Florida’s Lake County: The Perfect Daytrip from Orlando

Orlando draws family travelers from around the world to experience the fun of Disney World, but spending every day of your trip at the Magic Kingdom may not be ideal, and you just may be in need of a break from the Happiest Place on Earth. The perfect solution lies not far from Orlando — less than an hour’s drive northwest, in fact. Here, you have more ways than you can imagine to enjoy a daytrip with the family without the crowds of Disney World because, as they say, “There are no lines in Lake County!”

The area is home to more than 1,000 freshwater lakes (hence the name!), and one of the best ways to see them all is with a sea plane tour, like ones offered by Jones Brothers Air and Seaplane Adventures. They offer a variety of flightseeing tours at a range of prices for different budgets, letting you do things like search for alligators and experience a “splash and dash” as the plane dips into the water mid-flight.

As we head into spring and weather warms up, the timing couldn’t be better to plan a trip to this beautiful region. This coming April (April 26–27, to be exact), the area celebrates blueberry season with Mount Dora Blueberry Festival. The event, free to attend, features all things blueberry, from fresh-picked berries and blueberry products to arts and craft vendors selling fun souvenirs. You can also take part in the pancake breakfast and blueberry pie-eating contest, enjoy live music, and even sample some blueberry beer. While in the area, you won’t want to miss taking the kids to the U-Pick blueberry farms so they can find out what it’s like to harvest their own delicious berries.