Clermont, Davenport and Haines City Holidays

They’re only a short drive from Walt Disney World Resort, but Clermont, Davenport and Haines City often feel a million miles away. All three are small, residential towns with enough hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and golf courses for each day of the week. Plus, they make great jumping-off points for hiking and water-based adventures in the state parks and lakes.

Walt Disney World Resort's the first port of call for any visitor to Florida. Magic Kingdom Park kicks things off with Mickey and Minnie parades, the Cinderella Castle, and world-famous rides like Space Mountain. And, with Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Disney's Hollywood Studios to explore the following day, and the day after that, it’s like a fairytale that has no end. The whole bunch are within half an hour's drive, too.

Away from the Disney highs, these towns offer plenty of open-air spaces and low-key attractions for winding down. A stay at Clermont puts you within reach of the world-famous Lakeridge Winery, and you’re just a few kilometres from a chain of lakes known for canoeing, walking trails, and horse riding. Families at Davenport can usually be found in the park around Lake Play. The area around Haines City, meanwhile, has a whopping 16 swimming, fishing and boating spots to pick between.

Golf's a big business in this neck of the woods, with all three towns boasting a bevy of courses. And wherever you’re staying, you’re never more than 40 minutes’ drive from the Greg Norman-designed trio of signature courses, in Championsgate. In around 45 minutes by car, too, you can be banging on the gates of Florida’s other big theme parks – Universal Studios™, Universal's Islands of Adventure™ and Universal's Volcano Bay™.