Indoor activities in Florida: 10 things to do

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Try rage rooms, indoor skydiving, luxury bowling and more

Summer is already well advanced and you are tired of the heat. You want to go on a day trip but don’t want to spend the day sweating or getting sand in your ears at the beach.

If that description sounds like you, the good news is that the Sunshine State has plenty of things to do that don’t involve getting around outdoors, including activities for people who like a physical challenge.

Throughout the state there are indoor places to watch creatures, play arcade games and laser tag, smash things, ice skate and roller skate, jump on trampolines, drive go-karts and more.

Here’s a rundown of the air-conditioned entertainment the state has to offer.

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Boomers Arcade, Boca Raton

3100 Airport Road, Boca Raton, 561-347-1888, boomersparks.com/boca.

Although they have outdoor activities, to stay away from 90+ degree heat and 90% humidity, let’s focus on baby boomer’s indoor enjoyment.

Boomers Lazer Tag: Your team enters a blacklight battlefield armed with light phasers. Keep your head down and your eyes open because in this game the hunter also happens to be the hunted. A vibrating chest plate tells you when you’ve been hit and a computer records your score. After the match, compare the scores and see who is the ultimate laser tag champion.

Are you looking to find your inner warrior, or just want the feeling of stalking your friends and firing your laser at them? You’re in luck because Boomers Lazer Tag aims to please.

In this high-tech cat game, everyone is there! Your team enters a blacklight battlefield armed with light phasers. Keep your head down and your eyes open because in this game the hunter also happens to be the hunted. A vibrating chest plate tells you when you’ve been hit and a computer records your score. After the match, compare scores and see who is the ultimate Lazer Tag champion.

In Boomers Game Room, everything from spaceship battle party to basketball, snowboarding, dance challenges and other fun is here for you. ― The Palm Beach Post

Ellenton Ice, Ellenton

5309 29th St. E., Ellenton, 941-723-3663, ellentonice.com.

Spending time on the ice, even in the heat Florida summer, Ellenton Ice and Sports Complexfeaturing two NHL-sized rinks plus an indoor roller/ball hockey rink, fitness center, concessions area, birthday party rooms and pro shop.

There are public skating sessions throughout the week, with other options like joining a hockey league or figure skating. ― Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Florida Aquarium, Tampa

701 Channelside Drive, Tampa, 813-273-4000, flaquarium.org.

One of the best aquariums in the South, the Florida Aquarium features some 8,000 plants and animals from a variety of freshwater and saltwater environments, including alligators, sharks, seahorses, river otters, and free-flying birds. Most animal habitats are indoors.

The Florida Wetlands Trail highlights regional life in a recreated mangrove forest, while the Journey to Madagascar takes visitors around the world to see a host of interesting animals – ring-tailed lemurs, hissing cockroaches and colorful chameleons. At Stingray Beach, visitors are invited to touch rays and sharks. – USA TODAY

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Grizzly Axes, Pensacola

6300 N. Davis Highway, Pensacola850-741-4700, grizzlyaxe.com.

Looking for something new to try? What about ax throwing? Grizzly Axes is the region’s premier shooting range and rage room. Yes, you read that right. In addition to being able to throw axes at a target, guests can also dress up and choose from a suite of rage packages that will allow them to destroy small, medium and large objects.

Finally, let loose in one of the Messy Murals rooms. Everyone can play in the room and you will throw paint to create your own artistic masterpiece.

Prices depend on what you are looking to do. Ax Throwing starts at $20 per person, Rage Room Packages start at $20, and Messy Murals start at $30 per person. ― Brandon Girod, Pensacola Journal

IFly, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa

10579 Brightman Boulevard, Jacksonville, 904-712-3388, iflyworld.com.

Skydiving looks like a lot of fun, except for all that stuff that comes out of the plane and drops thousands of feet. That’s no problem at iFly, which uses four fans in a recirculating wind tunnel to create a powerful column of rising air in a flight chamber.

Pilots sign a waiver, complete a short instructional course, put on a flight suit over their clothes, and fly for approximately 60 seconds with an instructor. Anyone over 3 years old and under 260 pounds can fly. There are more than 80 iFly Locations worldwide, including Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.

$84.99 for two flights, although cheaper fares are available on certain weekdays. For more information, visit iflyworld.com. ―Thomas Szaroleta, The Florida Times-Union

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island

Commerce Way Space, Merritt Island, 855-433-4210, kennedyspacecenter.com.

The rocket garden Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complexwith its honest rockets reaching skyward, has got to be one of the coolest places in Florida.

Except when it’s over 90 degrees outside. Then it turns into a sweltering concrete jungle.

Fortunately, the hospitality complex also offers many interesting indoor activities.

Tours in air-conditioned buses, Imax 3D films and encounters with astronauts are enough to launch any space geek into Nirvana, and walking under the marvel that is the space shuttle Atlantis is an emotional and awe-inspiring experience.

But these are just the tip of the asteroid when it comes to the visitor complex.

Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, which opened in June, is dedicated to current and future space travel, said Rebecca Burgman, senior public relations and communications manager for Delaware North at Kennedy Space Center.

The dark and cavernous attraction takes visitors on a current space journey into the future with rockets and space capsules as well as life-size models of tested equipment for future missions.

On the second floor, Spaceport KSC, a motion theater attraction, allows guests to choose a destination: Cosmic Wonders, Daring Explorers, Red Planet or Uncharted Worlds, and embark on their own adventure of deep space exploration .

For space explorers aged 2 to 12, there’s World of Play next door, an out-of-the-ordinary multi-level interactive play area. Kids can race the Mars Rover, climb a tube to Mars, walk on Saturn’s rings and glide through an asteroid field on a private rocket.

Black lights give the area an otherworldly field and space-age music adds atmosphere.

It’s fun, interactive and educational, Burgman said.

While young space travelers play, their parent units can keep an eye on them while relaxing in the upstairs lounge with a local microbrew or glass of wine. – By Suzy Fleming Leonard, FLORIDA TODAY

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Believe it or not from Ripley! St. Augustine

19 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, 904-824-1606, ripleys.com/staugustine.

If you’re feeling adventurous ― and maybe a little weird too ― Believe it or not from Ripley! St. Augustine Museum could make a great place to get out of the heat.

There are lots of quirky and weird things to look at, like a mummified cat and a real shrunken head, but this is more than just a museum. There are interactive games and a dizzying tunnel.

Before heading inside, check out the replica of Michelangelo’s David hidden behind the greenery on the west side of the porch.

Ripley’s also has locations in Orlando, Panama City Beach and beyond.

If you’re looking for more indoor things to do in St. Augustine, cross the Bridge of Lions and discover Sarbez at 115, boul. Anastasia. It’s an arcade, bar, and live music venue that serves “gourmet grilled cheese.” – Sheldon Gardner, The St. Augustine Record

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Speedway Indoor Karting, Daytona Beach

2455 W. International Speedway Blvd. Suite 300, Daytona Beach, 386-400-9848, sikdaytona.com

Ever wanted to feel what it’s like to be a NASCAR driver? Good, SIK (Speedway Indoor Karting) at Daytona Beach offers you the chance to go fast right next to the International Speedway.

These karts go up to 43 mph for adults and 18 mph for juniors, and safety features include helmets, a four-point safety harness and a roll bar. Two tracks are offered at the SIK: a road course with many turns and the classic oval.

For those who can’t get enough, SIK offers a racing league and racing packages. And if you’re not in the mood for speed, they also offer ax throwing.

For fun not in the sun, try SIK in Daytona Beach for all things fast. ― Caroline Hébert, The Daytona Beach News-Journal

Splitsville Luxury Walkways, Disney Springs

1494 East Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, splitsvillelanes.com/location/orlando407-938-7467

Splitville is a next level bowling alley. The ways are scattered this large two-storey space, which also has large TV screens throughout. Your party has its own way with a server bringing you food and drinks.

This place doesn’t have your typical bowling alley food. There are delicious sushi, pizza, burgers and drinks. Splitsville is also a great place to celebrate a birthday or any other celebration. Splitsville has a location in Tampa. ― Michelle Spitzer, FLORIDA TODAY

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Urban Air, Wellington

10560 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington, 561-408-0809, urbanair.com/florida-wellington.

Think big playground for families. This center offers trampolines, but also rock climbing, dodgeball, a ropes course, a combat beam, a tube playground, virtual reality and much more. Height requirements vary by attraction. ―Palm Beach Post