Plan in advance to eliminate winter break boredom!
Most Central Florida students will go on “winter” break as schools close this weekend through Jan. 7. Luckily, we’re looking at temperatures in the 70s and 80s around Christmas, so parents, babysitters, and nannies tasked with taking care of out-of-school kids will have plenty of indoor and outdoor options to keep everyone busy.
Check out some festive light displays, get into the Christmas spirit with live entertainment, or just get outside and enjoy Central Florida with the whole family while school’s out!
Santa’s Winter Wonderland Village at Waterford Lakes
Dates & Times: Dec. 1 – Jan. 1, 2 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Address: 397 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando, FL 32828 (Village located in parking lot behind Bed, Bath, & Beyond)
Fees: Daily wristband, $25 | “FunCard” Pricing, $1 – $50 | Rest of events free, unless purchasing a photo with Santa.
Parking, admission, and most of the entertainment at Santa’s Winter Wonderland Village is free! You’ll only have to spend money if you want to ride the carnival rides, in which case you can purchase a wristband or FunCard for each family member. At Santa’s Workshop, kids and pets can get photos with Santa during the times listed on the site here. You’ll have to purchase a photo with Santa, but other characters like the Grinch, Rudolph, and the Nutcracker are available for free photos if you take them with your own camera. Enjoy live entertainment from the Timber Creek Christmas Band and a steel drum musician on the dates and times listed here.
Holidays at Crane’s Roost Park
Dates & Times: Various events, Nov. 25 – Jan. 1
Address: 274 Cranes Roost Blvd., Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (Cranes Roost Park)
Fees: Free
Santa's elves are making a special appearance in Cranes Roost Park tonight. Bring your cameras and take advantage of the great photo-op. https://t.co/sELpSuwEV4 pic.twitter.com/uX5wn4TldV
— Altamonte Springs (@CityofAltamonte) December 20, 2017
More free family entertainment! This is a great outing after last-minute Christmas shopping or just for a nice evening outdoors. Check out the Holiday Fountain Show at the Plaza at Crane’s Roost behind the Altamonte Mall from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. through the end of the year. The holiday lights around the lake will be on display through New Year’s Day. They’re also offering live entertainment in the form of holiday music from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 22 and Dickens Carolers from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23.
‘The Best Christmas Pageant EVER: The Musical’ at The REP
Dates & Times: Nov. 13 – Dec. 30
Address: 1001 E. Princeton St., Orlando, FL 32803 (Box office)
Phone: 407-896-7365
Fees: Adults, $25 | Kids ages 3-17, $15 | Seniors (ages 55+), college students, teachers, members of the military with ID, $18 | Kids under 3 sitting on lap, free | Click here to buy tickets.
This musical adaptation of the classic book by Barbara Robinson is a hilarious hour and a half that any family will enjoy. Check out this fun and touching performance at The REP in Loch Haven Park. It’s a beautiful area to explore during the holidays or anytime of year, so plan a full evening here to walk around let smaller kids run around the fields or climb on the big, beautiful trees. This musical is about the Herdmans, a family of kids who “crash Sunday school and demand parts in the Christmas pageant.” It’s great for all ages, with afternoon and matinee performances.
Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs
Dates & Times: Nov. 10 – Jan. 7, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Closes at 10 p.m. on Sundays)
Address: 1486 Buena Vista Drive, Orlando, FL 32830
Phone: 407-939-6244
Fees: Free
We're officially counting down the days until Christmas with our @WDWToday friends! Follow along this month as we feature our 25 trees at the Christmas Tree Trail now through 12/25. ?❄️✨ pic.twitter.com/yji2NAVFWP
— Disney Springs (@DisneySprings) December 1, 2017
There’s not much about Disney that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, so take full advantage of Disney Springs’ Christmas Tree Trail! It’s a path filled with Christmas trees, each decorated with a different Disney movie theme — like “Peter Pan,” “Mulan,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Lilo & Stitch.” While you’re walking through, look up! It’s snowing! Or “snowing,” as we call it here in Orlando — quote marks necessary. The pathway leads to none other than Santa Claus himself! Kids can take pics (for purchase) and tell the big guy what their little hearts desire most for Christmas. Toddler pro tip: My son’s favorite part of this whole thing was a pattern of lights on the ground just outside the trail’s entrance. He danced around with a bunch of other tourist kids of various languages and cultures, and it was super cute to see all the kids coming together for the holidays!
See the Manatees at Blue Spring State Park
Dates & Times: Open daily, 8 a.m. – sundown
Address: 2100 W. French Ave., Orange City, FL 32763
Phone: 386-775-3663
Fees: Vehicle with 2-8 people, $6 | Single-occupant vehicle, $4 | Pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers, passengers in vehicle with holder of Annual Individual Entrance Pass, $2
The Orlando Sentinel recently published this article with video of Wayne Hartley of the Save the Manatee Club counting the manatees at Blue Springs, as he has done for nearly 40 years. When the weather gets (relatively) chilly in Central Florida, our native manatees seek the warm waters of the natural springs. Blue Springs is such a special and uniquely Florida place to visit in the winter. There’s nothing I love more than the natural wonders of my home state, and sharing it with visitors and family fills me with pride. Make a full day of this trip, bring a picnic, and come ready to learn from the park rangers and other locals with stories of these beautiful gentle giants. The park fills up fast on the cooler days, because everyone wants to come see the manatees, so arrive early to beat the lines or risk being shut out completely due to capacity. Check out this Manatee Cam for more special encounters.
Gingerbread Lane, Playing With Light, or a Break Camp at OSC
Dates & Times: Click here for current OSC times.
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Gingerbread Lane, Nov. 24 – Jan. 7
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Playing With Light, Sept. 23 – Jan. 3
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Break Camps, Dec. 22 – Jan. 5
Address: 777 E. Princeton St., Orlando, FL 32803
Contact: 407-514-2000 | gservices@osc.org
Fees: Gingerbread Lane & Playing With Light included in price of OSC admission. | Check here for Break Camp fees.
The Orlando Science Center will always be on my lists of great things to do with your kids in Central Florida. It’s our family’s favorite place to learn, and the exhibits change frequently, so we never get bored. For the holidays, check out Gingerbread Lane, where a New York chef spent all year creating a wonderland of gingerbread structures — not just houses and men! Check OSC’s daily events when you arrive to see if they’re hosting special gingerbread demonstrations through the holidays. You can also check out the traveling exhibit, Playing with Light, including a tunnel of 20,000 LEDs and a giant kaleidoscope, among other educational experiences. And of course they’re always offering special camps for out-of-school times. The Pre-K through Grade 5 programs focus on STEM and last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Perfect for working parents who want to keep their kids’ brains active during the school break!
Experience ‘Snow’
Locations:
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Now Snowing at Celebration, Nov. 25 – Dec. 31
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Christmas at Gaylord Palms, Nov. 21 – Jan. 7
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Disney Springs at the Trail of Trees, Nov. 10 – Jan. 7
Ask around Florida, and you’ll hear more native Floridians say they’ve never seen snow than you’d expect. Many of us grew up with parents from colder areas like the Northeast whose mottos are, “I’m never dealing with another New England winter!” Thus, we miss out on real snow. If you don’t want to pay the big bucks to get into Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, where it snows every night, there are still other options. “Snow” falls nightly in Celebration during the holidays, and you can sled down an ice slide into plenty of ice-cold, fluffy snow at Gaylord Palms. And then there’s always the aforementioned snowfalls at the Christmas Tree Trail at Disney Springs. We’re just trying to get the best of both worlds here!
Go Ice Skating
Locations:
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Light Up UCF, Nov. 17 – Dec. 31
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Winter in the Park in Winter Park, Nov. 18 – Jan. 7
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Celebration Town Center, Nov. 25 – Jan. 1
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The Ice Factory, Open year-round
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RDV Sportsplex Ice Den, Open year-round
We make up for our lack of snow with lots of great ice skating rinks around Central Florida. While Floridians never claimed to be graceful ice skaters, you can take the whole family to try their best at places like Light Up UCF, Winter in the Park, and the Celebration Town Center during the holidays. Entry fees to these rinks all include skate rentals. You’ll also find year-round ice skating (as well as lessons, if your little ones develop an interest) at the Ice Factory in Kissimmee or the RDV Sportsplex in Maitland.
See a Movie in the Park
Location:
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“A Christmas Story,” Dec. 23, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
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“It’s A Wonderful Life,” Dec. 30, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
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“Arthur Christmas,” Dec. 31, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
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“Frozen,” Jan. 6-7, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
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Today's the LAST DAY to get photos with Santa! Come out to #LightUpUCF and enjoy ice skating, carriage rides, attractions and a showing of Dr. Seuss' How A Grinch Stole Christmas! Fun starts at 12pm. Head to https://t.co/anCnbgAZkZ for more info. pic.twitter.com/IObg8ry6ZT
— Addition Financial Arena (@AdditionFiArena) December 22, 2017
What’s that? Your kids love “Frozen” but if you have to watch it one more time, you might lose your mind? Well, it might be a whole lot better to watch it at Light Up UCF, with tons of beautiful lights and lovely Christmastime displays all around to distract you. Maybe? If that’s not persuasive enough, check out other showings at Light Up UCF, like the classics “A Christmas Story” or “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Either way, take full advantage of being able to watch a movie outside without wearing 10 layers of winter clothing!
Keep Up With Santa
Norad Tracks Santa | Google Santa Tracker | The Official Santa Tracker | SantaUpdate.com
He's made his list, he's checking it twice…#Santa Claus is coming!!!! Who's as excited as we are?!?! #NORADTracksSanta pic.twitter.com/Tfm0glXYWC
— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 19, 2017
Tracking Santa with NORAD has become one of my family’s favorite things to do during the holidays. We love being able to see what Santa’s doing in real time, and the website offers so many other fun games and features, like a chance to explore the North Pole with videos, music, and gifts. Their social media pages are great, too, and offer an even more real-time interaction. You can also keep track of Santa with the Google Santa Tracker and other similar tools, linked above. Still need more communication with the Big Guy? Call him! Santa’s number is 951-262-3062. Such service!
Did we list all the best things to do during winter break in Central Florida? Let us know in the comments below!
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