Once the handshakes and hugs are distributed, every holiday season visit from family and friends reveals the same question: what am I going to do with these people?
While staring at each other until you can draw each other’s faces from memory is always an option, it’s not necessary. Orlando is stuffed with entertainment options to keep in-laws and blood relatives alike out on the town and out of your hair. Even if you can’t stomach a trip to the most magical adult daycare on Earth, there are plenty of fun attractions just waiting to fill the days that turkey and ham aren’t on the menu.
Cruise through Winter Park’s canals
Scenic boat tours of Winter Park’s waterways launch hourly starting at 10 a.m. every single day.
Photo via Winter Park Boat ToursGive your wallet a workout
Sharp-elbowed shoppers can brave the Mall at Millenia and the Premium Outlet Malls, where parking is a bloodsport, but Winter Park’s Park Avenue, Audubon Park’s Corrine Drive or the tiny Milk District are more our shopping speed.
Milk District photo by Zac AlfsonScope out manatees
The Blue Springs state park and manatee refuge is still a great place for finding Florida’s most iconic animal. But they’re having a really tough year, so don’t bug ’em.
Photo via AdobeGet your glow on
Titusville’s glowing bioluminescent lagoon has as much wow factor as Disney’s fireworks.
Photo via BK AdventurePaddleboard Lake Ivanhoe
A paddleboard is one of several ways to see Orlando’s booming restaurant and bar district along Lake Ivanhoe.
Photo via Epic Paddle Adventures/FacebookBike Orlando’s urban trails
Orlando is far from a biking mecca, but long-distance and urban trails are littered throughout the city for anyone who wants to pedal.
Photo via Bike OrlandoUse your feet to see some nature
While you’re up and moving, why not take in the sights along the Black Bear Wilderness Loop Trail?
Photo via Florida HikesTake a stroll through Leu Gardens
You don’t need to leave town to see green. Bonus points: This Orlando attraction goes all out on holiday lights when Dazzling Nights kicks off Nov. 19.
Photo via Leu GardensGet glassy-eyed in Winter Park
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany. That’s bragging rights, pal.
Photo via Morse Museum/InstagramMail your Christmas cards from Florida’s weirdest town
There’s a lot of competition for Florida’s oddest place, but it’s hard to beat Christmas, a permanent holiday zone just east of Orlando stuck between impoverished Bithlo and the Space Coast. Can’t beat that postmark, though. Credit: AdobeVisit the animals at the Central Florida Zoo:
No one turns down an invitation to feed a giraffe. Or pet a rhino. Or gawk at a 40-year-old gopher tortoise.
Photo via Central Florida ZooFind some peace at Bok Tower Gardens
A trip to the Singing Tower at the heart of this Lake Wales sanctuary is a must-do, particularly if you have any aficionados of roadside attraction history in your family.
Photo via Bok Tower GardensGet your goth on at Greenwood Cemetery
Spooky season never ends if you keep the faith.
Photo via AdobeRev your engines
Visit the Big Daddy Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing — a few large rooms stuffed with racing memorabilia — and test your reflexes off the Christmas tree. (Not that kind of Christmas tree.)
Photo by Jessica Bryce YoungTake an airboat ride
As much as we try to build over it, the swamp persists. Take your Wisconsin uncle out to relive the credits of Miami Vice. Credit: Photo via AdobeTake them up — way up
No hill, no problem: Wallaby Ranch lays claim to the title of “first fulltime aerotow hang gliding flight park in the world.” For the nervous types, tandem flights are also available.
Photo via Wallaby RanchCount teeth at Gatorland
Gatorland has held on through seismic shifts in Central Florida because seeing a bunch of alligators snap up whole frozen chickens in a feeding frenzy is still awesome. Credit: Photo via Gatorland/FacebookGo to the beach
While the temperature is less than ideal from the local point of view, a lack of crowds at Central Florida’s sandy hotspots make it a near-perfect time for a visit. And your Ohio in-laws will strip down to their bikinis.Photo via AdobeRide a dang swan boat
A cool thing about family coming to town is that you don’t have to pretend that tourist attractions aren’t fun. Take advantage of the cover provided by visitors to paddle out. Credit: City of Orlando/InstagramGet turned around in a corn maze
While the high season for corn mazes has ended, there are still quite a few left to muddle through in Central Florida. Credit: Photo via Long & Scott FarmsBe obnoxious on a pedal pub
Keep the wheels turning and book a pedal-powered Limo Cycle for a pub crawl through the historic downtown. Credit:Holly Whelden CarpenterGo see the Orlando Magic play
They almost certainly won’t win. But with tickets starting at just $10, does it really matter?
Photo via Orlando MagicSample the meatballs at IKEA
If things really go south, you might be able to lose a relative permanently in the home furnishings labyrinth. Credit: Photo via IKEA/Facebook
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Join 30,000 locals who stay current on Orlando news, culture, and events. Get Orlando Weekly's free daily newsletter.