This Best Meet-up Places for Playdates in Orlando Guide provides information about the best places in Orlando to meet up with children 8 or younger.
Each place has the following requirements in common:
- It’s shady
- The children can roam free with barely any oncoming vehicle traffic, or pedestrian traffic.
- It’s free (or very cheap).
Tucker Ranch
70 Tucker Rd
Winter Garden, FL 34787
Hours: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tucker Ranch is a favorite for parents with young children. The entire playground is shady and it’s just the right size for children 8 and younger.
There’s also a lovely shelter that you can reserve for birthday parties if you get there early enough.
Chapin Station
501 Crown Point Cross Rd
Winter Garden, FL 34787
Hours: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Chapin Station is another favorite for younger children because of the two playgrounds. It also has a basketball court and cute garden with hidden butterfly sculptures.
Butterfly garden on the West Orange Trail
West Orange Trail
1064 Tildenville School Rd
Winter Garden, FL 34787
Hours: dusk to dawn
If you find yourself on the West Orange Trail, you should stop by the Butterfly Garden. It has plenty of benches to sit down, it’s closed off enough that you don’t need to worry too much about the kids running off.
The only thing is to be careful with the parking lot right next to it. There’s a fence, but it’s best to be safe.
Splash Pad in Downtown Winter Garden
119 S Lakeview Ave
Winter Garden, FL 34787
Hours: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Mead Botanical Gardens
1300 S Denning Dr
Winter Park, FL 32789
Hours: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Mead Botanical Gardens is such a lovely and peaceful outing. Even the younger children will be amazed by the flowers and plants in the 48-acre urban oasis. And the best part is that it’s free every day! They even have activities (some of them require a small fee).
Splash Pad in Bithlo Community Park
18501 Washington Ave
Orlando, FL 32820
Hours 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
This is probably the best splash pad on the list. It’s water coming out of everywhere and children of all ages love it.
Kraft Azalea Garden
1365 Alabama Dr
Winter Park, FL 32789
Hours: 8:00 AM – Dusk
Kraft Azalea Garden is often called Orlando’s secret garden. It sits on the shore of Lake Maitland and is shaded by wonderful cypress trees.
Harry P. Leu Gardens
1920 North Forest Avenue
Orlando, FL, 32803
Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Free on Mondays.
Harry P. Leu Gardens, or Leu Gardens for short, is a cute botanical garden that caters to everyone. With dinosaurs in the garden to Instagram-worthy wedding spots, it’s a great meet-up place for playdates because your little ones can roam free.
Apopka Splash Pad
10 S Forest Avenue
Apopka, FL 32703
Hours 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Lake David Park Splash Pad
450 S. Lake Ave.
Groveland, FL 34736
Hours: dusk to dawn
Reiter Park
311 Warren Avenue
Longwood, FL 32750
Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Closed on Mondays
UCF Arboretum
4312 Scorpius St
Orlando, FL 32816
Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closed on the weekend
The UCF Arboretum is probably one of UCF’s best-kept secret. It’s a mini forest in the heart of Orlando and holds some of Florida’s most prominent trees (cypress, oak, sand pine, saw palmetto, and Florida longleaf pine). It’s part of UCF’s Arboretum and Sustainability Initiative and is a great place to take the little ones for an educational playdate or to just let them roam around.
There are many places to take children younger than eight for playdates in Orlando. If we missed one that you like, please let us know in the comments.
Orlando Mom has several guides to fit all your needs from Food & Beverage guides to the most sought-after Summer Camp Guide. We are constantly updating our guides to fit the community’s needs. Be sure to check back constantly and see what we have.
