Looking for something interesting or educational the family that’s easily masked by a fun, exciting environment? Orlando is brimming with museums that aren’t like your everyday learning experience. With free or nearly free admissions, Orlando natives and vacationers alike are given the opportunity to visit some intriguing museums that can open your mind to unknown worlds, or/and teach you a little bit about your Floridian surroundings.
1. Orange County Regional History Center: Consistently ranked among Florida’s top museums, the Orange County History Center chronicles the beginnings and progression of Orlando as a thriving metropolis. This five-story masterpiece of a museum details Orlando’s unique plant life, environment, people groups, and tourist attraction history, revealing the beauty of America’s southern regions.
Location: 65 East Central Blvd., Orlando, FL 32801; Telephone: (407) 836-8500
2. Orlando Science Center: This gorgeous building is four-stories of engaging activities and exhibits appropriate for the whole family. With scientific areas encompassing outer space, dinosaurs, weather, and the environment, educational opportunities are right at your fingertips; what’s better is they beg you to interact!
Location: 777 E. Princeton Street, Orlando, Florida 32803; Telephone: (407) 514-2000
3. Ripley’s Odditorium: You better believe it: this wacky museum is chocked full of bizarre exhibits you aren’t going to find anywhere else. Whether it’s an actual shrunken human head, a statue of Beyonce sculpted from candy, or a mural of Jimi Hendrix made entirely from playing cards, Ripley’s Odditorium is perfect for a not-so-normal outing. Don’t have a lot of time? Don’t worry: this quirky museum is open until midnight, 365 days a year. That’s a whole lot of crazy!
Location: 8201 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819; Telephone: (407) 345-0501
4. Orlando Museum of Art: For a more traditional museum, the Orlando Museum of Art is perfect for a tranquil day indoors, appreciating some of America’s finest art; ranging from landscapes to portraits, and even graphics from some of the U.S.’s greatest contemporaries. This museum sponsors a number of kids camps as well as events every 1st Thursday of the month, featuring music and art from local Floridians.
Location: 2416 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32803; Telephone: (407) 896-4231
5. WonderWorks: After a whirlwind tornado scooped up WonderWorks laboratory, it conveniently landed atop a warehouse in Orlando, preserving all of its scientific experiments that its keepers decided to display to the public. This fantastically wild science museum is the definition of interactive: guests are invited to feel the force of an earth-splitting quake, lie atop a real bed of nails, feel the force of a hurricane, or play a romping game of laser-tag. At WonderWorks, families don’t just view the oddities but experience them firsthand.
Location: 9067 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819; Telephone: (407) 351-8800