Fall Adventures with Kids in Florida

We pulled these 33 fall adventures out of our full catalog of kid-friendly spots in Florida. Every listing has the ages it suits, what it costs, how long to budget, parking notes, and what to pack.

33 adventures found

Crystal River, FL

Three Sisters Springs

The only place in the US where you can legally snorkel alongside wild manatees, plus a boardwalk view for families staying dry.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Key Largo, FL

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

The first undersea park in the US. Snorkel boats run out to living coral reef, and two calm beaches work for kids not ready for the boat.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 5+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Key West, FL

Dry Tortugas National Park

Seventy miles out from Key West: a vast brick fort on an empty island, ringed by the clearest snorkelling water in Florida.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~12h
  • Paid

Merritt Island, FL

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Stand under a real Saturn V, walk through the Atlantis shuttle exhibit, and meet an astronaut - a full day, and worth it.

  • Science
  • Ages 4+
  • ~8h
  • Paid

Stuart, FL

Bathtub Reef Beach

A worm-rock reef sits just offshore and turns the water inside into a warm, calm, waist-deep pool full of fish at low tide.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 3+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Williston, FL

Devil's Den Spring

Snorkel inside a collapsed underground cavern lit by a single opening in the roof - a prehistoric spring reached by a staircase.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 6+
  • ~2h
  • Paid

Altoona, FL

Alexander Springs Recreation Area

A first-magnitude spring in Ocala National Forest with a rare gently sloping sand bottom - the easiest spring entry in Florida for small kids.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Apopka, FL

Kelly Park Rock Springs

A natural lazy river near Orlando: the spring run carries you gently for about twenty minutes, then you walk back up and do it all over again.

  • Tubing
  • Ages 3+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Boca Raton, FL

Red Reef Park

Snorkel a shallow boulder reef twenty yards off the sand in water rarely more than six feet deep, with angelfish, parrotfish and green turtles.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 5+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Bristol, FL

Torreya State Park

Hundred-and-fifty-foot bluffs over the Apalachicola River, on trails with real elevation change - Florida hiking that does not feel like Florida.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 7+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Chiefland, FL

Manatee Springs State Park

A first-magnitude spring running into the Suwannee River, with winter manatees, a boardwalk through cypress swamp and easy swimming.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 3+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Chipley, FL

Falling Waters State Park

Florida's tallest waterfall drops seventy-three feet into a sinkhole and disappears underground - nobody knows where it goes.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 3+
  • ~2h
  • Paid

Clearwater, FL

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

A working rescue hospital rather than a display aquarium - the dolphins, turtles and otters here are patients, and you watch them recover.

  • Aquarium
  • Ages 2+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Dunnellon, FL

Rainbow Springs State Park

Swim in a wide, shallow first-magnitude spring with a sandy entry, waterfalls and a paddling run - one of Florida's easiest springs with toddlers.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Fernandina Beach, FL

Fort Clinch State Park

A remarkably intact brick fort with costumed reenactors, plus shark tooth hunting on the beach and camping under live oaks.

  • Nature
  • Ages 4+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Fort Myers Beach, FL

Lovers Key State Park

Manatees and dolphins in the back bay, a two-mile beach reached on foot, and a five-mile mangrove paddling trail through the tunnels.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 3+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

High Springs, FL

Ginnie Springs

Seven springs on a private stretch of the Santa Fe River, with water clear enough that snorkellers appear to float on air above the sand.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 5+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Islamorada, FL

Anne's Beach

A free roadside beach with warm, ankle-deep water for hundreds of feet and a boardwalk through mangroves - made for toddlers.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 1+
  • ~2h
  • Free

Jacksonville, FL

Big Talbot Island State Park

Boneyard Beach is littered with the bleached skeletons of whole oak and cedar trees, toppled off an eroding bluff onto the sand.

  • Hiking
  • Ages 4+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Long Key, FL

Long Key State Park

A marked canoe trail through a shallow mangrove lagoon in the middle Keys - bring your own boat, because there is nothing to rent here.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 5+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Marathon, FL

Curry Hammock State Park

Shallow, protected flats ideal for a first family paddle, a quiet beach, and the best hawk-watching site in the Keys each October.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 4+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Marathon, FL

Sombrero Beach

A free, shaded, sandy municipal beach in the middle Keys with calm shallow water, a playground and real palm-tree shade.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 1+
  • ~3h
  • Free

Melbourne Beach, FL

Sebastian Inlet State Park

Florida's most productive saltwater fishing spot, with a walkable jetty, a calm lagoon beach for kids and surfing on the north side.

  • Fishing
  • Ages 4+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Orange City, FL

Blue Spring State Park

Hundreds of manatees winter in this spring run from November to March, watched from a boardwalk. Swimming opens once they leave.

  • Nature
  • Ages 2+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

Panama City Beach, FL

St. Andrews State Park

A jetty-protected lagoon where the water stays calm and clear - the best beginner snorkelling on the Panhandle, with fish right by the rocks.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 3+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Riviera Beach, FL

Peanut Island Park

An island reached only by water taxi, with a rock-protected snorkel lagoon shallow enough to stand in and a campground on the far side.

  • Snorkeling
  • Ages 4+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Grayton Beach State Park

Sugar-white sand and emerald Gulf water on Florida's 30A, plus a rare coastal dune lake behind the beach that kids can paddle a kayak across.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~4h
  • Paid

Silver Springs, FL

Juniper Springs Recreation Area

A seven-mile canoe run through narrow jungle-like creek in Ocala National Forest, plus a 1930s stone millhouse and a CCC-built spring pool.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 8+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Silver Springs, FL

Silver Springs State Park

Glass-bottom boats have run over these springs since the 1870s. Paddle the run yourself to find the wild monkeys along the bank.

  • Kayaking
  • Ages 3+
  • ~3h
  • Paid

St. Augustine, FL

Anastasia State Park

Four miles of Atlantic beach plus a warm, shallow tidal lagoon that is close to perfect for beginner paddlers, ten minutes from St. Augustine.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 3+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

St. George Island, FL

St. George Island State Park

Nine miles of undeveloped barrier island beach with almost nobody on it, plus calm bay-side water and excellent shelling.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~5h
  • Paid