Orlando is an incredibly popular tourist destination, one of the most well-known in the world, receiving more than 40 million visitors to its sunny shores each and every year, and when you look at the massive array of world renowned attractions it’s home to, it becomes crystal clear why it is so beloved.
With such famous and well-loved tourist hot spots like Universal Studios, Disney World and Sea World, taking a holiday in O-Town can prove to be an expensive decision, but there’s also a hidden treasure trove of free activities available to you, if you know where to look.
But how do you know where to look? By some magnificent stroke of luck, you have chanced across an article detailing some of the cream of the crop! Read on to find out our suggestions on good things to do, for free, in Orlando.
Child’s Play
If you head down to the Downtown Disney Marketplace, you can find the Lego Imagination Centre, with its incredible free play area. A real haven for kids of all ages, the space covers an area of over 400 square metres and is filled with all the things that children are bound to love – like Lego dinosaurs!
There are a number of Lego kiosks designed to let the little ones put their boundless imagination and creativity to good use, using the colourful little blocks the Danish company is famous for. And it’s all completely free! Let the kids run wild and you can sit back and relax.
Drinking Tours
Pop over to Orlando Brewing if you’re in the mood for a drink – they are the Sunshine State’s only brewery with organic certification. They use only the best natural and organic ingredients and brew their ales in accordance with the rather strict German Purity Law of 1516, so they are following guidelines set out 500 years ago! You can get a free tour of the brewery from Monday to Saturday, starting at 6 in the evening.
If you’re more of a wine lover, then you’ll be interested in the Lakeridge Vineyard, Florida’s largest premium wine-makers. They offer free tours (with wine tasting included!) every day of the week. They open at 10 am six days a week, and 11 on Sundays.
Get Wild
One of the most bizarre things available in all of Florida (or perhaps even the world – we’re not quite sure!) is the Peabody Duck March. In the atrium of the Peabody Hotel, at 11 am sharp every morning, the Peabody Ducks (5 North American mallards) exit their special lift and march down the red carpet and jump into the “orchid-crowned” fountain. Visitors watch and clap as they waddle along before they jump up three steps and splash down into the water. They then do the same – but in reverse – at 5 pm. Truly strange, but strangely compelling!
If you prefer animals that are a bit more… fearsome than ducks, then take a drive over to Lake Jessup and pop into Black Hammock Adventures. The lake is home to almost 10,000 different alligators, and if you visit on a Sunday you get to watch them feeding!