Best Day Trips from Orlando, Florida
Are you looking for the best day trips from Orlando, Florida?
With over 75 million visitors, Orlando is one of the top tourist destinations in the United States. This city in the Sunshine State is best known for its theme parks, including Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando. But its central location also makes it ideal for day trips exploring more of Florida!
Orlando is in the center of the state, so you can easily travel north, south, east, or west and reach many cool destinations in two hours or less. Below, I’ve rounded up the best Orlando day trips.
As someone who has visited Orlando dozens of times and has a number of relatives who live in Florida, I have personally visited many of these destinations myself and can recommend them.
One important thing to note is that while you might be able to get by without driving on your vacation to Orlando, especially if you’re just planning to visit the theme parks, you will need to drive for any of these day trips. Renting a car gives you the most flexibility when it comes to exploring Florida on day trips.
However, I’ve also included some recommendations for guided tours that include pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in Orlando if you would prefer not to rent a car and deal with the hassle and logistics.
Let’s take a look at the best day trips from Orlando, Florida!
⭐ Short on time? These are the top tours and activities I recommend. If you book directly through a link on this page, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Stay to Wander!
Best Day Trips from Orlando:
- Crystal River for snorkeling with manatees
- St. Augustine city tour for history buffs
- Kennedy Space Center for space travel enthusiasts
- Clearwater Beach for fun in the sun
1. Crystal River
If you love nature and wildlife, Crystal River is one of the best places to go. Located one hour and 35 minutes from Orlando, Crystal River is known for its natural springs and rivers where manatees live year-round! These adorable, gentle marine mammals are the main attraction in Crystal River.
It’s even possible to go swimming or snorkeling with the manatees in Crystal River. This full-day tour is a great option, including round-trip transportation from Orlando with a guide, a pontoon boat ride in Crystal River, snorkeling with manatees, a visit to Homosassa State Wildlife Park, and lunch.
2. St. Augustine
Another great day trip from Orlando is St. Augustine. Known for being the oldest city in America, St. Augustine is the perfect destination for history buffs. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1565, and you can still see many remnants of its colonial past in the well-preserved, walkable downtown area.
Highlights of St. Augustine include visiting Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century fort, taking a trolley tour of the Old Town, and going for a boat cruise on the St. Johns River. St. Augustine is one hour and 45 minutes from Orlando. This guided tour from Orlando is a great option for experiencing St. Augustine.
3. Cocoa Beach
I’ve written about the best beaches near Orlando, and Cocoa Beach tops that list. This is because Cocoa Beach is one of the closest beaches you can get to from Orlando, at just one hour away. The proximity to Orlando makes Cocoa Beach great for a day trip if you want to swim in the ocean and relax in the sun.
While you could easily spend a full day here if you just want to chill out and enjoy the beach vibes, Cocoa Beach also combines well with the next destination on this list for an action-packed day trip…
4. Kennedy Space Center
If you’re interested in space travel, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is a must-visit. Located just 55 minutes from Orlando and about 30 minutes from Cocoa Beach, the Kennedy Space Center offers visitors the opportunity to see real rockets up close, meet astronauts, hop aboard a space launch simulator, and more.
This is a great excursion for adults and kids alike, and there’s so much to do and see here that you could definitely spend a full day exploring. If you’d like to visit Kennedy Space Center without driving, you can book this full-day tour, which includes round-trip transportation from a central location in Orlando.
5. Tampa
Tampa is another big city in Florida that is actually even larger than Orlando. It’s located one hour and 25 minutes away and can be a good day trip, primarily for visiting Busch Gardens. Busch Gardens is one of the best theme parks in Florida with many thrill rides, but it’s not located in Orlando.
Busch Gardens offers a free shuttle service from several convenient locations in Orlando, so you don’t have to worry about the logistics of getting there. If you want to visit the city of Tampa itself, there are lots of things to do there, including visiting the Florida Aquarium, one of the best in the United States.
6. Clearwater Beach
Although it’s a bit further away than some of the other destinations on this list, at just over two hours from Orlando, I wanted to include Clearwater Beach on this list anyway. Clearwater Beach regularly ranks as one of the best beaches in Florida, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for a beachy day trip.
Clearwater Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico, so you can expect clearer, bright green-blue water compared to the Atlantic Ocean beaches in Florida. This full-day tour to Clearwater Beach includes round-trip transportation from a central location in Orlando, as well as the ability to add on a boat tour or lunch.
7. St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is a cool city to visit for art and culture. This city is located one hour and 50 minutes from Orlando. It’s also 40 minutes from Clearwater Beach, so they combine well for a day trip.
The Dalí Museum is definitely one of the highlights in St. Pete, with the largest collection of Salvador Dalí’s artwork in the United States. Other cool museums to check out in St. Pete include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Imagine Museum, and the Chihuly Collection. The Sunken Gardens are also worth a visit.
8. Florida Everglades
Although Everglades National Park is actually located about four hours south of Orlando, close to Miami, you can still visit the headwaters of the Florida Everglades just 30 minutes from Orlando. These swampy wetlands are hugely important to the ecology of Florida, and are home to over one million alligators!
The best way to visit the Florida Everglades is on a guided tour like this. After meeting at a location half an hour south of Orlando, you’ll board an airboat for a thrilling journey through the Everglades.
9. Daytona Beach
Another beach day trip you can take from Orlando is Daytona Beach. This beach town is located just one hour from Orlando. It’s not my favorite place in Florida by any means, because I find the downtown and boardwalk areas to be kind of tacky. However, it does have a decent beach if that’s all you care about.
Daytona Beach is also where the Daytona 500 race takes place, so if you’re interested in NASCAR, you might want to pay a visit to the Daytona Speedway. This full-day tour is a good way to take a relaxing day trip to the beach, including hotel pick-up and drop-off in Orlando and a resort day pass in Daytona Beach.
10. Rainbow Springs
Finally, one of the best day trips from Orlando is Rainbow Springs State Park. This unique nature park is located one hour and 35 minutes from Orlando. It’s one of Florida’s many natural freshwater springs. If you’re looking for a peaceful break in a beautiful natural setting, this is a great place to go for the day.
You can easily spend a full day relaxing at Rainbow Springs, swimming in the clear blue-green waters, or trying other water-based activities like kayaking, paddleboarding, or river tubing.
Best Day Trips from Orlando, Florida
This guide showed you the best day trips from Orlando, Florida.
Orlando is an amazing destination itself, but there’s so much more of Florida to discover besides this one city and its popular theme parks. That’s why I recommend taking at least one day trip!
If you love nature and wildlife, my top picks would be Crystal River or the Florida Everglades. For history, St. Augustine is an excellent destination, while for beaches, Clearwater Beach is by far the prettiest option. However, you honestly can’t go wrong with any of these great day trips around Florida.
Enjoy your trip to Orlando!
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