7 Great Things To Do In Kissimmee
7 Great Things To Do In Kissimmee
By Nigel G. Worrall
Most visitors to Central Florida only think one thing “Walt Disney World, Orlando”. What most don’t know is that there is another area that makes up the Walt Disney World area and that is the area known as Kissimmee.
More likely than not, most visitors will stay in properties in the Kissimmee area if they don’t stay directly on Walt Disney World property. So with that in mind, here’s the top 7 things you can do while staying in the area that is closest to Disney:
1. Old Town
Old Town is a great place to visit for all members of the family and is a favorite attraction for shopping, dining, and entertainment in Kissimmee as it features specialty shops, restaurants, and great amusement park rides.
There are over 40 shops featuring an amazing variety of merchandise, around a dozen places to eat and drink and some great rides to blow you away. Rides such as Windstorm Roller Coaster…1,437 feet of steel tracks which twist and turn over 80-degree banks! There’s the colorful & exciting Wave Swinger and you can see Orlando from sixty feet in the air on the Century Ferris Wheel. If that’s not enough adventure for you then spin your wheels around the Happy Days Family Go-Kart Track or try out Super Shot where you’ll feel like you can touch the stars as you slowly inch up to 150 feet and then get dropped suddenly!
On the lighter side, you can take the little ones on the uniquely painted horses of the Merry-Go-Round, spin on the Tea Cups, leap into fun on the Frog Hopper, and ride the Wacky Worm Kiddie Coaster.
Old Town is also the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights as its “Cruise Night”. The Friday Night Cruise is a car show that features 1975–1987 cars and trucks while The Saturday Night Cruise will bring back memories of your first car, your first date and your first kiss as the “pride and joys” from 1974 and earlier bring back ‘lots of memories’ as an average of 300 classic cars, hot rods, street rods and antiques parade down the brick streets of Old Town. Completing the bill is some fabulous live entertainment as some great bands come to Old Town – Kissimmee to play some great tunes.
2. Horse World
Blue sky, hundreds of acres to explore and a good horse beneath you are just some of the delights that will greet you when you visit Horse World. If you love horse riding or enjoying the peaceful Florida countryside then a visit to this trail riding adventure will invigorate your soul. A chance to experience what it was like when life was simple!
3. Lake Lizzie Nature Preserve
This 950-acre nature preserve is one of Florida’s best sites for hiking, horseback riding and nature viewing. The preserve offers marked trails through a variety of habitats leading to the shores of Lake Lizzie and Trout Lake.
4. Boggy Creek Airboat Ride
An airboat ride offers you the chance to glide through the beautiful Florida wetlands and get up close and personal with exotic birds, turtles and of course, the Florida alligator in their own natural environment. You’ll also get the chance to fly like the wind into the swamps experiencing the awesome feel of an airboat ride traveling up to 45 miles per hour.
5. Green Meadows Petting Farm
“Everyone milks a cow” at Green Meadows Petting Farm, where you can interact with more than 300 animals during a two-hour guided tour throughout the farm. Everyone is encouraged to have a “hands on” experience during the tour by petting a variety of pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, donkeys, and more as tour leaders teach kids about the farm and its animals. Kids can also take a pony ride and experience a tractor-drawn hayride.
6. Forever Florida
This 4700-acre eco-ranch and wildlife conservation area offers approximately 10 miles of hiking trails and a chance to step into Florida’s past. The Florida National Scenic Trail runs through this property and you’ll experience natural streams, forests, pastures, wetlands and learn about the wide array of Forever Florida’s wildlife including alligators, black bears, white-tail deer and the endangered Florida panther.
You can visit the Crescent J, a picturesque Florida ranch featuring a living museum of Spanish Colonial Cattle and Florida’s unique Cracker Horses and enjoy three fully guided adventures that are offered through Florida EcoSafaris: Coach Safari, Horseback Safari and, Florida’s first and only Zipline Safari. The Zipline Safari will take you on a two and a half hour adventure like no other, reaching heights of 55 feet and speeds up to 25 mph as you sail above it all on this breathtaking aerial nature tour.
7. Take in a Dinner Show
Kissimmee is home to three of the best Dinner Show’s you’ll ever see. Capone’s Dinner Show is a cheerful mishmash of Broadway Show, nightclub cabaret, sketch comedy revue and an all you can eat Italian buffet set during the prohibition era while Medieval Times Dinner Show is a dinner show set in the times of lords and ladies. Sit down and enjoy a royal four course meal as you watch six brave knights compete and battle for your favor. With daring exhibits of valor, metal to metal sword fighting, and high speed jousting, you will be on the edge of your seat. Over at Arabian Nights Dinner Show you’ll experience a “Storybook Tale of Romance and Adventure” as the Broadway-style production featuring over 60 of the world’s most beautiful horses pulls off amazing stunts, state-of-the-art special effects and a delicious prime rib feast.
There’s a lot to do in Kissimmee…go do it!
