Zap each other with lasers. Solve brainy puzzles together as the clock ticks. Bounce over muddy trails under the warm Florida sun. This city and its surroundings are a playground for active families.
OFF-ROAD ADVENTURE
Pile into one of the amphibious four-seater Mucky Duck vehicles provided by Revolution Off Road, in Clermont, to traverse rugged roads, mud pits and steep hills and to skirt Revolution Lake. Those traveling with older kids may prefer to explore the 240-acre property and its 70-acre private lake in ATVs or dune buggies. A guide leads all outings, so you don’t have to spend any energy figuring out which way to turn or which trail to follow. If you want to be able to watch yourself in action later, rent a GoPro® camera from the office. By appointment, archery, paddle boarding and catch-and-release bass fishing are also available.
4000 State Rd. 33, Clermont; 1.352.400.1322; revolutionoffroad.com
EYE-OPENER
The mammoth new Orlando Eye Ferris wheel whisks its passengers 400 feet into the sky in 30 air-conditioned capsules. All are equipped with high-tech features that let you control creature comforts, like temperature and lighting. The observation wheel takes 20 minutes to rotate fully, so there’s plenty of time to take in the 360-degree views of Orlando. In case you’re not familiar with the local sights, your cabin is equipped with a preloaded iPad® tablet*. On the horizon? The city’s theme parks and lakes and the high-rises of downtown.
8401 International Dr., Suite 100; 1.866.228.6438; officialorlandoeye.com
SOUTHERN SAFARI
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, you may see lions, warthogs and wildebeests on Kilimanjaro Safaris®. Or for an extra fee, take a guided 3-hour Wild Africa Trek, featuring close encounters with wildlife in the theme park’s 110-acre Harambe Reserve. You’ll observe massive hippos and Nile crocodiles from just a few feet above as you make your way across a rope bridge. Next up is a ride in a rugged safari vehicle over an open savanna teeming with African creatures, including giraffes and rhinos. When you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll enjoy African-inspired snacks at a shaded hut with sweeping views.
2901 Osceola Pkwy., Orlando; 1.407.939.8687; disneyworld.com
MONKEYING AROUND
It’s one thing to spot monkeys in the wild; it’s another to climb around like one yourself. The latter is part of the fun at the Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park, which offers a network of rope courses and zip lines. Kids can traverse a miniature rope jungle in which they tackle 25 “games,” including bridges, a rock wall and swinging logs. Grownups walk below to cheer the youngsters on. After a training session, adults take on a series of 4 courses that get higher and more difficult over 3 hours. Expect to climb through tunnels, swing on ropes like Tarzan and step between planks while dangling (securely tethered) in the air.
7625 Sinclair Rd., Kissimmee; 1.407.390.9999; orlandotreetrek.com
PLAYING DETECTIVE
Imagine you are in Fidel Castro’s office during the Cuban Missile Crisis and you have just 1 hour to search for clues that will prevent nuclear war. At Escapology, such scenarios are assigned to groups of as many as 6. Each group then goes to a room that has a clock and where the amateur detectives are instructed to figure out the puzzle. Morse code, odd maps and vague messages are part of the fun. You may rummage in furniture, write the group’s thoughts on a whiteboard, dash around seeking hidden clues, maybe bicker a bit with your fellow sleuths about what to do next. Need a hint? Your game master will step in.
11951 International Dr., Suite C3; 1.407.278.1515; orlando.escapology.com
FLYING HIGH
We’ve all had the urge to spread our arms and glide in the air. At Orlando’s iFly Indoor Skydiving you can do just that. After a short tutorial, your small group gathers around a chamber containing a narrow wind tunnel. One at a time you step into the chamber, lift your legs, stretch your arms forward and out, and rise into a horizontal position until you’re floating on a man-made “cushion” of wind that reaches approximately 130-175 miles an hour. An instructor stands beside you all the while. Each flyer is suspended for 2-minute-long sessions. 6805 Visitors Circle; 1.407.903.1150; iflyworld.com
A GREAT RACE
The new I-Drive NASCAR Indoor Kart Racing takes go-kart racing up a notch. First you don a full-face helmet with a specially designed cooling system; then you step out to the pit, where colorful low-to-the-ground electric Sodikart vehicles await. After strapping in and revving up, you’ll race other drivers at up to 45 miles an hour in air-conditioned comfort, passing, but never bumping, your opponents. After the race you’ll receive a Race Performance Results certificate stating how fast you went. Anyone who wants to sit this one out can watch from the glass-walled Grandstand Bar & Grille. Before or after the festivities, you can bowl in four short lanes, play air hockey or hit more than four dozen arcade games.
5228 Vanguard St.; 1.844.437.4831; idrivenascar.com
NATURAL BOUNTY
You can stroll past locals boarding their own boats at the public dock in the quaint town of Mount Dora, and you may spot Dave Seidel standing by a few spiffy two-seater catamarans called CraigCats. By appointment with Cat Boat Tours of Mount Dora, Seidel leads scenic tours through the area’s Harris Chain of Lakes. You’ll steer the boats over Lake Dora and through the lush Dora Canal as Seidel narrates the experience over a one-way radio. He will then invite you to tool around elsewhere, maybe on nearby Lake Eustis or Lake Beauclaire. Along the way you may spot the nest of a bald eagle, alligators lounging on the shore or, in the distance, stately mansions. Once back home, don’t be surprised if Seidel follows up by sending you fun snapshots from your trip.
311 S. Tremain St., Mount Dora; 1.352.816.9339; catboattours.com
TAG, YOU’RE IT
Laser tag isn’t just for kids anymore— at least not at Hard Knocks. This flashy, high-tech venue is geared to the whole family. It has 2 arenas, and every 15 minutes a new game for as many as 40 players begins. Players are divided into teams, then sent to the “armory,” where each person chooses from among 9 types of laser gun. Groups are given missions, such as opening a locked vault. Those wanting to take a pass can watch the action live on TV in the Combat Café. 5707 Dot Com Court, Suite 1025; 1.855.926.6228; indoorwar.com
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.