Free Things to Do in Central Florida

So, you're in Central Florida. Visiting relatives, looking to get away from the cold or you live here and you don't know what to do with the family over the weekend. But with the economy the way it is, its hard to want to spend a ton of money to go see mickey or do one of the fabulous dinner shows they have here. But there are some neat and fun things that you can do for free in Central Florida. Here are my picks:

1. Kissimmee Lakefront Park, Kissimmee

I love going to this park. As a Kissimmee resident, it's one of the attractions that brought me to this city. Not only is there a beautiful lake that spans for miles and allows you to fish, but the actual park itself is divided into two sections. One section has a huge play area for children, complete with swings, monkey bars, slides and more. The best part of this section is the small water play area that is both fun for kids and adults. Florida can get pretty hot and humid and this water area has everything to get you soaked and feel refreshed.

The other section is an open area of grass that has a sidewalk to ride your bike around the park, play frisbee with your friends, have an open air picnic or just simply lie down on a blanket and read a good book. It has small gazebos equipped with grills that you can use to have a nice summer cookout with your family or friends. But on holidays, this open grass area becomes a wonderous playground. For Christmas, Santa comes around, For Halloween, you get to visit a creepy haunted house and for the 4th of July, you get to experience one of the best fireworks show in Florida. And there are always festivals that have music, food and fun for families, like Education in the Park, which has tons and tons of kiosks geared toward education and informative information for kids and parents. And Disney Radio is one of the sponsors, so there are always Disney stars on stage and lots of givaways. And its all free.

2. Downtown Disney, Kissimmee/Orlando

Unlike Universal Studios City Walk, where you have to pay $12.00 for the parking just to get to the Citywalk, parking for Downtown Disney is free. And Downtown Disney is bigger and better. Sure, there are alot of shops and restaurants that can entice you to spend money, but its the window shopping that makes this place a cool hangout for the family during the day, and the adults at night. There is a House of Blues, and you can go inside, listen to some great music while you look at their merchandise, and you might run into a music act performing later that day! There's a cook magic shop that hosts free mini-shows, free chocolate samples in the candy store, music acts that play in various areas and then there's the Lego store, which has a free play area for the kidswith lots of Legos to build their masterpieces (you can purchase their masterpieces for a small fee if you wish). There is alot to see at this place and its free!

3. Old Town, Kissimmee

A year-round carnival, Old Town is a fun place to visit at night. It has rides, candy apples and carnival games, but you don't have to pay to have fun here. Every thursday night they host a motorcycle show, and you get to see beautifully custom-made motorcycles and hear them roar down the street. And on Saturday, it's muscle car night, for those who love their vintage muscle cars. There's always a lively band playing either rock, pop, country and even latin music and you can boogy down in the middle of the street. There are some awesome shops to do window shopping and sometimes take free samples of what is offered. You can go into the Karaoke bar and sing to your heart's content and maybe enter yourself to win a money prize.

4. Ocala National Forest, Ocala

This is a wonderous place to experience the natural wonders of Florida. There is the Florida Trail, which is very popular because you can view beautiful hardwood forests, springs, swamps and prairies. It's also a great place to take a relaxing canoe ride. Or if you are feeling more adventerous, take a hike and breathe in the fresh air as you trek the 248 acre forest. And after you are done, have a beautiful outdoor picnic and enjoy the scenery.

5. The Town of Celebration, Celebration

The fun thing about this town? It's built by the same builders that built Disney World. There are beautiful homes to admire, unique and quirky shops to do your window shopping, lush award-winning yards for those with a passion for horticulture and of course, a little bit of Disney magic! What magic you say? Well, if you visit in the fall, don't be surprised if you see beautiful multi-colored leaves falling all around you, and in the winter, walk around catching snowflakes in your mouth!