Florida is home to some of the most innovative and well-known theme parks in the world, nearly all of which cater to kids and adults. Disney World (disneyworld.disney.go.com) was one of the first in the area, featuring four vast parks filled with kid-themed rides, shows, exhibits and more. Other renowned Florida theme parks include SeaWorld Orlando (seaworld.com), Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (buschgardens.com) and Universal Orlando (universalorlando.com), which recently opened a Harry Potter themed park based on the kid's book series of the same name.
For parents looking for a more educational trip, Florida offers hundreds of museums that also include exhibits and information specifically for kids. One museum that might be particularly exciting is the Kennedy Space Center (kennedyspacecenter.com). It doubles as a working space station, and on scheduled dates, kids can even witness a space shuttle taking off. Other museums that might appeal to kids include the Central Florida Railroad Museum (cfcnrhs.org), the Children's Science Explorium (scienceexplorium.org/csehome.html) and the Miami Children's Museum (miamichildrensmuseum.org/).
Less expensive and less demanding than theme parks, Florida is home to quite a few "fun centers" that cater to kids and families looking for a half-day of entertainment. Fun centers can be quite varied in the entertainment they provide, though they commonly offer arcades, mini-golf centers, movie theaters, carnivals, go-kart rides and fun houses.
There are also a number of wildlife preserves, state parks, beaches and more to entertain families with children. Florida offers hundreds of camp sites. It also has a number of other outdoor activities, including horseback riding trips and lessons specifically for kids, air-boat tours of the region's famous marshlands and plenty of public beaches for kids to swim and explore.
