There are some amazing activities to explore in Florida, aside from the theme parks and shopping! If you’re looking for adventure, why not try out one or all of the extreme sports and experiences covered in our top 10 of extraordinary things to do! There are heart-pounding options for the whole family, from airborne breezing to water-riding, for every type of daredevil – start small, and work your way up, or just jump right in – it’s up to you, so get out there and have fun!
Our five-dot Daredevil Rating will help you gauge which activities are best suited for your level, from ••••• five dots for extreme daredevil antics, to the one-dot • beginner’s exploits!
1. Hot Air Balloon Ride
Have you ever dreamt of having breakfast in a balloon? A hot air balloon ride combines sedate travel with the thrill of open-air flight, and can make you feel more ‘in-flight’ than being stuck inside a plane. Balloon tours are really big in Orlando and something very special to do with the family; well worth the fee for such an exciting adventure.
Usually setting off at dawn, you can drift over different parts of Orlando including parts of Disney World for a birds-eye view of the magical place! We’re hoping that when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal Studios in 2010, you might be able to look down on Hogwarts too! You can also take in the beautiful Florida countryside, teaming with wildlife.
Daredevil Rated ••
2. Helicopter Tour
Helicopter tours are very popular in Orlando – if you’d love to take a bird’s eye view but prefer the added security of being in an aircraft rather than the open-air breeze of a balloon, helicopters are the best choice, as they can be hired privately or as part of a sightseeing group, offer guided tours, and can be hired at any time of day, in most weather conditions.
Most companies will run tours from sunrise to sunset, but you can order a private helicopter to take you over the city at night to look down on the sparkling lights and see Disney at its magical lit-up best. Look into where to go depending on what you want to see – for views over Disney world, use a Kissimmee-based company, for example. On a golfing holiday? Why not take a tour of your own devising over some of the area’s top golf courses, before finishing by landing at or near your preferred course!
Daredevil Rated •
3. Skydiving
Skydiving is one of the most thrilling extreme sports around, and in Florida they’re going wild for the rush. Whether it’s your first jump or your hundredth, this is the ultimate pulse-racing experience. Jumping tandem or alone, you too can experience the buzz of free-falling flight, rocketing downwards at speeds of up to 120mph from 15,000 feet above ground – not for the faint-hearted! Booking for skydives is essential, and health checks should always be carried out by the skydiving centre, so make sure that you’ve been through these before jumping, and also note that age restrictions will apply (usually you must be over eighteen).
Daredevil Rated •••••
Here’s a skydiver’s cheat: if you don’t think you’re ready to leap out of a plane, but want to experience the thrill of skydiving, you could try out the Skyventure Orlando skydiving simulator instead. You fly into a wind tunnel that simulates the 120mph winds you would feel on an actual skydive, and you can participate from as young as three-years old – if you didn’t reach the age or health criteria to skydive for real, this option is the next best thing.
Daredevil Rated •••
4. Hang Gliding
For those who want to experience the thrill of flight, and are drawn to skydiving but don’t fancy the idea of hurtling towards Earth, try hang-gliding! Popular in Miami in particular, hang-gliding allows you to experience free (ish) flight as you glide over the landscapes below, majestic as a bird of prey. Tandem or alone, you hold onto the steering bar, securely harnessed as you float sedately through the sky.
Daredevil Rated ••••
5. Surfing and Windsurfing
If you’re a beach bum and a bit of a daredevil, why not take to the waves and learn to surf this holiday? There are some great windsurfing and surfing lessons available in Florida, at popular beaches such as Miami Beach, Cocoa Beach and Palm Beach, and there are lots of private options available if you’re after a bit of one-on-one attention. This is great news for beginners – don’t let anyone see you wobble! Personal tuition can be very beneficial and help you make headway fast. On the other hand, if it’s the camaraderie of surfing life that attracts you, there are plenty of groups to sign up to, for the day or as long as you like. Children can learn surfing more easily from a younger age as they find it easier to adjust their balance and learn innately, so signing up to special children’s group lessons should help them on their way to ruling the waves!
Daredevil Rated •••
6. Body Boarding
For less confident beginners (who’d like to surf one day but need a little encouragement for their first time in the waves), a good starting point is body-boarding in the Gulf Coast surf, and there are plenty of beachfront shops who sell or rent this kind of equipment. Whatever surf level you’re at, there is always an option available for you, so try it out and have fun!
Daredevil Rated •
7. Water Skiing
You can water-ski on the Gulf Coast or on many of Florida’s inland lakes. Pulled behind a speedboat on skis, this water sport takes a lot of practice and some good balance but is great fun! If you’re a keen surfer or windsurfer then this sport is your natural progression to something a little more fast-paced.
Daredevil Rated ••••
For something even more interesting, try wakeboarding – a sort of mishmash of surfing, skiing and skateboarding, this water sport is one of Florida’s newest crazes for inland lake sports. Instead of using speedboats, you’re pulled along on overhead cables at almost 40mph, and have to navigate a watery assault-course of ramps and other obstacles, using the wakeboard.
Daredevil Rated ••••
The Orlando Watersports Complex is the best place for beginners to start off learning either of these water sports, as the lakes and waterways are more controlled, however there are many waterskiing opportunities along the Miami coastline, as well as the ever popular banana-boat rides –hold on tight!
Daredevil Rated ••••
8. Scuba Diving
Scuba diving has become very popular with tourists in Florida, as the Florida Keys and the Miami coastline offer some excellent areas for deep-sea diving, and there are plenty of diving schools offering very competitive rates. If you don’t feel ready for the darkest depths, try snorkeling instead, which is a perfect transitional route into underwater exploration, and there will still be plenty of marine life to look at. To make a day trip out of this activity, why not book a place on a cruiser out of Miami, or hire your own private yacht and instructor, to spend the day sailing, swimming, snorkeling and scuba-diving off the boat. Many group day-cruisers have lunch offers and allow you to have fun on the open waves all day.
Scuba-diving Daredevil Rated •••••
Snorkeling Daredevil Rated ••
9. Airboat Rides
Airboats are specially designed to let you glide through Florida’s natural wetlands and nature reserves without risk to the delicate habitats surrounding you. In locations such as Boggy Creek, you and your family can explore some of Florida’s most interesting wildlife, looking out for alligators, turtles and exotic birds, and if you book a night trip, you can see all manner of nocturnal creatures emerging! One of the best locations to try to get a tour is through The Everglades, one of Florida’s largest and beautifully unspoilt national parks, where you can look out for wild boar, bald eagles and many other awe-inspiring animals and birds.
Daredevil Rated •
10. Paintballing
Paintballing is huge fun for all the family. An extended game of ‘tag’ or ‘it’, paintballing is a game where you can challenge each other one-on-one or in teams, using whatever strategy you can to ‘shoot’ the most paint-marks on members of the other team – or just take it as every man for himself, and try as hard as possible to get your paint all over everyone else whilst avoiding their shots! There are several indoor and outdoor paintballing sites in Orlando, with various ‘courses’ or adventure setups, and some who take the game much more seriously as a sport, so have a look around to see where the best place is for your family and friends to play. The paintball itself is a capsule containing the paint, which is either thrown by hand or ‘shot’ at low speed out of a paintballing gun. The majority of paintballing places provide overalls to play in; however the paint is usually easily washable and non-toxic.
Daredevil Rated ••
Tags: airboat rides, florida, hang gliding, helicopter tour, hot air balloon ride, orlando, paintballing, scuba diving, skydiving, snorkeling, surfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, windsurfing
