Sometimes, it is lovely to get away for a day of fun and adventure but be home in time to sleep in your own bed. These day trips for families in Collier and Lee Counties are all close enough to do that, so grab the kids and hit the road!
Florida Beach Horses
Horseback riding on the beach is one of those bucket list memories. You only have to travel as far as Bradenton to enjoy this fantastic experience. Participants can walk, trot, canter, and swim with the horses, depending on their riding experience level. Many horses are rescues, and there are horses for every type of rider.
8400 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton
(941) 527-9621
C Ponies
Take the family horseback riding through Palma Sola Bay in Bradenton. You will ride the horses as they swim, something they love to do. There are day rides and sunset rides.
8400 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton
(941)773-5196
Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables
Free tours of the national landmark hotel are offered by the Dade Heritage Trust every Sunday at 2 pm. Visitors can relive the hotel’s early days and rich stories of the city’s past. Reserve your tour on Eventbrite. If it shows that tours are sold out, call 305-910-3996 and they should be able to fit you in.
1200 Anastasia Ave, Coral Gables
(855) 969-3080
Venetian Pool
Hundreds of thousands have enjoyed this unique pool since it opened in 1923. Spring water from an underground aquifer fills the pool daily with 820,000 gallons. The pool has two waterfalls, rock formations, and cave-like grottos.
2701 De Soto Blvd, Coral Gables
(305) 460-5306
www.coralgables.com/attractions/venetian-pool
Coral Castle
Coral Castle was created in the 1920s by an eccentric artist named Edward Leedskalnin. More than 30 sculptures are made from oolite limestone, including a nine-ton gate, a Polaris telescope, and a sundial that shows the time of day to the minute and the seasons and solstices. There are also stone celestial sculptures. It’s a great castle for young kids to enjoy since they can’t break anything. Guests can take a tour or wander.
28655 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead
(305) 248-6345
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art & Circus Museum
The museum and the grounds are free every Monday. Guests can enjoy this massive 66-acre campus in Sarasota which recently opened a new Greatest Show on Earth exhibit at the Circus Museum. The estate also includes the 1920s mansion Ca’ d’Zan, the Historic Asolo Theatre, the Bayfront Gardens, and more.
5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
(941) 359-5700
www.ringling.org/visit/venues/museum-art
Florida Aquarium
We are near one of the best aquariums in the state. Guests meander through various habitats that feature everything from playful otters and colorful roseate spoonbills to tiger sharks, turtles, a vast array of fish, and more. There is a coral reef, a shoreline habitat and an opportunity to pet the stingrays.
701 Channelside Dr, Tampa
(813) 273-4000