In pursuit of a balanced Orlando vacation

My family goes on a lot of trips. It's hard to resist filling up every school break with a fun family getaway when you work for Travelzoo. You try holding on to your vacation days when you stare at value-packed travel offers and photos of dreamy destinations all day. Or don't. It's not worth the struggle—just go!

For me, my husband and my elementary-aged daughter and son, travel brings us joy, and the chance to be together in full force without the distractions of jobs, schoolwork and chores. I'm the travel planner, logically, and the goal is always to balance kid- and adult-oriented activities to give everyone the most enjoyment possible. In Paris, our children delighted in a ferris wheel ride at the Tuileries Christmas market that revealed sunset views of the Eiffel Tower at the top. They also loved trying their hand as chocolatiers at the Chocolate Museum—the many hours at the Musee D'Orsay and the Louvre were more for us adults.

In San Diego, we cheered the kids on at the ropes course at Belmont Park (a beachside amusement park), then enjoyed an oceanfront meal in the tony neighborhood of La Jolla Shores. In East Mexico, we parents indulged in many 5-star dinners at the Garza Blanca Cancun resort, then indulged the youngsters for a day at the natural Xel-Ha waterpark in Puerto Juarez. 

We've been able to find the right mix of activities for multiple maturity levels everywhere we've gone, but the idea of an Orlando vacation that struck the same compromise seemed tougher to envision. We're not what you'd call "theme park parents," though my husband has been known to make a beeline for the scariest rollercoaster in any given radius. The idea of hitting one kiddie fantasy land after another, after another for days on end did not sound appealing to me. Yet spending a few days in Central Florida and not going on a ride or two—especially as the mom of a incoming 4th grader who just (ravenously) read all the books in the Harry Potter series—just seemed cruel. 

Here's what we hashed out, learning along the way, since we're not frequent travelers to the area. Hopefully it will help some other parents who don't identify as theme park freaks to plan a family getaway that will give the whole group something to smile about. 

A hotel in a storybook town

Part of the impetus of the trip was a press invite from The Inn at Celebration, Autograph Collection for a few complimentary nights. The lakeside hotel, which just underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, cuts a lovely bright-white figure in the blue skies of the town.

That town is called Celebration, a too-perfect neighborhood set just outside Disney World. On our drive in, we all remarked that the proudly kept classic American-style homes looked like something out of a movie set (this is before we found out the town was developed by Disney). When we got out of the car, it felt a bit Truman Show, with cheery residents smiling and waving enthusiastically as they passed. Even the squirrels were unusually friendly, trailing us around the lake like we had peanuts in our pockets. (We didn't.) We knew we weren't in Miami anymore.  

The hotel, too, had a welcoming ambiance; the valet chatted happily, offering us tips on things to do in the vicinity as we walked into the coastal-chic lobby. The pool had been filled in to create additional event space during the renovation, we learned—a bit of a bummer—but spatially, it made sense since the hotel is truly right on the lake. Though picturesque, the lake is not swimmable, which will come as no surprise once you glimpse the 6- or 7-foot-long gator who hangs out below the balconies. 

Our studio suite two-queen room was wonderfully spacious, and offered lovely vistas of the water. The kids called it "fancy," even. And besides the in-house Lakeside restaurant, with service for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner (we tried the breakfast—the French toast was divine), the adorable town had a plethora of restaurants within view of our spot. 

Disney Springs

We arrived rather late on our first day, but not too late to take a quick drive over to Disney Springs. Our kids have never been to anything Disney-related, so this 120-acre mega-mall and entertainment complex definitely had their eyeballs popping. Amid shops like the M&M Store (tip: do not let your kids pour their own candy out of the bulk containers or you will leave penniless) and the Star Wars Galactic Outpost (lightsaber duels are mandatory) the number-one highlight for my LEGO-maniac children was undoubtedly getting to design their own mini-figurines at the LEGO store Minifigure Factory.

I didn't have the time to do any adult shopping, but there was plenty for grown-ups, too—Anthropologie, Sephora, Lacoste. As night fell, the place, however commercial it is, felt a bit magical—a real burst of fire erupted every ten minutes or so from the Rainforest Cafe Restaurant's roof, and a giant hot air balloon ride sailed up into the darkening sky and back down again. 

Silver Springs State Park

After a good night's rest in the hotel, we took a ride about an hour and 45 minutes north to visit Silver Springs State Park on day two of our vacation. I've lived in Florida for almost 20 years and have heard a lot about the fabled crystal-clear springs of Central Florida, but had never been to one. So finally, this was my chance to see what all the hype was about, and to show the whole family a side of Florida we've never seen before. 

The park was busy with groups renting kayaks and clear-bottom canoes by the dozen on this particular summer day, so I was a bit nervous we'd miss out on renting a pair of our own. But we lucked out and were able to rent even without a prior reservation. 

We decided on a 2-hour rental and were handed a map outlining a loop paddle trail that would take just that long. As we dragged our clear canoes down to the landing, I immediately recognized the rippling, transparent waters I'd only seen in pictures, and, truth be told, they're just as gorgeous in real life. In patches where the bottom is sandy, the water takes on a vivid aqua color that simply looks unreal.

I teamed up with my 7-year-old son, who was given a cute miniature paddle of his own (that he didn't use), while my husband and 9-year-old daughter paddled a separate boat alongside us. My son crouched down on the bottom of the boat, cupping his hands around his face to get a good view through the clear plastic to see the underwater life below. Among his findings were an abundance of fish and snapping turtles. Summer is not manatee season, though we heard from a park ranger that eight "sea cows" are year-round residents. While we didn't catch a glimpse of them, we did spot plenty of wading birds in the mangroves surrounding the trail, plus dozens of smaller turtles spread out on logs, soaking in streams of sunshine. 

It was beautiful, but hot, and we became aware only upon arrival that swimming is not allowed in this particular spring for environmental reasons. (Alexander Springs, about 40 minutes west of Silver Springs, does allow swimming, we found out too late.) Two hours was just the right amount of time to absorb the beauty of the place without reaching total exhaustion. For those who don't want to paddle their own vessel, there's also a popular glass-bottom boat tour where you can just hop on, admire the wildlife and listen to the tour guide's factoids and cheesy jokes as you float along. 

After our paddle, we stopped at the park's very own restaurant, where we refueled on pizza and ice cream. The kids spotted an actual monkey running on on a roof in that area. I thought they were pulling my leg, but I later read that a colony of rhesus macaques has been multiplying in the park since 1938, when a tour boat operator named Colonel Tooey released six of them onto an island in the park. He was trying to create a Tarzan-like attraction, without realizing the monkeys were excellent swimmers and would immediately depart the island. (The original Florida man?) There are now about 300 of them all over the 5,000-acre park. You'll want to keep your distance as some of them carry a potentially deadly disease.

Silver Springs State Park is stunning and provided a memorable experience for everyone in our crew. In hindsight, though, the drive was a bit far for a day trip when we'd just made a significant drive the day before. Wekiwa Springs State Park is apparently a 25-minute drive from Orlando, and swimming, snorkeling and paddling are all on offer there. (No monkeys, which is probably a good thing.)

Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Islands of Adventure

Day three of our trip was the one our kids had been dreaming of for weeks. After consulting with a close friend who is a theme park genius, I booked the family a single-day "Park Hopper" pass that was good for both Universal Orlando Resort and the adjoining Universal Islands of Adventure. My expert friend insisted that I add the Express Pass for everyone if I cared to get on any rides, since the summer (read also, all kids are out of school) is a particularly intense time to visit the parks, with long lines for visitors with basic tickets.

I'm not going to lie—the price was painful. I didn't realize before booking the whole trip that a one-night stay at one of Universal's premium hotels would have included Express Passes for everyone and saved me hundreds of dollars (even compared to having a free hotel stay somewhere else). But alas—the hotel plans were already solidified. So I lived and I learned.

Money aside, we undoubtedly made the right move in springing for the Express Passes, spending no more than maybe 20 minutes in line for a ride the entire day. And I do mean the entire day. We arrived at the parks just as they were opening (9 a.m.) and didn't leave until the gates were closing (9 p.m.). We successfully visited both parks and went on every ride and experience we had set out to, thanks to some advance planning. In honor of our little Harry Potter devotee, we placed the highest priority on the Wizarding Worlds, which exist in both theme parks, and planned the rest of our route around that.

I doubt there's much I can say about these parks that hasn't been said by many many theme park content creators before, so I'll spare all the details and outline some pointers that proved essential for our day:

Make a reservation at Mythos Restaurant for lunch in advance. On a marathon day like this one, it made a big difference to have a high-quality sit-down meal in an air-conditioned restaurant at the halfway point. From what I gleaned from Universal vets, Mythos has the best food in the park, and it would be tough to get a table without reserving in advance. There was something for everyone (I got the pad Thai and enjoyed it), and the cave-like interior of the Greek mythology-themed venue was entertaining, too.

Next time, I'd also pre-book an after-the-parks dinner at The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen, located just outside the theme parks at CityWalk. From the outside, it looks like Willy Wonka opened a restaurant, and from what I've heard the massive milkshakes are just the start of the good eats inside. 

Don't skip the old rides. Harry Potter stuff was the reason for our visit, but Revenge of the Mummy, which opened way back in 2004, was my absolute favorite ride of all, full of old-school terrifying tomb scenes, pyrotechnics and surprise drops that made me scream, but not in a "I'm going to throw up" way. The Spiderman ride, which which the park has kept open since 1999, if you can believe that, was a close second. 

Borrow a wand if you can. We were lucky enough to have some cousins who volunteered to lend us their Harry Potter wands so the kids could practice their spells all around Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Purchasing wands is pricey if you aren't sure you're going to return again and again, but it would be sad if the kids had no wand to use in the park. So borrowing is the best case scenario!

If you're trying for two parks in one day, have your route mapped in advance. We decided to start at Islands of Adventure, hitting our most-wanted rides around the loop-shaped park, then stopping for lunch at Mythos mid-day. We then boarded the Hogwarts Express train, the fun way to get to Universal Orlando Resort if you have the Park-Hopper pass (though you can also just walk). There, we made our way around that park (also an easily navigable loop) until closing time, pausing our ride-riding bonanza only to refresh with some banana-flavored Minions popsicles.

Did we achieve the elusive balanced Orlando vacation?

While I certainly made a few amateur missteps in planning the trip, ultimately, I'd say we struck the right balance and everyone had a fantastic time. We'll take our learnings into our next Central Florida adventure, for sure—and I hope our experience can give hope to anyone else out there who is not jazzed about the idea of visiting theme parks for four days in a row that there are other ways to spend time in Orlando.