One-Tank Trips to Take from Orlando in Central Florida
From Orlando as your base, take a trip in your RV in almost any direction for just a few hours to see a large variety of wonderful Florida sights. You can enjoy sightseeing from the comfort of your RV and easily find a park or campsite to stay in overnight. Of course, in Orlando you’ll find Epcot Center and the rest of Disney World and their Fort Wilderness Campground, plus a lot more.
Include in your sights, right in Orlando, Wet ‘N Wild Water Park, Sea World and Universal Studios.
Just an hour and a half east of Orlando is the Kennedy Space Center and just north of that is Daytona Beach. There are a number of great places to camp east and north of Orlando, such as Cocoa Beach and St. Augustine. The Kennedy Space Center & Astronaut Hall of Fame is a not-to-be-missed attraction and all about astronauts and space and should definitely be on your central Florida itinerary. It is only about an hour east of Orlando, in a beautiful Atlantic coastal location, in addition to being an easy drive from Orlando.
Daytona Beach is home to one of the few remaining Florida beaches that you can actually drive your car on. Hard-packed sand and good monitoring make it possible to still drive on these remarkable beaches. But there are only a few dozen miles of beach left in Florida where driving is permitted. Over the years, many communities have ended the practice, and others are considering more restrictions. Driving on the beach is now possible only in Volusia County (Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach), Nassau County (Amelia Island), and St. John’s County (in summer only).
Each of these destinations has plentiful sights to see on and off the beach showcasing the gorgeous natural beauty of these classic Atlantic beaches.
In addition, if you want to drive inland and north, go inhale the clean forest air of the Ocala National Forest and Silver Springs State Park, very close to Ocala. You can take glass bottom boat tours, go swimming and cave diving in 72-degree spring water, and many other features that make central Florida so appealing.
Florida’s landscape is much different from the rest of the country. To see an excellent example of its diversity, visit Everglades National Park. This park is about 4 ½ - 5 hours south of Orlando, but if you take the time to drive, you won’t be disappointed. With so many species of wildlife, fishing, and camping locations, you will be thrilled with Florida’s diversity.
Or driving north just 2.5 hours from Orlando, you’ll find St. Augustine where you should visit Castillo de San Marcos, a national monument maintained by the National Park Service. This monument was a fort built by the Spanish in St. Augustine in 1695 to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route. It is actually the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Take the time to learn all about the history of this place plus some American history you probably didn’t know by walking around the fort and getting a tour of the inside as well. In St. Augustine, you can camp in Anastasia State Park, which has one of the most beautiful Atlantic beachfronts and walking trails to see nesting birds and turtles. More than 1,600 acres of unspoiled beaches, tidal marshes, maritime hammocks, and ancient sand dunes make this a captivating destination for visitors.
Nestled between the well-known theme parks and white, sandy beaches, the jewels of the Ocala National Forest attract visitors from around the world. A travel destination in its own right, the Ocala National Forest features more than 600 lakes and rivers where visitors enjoy swimming, fishing, snorkeling, canoeing, and boating.
In addition to this huge forest, there are natural preserves including Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area, the Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve, and the Isle of Pine Preserve, which offers horseback riding in addition to hiking and wildlife viewing. Check out the Pine Lily Preserve, Hidden Pond Preserve, and the Lake Apopka Wildlife Trail, all within an hour’s drive of Orlando.
Of the many other State Parks in Florida, we’ll just highlight a few of them close to Orlando.
Lake Louisa State Park offers not just camping in some lovely small family-oriented campgrounds, but they have even outfitted several upscale tents for “glamping,” if that strikes your fancy. There are plenty of trails and lakes to fish in or view alligators, and one, Lake Louisa, allows swimming in a beautiful cool setting (without the alligators). This lovely state park is only about ½ hour from Orlando.
Wekiwa Springs State Park: With emerald springs feeding the Wekiwa River and lush tropical hammocks, this unique park just minutes from downtown Orlando is perfect for observing abundant wildlife or cooling off on a summer day.
Lake Griffin State Park is another Florida State Park located two miles north of Leesburg, in Fruitland Park, and 30 miles south of Ocala on U.S. Highway 441. It is home to one of the state's largest live oak trees. This is about an hour’s drive from Orlando.
As mentioned above, Silver Springs State Park is home to the famous glass-bottom boats that tour visitors through the beautiful Silver River. This gorgeous Florida state park, located on the Silver River in Marion County, contains Silver Springs, Florida's first tourist attraction, which dates back to the 1870s. There are ample campground spaces and the park even rents cabins.
Of course, everyone has heard of the major theme parks in Orlando, including Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World, but there are many other attractions in the Orlando area too.
Legoland® Florida Resort is a relatively new addition to the assortment of fun parks for visitors to this area to choose from, and only 15 minutes west of Orlando.
There are also many other varied adventures including; Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures, the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Epic Paddle Adventures, and Fun Spot America, which is a family-owned theme park with two locations, one on International Drive in Orlando and the other in Kissimmee near Walt Disney World. One of Orlando’s oldest attractions is Gatorland, situated on more than 100 acres of land, with thousands of alligators and crocodiles about a half hour west of Kissimmee, or 45 minutes from Orlando.
You’ll likely agree there can be no better way to see all the sights in central Florida and experience your adventures than by traveling and staying in your El Monte RV motorhome. Call us or check out our page on the web to see the El Monte RV dealer in Orlando.