Pocket-Friendly Trips- Free & Cheap Things to Do in Florida

It’s easy to find cheap things to do in Florida for your upcoming budget getaway. After all, The Sunshine State takes pride in its numerous tourist spots and affordable attractions! There are lots of free or inexpensive tourist destinations in Florida – so numerous we have to wind them down to the top 10 best ones on this list! So, keep on reading for the best budget things to do in this warm lovely state! If you want to know more about the best road trip destinations in Florida, check out our comprehensive itinerary.

Beaches & Sunshine is free but what else fits your budget in the Sunshine State? Find out in the below slides:

Budget Vacation in Florida: Fun & Inexpensive Things to do… from Rental Trader Inc

Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center

Location: East Quay Road, Key West

Start your cheap things to do in Florida adventure with a visit to the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center! It’s part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a protected water area spanning 2,900 square nautical miles stretching from the Florida Keys to the Dry Tortugas.

The fascinating exhibits at the Discovery Center feature diverse wildlife, animals, and plants both on the land and under the sea. There’s also a living reef tank teeming with beautiful corals and live fish. All these attractions are meant to educate people about the wonderful marine life protected by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

The Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center offers free admission and parking for everyone! It’s open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Location: Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach

Want to experience a taste of Japanese art and peaceful natural environments? Head over to Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens and instantly be transported to Japan the moment you step inside this whimsical park!

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is a 16-acre park with landscaped Japanese gardens and bonsai displays. You’ll find a centralized pond, lanterns, stone pagodas, bridges, and raked gravel all incorporated into the lush flowering trees, palms, and shrubs surrounding the gardens. There’s no shortage of scenic vistas and serene environments inside Morikami!

Delve into the world of Asian and Japanese art by visiting the museum inside the park. Morikami Museum houses contemporary art with historical pieces from The Yamato Colony and pre-World War II times.

Special events are celebrated in Morikami, such as the Japanese New Year (January) and Lantern Festival (October). Tea ceremonies and art classes are also available, so check their calendar as you plan your visit there! Morikami also has picnic areas, open green space, playgrounds, a performing arts area, an educational center, a gift shop, and a café.

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission fees are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors 65+ and military with ID, $11 for college students with ID, and $9 for kids 6-17 years old. Children under 5 enter for free.

Cornell Fine Arts Museum

Location: Winter Park, Orlando

Next on our cheap things to do in Florida list is a visit to the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. It’s located at Rollin’s College, the oldest college in Orlando.

The museum features over 5,000 artworks that range from antiques to contemporary art. Most of the pieces are centered on themes such as diversity, social engagement, and civic-mindedness. Cornell also features a “Work of the Week”, one exceptional artwork that resonates with values and thinking relevant to the current times.

Cornell offers rotating exhibitions from different artists to give visitors fresh artworks to enjoy during their visit. Examples of current exhibitions include Art at The Alfond Inn, African Apparel, The Place as Metaphor, and 2020: Action, Freedom, Patriotism.

The museum also has special events that are open to the public! These events could either be guided exhibition tours, artist talks, and Art and coffee with the Curator. Events are free unless otherwise stated by the museum. Meanwhile, kids will enjoy scavenger hunts and interactive kiddie art activities!

Admission to the Cornell Fine Arts Museum is free! It’s open from Tuesday to Friday (10 am to 4 pm) and Saturday to Sunday (12 pm to 5 pm).

Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Location: Jog Road, Delray Beach

Take a scenic walk through the Wakodahatchee Wetlands Park and experience Florida’s nature at its finest! This beautiful nature park offers you a 0.75-mile boardwalk to hike on. There are gazebos with benches and interpretive signages to guide you along the way.

Enjoy scenic views of the water pond, shrubs, and lush greens as you hike along Wakodahatchee Wetlands! The park is also an excellent place for some bird-watching, as it is a part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Meet more than 178 bird species on your hike, along with other animals like rabbits, frogs, raccoons, turtles, fish, alligators, and raccoons.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands admission is free for all! That makes it one of the inexpensive natural destinations and cheap things to do in Florida.

Daytona Flea & Farmers Market

Location: Tomoka Farms Road, Daytona Beach

Fresh food, local produce, and quirky items – find them all at Daytona Flea & Farmers Market! There are over 600 vendors and 1,000 booths around the Daytona Flea Market, so you’ll surely find something to fancy. Shop for artworks, local produce, crafts, jewelry, gourmet tea and coffee, fishing equipment, automobile tires, antiques, kitchenware, cosmetics, and more! 

Daytona Flea & Farmers Market offers climate-controlled shopping malls, nine concession stands, two restaurants, and ATMs. Garage sales abound outdoors. Rentals for scooters, strollers, and wheelchairs are available at the Information Center, and the entire market is handicap-accessible.

The market also runs special events such as Garage Sale Weekends, Spin & Win Prize Wheel Saturday, and Classic Car Cruise-In.

Daytona Flea & Farmers Market is open thrice weekly every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s still worth a visit even if you’re not intending to buy anything during your vacation! Our recommendation would be also visit Daytona Beach, where you can enjoy one of the best nightlife in Florida.

Harry P. Leu Gardens

Location: Orlando

Harry P. Leu Gardens is a lovely tropical oasis that spans around 50 acres of landscaped grounds filled with formal gardens and tropical plants. You’ll find large collections of palms, azaleas, bromeliads, camellia, and cultivars perfectly landscaped to create a whimsical garden setting!

The main feature of the gardens is the Leu House Museum, the actual home where Harry and Mary Jane Leu’s family once lived. Free guided tours are offered to explore this historic home.

Harry P. Leu Gardens also includes a Butterfly Garden, Bamboo Collection, Citrus Grove, Vegetable Garden, White Garden, and the Wyckoff Overlook with a view of Lake Rowena. There are various plant collections to visit as well.

Kids can enjoy free storytelling sessions on the garden grounds every third Monday of the month. Meanwhile, adults can come every first Friday night for lovely Date Nights. Visit their website to check for other available events during your visit.

Come and add Harry P. Leu Gardens to your cheap things to do in Florida! Admission fees are $10 for adults and $3 for children 4-17 years old. Kids 3 years old below can enter for free! The Gardens are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, but check their website for occasional early closures. Also, get free admission every first Monday from 9 am to 12 noon!

San Sebastian Winery

Location: King Street, St. Augustine

Take a quick trip to San Sebastian Winery, ranked among Florida’s premium wineries! The winery offers Complimentary Winery Tours and Tasting every day – all for free! The tour gives you complete insights into the entire winemaking process.

Your tour starts with a quick audio-visual presentation at the facility’s upstairs theater. Then, you’ll embark on a guided walking tour through the 18,000 square foot wine production area. The winery’s friendly staff will then lead you to the wine tasting area to try out San Sebastian’s Premium Wines.

Kids are welcome to attend the tour with their families. However, wine tasting is only reserved for adults 21 years old and above. You’ll be asked to present a valid ID to continue with the wine tasting activities.

Each tour and wine tasting lasts around 45 minutes each. The tours are offered every 20-25 minutes, with the last tour given at around 5 pm. Visit San Sebastian Winery from Monday to Saturday (10 am – 6 pm) and Sundays (11 am – 6 pm).

Wynwood Walls

Location: Miami

Celebrate street art by visiting the amazing Wynwood Walls in Miami! This is truly among the cheap things to do in Florida that will make you appreciate contemporary street art all the more!

Wynwood Walls is considered the main attraction of the artsy Wynwood neighborhood in Miami. This is a huge open-air museum filled with colorful graffiti art, paintings, and murals. Local and international artists have contributed to Wynwood Walls, and some of them include Ara Peterson, Os Gemeos, FAILE, Shepard Fairey, Gaia, Brandon Opalka, Maya Hayuk, and many more.

Wynwood Walls started as an effort to revive the Wynwood district from its former reputation as an industrial warehouse district. The late Tony Goldman led these efforts, turning the district’s large stock of warehouse buildings into art canvasses. The initial artworks were created on six separate buildings, growing to a massive 80,000 square feet of walls today!

Apart from the main walls, the district also offers related art attractions such as the Wynwood Doors, Outside the Walls epic murals, and the Wynwood Walls Garden. All these destinations are open-air art spaces where you can enjoy more street art and murals! You may also head to the Wynwood Walls Shop for some affordable souvenirs.

Visit the Wynwood Walls even on a tight budget – entrance is completely free! Marvel at the wondrous street murals every Monday to Thursday (10 am -11:30 am), Fridays and Saturdays (10:30 am – 12 am), and Sundays (10:30 am – 8 pm).

Miami is one of those places which have the best nightlife in the US. To know more about the available activities, check out our dedicated sampling.

Wekiwa Springs State Park

Location: Apopka, Orange County

Continue your budget-friendly sojourns across Florida with a trip to the Wekiwa Springs State Park! This lovely natural park is nestled at the heart of Apopka, just minutes away from Orlando. Enter the park and be swept away by its beauty that accurately represents Florida’s lush flora, fauna, and wildlife.

Camping, picnicking, hiking, bicycling, and wildlife viewing are just some of the numerous activities you can enjoy inside the 7,000-acre Wekiwa Springs State Park! The park also features the crystal-clear Wekiwa Springs where you can swim, snorkel, or simply sit nearby to take in the view. The springs empty onto the gentle Wekiva River where you can go kayaking or canoeing as well.

Wekiwa Springs State Park is open year-round from 8 am till sundown. Parking fees start at $2 for pedestrians and bicyclists, $4 for single-occupant vehicles, and $6 per vehicle with a limit of 8 passengers. Meanwhile, camping fees start at $5 per person (for primitive camping). Head to the park early on – it closes down when the parking is full!

University of Central Florida’s Arboretum

Location: UCF Main Campus, Scorpius Street, Orlando

The University of Central Florida’s Arboretum caps off our list of stunning and inexpensive travel destinations in Florida! It’s an 80-acre land sitting at the heart of the university’s main campus. The arboretum is the perfect place to see and learn about different plant varieties, as well as unwind with the relaxing beauty of nature!

UCF Arboretum features over 600 species of lush plants scattered around the campus in a vibrant landscape. You’ll find a plethora of both homegrown and imported plants in cultivated gardens. And of course, there are also plenty of trees such as Florida sand pine scrub, Florida longleaf pine, Cypress, American turkey oak, and many more.

You’ll also find a pond, an organic community garden, and a greenhouse inside the arboretum. See lots of fresh vegetables and garden plants in these areas! You can also hike or cycle along 3 miles of gorgeous nature trails inside the park.

The University of Central Florida’s Arboretum is open to the public for free! The arboretum operates Monday to Friday from 8 am – 4:30 pm.

If you stay a night in Orlando, don’t miss the best things to do in Orlando at night.

Rental Homes Near Free & Cheap Things to Do in Florida

Why not rent out a beautiful but inexpensive vacation home for your Florida trip? Head over to Rental Trader to search for the best deals on vacation properties near your Florida destinations. Our platform lets you connect with the best rental property providers, score great deals, and reserve and book your lodging easily!

What’s more, you can even list down your property for free when you sign up for Rental Trader! Present your Florida rental vacation homes to thousands of prospective tourists seeking lodging for their budget trips. If you want to know more about how Rental Trader can help in both finding and listing properties, head over to our Contact Page and either call, email, or fill up their quick web form.

And with this, we’re wrapping up our top 10 cheap things to do in Florida list! A tight budget is never an excuse to enjoy a quality Florida vacation, so take your picks and plan your next trip ASAP!