Things to Do in St. Cloud with Kids: A Day Full of Surprises
The sleepy lakefront community of St. Cloud never truly caught my attention until I was camping in the Lake Nona area at Moss Park, about 30 minutes away. An easy ride down the humble Narcoosee road, full of strip malls and elementary schools, and I found myself in a happy little town of St. Cloud.
Visitors to Orlando often select St. Cloud and Kissimmee as their base when on vacation. And I am here to show you what families can enjoy here, whether visiting or a local.
Here’s how to explore St. Cloud with kids, from pioneer buildings and hikes to nostalgic lakefront kids’ activities, and more.
Things to Do in St. Cloud, Florida for Kids
The town of St. Cloud surprised us, we had SO MUCH FUN! St. Cloud is also home to one of our favorite Orlando-area splash pads.
Peghorn Nature Park
2101 Peghorn Way, St Cloud, FL 34769
This charming park is a free nature area located just outside the historic district, making it perfect for a quick visit.
Pioneer Settlement Replicas
See the old schoolhouse, cannery, and blacksmith shop. Don’t expect anything as grandiose as Fort Christmas, but it’s still a fun short stop to stretch your legs after the car ride!
Hiking
There are two trails – orange and blue, both looping back towards the parking lot. We enjoyed walking past the pond, crossing bridges, and strolling slowly over boardwalks. It was a nice walk and the whole thing took us 30 minutes including the pioneer buildings (we didn’t do the full loop and turned back due to possible trail closure).
Historic Downtown St. Cloud
These are some great places in downtown St. Cloud for visiting with the family. Schedule a tea time, pop in for a retro ice cream float, browse the wares at Southern Roots Antiques (don’t worry, there’s loads of kids’ stuff there too), and continue down the main drag, bopping in and out of shops.
It won’t take more than an hour, but it’s a nice area where you can tell the town is putting money into improvements. Look out, Sanford, you’ve got competition!
- Kuppa Thyme Tea Room
- Pops Waffle & Ice Cream Shoppe
- Southern Roots Antiques
- The Spice & Tea Trading Post
- 10th Street Produce and Deli
- St. Cloud Heritage Museum
There’s also a couple of cute places for a coffee, a very busy (read: super popular) brunch restaurant called “Loading”, and a cute hotel to check out.
Just as you leave downtown towards the lake, spot Granny’s Southern Smokehouse, tucked in a corner of a residential street. It looked pretty legit, with picnic table seating and the best smells of smoke and fire coming into the car window.
St. Cloud Heritage Museum
1012 Massachusetts Avenue, St. Cloud, FL 34769
This small and charming museum is free to visit, but donations are appreciated. Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 11:00AM to 3:00PM.
Explore more: Free and Cheap Museums in Orlando
Lakefront Park St. Cloud
1104 Lakeshore Blvd, St Cloud, FL 34769
The crowning glory of your day to St. Cloud with kids is surely going to be the Lakefront Park. I only recently started getting into the trend of splash pad tourism (yes I’m coining the name now), and I’m totally willing to drive for a good splash pad if it keeps my kid cool and happy on a hot day.
Waterfront Playground
A nice SHADED playground overlooks the lake and beach, perfect to keep kiddos cool.
Splash Pad with Mini Water Slide
The splash pad had buckets dumping water (an easy soaker), a mini water slide popular even with my almost six year old, and a fun water table feature that the smaller children were enjoying with water toys.
Be sure to bring bathing suits or a change of clothes for the splash pad, and bring sand buckets for the beach!
Sandy Beach
The beach on the lakefront at St. Cloud was kind of dreamy. It was a white sand beach with a volleyball net, plenty of sand for making sand castles, and the water was calm and mostly clear. Honestly, I’m not one to swim in Florida lakes, but this was very inviting. Go to wade and bring some shade.
Old Fashioned Snack Bar
There was also a cute old-fashioned snack bar on site! They offered cornhole and other little lawn games, as well as reasonably prized quick service meals and snacks. I love this.
It reminds me of my days at our beach house in Rhode Island many moons ago. Nothing beats drippy ice cream and salty snacks by the water on a warm day.
Crabby Bill’s
Lastly, don’t miss the lakefront restaurant at Crabby Bill’s, just across the parking lot from the splash pad. Their seafood was great, and they had a lot of wonderful options for families. For $2.99 kids can get a strawberry or coconut slushie drink (we don’t have to tell them it’s actually just virgin daquiris and pina coladas), and it came with a cherry on top. Even better – kids eat free on Wednesdays!
They offered coloring pages and a well-rounded kids’ menu, not to mention the loaded Bloody Marys and a great lake view. Definitely recommend.
Things to Do in St. Cloud with Kids (Just Outside Town!)
When it’s time to leave St. Cloud, be sure to look into the nearby Reptile World Serpentarium, or Wild Florida, famous for its drive-thru safari park and gator and wildlife park.
Heading back up Narcoosee, stop in some shops like the giant Goodwill store (I’m officially in love, I bought so many great toys), and all of the offerings of the Lake Nona area, like Boxi Park.
St. Cloud truly surprised me, and I’m looking forward to returning. With small town vibes and old-fashioned fun, I’m definitely adding this to my rotation for family drives into “the country”. Keep an eye out for their monthly wine walks and shopping under the stars market.
And the best part – it’s only about 30-40 minutes from most of Orlando! So next weekend, take a drive, grab a bite, and a stroll, and let the kids enjoy some outdoor time at the Lakefront Park.
Also nearby: Pioneer Village in Kissimmee
