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The next big thing in family holidays is gramping which is when grandparents take their grandchildren away on holidays while their grown kids stay home. Also known as "skip-gen" holiday (leaving the parents at home) the focus is on exploring nostalgic destinations that grandparents may have vacationed at themselves, or on previous family holidays when their own kids were little.
Orlando is the perfect fit for a 'gramping' holiday, where you can make memories with the next generation.
Here are just some of things you can do in Orlando to create special memories with grandchildren.
What activities are there for children/grandchildren into Harry Potter?
Ollivanders at Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an unforgettable destination for any Potterhead grandchild; they can participate in a wand selection ceremony where the wand truly chooses the wizard. Receiving that first wand is a pivotal moment in any young wizard's life, giving both grandparents and their grandkids an experience to treasure. Click here.
What is a good activity for kids who love animals in Orlando?
Grandparents can take their grandkids all the way to the Arctic with SeaWorld Orlando's new Penguin Encounter Meet, hold and pet new flippered friends together, as each bird has its own unique personality! At the end, grandparents and their grandkids can take a keepsake photo together with their favorite penguin, memorializing the arctic adventure they've shared.Click here.
What can I do with kids who love Disney Characters in Orlando?
Spend time with a favourite character – whether it be princesses or classics like Mickey and friends - at a Character Dining Experience. Older kids can dine like proper Disney royalty at the Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea Room. Click here.
Art comes alive at the Crayola Experience. Grandparents and grandkids can design a custom crayon together, creating a unique color and color name special to just to the two of them. Then, create a personalized coloring sheet at a special photo booth. Long after the trip is over, grandchildren will remember the fun time they had with their grandparent when they colour. Click here.
What about kids who love amusement parks and rides?
Relive classic amusement park memories at Fun Spot America. Filled with wooden roller coasters, bumper cars and a two-story carousel, grandparents can enjoy childhood theme park memories again, this time with their grandchildren. Plus, Fun Spot's go-kart tracks set up grandparent versus grandchild in an epic race or zoom together in a two-seater kart, perfect for fulfilling that shared need for speed. Click here.
For children, so much of NASA and space travel are just facts in a textbook. A grandparent can show them the Space Shuttle Atlantis and share what they remember living through, like Apollo 11 and the Mars Rover, for a meaningful, out-of-this-world trip. For more information on the Kennedy Space Station click here.
What activities are there for kids who love history?
Check out grandparents' and grandchildren's favorite celebrities at Madame Tussauds Celebrity Wax Attraction at ICON Park. Grandparents reminisce with their grandkids about leaders who impacted their generation and beyond – like Martin Luther King Jr. - while the younger ones talk about current Hollywood stars like Ryan Gosling or Selena Gomez. The grandkids can even teach their grandparents the art of taking a selfie! Click here.
Learn something new together at the Orlando Science Center by making memories digging for dinosaur bones or braving the strong winds of a hurricane. At its Hive: a Makerspace, grandkids can enjoy building whacky inventions that they can bring home as a keepsake. This visit may just inspire a lifetime love of science in a grandchild. Click here.
For kids who love dressing up and fantasy
From becoming a "fairy grandparent" by making a grandchild's princess dreams come true to the adrenaline rush from a ride on a classic wooden roller coaster, "Fairy Grandparents" can watch their grandchild transform into a shining knight or Disney princess with a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Nothing is more magical than becoming part of a fairytale and sharing that unforgettable moment. Click here.
