Toddler-Friendly Adventures in Florida

We pulled these 35 toddler-friendly 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.

35 adventures found

Homestead, FL

Royal Palm and the Anhinga Trail

A half-mile boardwalk over a gator hole where alligators, anhingas, herons and turtles sit within a few feet of the rail.

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

Sarasota, FL

Myakka River State Park

A canopy walkway suspended in the treetops, an airboat across an alligator lake, and one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks.

  • Nature
  • Ages 3+
  • ~5h
  • 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

Weeki Wachee, FL

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

The underwater mermaid theatre has run since 1947, plus a spring-fed water park and a clear paddling run down the Weeki Wachee River.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~5h
  • 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

Apopka, FL

Wekiwa Springs State Park

A big spring swimming basin twenty minutes from Orlando, with canoe rentals on the Wekiva River and thirteen miles of trail.

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

Big Pine Key, FL

Bahia Honda State Park

The best natural beach in the Keys - shallow, warm, clear water off Sandspur Beach, with the old railroad bridge as the backdrop.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~5h
  • 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

De Leon Springs, FL

De Leon Springs State Park

Swim in a walled 72-degree spring pool, then cook your own pancakes on a griddle built into your table at the 1830s sugar mill restaurant.

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

Destin, FL

Henderson Beach State Park

Thirty-foot natural dunes and a wide white beach in the middle of Destin, with dune boardwalks, outdoor showers and covered shade pavilions.

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

Dunedin, FL

Caladesi Island State Park

A car-free barrier island reached by ferry, with three miles of undeveloped Gulf beach and a mangrove kayak trail behind it.

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

Dunedin, FL

Honeymoon Island State Park

Drive-on barrier island with calm Gulf swimming, excellent shelling, an osprey trail and one of Florida's best dog beaches.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 1+
  • ~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

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

Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park

Florida's newest state park: a clear blue spring with a shallow sandy run down to the Santa Fe River, good for a first snorkel.

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

Homosassa, FL

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

An underwater observatory puts you at eye level with wild manatees and thousands of fish inside a first-magnitude spring.

  • Nature
  • Ages 2+
  • ~4h
  • 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

Lithia, FL

Lithia Springs Conservation Park

A shallow, walled spring pool half an hour from Tampa, with a sandy bottom, a gentle entry and a campground under the oaks beside it.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~3h
  • 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

Naples, FL

Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park

A mile of quiet Naples beach with five separate parking areas so you are never far from the car, and calm shallow Gulf water.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~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

Sanibel, FL

Bowman's Beach

One of the best shelling beaches in America, on an island that faces the wrong way on purpose. Come at low tide after a storm with a mesh bag.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 2+
  • ~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

Sarasota, FL

Siesta Key Beach

Quartz sand that stays cool underfoot even in August, and Gulf water so shallow and calm it works as a giant paddling pool for small children.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 1+
  • ~4h
  • Free

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

Tierra Verde, FL

Fort De Soto Park

Five interconnected islands with a shallow lagoon beach built for toddlers, a Spanish-American War fort, and a paddling trail.

  • Swimming
  • Ages 1+
  • ~5h
  • Paid

Titusville, FL

Canaveral National Seashore

Twenty-four miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach next to the Kennedy Space Center, with sea turtle nests and no buildings in sight.

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