Things to do with teenage grandsons in the Villages and surrounding areas
 

Hi, my grandsons, ages 17 and 14 are coming to visit next week. I am looking for fun things for them to do in the Villages and the surrounding areas. Any suggestions?

Universal is tops.

Airboat ride is fun. We did swamp fever.

Go Karts - Bushnell Motorsports Park - Home - Bushnell Motorsports Park

Zip lines - Canyons Zip Line outside Ocala - Florida Zip Line Adventures | Orlando Zipline & Canopy Tours

If you like the outdoors we heard this was a nice place to check out.
Crystal River Preserve State Park | Florida State Parks

Leave them home, they will be bored to death here. Been there, done that.

Disregard…….

Zip lining and paint ball in Ocala. Swim with the Manatees. Hiking along the springs. Clay shooting. Epcot, Universal, Sea World. Day at the beach in Daytona or Clearwater. If you choose Daytona, you can also visit St Augustine.

My two grandsons love coming here. We always plan at least one good adventure. Florida is full of different experiences than their home in Kansas. If the weather is nice, sometimes they simply enjoy basking in the sun and swimming in our pool. They really enjoy Lake Sumter. And, of course, riding around in a golf cart.

Give them your iPad, o wait they can’t do anything without I phone in their face. :icon_wink: or take them to first responders Rec center, only Rec center built for grandkids:p

IFLY in Orlando. Grandkids and their parents loved it.

Kayak rentals at Silver Springs. Paddle around the springs for a couple hours or float down the river and they transport you back. You'll see gators, maybe a few manatees (at this time of the year), potentially wild monkeys and lots of other wildlife. For teens the glass bottom boat ride is probably blah so I'd skip that.

Also consider a 1 1/2 tour of the LunaSea Alpaca farm which is just north of Clarmont. Full time interaction with the animals and very informative too. It is a fun time for both young and old. The tour may sound corny, but it has been a "must visit" for all our visitors over the years.

Busch gardens Tampa

The many roller coasters there are some of the best in the country. That age group is prime for roller coasters

LOL, that could be true but I'm hoping I can rip them away from their video games for a few days of real life experiences.

Lots of good activities mentioned. Please don’t do what many grandparents do and toss the kids the keys to your golf cart and send them out to scare the bejesus out of fellow Villagers.

Did the bill HB949 get passed into law which requires a minimum age of 18 or possess a valid drivers licence to now drive a golf cart ?

Linda, at least you have a good sense of humor. Enjoy your teens while you can, they grow up so fast.

Lots of good ideas for you.

My kids are 20 and 23. The first thing they have always asked about is if Scooter is at one of the squares. He’s always a hit with my kids and their friends.

Also, after ages 10-12, Universal was much preferred over anything Disney.

Kennedy Space Center
 

Escape Room
 

There is an escape room off 301 that was a fun family activity for us.

there's a Hooters in Ocala

Learner's permit required. My graddaughter has hers, is 15 and drives mine.

Air Boat Ride, about 20 minute drive from the Villages on CR44
Swamp Fever Airboat Adventures
See alligators and nice scenery
Ride is about 1 hour

How wonderful for you to ask for ideas. Once the list is completed, copy and paste onto a word document for their input. You can easily omit those comments that are irrelevant from your view. Then attach your word document to a text for them to prioritize their top three choices. Just a thought!

Lake Square Mall Leesburg. Kids can do Adrenaline Rush Raceway while you do AMC Theater.

Give them your wifi password, that'll be their favorite thing I'm afraid.

OMG the greatest vacation area in the country, Disney ,Universal,Deserland , Gatorland ,,zip lines , horseback riding, go-carts, golf, swimming, beaches .whew thats enough and most in the area of an hour

Venture Down the Sinkhole | Florida State Parks

Another great place to visit is just up the road. The Millhopper State Park in Gainesville.
The sinkhole is some 120 ft deep. You walk down 132 steps to the bottom.
Even in the middle of summer when you reach the bottom the temps change really fast.

I know that this was previously mentioned but my grandson and I really had a great time here.
Florida Zip Line Adventures | Orlando Zipline & Canopy Tours
If they weather is ok they love water parks like Aquatica or Typhoon Lagoon are always a hit.

Are there any teenage girls visiting in the area? I have been told that modern teenagers prefer to stay inside and play video games or watch tik tok, but maybe they are different?

I agree, but I would be more specific- For $70 you can rent a tandem kayak and there is a 5 mile route downriver, where they pick you up at the end and drive you back. I do this with my grandsons EVERY YEAR. They are coming back this year and it is the first thing they ask to do. I put them in the back and they paddle the whole way, and we hardly do a thing. Amazing trip, better than Disney. Trust me. Silver Springs is awesome. They have stand up paddleboards and single kayaks too... All well worth it. You will see Alligators and Monkeys and more birds and fish than you can imagine.
Ed

Franklin Rec center in Newell now tops First Responders for entertaining kids and teens.

An airboat ride at either “Tom & Jerry’s” or “Wild Bill’s”. Pitch and Putt golf.

Not sure what part of The Villages you live in, but up near Chatham, the new First Responders Rec Center has lots of fun stuff for teens. Check it out!

First Responders was built with input from residents. After completion, I believe in 2022, the Developer used some of their ideas when building the next rec centers. Franklin does not top First Responders. It is a copy and lacks a few things available at First Responders because First Responders had more land available. Doesn't matter much because rec centers built in the future will probably use the same format. The developer tries to keep everything the SAME in all villages.

How can teenagers be bored here with both disney and universal oh and beaches.

There are a lot of beautiful springs (Silver, Rainbow, Alexander, Silver Glen) near to TV.

Rock Springs near Apopka is very nice, but I think it caters to people who do not have much money. When we were there, we noticed the young ladies could not afford full-sized bathing suits, so probably your teen-aged grandsons would be very offended.

Ours love to go to the squares at night. Also consider going to play pickleball when you can find an open court. Silver springs in Ocala is a good day trip,

Good! Stay up there! Don't bring teenagers to the Franklin Rec and destroy my fun! Seriously don't send them down here in a golf cart because the Po Po have been posting up near Franklin and Homestead looking to bust someone for anything they can.....teens being teens in the bubble would be prime meat

Grandson’s visit that they will remember forever
 

take them to Hooters they will never forget it, and grandpa will enjoy it also.
Give them some alone time that evening, when you return, young men and raging hormones, must be satisfied

Thanks for all the great suggestions! If we do half of these things, they'll have a great time!!!!!!