Things to Do in Kissimmee, Florida

By Rhonda Carrier

Ever heard of Kissimmee? I hadn't until I was plotting our latest jaunt to Florida and thinking about accommodation within easy reach of the theme parks. While I do love a good theme-park hotel, sometimes it’s nice to have a bit more space and flexibility.

The thing about Kissimmee is that while it’s actually in a different county, Osceola, to Orlando (which is in Orange County), it’s only 10 minutes by car or shuttle from the Disney parks and also only 30 minutes from Orlando International Airport.

"We attained (quite literally) hair-raising speeds as we rocketed across the shallow wetlands in search of wildlife, spotting bald eagles, storks and herons before finally coming to a halt about a metre away from an alligator gliding placidly through the rushes."

Why would you stay in Kissimmee? Well, for one thing, it’s known as the Vacation Home Capital of the World®, and its dizzying 50,000 accommodation options range from hotels and resorts including the famous Margaritaville to more than 30,000 holiday homes ranging from two-bedroom condos to 15-bedroom mansions – some of them fully opulent affairs with out-of-this-world family facilities such as their own laser quest rooms, themed kids’ bedrooms and bowling alleys, in addition to private pools perfect for some down time after the frenzy of the theme parks.

Kissimmee is also growing as a destination in its own right, with the most notable development being an entire new community, Everest Place, scheduled to open in 2027 and including Nickelodeon Hotels & Resort with themed rooms, dining inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants and TMNT, and the Aqua Nick water park, plus shopping and dining galore.

We opted for the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Sunset Walk with its super-spacious and contemporary self-catering apartments that are handy for breakfast and making snacks to take out and about, and its large outdoor pool area for letting off some steam and soaking in the Florida sunshine. It's handy for the theme parks but also handy for things you might overlook if you focussed entirely on Orlando.

One of these was the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament just 4km from the hotel – an absolute blast of an evening in a mock 11th-century royal castle, where over a four-course meal including roast chicken and corn on the cob, you cheer on your squad of knights as they battle it out with other teams in a torch-lit arena. Think majestic Andalusian horses, lances clattering against shields, swords clashing, bare-handed combat and live falconry. It wasn't long before we were joining in with locals standing up to roar at their teams in encouragement.

Surprisingly, perhaps, you’re also right on hand for some real tooth-and-claw nature in Kissimmee, because it’s located at the headwaters of the Everglades. We took a thrilling airboat ride out from the Wild Florida Adventure Park 45 minutes from Kissimmee to see some of the state’s most famous residents – the 1.3 million alligators who call Florida their home and are two-a-penny in the region's freshwater areas.

The Florida Everglades stretch 160km from Lake Okeechobee right down to Miami, and a flat-bottomed airboat is the best way to discover them due to their average depth of just 0.9m. We attained (quite literally) hair-raising speeds as we rocketed across the shallow wetlands in search of wildlife, spotting bald eagles, storks and herons before finally coming to a halt about a metre away from a 'gator gliding placidly through the rushes.

As well as wildlife, food is always a big part of our family trips to Florida or the States as a whole, from classic Americana to regional cuisines, so we were delighted to find out about the growing Kissimmee's Latin Culinary Trail, currently counting around 40 venues (Florida's Latino and Hispanic inhabitants make up about 28% of its total population).

While we couldn't fit all the restaurants in, we adored the iconic family-run Columbia, revered for its Spanish/Cuban cuisine – its Original Cuban Sandwich and its Original “1905” Salad®, prepared table-side, are both addictive. Columbia is located in Celebration, a charming community that was built for Disney workers in the 1990s, with Stepford-style white picket fences, pastel-painted 1950s-style shops and a retro cinema.

Other spots we enjoyed on the trail were Sajoma Latin Fusion, where time-honoured Dominican recipes meet creative, Latin-inspired cuisine, and La Mexicana, with authentic tacos, tortillas and soups, plus a grocery store for stocking up on treats to take back to your holiday home or apartment.

And, inevitably, there was time at Disney – a full-on blast from the past for Mum as I relived classic rides from a childhood trip to Disney California with my own parents – the best being a spin on the epic 1972-built dark rollercoaster Space Mountain with its sudden drops. And also old (it was Walt Disney World’s second theme park here, opened in 1982) but new to me (it’s unique to Disney Florida) was EPCOT, which as well as having great rides and shows of its own is lovely just to wander around, taking in the global pavilions with their world architecture, gardens, and outlandish food and drink – cherry cola churros, anyone?! 

From Kissimmee we were Miami-bound for Florida fun of a different kind, and it was fantastic not to have to hire a car for what would be a four-hour drive along America’s crazy highways. This was possible thanks to the relatively new Brightline train, which whizzes you in calm and comfort to south Florida in three stress-free hours, directly from Orlando International Airport – welcome proof to US-freeway-phobes like me that America don’t have to be all about fly-drives. And of course taking the train is more sustainable too, so it's a win all round.

Visit Experience Kissimmee for more about things to do and places to stay in Kissimmee.

Contact us on 020 3633 0653 or via our request form for Florida family holiday packages including Kissimmee.

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