OcalaMom.com

Does anyone have any good ideas for fun and activities around Ocala? I can only take my one year old to the park so many times :-)

There is a good list on here somewhere. Will have to try to find it in a sec. Think skyviking posted it.

We just got back from Silver River -- the museum there was pretty fun. Playground is very nice there.
Santa Fe CC has a zoo if you want a drive, and UF has the butterfly rainforest, museum and science center.
Carney Island.
Uncle Donald's (right name?) petting farm

I agree. There isn't a whole bunch for little ones. My dream is to open a place for toddlers to young school age. I have the vision, just no money or know how to implement it. I'd teach art/craft classes on some days and have open play with storytime on others. I'd set it up like my classroom and go from there. If anyone has any ideas on how I could make this a reality, let me know. Until then, here's what I do with my boys...

Parks:
Silver River State Park
Greenway Park on Baseline
Liberty Park out by Freedom Library
Duck Pond on 17th
Playground across from Duck Pond(Clyatt Park)
I found two playgrounds in the historic area by accident
Tuscawilla Park

Ocala:
Ride the SunTran Bus around town
Ride the bus/golf cart at the hospital, ride the elevators, see the babies, and eat lunch at the cafeteria
Chuck E Cheese
Fun Factory
Fire Brick pottery downtown
Artist's Hub
Cassies' Closet (near MIchaels) has kids activities now
Kids Gym on Maricamp(not sure if it is still open)
Walk the mall and ride the indoor rides

Gainesville:
Butterfly Rainforest
Museum next door to the Butterfly Rainforest
OTB Kids (not sure if it is still there)
Santa Fe Zoo

O2B Kids is definitely still there.
Santa Fe zoo has started charging admission, too, FYI.

I posted this somewhere else awhile ago. Hope it helps!

Ocala and surrounding area list of things to do with kids revised

I know it is hard to find things to do in our area. As the organizer for The Ocala Stay at Home Moms Meetup Group on www.meetup.com for the past two years it has been challenging to find things to do in Marion County. So I have compiled a handy list with web links for your convenience. I tried to find the most reasonably priced children activities.


1. Silver Springs Nature Park -Silver Springs
www.silversprings.com/
This is expensive if you just buy the day pass. The best deal for families in the area is to buy the Silver Pass which includes Wild Waters Water Park and unlimited free parking for a year. The children will love the petting zoo, carousel, an boat rides. Don't forget to check out the white alligators they have right now at the park. For each paying adult a child can get in free until March 16th, 2008.
2. Silver River Park- Silver Springs
www.marioncountyfl.org/PR612/P...lver_River_State.htm
This park located near Silver Springs Nature Park is great for kids. The playground area is shaded and has plenty of pavilions for a picnic. Take a hike by the River path and you can check out the fish in the crystal clear water. The park occasionally has a "Florida Cracker Tour" which shows how Florida pioneers lived off the land. Check out their website for the latest events. Small fee per carload.

3. Greenway Park-Ocala: This is a great Park for kids. This playground has a ge appropriate jungle gyms, swings, and an awesome sand play area. This park also has paved walking and biking trails. FREE
www.marioncountyfl.org/PR612/P...PR_Baseline_Road.htm

4. Carney Island State Park-Ocklawaha
Playground and beach area
www.marioncountyfl.org/PR612/P...PR_Carney_Island.htm
This park has two beach areas. One is smaller at Little Lake Weir and the other at Lake Weir which is larger. You will love the large oak trees shading the area. There are also walking trails and a very nice boat ramp for all the boaters. The jungle gym on the Lake Weir beach area is fantastic complete with a huge fish tunnel. $5 per carload.


5. Uncle Donald's Farm- Lady Lake
The kids will love all the animals. You can milk a goat and pet the rabbits. The hay rides are always fun. Pony rides are available for a little extra. They do have a panther here and some other native wildlife as well. The farm has picnic areas and offers birthday parties. $8 adult and $7.50 child

www.lakecountyfl.gov/hometown_...le_donalds_farm.aspx

www.floridasecrets.com/Uniques...UncleDonaldsFarm.htm

6. Barnes & Noble Book Store-Ocala: The bookstore offers a free story time for children every week. It is every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in Ocala. The kids will love the Thomas the Tank Engine train set and table. Moms can get a treat and coffee at the Starbucks located in the store.

7.Chuck E Cheese's- Ocala: Every child I know loves this place! Don't forget to sign up for coupons at www.chuckecheeses.com.This restaurant and play area is located on 200 near the Barnes & Noble.

8.Homosassa Springs Wildlife & Nature Park- Homossasa
This park has a large assortment of Florida wildlife. You will love the large amount of native birds. The flamingos are phenomenal. The park also has a hippotomaus and poisonous snakes. Everyone really comes here though to see the manatees. They have shows throughout the day with manatee feedings. It takes about one hour to drive from Ocala to this park. The kids will like the boat ride from the main entrance to the animal area.
See the manatees and other great Florida wildlife.
www.homosassasprings.org/Homosassa.cfm

9. Letterboxing and geocaching: This is free and fun for the kids. Go to www.letterboxing.org and www.geocaching.com(for those who have a GPS tracker) and check out the fun scavenger hunts. Letterboxing is an activity which takes you on a hunt with directions to a certain area. After following the maps directions you will be brought to your final destination. There you will find a stamp which you put in a notebook. The smaller kids will love stamping the notebook and the older children will enjoy finding clues and following the maps. there are several areas listed on both websites for the Ocala area.

10. Discovery Science Center located at the Brick City Park in Ocala.

Although this science center is small it offers some cute things for preschoolers. The museum has a fire engine which kids can sit in and push all the buttons. It also has weather maps on computers with the latest weather. Outside near the museum is a scavenger hunt path. Get a sheet with all the things listed on the hunt inside the museum and go scavenge! The kids will love the fake triceratops skeleton on the path. There is also a small playground by the center.
www.marioncountyfl.org/PR612/P...ks/PR_Brick_City.htm
and www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1160277

WOW!! Thank you for all the info, I had no idea there were so many things to do within driving distance. My husband and I actually took our daughter to the Butterfly Rainforest in Gainesville and she loved it, it was a great time and inspired me to start a butterfly garden. Thanks everyone for all the info.