Indoor Activities Guide: Things to Do in Lakeland + Polk County

Indoor family fun and indoor playgrounds are in high-demand year-round in Florida. When the temperatures are high, we love being in the air conditioning for indoor activities!

Indoor fun means a lot more than just indoor playgrounds. We’ve got lots of indoor things to do with kids here in Lakeland including laser tag, arcade games, roller skating, ice skating, bowling, indoor trampoline parks, museums and more. Perfect for a rainy day, a hot day, or just any day you’re looking for something to do as a family. Indoor play isn’t just for kids – teens and parents will also find indoor activities on this list.

Check out these fun things to do in Lakeland, Polk County, and Central Florida.

Prefer outdoor fun? We’ve also got a huge Outdoor Activities Guide for Lakeland + Polk County.
Looking for free activities? Check out our list of 50+ free things to do in Lakeland.

Things to Do Indoors in Lakeland + Polk County

INDOOR PLAYGROUNDS

An indoor playground will give your kids space to run, climb, slide, and burn off some of that endless energy!

One of our favorite things to do indoors in Lakeland is Family Fun Center. Funtasia is a HUGE kids indoor playground designed for ages 12 and under. Children can spend hours exploring the 4 story maze of tunnels, tubes, slides, indoor bounce house, and obstacles. Parents are welcome to join in the fun, just be sure to bring a pair of socks!

{Family Fun Center is an indoor amusement park in Lakeland Fl that includes a kids indoor play area, outdoor mini-golf course, laser tag arena, laser maze and beam buster challenge, arcade games, video games, prize redemption counter, pizza café, birthday parties, group events, and more. The Fun Center has been entertaining families in Lakeland for over 40 years!}

Other great indoor playgrounds to keep kids busy include trampoline parks and children’s museums – listed below.

INDOOR TRAMPOLINE PARKS

Bounce the day away at a Ninja-Warrior style kids indoor trampoline park in Lakeland.

Urban Air Lakeland Fl offers an indoor ropes course, Sky Rider zipline, plus indoor rock climbing walls, obstacle course, and LOTS of trampolines. My boys especially love the dodge ball arena.

Sky Zone Lakeland (formerly Defy Trampoline Park Lakeland) has a huge indoor trampoline grid featuring over 60 trampolines, including the famous angled wall trampolines, launching decks, foam pits, and more, plus a warped wall just like you see at the end of American Ninja Warrior.

SKATING RINKS

If you want active indoor fun, check out a local roller skating rink or indoor ice skating rink.

A Lakeland tradition for over 40 years, Skate World is our go-to place for roller skating. They offer open skating sessions all week long and on weekends, plus daytime roller skating during the summer. Sign up for Kids Skate Free and receive free skating passes year-round.

Cool down on a hot summer day {oh wait, that’s almost any day!} at Lakeland Ice Arena. They offer public ice skating in Lakeland, as well as ice skating lessons, competitive hockey leauges, and more. Also a great option during Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks when you’re feeling especially festive and winter-y.

ARCADE GAMES

Whether you prefer retro arcade games, pinball machines, ticket redemption, or love playing games just for fun, these family entertainment center’s and arcades in Lakeland and Winter Haven provide fun for the whole family.

Family Fun Center has a huge arcade featuring over 100 video and redemption games ranging from the classics like Pac-Man, Galaga, and air hockey, to the newest cutting edge games including Super Bikes 2, Crossy Road, Monster Drop, Spongebob Pineapple Arcade, Big Buck Hunter, basketball and football throwing games, and more.

Artcade in Winter Haven has retro arcade games, pinball machines, and game consoles. Pay by the hour or play all day!

Cypress Lanes in Winter Haven has bowling, arcade games, and laser tag.

Rec Room is located in Downtown Lakeland. It is a bar with a focus on video games, arcades, and other recreational activities. Kids are welcome with supervision until 9pm.

{Check directly with these barcades in Lakeland for current kid-friendly hours}

MUSEUMS + PLACES TO LEARN WHILE YOU PLAY

Looking for a kids indoor play option that combines fun with learning? These hands-on museums, libraries, and discovery centers will give your kids something to do indoors AND stimulate the brain.

The Florida Children’s Museum {formerly Exploration’s V Children’s Museum} is now open at Bonnet Springs Park. This amazing new place to learn and play includes everything you’d expect in a children’s museum and more – toddler play areas, dress-up play, career play, technology areas, stop motion animation, a green screen film area, a music room, STEM building, outdoor play, Blinky – a 100-ft climbable alligator, out of school camps, summer camps, daily programs, hands on workshops, birthday parties, field trips – all in a whimsical, brand new 47,800 square-foot facility in Central Florida.

Interested in wildlife and plants? Head to Polk’s Nature Discovery Center at Circle B Bar Reserve to learn more about Central Florida’s ecosystem. These educational displays cover a variety of animal habitats including the oak hammock, wetlands, flatwoods, sandhill, scrub, and lakes. Exhibits will also allow you to touch and feel the furs of animals found in the great outdoors and hear the sounds of our local ecosystems. (When you’re done be sure to go on an outdoor adventure and explore the trails at Circle B – it’s a great place to spot an alligator!)

If you love planes and all things aerospace, check out the Florida Air Museum at the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), located on the SUN ‘n FUN campus. The museum features a dynamic display of airplanes including unique designs, classics, ultra-lights, antiques, and warbirds. Kids will love the Discovery Zone that features STEM games, a dress-up station, and a creative coloring booth. They also host special events including SUN ‘n FUN, Night at the Museum overnight camping, Aerospace Center for Excellence STEM Field Trips, and more.

While my kids’ favorite part of the Mulberry Phosphate Museum is the outdoor dig pile {you can find shark teeth!} they also have an indoor museum with a collection of fossilized remains, area memorabilia, and educational exhibits on the Phosphate Industry. Free admission.

What was once the Polk County Courthouse is now the The Polk County History Center – a historical museum and library open to the public with free admission. The museum’s collection includes natural and cultural objects related to Polk and the greater Central Florida area that represent our history from pre-Columbian to present day eras. The museum also hosts rotating exhibits and educational programs that feature a variety of subjects specific to Polk County.

Our local libraries offer more than just books! Storytimes and arts & crafts are indoor activities for kids to keep them busy on a rainy day or a hot day. Plan a trip to one of the 3 library branches in Lakeland – the Main Library on Lake Morton, Kelly Branch Library at Kelly Recreation Center, or the Larry Jackson Branch Library. We also have 13 other libraries you can visit in Polk County!

Although you can’t run and play at the Polk Museum of Art, it is kid-friendly! Plus FREE admission means you can stay for 10 minutes or stay for an hour. This museum of fine art has rotating exhibits, a children’s art gallery, a sculpture garden, a gift shop, and more.

LASER MAZE & LASER TAG

Looking for something the whole family can do? Kids, teenagers, and adults will enjoy a heart-thumping game of lazer tag as you run, dart, and try to find the best hiding place while you defend your team’s base.

Family Fun Center’s Laser Tag arena offers one on one OR capture the flag style team play. Grab up to 20 of your closest friends or family members and have a laser tag competition. Younger kids can join in the fun with handheld laser tag devices that don’t require a vest.

Pretend you’re Jason Bourne, James Bond or Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible when you try the Vault Assault Laser Maze Challenge at Family Fun Center. Just like in the movies you’ll have to crawl, jump, and balance your way carefully through the lasers to get to the other side of the room.

{Although they don’t have indoor mini-golf, Family Fun Center does have a great outdoor miniature golf course!}

Cypress Lanes in Winter Haven also has a laser tag arena.

ESCAPE ROOMS

If your family loves a challenge, head to one of Lakeland’s indoor escape rooms – Lakeland Escape Room or Escapology Lakeland. You’ll have 1 hour to solve the clues and escape. This is one of my family’s favorite activities, especially if we go with another family. The more thinking power the merrier!

INDOOR BATTING CAGES

Whether you play Little League Baseball or Softball OR are just looking for indoor family fun, find indoor batting cages near you.

ARCHERY

Test your aim with a trip to the indoor archery range.

Adventures Archery in Lakeland features an indoor range with 20 lanes for archery – 12 for adults and 8 for children. Rental equipment is available. Note that children must be able to use the bow and arrow completely unassisted. ALL children under the age of 18 years MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

MOVIE THEATERS

We have a variety of movie theater experiences here in Lakeland and Polk County including IMAX, 3-D, D-Box motion seats, comfy reclining chairs, food and drinks during your movie, and more.

CMX Theaters Lakeside Village (formerly Cobb Theaters) offers IMAX, 3D and D-Box motion seats. Before or after the movie you can enjoy dinner, a sweet treat, or shopping at Lakeside Village.

Cinemark Theaters at Lakeland Square Mall has those ah-mazing comfy reclining chairs and an advance ticketing system that allows you to reserve your seats online.

CMX Cinemas Grand 10 in Winter Haven is a family-friendly theater that features 10 screens with 100% digital projection

Cinépolis Polk Co. IMAX features a 239 seat IMAX screen, reserved seating, gourmet snacks, expanded concessions and a bar (yep, adult drink bar). Located at Posner Park Mall in Davenport.

Plant City Premiere LUX Cine & Pizza Pub is just a short drive from Lakeland.

(If you really want a unique movie going experience, check out Silver Moon Drive-In for an outdoor family movie)

In the summer you can also find low price and free summer movies near you at all of these theaters!

BOWLING ALLEYS

Bowling is a favorite in my house! Bowl a few games at these local bowling alleys – AMF Lakeland, Orange Bowl Lanes, Cypress Lanes in Winter Haven, Fast Frame Bowl in Lake Wales, or Family Bowl in Plant City.

Looking for indoor summer fun? Sign up for Kids Bowl Free.

MAKE & TAKE ART STUDIOS

Paint your own pottery, assemble a mosaic, or make jewelry. These arts and crafts studios allow you to create your own masterpiece.

PicassoZ Art Cafe is a drop-in, do-it-yourself art studio featuring pottery painting, mosaics, fused glass jewelry, clay, and more. Stop by anytime they are open to create a masterpiece or pick up supplies to create at home. {Don’t miss Tea Largo next door – their acai bowls, smoothie bowls, and boba teas are amazing!}

Other creative outlets for arts and crafts include Art Centric Studio and Painting with a Twist, both offer a regular schedule of classes that require advance registration. The Polk Museum of Art also offers after school art and other art classes during the year. 

SPECTATOR SPORTS

We have lots of options for professional sports and spectator sports here in Lakeland and Polk County, including indoor sporting events.

Lakeland Ice Arena is the home arena for the ice hockey team at Florida Southern College. Spectators are welcome.

We also have Detroit Tigers Spring Training and the Lakeland Flying Tigers who play outdoors at Joker Marchant Stadium.

THEATRES + LIVE PERFORMANCES

Take your children to a musical or theater production geared toward kids and watch their imaginations soar. Live music is also a family-friendly activity for all ages.

Check out the theaters and performing arts venues to find an upcoming performance that you and your family are sure to enjoy. Local venues and performance groups include the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, Lakeland Community Theatre, Theatre Winter Haven, RP Funding Center, The Polk Theatre, and more.

{In addition to checking these venues’ websites, we also list many local performances on our Calendar – use the Music, Theater + Live Performances filter}.

UNIQUE INDOOR FUN

These unique indoor “eatertainment” venues are new(ish) to Lakeland and so much fun! You can play and eat, all at the same venue.

The Back Nine is a full service restaurant and premier golf experience with 3 Full Swing Golf simulators with access to 80+ courses. Multisport option allows you to play football, baseball, dodgeball, hockey, and more.

AX-Caliber Axe Venue & Coffee House is Polk County’s Very First Axe Venue and Coffee House. Stop by for great food and coffee and schedule an appointment for ax-throwing.

INDOOR EVENTS AND CLASSES

These locations offer indoor events and classes on a one time basis without a commitment:

The Carol Jenkins Barnett United Way Children’s Resource Center (formerly Family Fundamentals) offers classes on a weekly basis for children from infants through age 5 where parents and children will learn and socialize as they participate in fun, stimulating, developmental activities. These classes are FREE and a great opportunity to meet other moms and caregivers. No commitment is required. The Children’s Resource Center is located at Bonnet Springs Park, in the same building as the Florida Children’s Museum.

Enchanted Fairytale Hollow is home to Lakeland’s most magical party entertainment company – Dreams Come True Entertainment. They host weekly events and storytimes featuring your favorite princesses, fairies, and superheroes. {Check their schedule – advance purchase required for most events}

All of our local libraries host free storytimes and activities for kids. Contact your nearest library for a current schedule.

You can find year-round indoor classes and kids enrichment in our Clases & Lessons Guide.

INDOOR PLAYGROUNDS FOR TODDLERS

Toddlers have boundless energy and different needs for indoor play than elementary aged kids. These indoor activities for toddlers and play spaces listed below have areas specially designed for ages 5 & under.

Funtasia at Family Fun Center – there is a special play area for toddlers with a small ball pit, indoor bounce house type floor to jump on, and a small slide.

The Florida Children’s Museum is built for all ages of kids, but Watermelon Seeds is especially for the littlest visitors.

Urban Air has an indoor playground with tubes and slides designed for younger kids.

Some local restaurants have a free indoor play place including Chick-fil-a and McDonalds.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR TEENS

Although they might act like they’re too cool for family fun, these activities are sure to put a smile on your preteen or teen’s face.

• Arcade Games
• Laser Tag
• Bowling
• Archery
• Escape Rooms
• Movie Theatres
• Batting Cages
• Sporting Events
• Ice Skating & Roller Skating
• Trampoline Parks

Seasonal Indoor Activities

Looking for outdoor things to do that are seasonal? Check out our list of activities for each season: 

• Spring + Easter
• Summer
• Fall + Halloween
• Winter + Christmas

MAP – INDOOR ACTIVITIES NEAR YOU

Indoor Things to Do Near Me

Things to Do Indoors with Kids

As you can see, there are lots of things for kids to do in Lakeland Fl! We hope you and your family enjoy exploring all of these fun places in Lakeland and Polk County.

Did we miss a place for indoor fun or an indoor play area for kids? Contact us and we’ll add it to our list!