When rain keeps your family inside during a Central Florida vacation, it can be hard to keep young kids entertained. Luckily we have great children’s museums and exhibits, as well as workshops and activities to keep your favorite young people busy on a rainy day.
Explorations V Children’s Museum
Downtown Lakeland’s Explorations V Children’s Museum has been winning awards since opening in 1991. This museum offers three-floors of kid-powered interactive exhibits and programs that explore the five-senses, which is where the name Explorations V comes from.
Exhibits and workshops are developed for toddlers and kids up to nine years old.
Sample Permanent Exhibits
- Fill a pint-sized grocery buggy just like Mom and Dad, operate a cash register and merchandise scanner, or even stock grocery shelves at Explore Store
- Broadcast the news or current weather forecast at News Station
- Build, tinker and create with rotating materials at Maker Space
- Sing, dance and perform on stage in the theater
Explorations V hosts daily workshops, Monday – Friday and each day has a different topic. Kids can learn to weave ribbon during Art Studio, make S’more stuffed crescent rolls during Kitchen Kids, or learn about polar water animals during Celebrate Science.
You can find their complete schedule at explorationsv.com/calendar.
Mulberry Phosphate Museum
Do you have a miniature Indiana Jones in your family? If so, be sure to visit Mulberry Phosphate Museum which is located just one block south of State Highway 60 in downtown Mulberry.
The museum feature multiple indoor galleries. Inside the Phosphate Gallery, you’ll learn where phosphate is found, how it’s mined and processed, and how it’s used in our everyday lives. The Historic Railroad Gallery displays historic photos and information on the Mulberry, railroad industry as related to the phosphate industry. The Fossil Gallery houses an extensive prehistoric fossil collection.
If the rain stops, kids can search for shark teeth and other prehistoric animal remains in the museum’s outdoor exhibit. The Drag Line area includes a 44-yard drag-line bucket once used to dig phosphate rock out of the ground.
Additional exhibits allow visitors to learn about the American Alligator, Miocene Rhino, Giant Ground Sloth and the Smilodon.
Florida’s Natural Grove Store
Located just 10-miles from LEGOLAND Florida Resort, Florida’s Natural Grove Store has something for everyone. Spend time walking through indoor exhibits while learning about Polk County’s citrus industry. Enjoy a theater presentation about Florida’s Natural during, “We own the land, the trees, and the company.”
Escape Rooms on a Rainy Day
Escape rooms, or games, are away for small groups to cooperatively discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in one or more rooms. The goal is to accomplish a specific task in a limited amount of time. We have three escape room businesses and all are family-friendly. Escapeology and Lakeland Escape Rooms are in downtown Lakeland, while iPanic Escape Room is in north Lakeland.
Go Bowling or Watch a Movie
We have more businesses that are great for rainy day fun, including bowling alleys and movie theaters, at Things to do Indoors.
