Day Trippin' › Florida › From Orlando › Best history spots
Our picks for the best history spots within 3 hours of Orlando: 39 places, 4 under an hour away, 24 between 1 and 2 hours and 11 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 32801.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is American Space Museum, 44 min east of Orlando.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
#1 · Museum · 54 min east
See the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn V rocket and launch pads. A must for space fans.
Heads-up: Online ticket sales were down; buy at the gate.
Photo: Schwerdf, CC BY 4.0
#2 · Historic site · 1 hr 44 min north
The oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S., guarding St. Augustine's bay since the 1600s.
Heads-up: Crowded on weekends and holidays. Little shade on the walls.
Photo: Richard Mc Neil, CC BY 3.0
#3 · Beach · 2 hr southwest
Nearly three miles of beach, a historic fort, fishing piers, a dog beach and a big campground at the mouth of Tampa Bay.
Heads-up: Open 7 a.m. to sunset. Dogs only at the dog park and dog beach. Ferry to Egmont Key leaves from here.
Photo: This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but…, CC BY-SA 3.0
#4 · Museum · 2 hr 2 min southwest
Circus museum, a grand Venetian-style mansion, an art museum and bayfront gardens on one big campus.
Heads-up: Hours about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Free Monday entry to the art museum and grounds may have ended.
Photo: Intergalacticz9 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
#5 · Historic site · 1 hr 32 min north
Take a short free ferry to a small Spanish fort on a marsh island. Nice nature trail at the visitor center too.
Heads-up: Free boarding passes go fast, often by 11 am. Ferry runs weather permitting.
Photo: Original uploader was Emanuel Kingsley at en.wikipedia, Public domain
#6 · Historic site · 2 hr 35 min north
The oldest plantation house in Florida and rows of tabby slave cabins on Fort George Island. A sobering, important stop.
Heads-up: Long dirt road to the site.
Photo: Barbthebuilder, CC BY-SA 3.0
#7 · Bike trail · 1 hr 20 min southwest
A 2.6-mile path along the Hillsborough River linking parks, museums and restaurants from Armature Works to Sparkman Wharf.
Heads-up: Open 24 hours. Hot at midday, best early or at sunset.
Photo: Gary Blakeley, CC BY-SA 3.0
#8 · Museum · 44 min east
A small museum full of space program artifacts in Titusville.
Heads-up: Near downtown Titusville.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
#9 · Museum · 54 min northeast
A big Daytona museum with art, a giant sloth skeleton and a planetarium.
Heads-up: Call ahead about hours.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
#10 · Museum · 1 hr northwest
Hundreds of drag racers and classic cars from a racing legend's collection.
Heads-up: Right off I-75 south of Ocala.
Photo: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0
#11 · Historic site · 1 hr 17 min north
Coquina ruins of a sugar mill burned in 1836, set in quiet woods by a creek.
Heads-up: Pay by QR code or online.
Photo: Peter K Burian, CC BY-SA 4.0
#12 · Historic site · 1 hr 18 min southwest
Learn about Tampa's cigar-making past in an old bakery and restored worker cottages in the heart of Ybor City.
Heads-up: Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wed-Sun. Walk 7th Avenue after for food and Cuban coffee.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
#13 · State park · 1 hr 26 min south
Big lake views and a living history 1876 cow camp on weekends.
Heads-up: Closed Christmas.
Photo: Operator 16, CC0
#14 · Historic site · 1 hr 32 min west
Native mounds by the river with a small museum and a lookout over the water.
Heads-up: Correct change needed.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
#15 · Historic site · 1 hr 38 min northwest
The Cross Creek farm home of the author of The Yearling, with gardens and trails.
Heads-up: No tours Aug-Sep. Tours stop when the heat index is 103 or higher.
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse (1 hr 11 min), Juniper Springs Recreation Area (1 hr 17 min), Henry B. Plant Museum (1 hr 21 min), Marineland Dolphin Adventure (1 hr 26 min), Florida Museum of Natural History (1 hr 42 min), The Dalí Museum (1 hr 43 min), Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park (1 hr 44 min), Fort Mose Historic State Park (1 hr 45 min), St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum (1 hr 45 min), McKee Botanical Garden (1 hr 47 min), Gamble Plantation Historic State Park (1 hr 47 min), Dudley Farm Historic State Park (1 hr 53 min), Fort Pierce Inlet State Park (1 hr 57 min), National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum (1 hr 58 min), Egmont Key State Park (2 hr), Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens (2 hr 12 min), Fort Caroline National Memorial (2 hr 15 min), Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse (2 hr 24 min), Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park (2 hr 32 min), Norton Museum of Art (2 hr 34 min), Flagler Museum (2 hr 36 min), Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (2 hr 50 min), Edison and Ford Winter Estates (2 hr 50 min), Fort Clinch State Park (2 hr 56 min)
Our top picks are Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (54 min), Castillo de San Marcos (1 hr 44 min), Fort De Soto Park (2 hr), The Ringling (2 hr 2 min) and Fort Matanzas (1 hr 32 min). The page lists 39 places in all.
39: 4 under an hour away, 24 between 1 and 2 hours and 11 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 32801.
American Space Museum, about 44 min east of Orlando.
4 need no pass or fee, including Fort Caroline National Memorial, Fort Matanzas and Kingsley Plantation. Fees change, so check each place.
5 of the 39 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.