Love can make your heart race! And so can awesome, action-packed date adventures. Adrenaline junkies aren't crazy… they just like to have fast-paced fun. So here’s to living life (and dating) in the fast line:
1. Airboat Ride: Watching the sun set is romantic but, for adrenaline junkies, the anticipation can be had with added exitement aboard a wild watercraft! Soar over green marsh on a Boggy Creek Airboat Rides sunset tour at 45 mph on Lake Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee) in a U.S. Coast Guard approved airboat. Perched high on the propeller water vessel, your swamp captain will point out exotic birds, chomping alligators and more wildlife roaming within their natural Everglades habitat.
2. Go Karts: Sure, snagging a table at the hottest new restaurant in town is amazing. But sometimes you just need old school amusement to laugh with your love. Channel the days of youthful bliss with classic date night activities like bowling, mini golf and even go-karting. Allow your competitive side to let loose racing around the track at Nascar I-Drive Indoor Kart Racing. Enjoy a victory drink (bottle & draft beer or wine) and eats at the raceway café.
3. New Water Park: Universal Orlando’s third amazing theme park, Volcano Bay, will officially open on May 25, 2017. Get ready for exhilarating water rides including the Ko’okiri Body Plunge, featuring a 70-degree fall through a drop door and 125 feet of screaming, white-knuckle fun.
4. Revolution Off Road: Ready for a dirty date? Head to Clermont to race a dune buggy or ATVs. New adventures = new (and everlasting) memories!
5. Speed Boat Adventure Tour: Day trip to St. Petersburg – you know you need a beach day anyway – and take the wheel as captain of a speed boat! Embark on a guided tour of Florida’s pristine waterways with a twist… meaning you drive following trained guides using a radio communication system. Aside from the thrill of manning the wheel, you’ll see dolphin, sea turtles, manatee, sea birds and more.
6. Seaplane: You’d expect a private charter flight to break the bank, but Jones Brothers & Co. Air and Sea Adventures has launched a new, affordable experience. OK, so it might be the “Shortest Seaplane Charter Flight in the USA” but, for $25, you’ll take date night to new heights with views of Mount Dora’s chain of lakes and the surrounding area.
7. Mind Blowing Roller Coaster at Fun Spot: Living in the shadows of Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, you may be more familiar with this smaller amusement park’s “huge” commercials rather than its rides. In 2017, Fun Spot will amp things up with the only wooden roller coaster in the southeast United States featuring a 360 degree barrel roll. Buckle up to reach new speeds this summer.
8. Themed Race: You don’t have to be an outstanding runner to enjoy one of Orlando’s many themed runs. Sure, you want to cross the finish line but many local events invite participates to focus on having fun together on the course rather than watching the clock. Check out the Star Wars 5K/10K/half marathon (April), Pig Run aka donut dash (April), Flavor Run 5K (May), Foam Glow 5K (September), Tough Mudder (October), or Zombie Run 5K (January). Our 2017 guide to running dates has loads more ideas.
9. Whitewater Rafting: Yes, you can experience a bouncy, action-packed wilderness ride in the sunshine state… just daytrip it! The Withlacoochee River, just north of Crystal River on the west coast, flows for 100 miles and offers easy whitewater rafting. American Whitewater, a conservation nonprofit, lists seven bodies of water in Florida as whitewater sites, including the Alapahoochee (Grand Bay Canal), Aucilla, Chipola, Falling Creek, Hillsborough, Suwannee and Turket Creek rivers.
And, of course…
10. Speed Dating: Maybe you’re only familiar with speed dating from awkward TV or movie scenes. But speed dating can work (and fast). It maximizes your time to double (quadruple, or more) book yourself with potential dates. Since everyone is there for the same reason, it’s drama-free and, best of all, if you do have an unfortunate awkward date, the speed date wraps within 5 minutes anyway so you have an out. That’s right… no lying to get out of the date or faking a phone call. Orlando has tons of options, like Date Switch.
Feature image credit: Boggy Creek Airboat Rides