4. Crystal River, FL / Three Sisters Springs (for fans of The Seas with Nemo and Friends)

No visit to Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends is complete without a stop to visit Disney’s rescue manatees. These graceful giants are beloved by both Florida residents and guests who visit from around the world to see them up close, both in aquarium settings and in their natural environment.

During the cold winter months, manatees migrate in large numbers into Florida’s natural waterways, seeking warmth in freshwater springs. Florida is home to a lot of these springs—hidden oases of clear blue waters and lush plant life that look like scenes straight out of the Garden of Eden. While there are a number close to Orlando, if you’re willing to take an hour and a half drive to Florida’s gulf coast, manatee seekers can partake in an experience like no other.

Crystal River, Florida is one of the only places in Florida where you can swim with manatees.

Manatees are a protected species, and there are strict regulations that prevent people from approaching or accosting them in the wild. Crystal River’s unique location on Kings Bay near the Gulf of Mexico makes it a haven for manatees during the winter season—large numbers of these beautiful animals congregate in both Hunter Springs and Three Sisters Springs every year (dolphins frequent the bay as well).

Guests visiting Crystal River can take a supervised manatee swim tour with a licensed guide who will ensure you stay within the rules for encountering these incredible creatures—some highly-rated examples include River Safaris (out of Homosassa), Bird’s Underwater, and Plantation Adventure Center.  Manatees are naturally very curious and tend to approach humans who follow the guidelines often on their own. If you prefer to just view the manatees, you can also simply visit Three Sisters Spring on foot or via trolley.

Runner-Up: Blue Spring State Park

If you want to see manatees with a slightly shorter drive (right around an hour), Blue Spring State Park near Deltona is another hot spot manatees love during the cold months. You won’t be able to swim with them, but you have a great chance of seeing manatees! Definitely get there early on weekends—the park reaches capacity often on busy days.

5. Medieval Times (for fans of Fantasyland)

Every visit to Disney’s Magic Kingdom is an opportunity to let ourselves be transported to another time and place—a time of kings and queens, heroes and villains, of swords and chivalry and valor.

It just so happens there’s another non-theme park destination where this sort of experience is celebrated.

Medieval Times is another Orlando mainstay we’ve raved about before, and for many, they remain king of the dinner theater scene—or queen, rather, these days (Long live Queen Isabella, the magnanimous!).

The show surrounds a fantastical medieval tournament, complete with live swordfighting, jousting, falconry, and some of the most beautiful horses you may ever see. Throughout the night you’ll enjoy a sumptuous feast while knights and knaves clash to win Her Majesty’s favor (Her beauty is fairer than the snowy wing of the delicate egret!) and even to ensure the security of the realm (May her enemies be cast to the moat dragons!). It’s a great show, and definitely something every Magic Kingdom fan must experience at least once.

Runner Up: Pirates Dinner Adventure

If you’re a Pirates of the Caribbean fan in a somewhat more whimsical mood than Medieval Times might offer, you may want to visit Pirates Dinner Adventure (unrelated to the earlier escape game). This dinner experience tends to go over particularly well with kids and features plenty of swashbuckling, stunts, and even singing!

6. Kennedy Space Center (for fans of Mission: SPACE and Tomorrowland)

From Mission to Mars to Mission: SPACE, Disney has always encouraged guests to look to the stars. For fans of Epcot and even Tomorrowland, we would be remiss if we left off one of Central Florida’s best attractions to experience the wonders of space.

Located about an hour away from Walt Disney World, Kennedy Space Center is such a massive attraction that it may as well be a theme park. Over the course of a day at the center, guests can take guided tours, explore the center’s rocket garden, experience a simulated Space Shuttle launch, journey to Mars, catch an IMAX, and encounter an astronaut. Future NASA members can even add on a trip to the Astronaut Training Experience to try their hands at space training!

Runner Up: Wonderworks

While nothing quite holds a candle to Kennedy Space Center, kids will love WonderWorks, a multi-level science museum of sorts where families can enjoy hands on activities in six different zones surrounding extreme weather, imagination, art, light and sound, physical challenges, and of course, space exploration. Kids can also try their hands at laser tag, a 4D simulator, and a ropes course!

What other Florida attractions appeal to your inner Disney fan?