2026 Hernando County Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in September)

This trip mainly covered Orlando Disney and Tampa ✈️ Flights Round-trip from Los Angeles to Florida 💰$569 · -- 🏨 Accommodation Orlando + Tampa 💰$614 · -- 🎢 Tickets Disney World Four Parks 🏰 Magic Kingdom 🌐 EPCOT 🎬 Hollywood Studios 🦁 Animal Kingdom 4-day tickets + Lightning Lane (Fast Pass) 💰$814 If you skip the Fast Pass, you can save quite a bit, but it’s highly recommended during peak season. · -- 🍴 Dining Disney park dining Orlando restaurants Tampa Boulon Brasserie Various coffee, desserts, and snacks 💰$637 Overall, dining in Florida is cheaper than in California, but Disney park food is still quite pricey. · -- 🚗 Transportation Car rental Airport transfers Parking 💰$393 🍸 Bars Tampa EDITION Hotel 💰$105 Great ambiance, perfect for an evening drink. · -- 🛍️ Shopping 💰$59 · -- Total Expenses ✈️ Flights: $569 🏨 Accommodation: $614 🎢 Disney Tickets + Fast Pass: $814 🍴 Dining: $637 🚗 Transportation: $393 🍸 Bars: $105 🛍️ Shopping: $59 · ————————— 💰 Total: $3,191 · -- Itinerary Reference Day1-Day2 🦁 Animal Kingdom 🏰 Magic Kingdom · -- Day3 ☕ Rest and adjustment Explore Disney surroundings · -- Day4-Day5 🎬 Hollywood Studios 🌐 EPCOT Complete Disney’s four-park checklist · -- Day6 🌳 Winter Park Shopping and coffee Evening transfer to Tampa 🍴 Boulon Brasserie 🍸 Tampa EDITION · -- Day7 🏖 Clearwater Beach The sand is incredibly fine The water color is stunning · -- Day8 🛶 Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Transparent kayaking One of the most surprising activities of the trip The water is so clear it feels like a natural swimming pool · -- Day9 🚶 Tampa city exploration Top recommendations from this trip: 🥇 Weeki Wachee Springs State Park 🥈 Clearwater Beach 🥉 EPCOT

Tampa was really fun. It lasted for five days and four nights, excluding the first and last days, totaling three and a half days. We rented a car and tried to visit as much of the area as possible. The weather on Thanksgiving was quite warm, allowing us to go swimming. ?? The hotel had private beaches and free umbrellas and chairs for two days at JW Clearwater. However, the hotel service was just average. If you come for the beach, you might as well stay here. For the next two days, it was at Hyatt Tampa. It offered free breakfast. Parking was $45 per day with valet service, but it's easy to find cheaper parking nearby. 🅆 Day 1️⃣ After landing, we went to Ulele. It had free valet parking. P2-3 Little Toot Dolphin Tour. There are many dolphin tour companies at the port. We booked for 4:30 pm, which was basically to catch the sunset. It was best to sit at the stern of the boat. The captain would find areas with more dolphins and create waves, and many dolphins would jump out at the stern. It was super cute 🐬 Day 2️⃣ P4-8 John and Mable Ringling Museum. On Monday, the main building's art museum was free. It was their couple's art collection. Further inside, there were Cadzan and Rose Garden. But the most beautiful one was the pink main building. It was super photogenic! It's recommended to come around 3-4 pm when the light is better. ??️ Siesta Beach. The sand is as white and fine as flour, but the water is a bit dirty. There's not much entertainment. We just took a look and left. Day 3️⃣ P9-10 In the morning, we went out to sea for half a day of fishing. It was so much fun! As soon as we pulled the line, there were fish biting the hook. Just the process of reeling in the line was a bit inexperienced. We caught 7 white grunts. There was a pig-like sound. If you plan to fish for a whole day, you can go further to catch more different kinds of fish. Bring sunscreen and it's better to bring a towel or something convenient to wipe your hands because the fish bait is very smelly. After getting off the boat, the crew can handle it for $10. Then you can go to nearby or ABC Chinese restaurant for processing. ??️ P11-15 In the afternoon, we directly lay on the beach at Clearwater Hotel for the whole afternoon. Ordering a small drink was very comfortable. The sunlight was just right and the water was very clear. It felt more pleasant than Siesta Beach mainly because there were fewer people. Day 4️⃣ P16-18 Weeki Wachee State Park. Go kayaking in the morning. In the less crowded areas, the water quality is good and it's easier to encounter small animals. We saw raccoons, otters, and manatees! However, the boat and life jackets were not very clean. And many turns were quite sharp, making it easy to collide. It's better to have two people in one boat for better control. The whole trip lasted for two hours. ?? In the afternoon, we went to Tarpon. There was only one old man selling sponges at the stall. The quality was very good and it could be used for face washing and makeup removal. The other stores were pretty similar.

During winter, the manatees would swim back from the sea to the warm springs to hibernate. So this time, I specially went to Tampa and spent two days on the boat just to see the legendary gentle giant with my own eyes. On the first day, we rented a boat at the official Weeki Wachee Park and went for a 3-mile downstream trip. While it was easier to go downstream, most of the river was very narrow and there were many sharp turns, making it difficult to control and prone to crashing into the tree-lined banks. We recommend choosing this route if you have some kayaking experience. Although it was a bit thrilling, the scenery here was truly beautiful - the water was shallow and clear, with thick aquatic plants, white fine sand at the bottom, and schools of salmon swimming by from time to time. The North American Little Jiuzhaigou was truly deserving of its name. Due to the drop in temperature that day, we also encountered several sea cows returning to seek shelter from the cold. They were much larger than our double kayaks, and we had to pass above them. It was truly a shock to see such a large size for the first time.

#holidayitinerary Who needs Hawaii when Weeki Wachee is just a short drive from Tampa? This magical spring park is pure Florida fantasy — from crystal-clear kayaking with sea turtles and manatees, to the surreal live mermaid show (yes, real humans doing underwater ballet!). Don’t miss the Riverboat Cruise with quirky guides or the Buccaneer Bay Waterpark where slides plunge straight into the spring! Pro tip: rent a transparent kayak in advance and arrive early to beat the crowd. Pack your swimsuit, water shoes, and snacks (but ditch plastic bottles). Nature, fun, and fairytale vibes in one dreamy day. #Tampa #FloridaSprings #WeekiWachee #KayakAdventure #MermaidShow #HiddenGemsUSA #TravelTips