One of the benefits of living or visiting Central Florida is getting to take advantage of outdoor activities nearly year-round. Whether you are a thrill seeker or want to take a more leisurely approach, there's plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy the outdoors in Orlando.
Hiking
An activity we really love to do together is going for a hike. There are so many different places around Central Florida to go for a hike which includes short, shaded routes and more rigorous, longer trails. Some of our favorite trails include Tibet-Butler Preserve and Black Bear Wilderness Area. Tibet-Butler is a nice, easy trail which is great for kids or beginners. Black Bear Wilderness Area is a seven mile loop trail that can be a bit difficult in some places, especially following rainfall.
Airboat Tour
No trip to Florida is complete without a trip to the swamp. There are plenty of places around Central Florida to go out on an airboat, but we really like the tours through Wild Florida. Not only do you get an airboat tour, but you also can enjoy a small zoo as well during your visit. Airboats are a lot of fun, but we recommend wearing sunglasses. Once you get going, the airboats go pretty fast and your eyes will water because of the wind.
ATV
One of our favorite experiences we've done in Central Florida is driving ATVs from Revolution Off Road. They have a vast network of trails on their property for you to drive through which includes some puddles and hills. You will get dirty, so don't wear your nicest clothes for this and plan on bringing a change of clothes/shoes for after. If ATVs aren't your thing, Revolution Off Road also offers different experiences including fishing and duck boats.
Ziplining
There are several places around Central Florida for ziplining, however if you really want to up the thrill you can zipline over alligators at Gatorland. There are five different ziplines as well as a swinging bridge that you traverse. The entire experience takes about two hours. The highlight of the experience is when the zipline takes you over the breeding marsh, which is home to more than 130 alligators.
Running
The summer months may not be ideal for a run, but when the weather gets a little cooler (yes, 70 degrees is considered cool), there are some really nice trails to take advantage of. We really love the Orlando Urban Trail. It's about three miles long and mostly concrete, but it takes you though some Orlando neighborhoods as well as a few lakes and the Orlando Cultural Park. If you want a different type of terrain, check out the 10 Mile Clay Loop in Clermont.
