Florida: Kissimmee, Free or Almost Free Family Vacation Fun.
Some of Kissimmee’s best kept secrets are free. From weekly activities at Old Town and awesome nature trails to fishing spots and free museum days, everyone can use a free day once in a while and on vacation what could be better?
Free days mean it is not about spending money to have fun but spending time together making one-of-a-kind discoveries and doing things on your vacation that are often only enjoyed by locals.
Take your own “been there, guess where?” photos. Only in
Kissimmee can you enjoy the Kissimmee Sculpture Experience. Grab your camera and look for this year’s new art created by popular artists and installed along tree-lined streets throughout the community center or head to Lakefront Park for ice cream, but be sure to check out the Monument of States along the way.
Just go fishing for free. Simple fun and free for kids, fishing in the area is easy. Osceola County is world famous for fishing so what better place to go fishing with your kids. Drop a line into one of lakes surrounding Kissimmee and see if the bass are biting. Lake Tohopekaliga, conveniently located next to downtown Kissimmee, is known to avid fisherman around the world and is a fantastic place to perfect angling skills. Brinson Park also has a fishing pier adjacent to a family friendly picnic area. Lakefront Park fishing pier on East Lake Toho in St. Cloud anchors the waterfront park with a beach, a playground, and several marsh fishing spots.
Need to know: A fishing license is required for non-residents but youth younger than the age of 16 and seniors older than 65 do not need a fishing license, but they must abide by all other fishing regulations including gear type, bag, and size limits.
Take a hike or walk above the marsh. Enjoying a vacation free day with Mother Nature makes sense for many reasons beginning with carefree, cheap, easy and fun. Add to that general well being and stress free with opportunities to learn about, interact with, and experience nature first hand. Even a short walk searching for frogs and reptiles or looking for ant mounds and cutter beetles will likely be rewarding for your child. One of the most rewarding spots in the area is Osceola County Schools Environmental Study Center located within a Reedy Creek Swamp. The center offers an elevated observation boardwalk, three hiking trails and indoor educational displays. Another sure bet is Peghorn Nature Park and Trail in St. Cloud with several marked trails within almost 60 acres of real Florida.
Bonus points: Checkout the 1800’s Peghorn Cracker Village created to depict Central Florida’s earlier years.
Make it happen. The Kissimmee CVB website showcases oodles of vacation ideas often with savings. Many hotels offer transfers to the major attractions either for free or for a small fee. The special family vacation offers change frequently, so to stay in the information loop sign up for the
free e-newsletter, checkout Kissimmee on Facebook or follow the latest news on Twitter. See what others are saying about Kissimmee at Kissimmee's blog,
i.SeeKissimmee.com and to explore all of the options log on to
www.VisitKissimmee.com.
Planning Details Old Town 5770 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. Kissimmee, Florida 34746. (407) 396-4888 or
www.old-town.com Brinson Park 406 Neptune Rd. Kissimmee, FL 34741. (407) 343-7175.
Lakefront Park & Dan Tarrell Memorial Point 1104 Lakeshore Blvd. St. Cloud, FL 34769. (407) 957-7243.
Osceola County Schools Environmental Study Center (Open to the public on weekends.) 4300 Poinciana Blvd. Kissimmee, FL 34758. (407) 870-0551 or
www.myfwc.com Peghorn Nature Park and Trail 2101 Peghorn Way St. Cloud, FL 34769. (407) 957-7243.
Lake Kissimmee State Park 14248 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales, FL 33898. (863)696-1112 or
www.floridastateparks.org/lakekissimmee/ Osceola County YMCA Family Center 2117 W. Mabbette St. Kissimmee, FL 34741 2117 West Mabbette Street Kissimmee FL 34741 .(407) 847-7413 or
www.centralfloridaymca.org
