Must-Do Travel Bucket List for Ocala, Florida

Get ready to fall in love with Ocala, Florida. With tons of activities for families and friends to enjoy, you’re never going to have to worry about a minute of downtime during your entire trip. (Unless you want to!)

Not only can you fill your time with activities but you can also find some great food options as well.

If you’re looking for a few awesome suggestions on what to do and where to eat in Ocala, this is the list for you.

Must-Do Travel Bucket List for Ocala, Florida

Can we all just agree that Florida is an amazing state. From the beaches to the sunshine, you can’t not walk around without a smile on your face. But during our recent trip to Ocala, I found myself exploring areas and parts of the town that made me fall in love with the state of Florida even more.

These are just a few of the places that I suggest going to when you’re looking for fun things to do in Ocala.

Where to stay in Ocala, FL

You just can’t go wrong staying at the Courtyard by Marriot. It’s clean, it’s affordable, and it literally had everything that we needed during our stay.

The rooms were spacious, the beds were comfy, it was crazy clean, and I loved waking up knowing that I didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Fun things to do in Ocala, FL

I have to start off my saying that there are TONS of great activities to do with friends or families. But here are a few of my favorites!

Visit Silver Springs State Park and do the Glass Bottom Boat

If you’re an outdoors fan, this is a beautiful state park. You can easily pack a picnic lunch and spend the day hiking and seeing the sights.

I also highly recommend the Glass Bottom Boat tour because it’s a unique experience to be able to be on a boat and see the crystal clear waters of the springs. It was an amazing experience to see this and be able to see under the water without actually being in the water.

Go on a horseback riding

If you’re a fan of horses or just want to experience what it’s like to ride a horse, I highly recommend booking a horse riding experience in the area.

At Cactus, Jack the horses are well taken care of and I might have fallen in love with one or two that I wanted to take home as well.

The tour guides are knowledgeable and make you feel safe the entire time.

Explore Fort King

Calling all history buffs! If you’re a fan of learning about history, don’t miss out on exploring Fort King. It’s an old military fort that has a ton of cool history.

Visit the Ocala Visitors Center

Anytime you are in a new place, it’s a great idea to visit the center that has all the information. Here you’ll find tons of information, ideas, and souvenirs, too. Also a really fun penny press machine!!!

Go on an adventure at the Canyons Zip Line and Adventure Park

Ready to fly high above the sky? Choose your adventure and make it happen. Here is a great place to explore new adventures and put yourself out there!

As you can tell Dom had a blast, and me and the kids got to experience the Gem mining which the kids loved! We found an array of things from gems to shark teeth!

Take a kayak or canoe out on the Rainbow River at KP Hole Park

The water is lovely here and it’s a great way to work out or get around the river. A fun way to explore the waters and have a relaxing afternoon, too.

We loved that we were able to do tandem kayaks as the kids are still learning how to kayak. Also once you go kayaking about half a mile up the springs there is a location where you can get out of the kayak and get in the water as you can tell.

Places to eat in Ocala, FL

You’re going to find a ton of great eateries in Ocala but I highly recommend these locations.

Anywhere in downtown Ocala

Seriously. There are too many great places to eat and so many fun options to choose from as well. Decide what type of cuisine that you like and have fun.

Blue Gator or Swampy’s (both on the river)

After a long day of river fun, both of these options are great for grabbing a bite to eat for dinner.

As you can see, Ocala offers so many fun things to do for everyone! No matter if you’re wanting to shop or just spend time having fun, you can easily find tons of great activities and food.