Talk of The Villages Florida - Things to do with teenage grandsons in the Villages and surrounding areas

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Originally Posted by nhlinda (Post 2300206)

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?

Go Karts are always fun
Indoor there is Leesburg Mall, K1 Orlando and Andretti indoor ($$$) Andretti is more expensive but it has a lot more to do.
Outdoor which is the one we go to all the time is Orlando Kart Center

Top Golf or PopStroke (Tiger Woods miniature golf) both Orlando

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Originally Posted by Julijac (Post 2300586)

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

My grandson enjoyed it

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Originally Posted by nhlinda (Post 2300345)

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.

It really depends on your budget.

Universal Studios is over $100 per person, for anyone over age 9. So just getting in will cost you $300 (you have to pay too). That's for a one-day pass, and doesn't include food, which can easily cost you another $100.

That's one day. How many days will your teenage grands be here for?

There's kayaking in Lost Springs Lake, which would only be around $100 for the two kids (not including food) for a couple of hours. The rest of the activities there will still cost $89 per kid minimum, depending on which activity they want to do.

You could go on a boat tour of Lake Dora, it's a 2-hour group tour with a dedicated captain. Or you could rent a pontoon and explore with the kids for $325 for 5 hours, including a full tank of fuel. As the adult, you'd have to be the driver.

At night, the town squares for free live music is always a good bet.

Regarding letting the kids drive the golf cart: if you don't have insurance on the golf cart, you should probably not let even the older one drive it, even if he has a license. The 14-year-old isn't allowed to drive it at all, and the 17-year-old can only drive it if he has a valid drivers license.

And definitely remind them that the golf courses are not parks, they're not welcome to use them to explore. If you go with them, the executive courses might be a fun thing for them if they're into golf.

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Originally Posted by PJ_Smiley (Post 2300211)

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

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

Don’t go to Bushnell Motorsports the 14 yr will not be able to drive

Orlando Kart Center allows all ages

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Originally Posted by banjobob (Post 2300672)

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

Is
Gatorland in Wildwood open? I know they closed through Covid and beyond.

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Originally Posted by Eg_cruz (Post 2302283)

Don’t go to Bushnell Motorsports the 14 yr will not be able to drive

Orlando Kart Center allows all ages

Bushnell Motorsports has a 10+ golf cart (limited speed). Check out their website.

Check out SKY ZONE in Ocala near the Paddock Mall. They can enjoy 90 min or two hours easily. Nothing like playing dodgeball while jumping on trampolines!

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Originally Posted by Jim 9922 (Post 2300327)

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.

LunaSea is a wonderful place. the owners are fine people & you get to kiss a llama if you want to. everytime we go there's teens & young people enjoying themselves. same with Wild Florida drive-thru animal park.

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Originally Posted by Peazoup (Post 2308390)

Is
Gatorland in Wildwood open? I know they closed through Covid and beyond.

i don't know, but the one in Orlando has Larry the Alligator, & is a larger park

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Originally Posted by BigDawgInLakeDenham (Post 2301331)

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

i think you meant to post over on a tabloid site :blahblahblah:

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Originally Posted by BigDawgInLakeDenham (Post 2301331)

:what: