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Places within 3 hours of Orlando

137 places are worth the drive within 3 hours of Orlando, counted by road time from ZIP 32801: 22 under 1 hour, 68 1 to 2 hours and 47 2 to 3 hours.

The mix leans toward beaches & lakes, history and wildlife, mostly to the north and southwest. Three hours each way makes a long day trip, or an easy overnight if you would rather not drive back the same day.

The headline places are Magic Kingdom, Blue Spring State Park and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, and the closest real day trip is Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens (27 min).

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Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours

Under 1 hour from Orlando 22 places

Photo: TheWanderingTraders, CC BY-SA 4.0

Theme park · 31 min southwest

Magic Kingdom

Cinderella Castle, classic rides and parades. The heart of Walt Disney World.

Full day
Open daily; hours vary
Date-based tickets
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Tetraminoe assumed (based on copyright…, CC BY-SA 3.0

Springs · 44 min north

Blue Spring State Park

The best place in Florida to see manatees in winter, hundreds at a time, from a boardwalk.

2-3 hrs
Year-round, 8 am-sunset
$6 per vehicle (checked Nov 2026)

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Photo: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Museum · 54 min east

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

See the Space Shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn V rocket and launch pads. A must for space fans.

Full day
Open 9 am-5 pm
Tickets
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5

Small town · 38 min northwest

Mount Dora

A hilly lakeside town with antique shops, festivals and lake views.

Half day
Year-round
Free

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Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Photo: Zrowny, CC BY-SA 4.0

Zoo · 27 min north

Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens

A shady, walkable zoo in Sanford with rhinos, tortoises and a lantern festival in winter.

2-3 hrs
9 am-4 pm
Admission
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Jake N., CC BY 2.0

Family fun · 56 min north

Daytona International Speedway

The World Center of Racing. Tours take you to the track and garages.

2 hrs
Tour times
Tour prices
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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More under 1 hour from Orlando, by type

Beaches & lakes: Wekiwa Springs State Park (33 min), Lake Louisa State Park (49 min), Hontoon Island State Park (52 min), De Leon Springs State Park (54 min), Daytona Beach (56 min), Jetty Park (57 min)
Theme & water parks: EPCOT (27 min), LEGOLAND Florida (56 min), Daytona Lagoon (1 hr)
History: American Space Museum (44 min), Museum of Arts and Sciences (54 min), Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing (1 hr)
Wildlife: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (53 min), Wild Florida (53 min), Brevard Zoo (56 min)
Small towns: New Smyrna Beach (58 min)

1 to 2 hours from Orlando 68 places

Photo: Sphanyx, CC BY-SA 3.0

Springs · 1 hr 36 min northwest

Rainbow Springs State Park

A former roadside attraction with waterfalls, gardens and a buoyed swim area at the head of the Rainbow River.

Half day
Headsprings 8 am-sunset; tubing closed Oct-Mar
$5 per vehicle, $4 single occupant, $2 walk-in or bike (checked Nov 2026)

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Photo: Schwerdf, CC BY 4.0

Historic site · 1 hr 44 min north

Castillo de San Marcos

The oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S., guarding St. Augustine's bay since the 1600s.

1-2 hrs
Daily 9 am-5 pm last entry; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas
Adult $15 for 7 days, 15 and under free
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Ramos Keith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain

Wildlife · 1 hr 33 min west

Three Sisters Springs

Boardwalks over clear springs where hundreds of manatees gather on cold winter days.

1-2 hrs
8:30 am-4:30 pm daily; last entry 3:30 pm
Admission includes shuttle
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Tupelo the typo fixer, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bike trail · 1 hr 6 min west

Withlacoochee State Trail

Florida's longest paved rail trail, about 46-47 miles through small towns and forest.

2-4 hrs
8 am-sunset
Free

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Small town · 1 hr 32 min northwest

Micanopy

A tiny, very old town with antique shops and moss-draped oaks near Paynes Prairie.

1-2 hrs
Year-round; some shops closed early week
Free
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hike · 1 hr 34 min west

Crystal River Preserve State Park

Quiet trails and a long loop through salt marsh and pine flatwoods on the Nature Coast. Great for birding and biking.

2-3 hrs
Year-round; best Oct-Apr
Free

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More 1 to 2 hours from Orlando, by type

Beaches & lakes: Cocoa Beach (1 hr 4 min), Playalinda Beach (1 hr 6 min), Tomoka State Park (1 hr 8 min), Alexander Springs Recreation Area (1 hr 10 min), Juniper Springs Recreation Area (1 hr 17 min), Apollo Beach (1 hr 18 min), Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area (1 hr 18 min), Silver Springs State Park (1 hr 19 min) and 11 more
History: Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse (1 hr 11 min), Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park (1 hr 17 min), Ybor City Museum State Park (1 hr 18 min), Henry B. Plant Museum (1 hr 21 min), Fort Matanzas (1 hr 32 min), Crystal River Archaeological State Park (1 hr 32 min), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park (1 hr 38 min), Florida Museum of Natural History (1 hr 42 min) and 7 more
Wildlife: Marine Science Center (1 hr 10 min), Lettuce Lake Conservation Park (1 hr 21 min), The Florida Aquarium (1 hr 21 min), ZooTampa at Lowry Park (1 hr 24 min), Marineland Dolphin Adventure (1 hr 26 min), Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (1 hr 33 min), Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (1 hr 37 min), St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park (1 hr 44 min) and 3 more
Mountains & views: Bok Tower Gardens (1 hr 8 min), Washington Oaks Gardens State Park (1 hr 23 min), Sunken Gardens (1 hr 41 min), Kanapaha Botanical Gardens (1 hr 42 min), McKee Botanical Garden (1 hr 47 min), Ravine Gardens State Park (1 hr 58 min)
Hikes: Hillsborough River State Park (1 hr 16 min), Highlands Hammock State Park (1 hr 41 min), Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park (1 hr 50 min)
Biking: Tampa Riverwalk (1 hr 20 min), Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail (1 hr 43 min), Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail (1 hr 47 min)

2 to 3 hours from Orlando 47 places

Photo: This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but…, CC BY-SA 3.0

Museum · 2 hr 2 min southwest

The Ringling

Circus museum, a grand Venetian-style mansion, an art museum and bayfront gardens on one big campus.

Full day
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's
?; Ca' d'Zan tour costs extra
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Dough4872, Public domain

Beach · 2 hr 11 min southwest

Siesta Beach

Soft quartz sand that stays cool underfoot, gentle water and free parking. Often ranked among the best US beaches.

Half day
Year-round
Free parking (checked Nov 2026)

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Photo: Fred Ward, Public domain

Small town · 2 hr 44 min south

Clewiston

Sugar town on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, a base for bass fishing and airboat rides.

Half day
Year-round
Free

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Aquarium · 2 hr 27 min southeast

Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Sea turtle hospital in Juno Beach where you can see patients recovering. Free to visit.

1-2 hrs
Open daily
Free (donations welcome)

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Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0

National park · 2 hr 2 min southwest

De Soto National Memorial

Shaded waterfront trail where Spanish explorers are thought to have landed in 1539. Free and quiet.

1-2 hrs
Year-round; closed New Year's, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Free
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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Photo: Mx. Granger, CC0

State park · 2 hr 10 min southwest

Myakka River State Park

Huge wild park with gators, a canopy walkway in the treetops, airboat tours and a scenic drive.

Full day
Year-round; best Nov-Apr
$6 per vehicle (checked Nov 2026)
Confirm fees and hours before you go

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More 2 to 3 hours from Orlando, by type

Beaches & lakes: Anna Maria Island (2 hr 8 min), Fanning Springs State Park (2 hr 11 min), Manatee Springs State Park (2 hr 13 min), Ginnie Springs (2 hr 15 min), Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park (2 hr 21 min), Ichetucknee Springs State Park (2 hr 22 min), John D. MacArthur Beach State Park (2 hr 29 min), Little Talbot Island State Park (2 hr 30 min) and 5 more
History: 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), Kingsley Plantation (2 hr 35 min), Flagler Museum (2 hr 36 min), Edison and Ford Winter Estates (2 hr 50 min) and 1 more
Wildlife: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (2 hr 12 min), Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (2 hr 20 min), Palm Beach Zoo (2 hr 38 min), Manatee Park (2 hr 39 min), Lion Country Safari (2 hr 47 min), Wakodahatchee Wetlands (2 hr 48 min), Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr 51 min)
Hikes: O'Leno State Park (2 hr 16 min), Jonathan Dickinson State Park (2 hr 29 min), Suwannee River State Park (2 hr 46 min), Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (2 hr 50 min)
Small towns: Cedar Key (2 hr 24 min), Fernandina Beach (2 hr 48 min), Delray Beach (2 hr 49 min), St. Marys (2 hr 49 min)
Mountains & views: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (2 hr 5 min), Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (2 hr 50 min), Butterfly World (3 hr)
Theme & water parks: Rapids Water Park (2 hr 27 min)

Questions about places within 3 hours of Orlando

What are the best places within 3 hours of Orlando?

Our picks, by drive time, include Magic Kingdom (31 min), Blue Spring State Park (44 min), Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (54 min), Mount Dora (38 min) and Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens (27 min). The full list on this page has 137 places, each with its drive time and direction from Orlando.

How many places are within 3 hours of Orlando?

90 places within 2 hours, 137 within 3 hours and 210 within 4 hours of Orlando, by road from ZIP 32801.

Are there free places within 3 hours of Orlando?

20 of the 137 places need no pass or fee, such as Hontoon Island State Park, Mount Dora and Clewiston. Fees and passes change, so check each place before you go.

What can I do with kids within 3 hours of Orlando?

135 places are marked good for kids, including Madison Blue Spring State Park, Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park and Suwannee River State Park.

How are the drive times worked out?

They are by real roads on a typical day, from the middle of ZIP 32801 to each place (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Traffic, weather and closures can change them. Places under 25 minutes from the city center count as in town, not a day trip, so they are left out.

Can I see places within 3 hours of my own home?

Yes. Type your ZIP code into Day Trippin' and it shows everything by drive time. Your ZIP is used for that one search and is not saved.

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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.