must do in orlando

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Must Do in Orlando

With over 1,000 springs in Florida, you can find adventure around almost every corner. One of my favorites and a must do for summer fun in Orlando is Rock Springs at Kelly Park. This natural lazy river is an inexpensive and fun day, just miles from Disney Springs.

What to Do at Kelly Park?

Kelly Park has several areas, including the run and swimming area. You will walk to the start of the run. This is where the caves and beautiful rocks are located. The water is a chilly 70 degrees, so be sure you go on a hot Florida day. At the start, you can ease your way in or just jump right in. They call it a run, because there is a current that will push you all of the way down to the swimming area. It is a moderate lazy river type pace. The run is simply beautiful with trees hanging over the river, turtles in the water, otters swimming around, birds, and even fish. Our kids loved it.

There are also some secret trails along the run that walk you back to the springs. You can see the springs bubbling in the water. For our kids, this was a great opportunity to learn about the springs.

In the middle of the run is a swimming area. A lot of people just bring their floats and came out in the swimming area all day. You can climb out of the swimming area if you want to head back to the start of the run or you can keep on going. The second part of the run is not as popular, so it quiet. You will have a better chance of seeing wildlife on the second part of the run. At the end of the run, you can walk back to the swimming area or head to the start and ride down the run all over again.

Cost of Kelly Park?

Kelly Park is super inexpensive at just $5 per car. You will want to bring your own tubes or floats. If you do not have any tubes, you can rent them for $7 per tube at a bar/grill just before the entrance to Kelly Park. There are lots of beautiful rocks and wildlife, so you also may want to bring a mask and snorkel.

How to Prepare for a Day at Kelly Park?

There is not a lot of preparation for a day at Kelly Park. We literally woke up and decided, “hey let’s go to Rock Springs today!” However, you may want to think about a few things before your visit.

#1 Do you have tubes and snorkel equipment?

#2 Do you have a cooler with snacks, drinks, and lunch? Kelly Park does have tons of picnic tables and even grills if you want to make a whole BBQ experience.

#3 Are you visiting on the weekend? Is it open? Kelly Park is quite popular. We always visit on the weekday and even the summer weekdays are fantastic times to visit. However, the weekend gets really busy and they often close to capacity. If you are visiting on the weekend, I would call to make sure they are open.

Educational Activities for Florida Springs

As a family that homeschools, we took our adventure to Rock Springs as an opportunity to learn about springs in Florida. Here are some fun resources on springs for kids of all ages.

Build an Aquifer – Click on the link to download the whole activity sheet