Orlando Holidays

Skim across the headwaters of the Florida Everglades on an airboat at Boggy Creek, where open wetlands provide chances to spot alligators, wading birds and other wildlife. Day, sunset and night tours offer different ways to experience Central Florida’s natural landscape.

Paddle through the clear, spring-fed waters of Rock Springs Run, around 35 minutes north of Orlando. Routes such as the Emerald Cut wind beneath dense greenery, with kayaks and guided clear-bottom tours offering a peaceful but active way to explore the waterway.

Take on Gatorland’s Screamin’ Gator Zip Line, where five lines stretch across 1,200 feet of the park. Riders launch from elevated towers and soar above alligator and crocodile habitats, adding a distinctly Floridian edge to the usual zip-line experience.

Head into 230 acres of Florida countryside at Revolution Adventures near Clermont for a high-energy off-road experience. Visitors can tackle rugged terrain on ATVs or try the amphibious Mucky Duck, combining muddy trails and water crossings around 30 minutes from Walt Disney World.

Test yourself at Nona Adventure Park in Lake Nona, where a 60-foot ropes course, climbing walls and twin sky ropes create challenges above the ground. Visitors can also take on the wake cable course or inflatable aqua park for extra action.

Built in 1889, the Old Orlando Railroad Depot recalls the years when rail connections helped drive downtown growth. Its surviving station architecture anchors Church Street’s transport history, giving visitors a tangible link to Orlando before cars and theme parks reshaped the city.

Walk through eight blocks of downtown containing around 80 buildings dating from the 1880s to the early 1940s. Victorian detailing, Mediterranean influences and Art Deco façades sit between modern towers, revealing how Orlando’s commercial centre changed across several decades.

Built in 1926 by African American physician Dr William Monroe Wells, the former hotel provided accommodation for Black travellers during segregation. Today, the museum shares memorabilia, photographs and exhibitions exploring Orlando’s African American community and local Civil Rights history.

Step away from downtown’s towers into one of Orlando’s oldest residential districts. Hundreds of historic homes reveal architectural styles ranging from Craftsman bungalows to Mediterranean Revival buildings, reflecting the neighbourhood’s development after former citrus-growing land was subdivided for housing.

Visit the former baseball ground where legends including Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth once played. Tinker Field also carries major Civil Rights significance as the place where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his only Central Florida speech in 1964.

Spend time in Parramore, Orlando’s oldest African American neighbourhood, where Black heritage remains part of community life today. Local restaurants, creative spaces and new developments sit alongside long-established institutions, giving visitors a sense of how the district continues to evolve while preserving its identity.

Explore Mills 50, where Vietnamese families began putting down roots in the 1970s. Restaurants, markets, bakeries and independent businesses still reflect that influence, while murals and other Asian cuisines have turned the neighbourhood into one of Orlando’s most distinctive cultural districts.

Visit La Casa de Puerto Rico to connect with one of Orlando’s largest cultural influences. The community organisation celebrates Puerto Rican heritage through music, dance, arts, workshops and social gatherings, reflecting the strong Puerto Rican presence that has helped shape modern Orlando.

Step inside CityArts in Downtown Orlando, where changing galleries showcase work by local and regional artists across several exhibition spaces. Housed within the historic Rogers Kiene Building, it offers visitors a more direct look at Orlando’s contemporary creative community and independent arts scene.

Head north of Downtown to Eatonville, incorporated in 1887 and closely associated with writer Zora Neale Hurston. The Hurston Museum displays work by artists of African descent, while the wider town keeps Black literature, art and community heritage firmly connected to the present.

Held each May, Orlando Fringe transforms Loch Haven Park and nearby venues with theatre, comedy, dance, music and visual art. Visitors can choose from more than 100 shows and hundreds of performances, with family programming and outdoor entertainment adding to the festival atmosphere.

Each October, Come Out With Pride fills Lake Eola Park with a large LGBTQIA+ celebration featuring a colourful parade, live performances, community organisations and a marketplace. The event has become one of Central Florida’s biggest single-day gatherings, drawing huge crowds into downtown Orlando.

Lake Eola Park hosts Fiesta in the Park twice each year, with spring and autumn editions bringing hundreds of artists, crafters and food vendors together. Visitors can browse the stalls, enjoy live entertainment and spend the day beside the downtown lake.

Head to historic Eatonville for the ZORA! Festival, celebrating writer Zora Neale Hurston alongside Black art, literature, music and heritage. Its programme includes cultural exhibitions, performances, educational events and the Outdoor Festival of the Arts, bringing the town’s history into the present.

Running from late summer into autumn, EPCOT’s annual food and wine festival fills the park with Global Marketplaces inspired by cuisines from around the world. Visitors can sample dishes across the park while enjoying live performances from the Eat to the Beat concert series.

Spend an evening at Disney Springs, where waterfront dining, live music, bars and late-opening shops spread across a lively pedestrian district. Visitors can also book Drawn to Life by Cirque du Soleil, adding a major resident stage production to the night.

Stay into the evening at Universal CityWalk, where restaurants, bars and entertainment sit between Universal’s theme parks. Visitors can also book Universal’s Great Movie Escape, which turns Jurassic World and Back to the Future into immersive escape-room experiences.

Book a Broadway show, concert, comedy performance or dance production at Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando. Its five venues include Steinmetz Hall and intimate Judson’s Live, giving visitors everything from large touring productions to smaller live-music evenings in one arts complex.

Join an audience-driven improv show at SAK Comedy Lab in Orlando’s City District, where performers build scenes and jokes from crowd suggestions. Its intimate format makes each performance different, giving visitors a more local and spontaneous alternative to the city’s large-scale entertainment.

Catch an Orlando Magic basketball game or a major touring concert at Kia Center in downtown Orlando. The arena regularly hosts international music acts, family shows and sporting events, giving visitors a lively night out with the city centre just outside.