Gravity got you down? These tours will lift your spirits and give you a whole new perspective on the Sunshine State.
Panhandle Helicopter offers a bird’s-eye view of Northwest Florida’s Emerald Coast, departing from Panama City Beach on a variety of excursions ranging from quick five-minute flights to 26-minute tours that parallel scenic 30A along the coastline. The copter can take up to three people at a time.
You’ll soar above the theme park lines with Orlando HeliTours, which fly over all the major parks as well as Central Florida’s Butler Chain of Lakes.
Set midway between Fort Myers and West Palm Beach—where Gulf and Atlantic winds converge—Florida Ridge Airsports Park in Clewiston offers hang gliding lessons followed by tandem rides with an instructor at 1,500 feet up. Ultralight plane rides also are featured along with trail biking, ATV riding and a golf driving range for those who prefer terra firma.
Not only is Fantasy of Flight in Polk City a one-of-a-kind event space, recalling the glamorous early days of flight in vintage settings, but this aviation-themed attraction allows you to experience the thrill of early flight with rides aboard a real biplane, the New Standard D-25, which flies above Central Florida’s lake country for 15 minutes. Flights also are available in the WWII trainer Boeing Stearman PT-17, with guests taking the controls on a 30-minute flight experience.