With summer fast approaching, many of us are coming up with ways to keep our kids entertained, enjoy the Florida weather and looking to book our family vacations. We love to get away in the summer and enjoy the time off school together as a family. Central Florida has some fun beaches to explore, but what if you want to go a little further away but aren’t looking for a plane trip destination?
You know what this means?! ROAD TRIP!!
I love road trips for the family bonding time and the decreased cost compared to air travel.
So, grab some snacks, crank up the music (or audiobook), pack the car and lets hit the open road!
I’ve researched 5 amazing destinations that I think are sure to please the whole family.
I picked places that were less than 10 hours away and under 1000 miles from Orlando in hopes that they could be made into a small trip to avoid taking a lot of time off work this summer. This also seemed like a reasonable limit to the amount of time you spend in the car verses deciding a flight would be worth the additional expense.
5 Road Trip Ideas for Central Florida Families:
Savannah, Georgia – 4 hours, 280 miles
Established in 1733 and known for its beautiful scenery, rich history, amazing food and stunning architecture, Savannah is a great road trip destination for Central Florida families. Common attractions include Forsyth Park, Bonaventure Cemetery, the American Prohibition Museum and Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum. Tybee Island is another popular place to visit and enjoy the ocean. On Tybee Island, you can walk the pier, eat fresh seafood, enjoy a museum and go to the Marine Science Center. Savannah is also a popular movie set, so you can see familiar spaces from your favorite movies or maybe run into a movie star.
Atlanta, Georgia – 6 hours, 35 minutes, 438 miles
Another Georgia location, Atlanta is the state’s capital and another fun family destination. Booking.com indicated that Atlanta was one of the top 8 most visited cities in 2022! Atlanta is a city rich with shopping, history, food festivals, attractions and famous landmarks. The 1996 Olympics was hosted in Atlanta and the attractions and parks made for the event are still there to be explored today – check out Centennial Olympic Park to run and play. Close by, check out the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Center for Civil & Human Rights, World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, and Children’s Museum of Atlanta. Other popular attractions in the city include the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Cattahoochee Nature Park, the Delta Flight Museum, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the Fernbank Natural History Museum. You can also catch a play at the Fox or Alliance Theaters. Atlanta is also famous for it’s food offerings – so check out their burgers, fried chicken, barbecue and so much more!
Key West, Florida – 6 hours, 45 minutes, 392 miles
Famous for being the southern most point of the United States and about 90 miles north of Cuba, Key West is a popular cruise stop, but also an amazing road trip destination. Key is drivable thanks to the Overseas Highway and is known for it’s cute, pastel-hued, conch-style houses. Popular destinations in Key West include the Hemingway Home and Museum, Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory, Key West Lighthouse, Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and Beach, Dry Tortugas National Park and the Key West Shipwreck Museum. It is also a popular destination to snorkel and deep sea dive.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – 7 hours, 35 minutes, 499 miles
A benefit to a road trip to Myrtle Beach is that you can stop in Savannah on the way, basically covering 2 of the 5 destinations on my list! Myrtle Beach is a popular family vacation destination that is home to some amazing golf. You can walk down the boardwalk and enjoy the ocean breeze. Myrtle Beach is known for it’s gorgeous nature aside from the beaches like Brookgreen Gardens, the Conway Riverwalk and Murrells Inlet MarshWalk. Other popular attractions include WonderWorks (there is one here in Orlando, so a try to compare the two would be super fun!), the SkyWheel, Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, Hollywood Wax Museum and Myrtle Beach State Park. Myrtle Beach is also commonly called the ‘seafood capital of South Carolina.’ It also has some amazing shopping to indulge in. You can also catch a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game at TicketReturn.com Field.
New Orleans, Louisiana – 9 hours, 639 miles
NOLA is more than the wild videos of Bourbon Street you have seen from college spring break and Mardi Gras. Check out the The National WWII Museum, Audobon Zoo, Louis Armstrong Park, Audobon Aquarium, Mardi Gras World, the New Orleans Museum of Art and Jackson Square. Famous for beignets, no trip to NOLA is complete without a trip to Cafe de Monde. Other popular foods in New Orleans include étouffée, jambalaya, po’boy sandwiches and gumbo. The New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans play downtown and any sports lover in your group would love to explore the stadiums. You will find something for everyone in The Big Easy.
How many of these destinations have you been to?!
