Three Orlando days where the springs cost $5 a car and dinner is on the hotel.
Downtown on foot (Lake Eola, the History Center, a $ taco lunch, the Mennello's free sculpture garden, Barnett Park's splash pad), then Kelly Park's Rock Springs float for $5 a car and a free evening at Disney Springs, then Blue Spring's manatee boardwalk for $6 and Sanford's free lakefront park. Drury's free breakfast and 5:30 Kickback carry the food budget.
A trip planned with you, not for you.
This is a read-only preview of Rosie's builder. Switch between list, map, and calendar to explore the trip. In your own, every stop is yours to move, swap, or rebuild.
Each day, told as a story
Cheap and outdoors, with the hotel feeding everyone twice a day so restaurant money goes to one good lunch.
Downtown on foot with two paid stops under $35 each.
Springs float all morning, splash pad and Disney Springs after a real nap.
Manatee boardwalk, riverfront lunch, small-town Sanford.
Best for your kid's age
Family Score rates each venue 0–100 based on age-appropriateness, safety, and fun factor.
If your youngest is 0–3
Dr. P. Phillips Community Park
Free splash playground and open lawn, ten minutes from the hotel.
Lake Eola Park
Ducks, swans, and an ages 2 to 5 playground on a flat loop.
Fort Mellon Park
Big free playground and a splash pad on Lake Monroe.
If your youngest is 4–8
Kelly Park
A natural lazy river for $5 a car and a playground for breaks.
Blue Spring State Park
Manatees a few feet below the boardwalk in winter.
Orange County Regional History Center
Hands-on local history for $6 a kid, two blocks from the lake.
If your youngest is 9–12
Kelly Park
Repeat tube floats all morning on 72-degree water.
Disney Springs
LEGO Store build tables and the Waterside Stage for free.
Barnett Park
Two disc golf courses and courts after the splash pad.
What it costs
A typical 3-day budget trip for a family of 4
Estimated total
$700 - $1,000
ex. lodging · family of 4 · 3 days
Hotel (Drury Inn, 3 nights, breakfast and Kickback included, free parking)
$360-$540
Attractions (History Center $32, Mennello $22, swan boat $15, Kelly Park $5 + tubes, Blue Spring $6)
$80-$120
Restaurants (3 free breakfasts, 1 free Kickback dinner)
$180-$260
Rental car + gas
$120-$180
Run this Monday to Wednesday: 4 Rivers Winter Park is reported kids-eat-free on Mondays (call first) and Miller's Ale House Sanford is verified free for kids 12 and under on Tuesdays.
Bring your own tubes to Kelly Park and a Publix picnic (Wekiva Plaza, 1545 Rock Springs Rd) and the whole springs day is under $30.
Book Blue Spring's free reservation the day it opens (60 days out) and skip the $2 pedestrian fee by arriving together in one car.
Five things we wish we'd known
Every visitor needs a day-use reservation since July 15, 2026, including passholders; no walk-ins. Kelly Park is walk-up only with a 280-vehicle morning cap, so arrive before 8:30 on weekends.
Black Rooster and the Mennello are closed Mondays (Hawkers and the free sculpture garden are the swaps); swan boats do not run Mondays; the kids-eat-free nights are Monday (4 Rivers, claimed) and Tuesday (Miller's, verified).
Swim diapers, water shoes for the rocky springs, towels for two splash pads, and a dry bag. Life jackets for anyone under 8 on the Rock Springs run.
Tube vendors outside Kelly Park and the History Center's cashless desk are opposites: bring small bills for one and a card for the other.
Blue Spring's run is closed to swimmers mid-November through March for manatees and open April 1 to November 14; the itinerary date is manatee season, so pack for a walk.
Make this your Orlando trip in about 8 minutes.
Swap stops, change dates, add your own picks. Rosie keeps the rhythm intact.