Quick Trip Location Ideas-Within a 6-8 hour drive from Orlando

[ilovefh]

Things have been nuts here with sickness and hospitalizations and now that everyone is better and DH's leave of absence is coming to an end we thought we might take a short trip. We have Thursday-Sunday open.

There are 4 of us, DH, DS4 and DD4months and myself. We're not sit on the beach people and DS is delayed in his motor skills so he isn't an independent swimmer yet.

We thought we would spend a night at Legoland Hotel but it is over $600 for one night!

We also threw around the idea of staying at Art of Animation in a Cars suite. That is about $200/night. We'd do two nights here.

Another idea was to stay at a Universal hotel for a night and use the two days of express passes. DS loves Universal. That would cost around $300 for the night.

We also thought about going somewhere outside of Orlando. So, any ideas for a trip outside Orlando that a 4 year old would like?

 

[FINFAN]

Things have been nuts here with sickness and hospitalizations and now that everyone is better and DH's leave of absence is coming to an end we thought we might take a short trip. We have Thursday-Sunday open.

There are 4 of us, DH, DS4 and DD4months and myself. We're not sit on the beach people and DS is delayed in his motor skills so he isn't an independent swimmer yet.

We thought we would spend a night at Legoland Hotel but it is over $600 for one night!

We also threw around the idea of staying at Art of Animation in a Cars suite. That is about $200/night. We'd do two nights here.

Another idea was to stay at a Universal hotel for a night and use the two days of express passes. DS loves Universal. That would cost around $300 for the night.

We also thought about going somewhere outside of Orlando. So, any ideas for a trip outside Orlando that a 4 year old would like?

Hi~ I haven't been in ages but Busch Garden's might be nice~ we like KSC but might not grab a 4 year old's attention for as long as an older child. Does DS like airplanes? The Blue Angels practice up in Pensacola and there is a museum. Sounds like Universal is a safe and fun bet though. The Drury Inn and Suites on Sand Lake is way under $300 a night, but I totally get staying on site. I hope you have a great time wherever you go!

 

[GaryDis]

Cape Canaveral? It's often overlooked. But it's been so long since I've been there that I can't say for sure whether it would appeal to a 4 yo.

 

[ilovefh]

Hi~ I haven't been in ages but Busch Garden's might be nice~ we like KSC but might not grab a 4 year old's attention for as long as an older child. Does DS like airplanes? The Blue Angels practice up in Pensacola and there is a museum. Sounds like Universal is a safe and fun bet though. The Drury Inn and Suites on Sand Lake is way under $300 a night, but I totally get staying on site. I hope you have a great time wherever you go!

We did toss around the idea of Busch Gardens. We went for free3 years ago with DS because DH's job had their staff appreciation party there. I looked at the website and I didn't see much that he could ride.

 

[cabanafrau]

Cape Canaveral? It's often overlooked. But it's been so long since I've been there that I can't say for sure whether it would appeal to a 4 yo.

Fascinating place, but not for a 4 year old from what I can remember from a couple years back.

 

[Tinkermommy]

Disney's Vero Beach resort is great.

Yes it has a beach but they have a lot of resort activities from Goofy bingo to bike rentals. They always have activities at the pool for kids.

Our favorite is the bonfire singalong with smores and they even have character meals.


Not too far of a drive and it's a relaxing time after the parks.

 

[HM]

St. Augustine?
Savannah GA?

 

[ilovefh]

St. Augustine?
Savannah GA?

We've tossed both of those around but we don't know what there is to do there for a small child.

 

[aquabone1109]

The Keys. Key West may be too far for you but Key Largo is also nice and has some really nice parks.

 

[CynBeth]

Busch Gardens in Tampa and the zoo are great! There is also an aquarium.

 

[MinMou]

You mentioned Legoland in your opening post, and the price. We have an event in Florida on the west coast, and we found that if we went the days after the event instead of before it we saved close to 100 dollars a day. Is there any way you can switch your days?

Others are mentioning Busch Gardens, but unless your 4 yr old is very tall, he will have to sit out most of the rides, and will be left with just seeing the animal portion of the park.

 

[ilovefh]

You mentioned Legoland in your opening post, and the price. We have an event in Florida on the west coast, and we found that if we went the days after the event instead of before it we saved close to 100 dollars a day. Is there any way you can switch your days?

Others are mentioning Busch Gardens, but unless your 4 yr old is very tall, he will have to sit out most of the rides, and will be left with just seeing the animal portion of the park.

No, these dates are it. I have break this week and my son's break starts tomorrow so this is the only overlap we have. Part of my surprise with Legoland is that it is so expensive even when compared to other similar options. It was more expensive than the Polynesian and double the cost of one of the Orlando resorts.

 

[HM]

We've tossed both of those around but we don't know what there is to do there for a small child.

My opinion is that you can take a small child to historic locations and they'll find things that interest them (that may be different to what interests you). We took a 2yr old and infant to Colonial Williamsburg. The donkey poop in the road was a great fascination, for example.

In Savannah, you could take carriage tours, house tours, go to eat and shop on the river (there is a great candy store). You can go to the beach for a day at Tybee, climb the lighthouse. Find a boat tour to look for dolphins. There are plenty of little parks to run around in and lots of great places to eat. Do a little research.

St Augustine has a wonderful fort and the old city is just wonderful. Touring them would be interesting for everybody. You could take boat tours from here as well and once again, great places to eat.

 

[MinMou]

No, these dates are it. I have break this week and my son's break starts tomorrow so this is the only overlap we have. Part of my surprise with Legoland is that it is so expensive even when compared to other similar options. It was more expensive than the Polynesian and double the cost of one of the Orlando resorts.

This surprises me. We are planning to go during the week in May, and the rooms are 600-750 for 2 nights. I would expect an increase for weekends, but not that much.