Things to Do in Orlando

The things to do in Orlando that we could check are Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Center, the Orlando Eye at ICON Park, Lake Eola and the Wekiwa and Blue Spring state parks. Park tickets use date-based prices, so the date you pick sets the cost. We read the official pages on 15 October 2026.

The theme parks

All three resorts show a "from" price that depends on the date. Check the calendar on each site for your own date before you plan a budget.

Walt Disney World

Note: The resort has 4 theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. Tickets are date-based, so you pick a start date and the price follows it. The ticket page did not load its prices when we checked it again on 15 Oct 2026, so the one-day price is not confirmed (Walt Disney World, tickets page)

We did not confirm park hours or transport inside the resort.

Universal Orlando

Note: The resort site lists 4 parks: Universal Epic Universe, Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Volcano Bay. Its home page rotates promo tickets. On our second read it showed a Florida resident offer of 3 parks in 3 days for $85 a day plus tax, used by 23 December 2026. We could not read a one-day price for visitors, so it is not confirmed (Universal Orlando, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

The home page calls Epic Universe "our newest park."

SeaWorld Orlando

Address: 7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, FL 32821 (SeaWorld, tickets page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: A single-day ticket is listed from $59.99 each for "Ticket Only (ages 3+)," with $151.99 shown beside it. The page says "Additional cost applies for dates with higher ticket prices." The fine print says the online savings are based on general admission prices at the park (same page)

The page lists no opening hours, and says the park may close for capacity or bad weather.

Beyond the parks

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Address: Space Commerce Way, Merritt Island, FL 32953 (Kennedy Space Center, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from 10 August to 25 November 2026 and from 27 November to 19 December. Open to 7 p.m. from 20 to 24 December and 26 to 30 December. Closed on Thanksgiving (26 November) and Christmas Day. Entry ends 1 hour before closing, and the last bus tour runs 2.5 hours before closing (Kennedy Space Center, hours of operation page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: One-day admission is $77 for an adult (ages 12 and up) and $67 for a child (ages 3 to 11). Two-day tickets, good for 2 visits within 6 months, are $91 and $81. Tickets do not include parking, which is $15 a car (Kennedy Space Center, tickets page and travel and parking page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Getting there: "Currently, no public transportation is available for the visitor complex," the center says. From Orlando, its directions run east about 50 miles on SR 50 or SR 528. It names Gray Line Orlando as a company that runs trips there (Kennedy Space Center, travel and parking page, read 15 Oct 2026)

ICON Park and The Orlando Eye

Address: 8375 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819 (ICON Park, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: The Orlando Eye is a 20-minute ride with 360-degree views. General admission is "Starting at $29.99 Per Adult." Free parking is listed on floors 4 through 7 of the garage, and valet parking is free for guests (same page)

The page lists no opening hours.

Lake Eola Park

Address: Main office 512 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL 32801. The swan boat dock is at 195 North Rosalind Avenue (City of Orlando, swan boat page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: The park is open 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. every day (City of Orlando, Lake Eola Park page). Swan boats run Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and are closed on Monday. The hours may change. Rentals end 30 minutes before close (swan boat page)

Price: Swan boats are $15 for a 30-minute rental, bought only at the lake, by debit or credit card. Each boat seats up to five, and a wheelchair accessible boat is available. There are no reservations. Neither city page lists a park entry fee (both pages, read 15 Oct 2026)

Winter Park

Winter Park, just north of Orlando, is known for its Saturday farmers market and the Scenic Boat Tour on its chain of lakes. We could not read an official page for either, so we give no times, prices or addresses. Treat both as not confirmed and check before you go.

Wekiwa Springs State Park

Address: 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, FL 32712 (Florida State Parks, Wekiwa Springs page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year (Florida State Parks, hours and fees page)

Price: $6 a vehicle, up to eight people. $4 for a single-occupant vehicle. $2 for a pedestrian, a bicyclist or an extra passenger. Since 2 September 2025, day-use entry needs a reservation, and that includes annual pass holders. You pay the entry fee when you book, with no extra reservation fee. You can book up to 60 days ahead, and same-day if space is left (hours and fees page, and the state's day-use reservation page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Blue Spring State Park

Address: 2100 W. French Avenue, Orange City, FL 32763. Phone 386-775-3663 (Florida State Parks, Blue Spring page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year. The park often fills up and may close for a few hours (same page and hours and fees page)

Price: $6 a vehicle for two to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle, $2 for a pedestrian, a bicyclist or an extra passenger. Day-use entry needs a reservation, which you can make up to 60 days ahead (hours and fees page, manager's message and the state's day-use reservation page)

Note: The state says hundreds of manatees gather in the spring run from mid-November to March. Swimming season is 1 April to 14 November, so you cannot swim in the run during manatee season (Blue Spring page, read 15 Oct 2026)

With kids

• SeaWorld: single-day tickets are listed for ages 3 and up.

• Kennedy Space Center: a one-day child ticket for ages 3 to 11 is $67.

• Lake Eola: swan boats seat up to five, and a wheelchair-accessible boat is available.

• Blue Spring: manatees from mid-November to March, seen from the boardwalk, since swimming season ends on 14 November.

Free things

Lake Eola Park is open 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., and the city lists no entry fee, so you can walk in the park at no cost. The swan boats are $15. Free parking is listed at ICON Park for guests. We found no other sight that we could confirm as free.

Where to stay in Orlando

We did not check any hotel's rate, so we give no prices. Rates change by date, so look up your own.

Getting around

Price: LYNX fares: single ride $2.00, all-day pass $4.50, 7-day pass $16.00, 30-day pass $50.00. Discount fares are half those prices for riders who qualify. Transfers are free and last 90 minutes, but they are not valid on the same route or for round trips. The day pass runs from 4:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next day. The page shows no effective date (LYNX, fares and passes page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Getting there: From MCO, the airport page lists a local bus at $2 (Disney Resorts area $4). Taxi ranges are $52 to $68 to Disney Resorts, $47 to $55 to Lake Buena Vista, $38 to $45 to downtown and to International Drive, and $14 to $18 in the airport area. Shuttle vans are listed at $20 and $32 for downtown, $21 and $33 for International Drive, and $23 and $37 for Disney and Lake Buena Vista, and the page does not say what the two figures mean. It gives no travel times and does not name LYNX (Orlando International Airport, ground transportation page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Getting there: Brightline: the Orlando station is at 10705 Jeff Fuqua Blvd, at Orlando International Airport. The station page says the ride is about 2 hours to West Palm Beach and 3 hours 30 minutes to Miami, with 16 daily round trips and hourly departures, and the schedule may change. Fares show only after you search a date, so we give none (Brightline, Orlando station page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Do I need a car in Orlando?

It depends on the trip. Visit Orlando says you can get around without a car, but also says coverage and service vary with where you stay and what you plan to see. For the parks, MCO lists a $4 local bus to the Disney area, taxis and shuttle vans. We did not confirm how to move between the parks. Kennedy Space Center says no public transit reaches it, and we found none to Wekiwa Springs or Blue Spring, so you would need a car, a rideshare or a tour. If you stay on International Drive for a few days of parks, you may not need one. If you want the springs or a launch day, plan on one.

Best time to go

Note: NOAA's 1991 to 2020 monthly normals, Orlando International Airport (NOAA NCEI, normals-monthly-1991-2020, station USW00012815, read 15 Oct 2026)

Summer is hot and wet. July averages 7.46 inches of rain and an average high of 92.0 F. NOAA's November normal is 1.79 inches, the lowest of the 12 months. Manatee season at Blue Spring is the cold months, from about mid-November. See also our guide to warm places in December.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 15 October 2026: Walt Disney World's tickets page (prices did not load), Universal Orlando's home page, SeaWorld's tickets page, Kennedy Space Center's home, tickets, hours, and travel and parking pages, ICON Park's home page, the City of Orlando's Lake Eola Park and swan boat pages, the Florida State Parks pages for Wekiwa Springs and Blue Spring and the state's day-use reservation page, LYNX's fares and passes page, Orlando International Airport's ground transportation page, Visit Orlando's transportation page and Brightline's Orlando station page. NOAA's normals came from the NCEI data service.

Not confirmed: one-day prices for Disney and Universal, park hours for Disney, Universal and SeaWorld, ICON Park hours, all Winter Park prices and hours, Brightline fares, travel times from MCO, how to move between parks, and any hotel rate. Prices and hours change, so check the operator's page for your date. We did not visit Orlando for this page, and we have no hero photo for it yet.