beautiful scenery, swimming is possible even with cooler weather because the water is a constant 72 degrees, activities like fishing, swimming, kayaking, and tubing available on site, amenities of electricity and bathrooms and showers, and a general store in walking distance. Camping is a great time to unplug from our digital world and spend some real time bonding as a family. 

Visit Weeki Wachee Springs

We love this place!  Weeki Wachee has animal shows, the world-famous underwater amphitheater and a mermaid show. Buccaneer Bay features a white sandy beach where you can picnic, swim, rent a float for the natural lazy river current, or slide down one of the cool refreshing water flumes fed from the spring water.  

This is also my absolute favorite kayaking destination in all of Florida.   They also have a boat ride in the river where you can see all types of wildlife and an animal show. There is plenty to do whether you can take off for a few days or you are looking for a fun day trip with the family.

Visit a Florida State Park

Florida State Parks provide a variety of options for fun family vacations.

No matter what state you live in the state park website of your state of residence or a close state nearby is a great place to start your planning.  I think planning a family vacation around a visit to the state parks is one of the most under utilized vacation planning ideas, at least in my circle of citified friends.

Many of the state parks offer options for camping and glamping with tent sites, RV sites, or even cabins for rent at a very low cost.  Mayakka River, Florida Caverns, and Cayo Costa State Park, and Hillsborough River State Park are 4 awesome state parks with campgrounds.

Blue Spring, Lake Louisa, Wekiwa Springs, and Suwannee River are also a few state parks on my list of Florida state parks to visit. That’s just a small sampling but there are many more to explore on the Florida State Park website.

I know this post is about Florida but I have to mention our very close neighbors to the north in Georgia. It’s still reasonable driving distance to some pretty great travel destinations.

We had a great trip in Georgia at Unicoi State Park for a summer vacation (detailed account of that trip can be found here: Unicoi State Park).   Fort Yargo State Park in Georgia was also a great glamping destination.

No matter what state you live in or the state you are thinking of visiting, state parks are a great, budget friendly option with a wide variety for those that want to incorporate a bit of nature and history into their Spring Break vacation.

National Parks in Florida

Florida is home to more parks in the US National Parks system than most people realize. Check out my guide to Florida’s National Parks.

A great Florida family vacation destination that happens to be a national park is the Everglades. You can stay nearby in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami as your home base.  There are activities like airboat rides, alligator wrestling, and scenic walks through some of Florida’s most beautiful wetlands.

A national park that is still on my bucketlist is the Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys. You can plan to go for just a day or  plan an overnight camping trip for the family.

Dry Tortugas National Park/ Photo Credit: National Park Service

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Theme Parks/Kid Resorts

Annual Passes

One way I found to have cost-effective family friendly fun is through the purchase of annual passes at various theme parks. Granted for those of you with multiple children this may prove to be a bit costly.

However, with just me and my son this was an excellent option for us.  If you are a single parent, single child home and you can spare $55 a month you can have the premium Universal Orlando passes to both parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure) including parking and no blackout dates for both of you.  Trust me we get our monies worth with those passes.

Tampa is home to Bush Gardens and they normally run a special pay for a day come back all year promo. We had passes for Busch Gardens  when my son was much smaller. It’s a great park for the littles and very cost effective. The other parks in that network are Adventure Island waterpark and Orlando Sea World.

Orlando has Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon.

If you want to incorporate some Disney days in your Florida family vacation make sure you plan early and avoid common mistakes to maximize your time and your fun in the parks.

Another Florida theme park is Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, home of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

With the new Hagrid’s Motorbike ride in WWOHP it’s worth the visit, especially if your family are huge Harry Potter fans like ours.

Legoland in Winter Haven is another great option for those with younger kids.

All of these parks offer flexible payment options that may work nicely for those with a limited budget providing family friendly fun year round.

Resorts Near Orlando Theme Parks

Here are some of our favorite hotel choices for the Orlando themeparks that are clean, fun, and usually have reasonable rates:

• Disney’s Allstar Movie Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort 
• Holiday Inn Orlando– Disney Springs
• B Resort – Disney Springs (One of my favs!!!!!)
• Cabana Bay Beach Resort (Universal Orlando)
• Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa

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Florida Cities for Family Vacations

Orlando

I know many people think of Orlando and immediately think tourist trap. Ok, you’re right it is, but because it’s such a tourist friendly town, you can easily pack a lot of non theme park fun things into just a few days and your kids will feel like they had the time of their lives.   This is especially great for younger kids.

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Deals on a City of Orlando Tour

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One of our most memorable spring breaks, my son and I spent 3 days  just doing fun non theme park activities in Orlando. We went glow in the dark putt putt golfing, spent a day at Wonderworks, explored Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs), Go-Karts at Fun Spot America, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

With Orlando being such a tourist friendly town, you won’t have any trouble finding a cheap deal on a descent hotel or resort.

Best of all there are coupons for just about every activity you could possibly want to do.  Check out this list of 50 things to do on I-Drive to get you started with some ideas.

St. Augustine

This was a spring break trip that I planned in just a couple of weeks before the break. We had so much fun that my son has actually asked me recently about driving back over for a weekend. Explore the touristy parts with all of the history of the city. But you can also go off the beaten track.

There’s the beautiful beach of Anastasia State Park, which is on Trip Advisor’s list of top 10 beaches in the USA.   There’s also the St. Augustine Lighthouse which is a functioning lighthouse.

The highlight of the trip for my son was the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.   He was able to zipline up in the trees high above the crocodiles and alligator pits.  Other fun attractions not to miss are Fort Matanzas National Monument, Fort Mose State Park the first African-American settlement in the country, and Castillo de San Marcos Fort.

Daytona Beach

Daytona is an awesome destination for a Florida family vacation. On our visit we took a tour of the Daytona International Speedway, enjoyed driving on the beach, and the boardwalk.  There are all kinds of neat things to do in Daytona in the surround area. Check out my post on our Daytona family vacation.

Other Destinations

Other Florida destinations to consider in your family vacation planning:

• Florida Keys – Catch an express boat from Fort Myers to the Keys
• Cocoa Beach – Kennedy Space Center
• St. Pete Beach – Beaches, Dali Museum
• Pensacola, Florida
• Wakulla Springs
• Fort Lauderdale
• Amelia Island
• Fort Myers and Saninbel Island

Check out the Family Travel Pinterest Board!

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Cruise

If you have a bit more of a budget then a cruise may be another great Spring Break option for you.  For spring break 2014 we took a 7 day Carnival cruise leaving out of Puerto Rico with 5 ports of call in the southern Caribbean!!!

Whether you want something short or a whole week there are so many options available.   So far our favorite cruise has been on the Disney Cruise line to the Bahamas.  (Check out why a Disney cruise is perfect for teens).

A cruise is a great way to have a lot of fun with minimal effort on your part. Your meals are included as well as onboard entertainment.

You also have a chance to have an outdoorsy adventure of your own by booking an excursion.    Try vacationstogo.com for last minute cruise deals.

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Florida Vacation Destinations with Animal Encounters

For those who want a more wild encounter consider visiting these destinations:

• Lowry Park Zoo
• Lion Country Safari (Get Groupon deal here!)
• Discovery Cove
• Swim with the Manatees at Crystal River Kayaks
• Florida Aquarium
• Clearwater Aquarium
• Safari Wilderness
• Big Cat Rescue

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There are so many family vacation options to choose, from the more exotic, to right in your own backyard.  Just remember that this time with your children is precious and you don’t get these moments back.

Your Spring Break and Summer Vacations with them are numbered so make the most of it!  Whether it’s a day trip or you are able to plan an elaborate vacation, the most important thing is the chance to bond with your family and expose your children to new things.

Have fun and go create new memories that will truly last them a life time!

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