What to do in Orlando besides the theme parks?

Spend a week or more in Orlando and you will almost certainly want a day away from the lines. If you drove down, you already have the car that makes every option below easy. Here is what to do, grouped by type, with the essentials for each and a link to the full guide.

Which non-theme park activities are closest to Kissimmee?

Most are less than 40 minutes away by car. The table measures drive time from US-192, Kissimmee’s main tourist corridor, at Old Town. Routes were calculated without traffic on OpenStreetMap in October 2026. Add time for I-4 at rush hour.

Activity	Area	Drive from Kissimmee (approx.)	Good for
Old Town and Fun Spot Kissimmee	US-192, Kissimmee	starting point	evenings, classic cars, rides
Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets	Vineland Ave., near Disney Springs	15 min	shopping
Disney Springs	Lake Buena Vista	15 min	dinner, shopping, evenings
Gatorland	South Orange Blossom Trail	20 min	kids, gators
ICON Park	International Drive	20 to 25 min	views, evenings
Topgolf Orlando	Universal Blvd.	20 to 25 min	groups, adults
Orlando International Premium Outlets	International Drive	25 min	shopping
The Mall at Millenia	Conroy Rd., near Universal	25 min	shopping, rainy days
Orlando Science Center	Loch Haven Park, Orlando	35 min	kids, rainy days
Winter Park	north of Orlando	35 min	slow afternoon, art
Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures	south Kissimmee	40 min	airboats
Lake Louisa State Park	Clermont, off US-27	45 min	trails, lake
Wild Florida	Kenansville	1 hr	airboats and safari
Wekiwa Springs State Park	Apopka	1 hr 10 min	swimming in a spring
Blue Spring State Park	Orange City	1 hr 15 min	manatees in winter
Kennedy Space Center	Merritt Island	1 hr 20 min	space
Cocoa Beach	Atlantic coast	1 hr 20 min	beach
Clearwater Beach	Gulf coast	2 hr	beach

Where can you see real Florida nature near Orlando?

At the crystal clear springs, on an airboat through the marshes and at the gator parks.

Springs. Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka is about 20 minutes north of Orlando and about 45 minutes from the attractions area, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District. It has swimming, canoe and kayak rentals and 13 miles of trails, with a day-use fee. Blue Spring State Park in Orange City is a winter refuge for manatees. From mid-November to at least mid-March the spring is closed to all water activity, and swimming with manatees is never allowed. In that season you watch from the overlooks. We compare the options in where to swim in crystal clear springs near Orlando.

Airboats. These flat-bottomed boats are pushed by a big fan at the back and skim across the wetlands. Visit Orlando, the city’s official tourism office, says they reach up to 50 mph. Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures in Kissimmee runs tours through the headwaters of the Everglades every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with rides from $34. Wild Florida in Kenansville combines airboats, a gator park and a drive-thru safari with more than 150 animals.

Gatorland. This alligator park has been open since 1949, between Kissimmee and Orlando. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free parking. A day pass is $34.99 for ages 13 and up and $24.99 for ages 3 to 12 (October 2026 prices). The Screamin’ Gator zip line flies over the gators at up to 56 feet high.

Lake Louisa State Park. For a day of trails and lake time, this state park is in Clermont, off US-27.

Can you visit NASA from Orlando?

Yes, as a day trip. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is on Merritt Island on the Atlantic coast, about 1 hour 20 minutes from Kissimmee via SR 528. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A 1-day ticket is $77 for ages 12 and up and $67 for ages 3 to 11. It includes the bus tour behind NASA’s gates with a stop at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, Space Shuttle Atlantis and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Parking is not included and costs $15 per car (October 2026 prices). In your GPS, search for “Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex”. The complex warns that searching just “Kennedy Space Center” sends you to the wrong place. The full plan is in is Kennedy Space Center worth a day trip from Orlando.

Where is the best shopping in Orlando?

Outlets for price and indoor malls for comfort. Visit Orlando lists four open-air outlet centers near the parks. Two of them are Simon properties:

• Orlando International Premium Outlets, on International Drive, with 165+ stores. Visit Orlando calls it Florida’s largest outlet shopping destination.
• Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, on Vineland Avenue, with 155+ stores. It is the closer one to Kissimmee.

Both were open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in October 2026. Among indoor malls, The Mall at Millenia has about 150 stores and restaurants plus currency exchange, and The Florida Mall is the largest shopping center in Central Florida. Which outlet to pick and how to plan the day is in which Orlando outlets are worth it.

What to do in Orlando at night without a park ticket?

Disney Springs, ICON Park, Old Town, Fun Spot and Topgolf all run into the evening. Disney Springs and Fun Spot charge no admission, so you pay only for what you do.

Disney Springs. Disney’s shopping, dining and entertainment district requires no admission, and parking is complimentary, according to planDisney, Disney’s official Q&A service. It has World of Disney, with the world’s largest collection of Disney merchandise, Drawn to Life presented by Cirque du Soleil and Disney, the Aerophile balloon, Splitsville bowling and an AMC theater. Plan your evening with what to do at Disney Springs.

ICON Park. On International Drive, it has 50+ restaurants, shops and attractions. The Orlando Eye observation wheel is 400 feet tall and the ride takes about 20 minutes. Parking on floors 4 through 7 of the garage is free.

Old Town. On US-192 in Kissimmee, it is open every day, until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Friday brings a muscle car show from 3 p.m., and Saturday has the classic car cruise for vehicles built before 1985, a tradition of nearly 35 years with up to 250 cars. On Friday, car owners and spectators pay nothing. Wednesday bike night, from 6 to 10 p.m., is free too.

Fun Spot America. There are two parks, one near International Drive and one in Kissimmee. Parking and admission are free, and you pay for rides: roller coasters, a Skycoaster and multi-level go-kart tracks.

Topgolf Orlando. On Universal Boulevard, it has 3 floors and 100+ bays, heated in winter and fan-cooled in summer. Pricing is per hour, per bay, for up to 6 players, and it stays open until midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the day. Guests under 16 must be with someone 21 or older.

Find more in things to do in Orlando at night, what to do in Kissimmee and free things to do in Orlando. For real courses, see where to play golf near Orlando.

What else is there to do in Orlando with kids besides parks?

A science museum for the kids, and a boat ride on the lakes of Winter Park for a slower day.

Orlando Science Center. It has four floors of exhibit halls and an immersive film theater. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Wednesdays, except during Orange County Public Schools breaks. Online tickets are $22 for ages 2 to 12, $27 for ages 13 to 17 and $29 for adults.

Winter Park. The city is about 20 minutes north of Orlando, according to Visit Orlando. Its center is Park Avenue, a tree-lined street of shops and restaurants. The Morse Museum holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s work. The Scenic Boat Tour, running since 1938, is a one-hour ride through the lakes and canals, leaving every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It costs $20 per adult and $10 for ages 2 to 11, tax included, first come, first served.

For a stormy afternoon, see what to do in Orlando on a rainy day.

Are there beaches near Orlando?

Not in Orlando itself, but you can get there and back in a day. Cocoa Beach, on the Atlantic, is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Kissimmee and pairs well with Kennedy Space Center, which is in the same direction. Clearwater Beach, on the Gulf, is about 2 hours away. Compare them in the best beaches near Orlando.

For other day trips, such as St. Augustine at about 2 hours 30 minutes, see the best day trips from Orlando.

In practice: plan one day off from the parks for every two or three park days. Use it for the farthest outing (Kennedy, a spring or the beach) and leave early, before traffic builds. On park days, save the no-ticket spots close to your vacation home, like Old Town or Disney Springs, for the evening.

To pick a base close to all of this, browse vacation homes near Disney or search your dates.