The best things to do in Orlando with kids when it rains are the Orlando Science Center, the Crayola Experience at Florida Mall, SEA LIFE Aquarium at ICON Park, and WonderWorks on I-Drive, all fully indoors and all better value than a soggy theme-park afternoon. Orlando’s summer rain follows a script: sunny morning, 2 p.m. downpour, clear evening. Plan around the script and the rain never wins.
Where should you go in Orlando when it rains?
Orlando Science Center
Four floors of hands-on everything — Orlando Science Center comfortably absorbs an entire wet afternoon, with KidsTown for the little ones and real dinosaur digs for the big ones.
Crayola Experience
Crayola Experience Orlando inside Florida Mall: 26 hands-on stations, name-your-own-crayon machines, and mall food court backup when everyone’s hungry. Rain simply does not exist in here.
SEA LIFE Orlando at ICON Park
A 360° ocean tunnel, touch pools, and — because it’s inside the ICON Park complex — you can add The Wheel at ICON Park the moment the sky clears, with the whole city rain-washed below.
WonderWorks
The upside-down building on I-Drive: hurricane simulator, indoor ropes course, laser tag. Loud and chaotic, yes — but it’s three hours of burned energy on a day the pool is off the table.
What if it rains during your theme park day?
Don’t leave — outlast it. Orlando storms usually pass in 60–90 minutes, ride lines collapse while everyone else flees, and the hour after a storm is the emptiest the park will be all day. Duck into a show (they’re all indoors), then walk onto rides that had 70-minute waits at noon.
Where to Stay So Rain Can’t Ruin Orlando
Rainproofing starts with the hotel. A 2 p.m. storm is a non-event when your resort has an indoor kids’ zone, a covered pool bar, and a lazy river that reopens the minute the lightning clears — the big Lake Buena Vista and Bonnet Creek resorts are built for exactly this. If your crew skews younger, resorts with organized indoor programming for kids buy you ninety adult minutes during the downpour. And a rental villa with a game room — a very Orlando phenomenon: foosball, arcade cabinets, sometimes a private theater — turns a washout afternoon into the part of the trip the kids narrate at Thanksgiving.
The Rainy-Day Playbook, Hour by Hour
Orlando rain is punctual, so plan like a local: outdoor things before noon, when storms are rare; lunch somewhere with a roof and a long menu right as the sky stacks up; and your indoor anchor — Science Center, Crayola, SEA LIFE — booked for the 1–4 p.m. window when the storm actually lands. By 5 the pavement is steaming, the pools reopen, and the parks are emptier than they’ve been all day. The one mistake to avoid is treating rain as a schedule failure and drifting into the hotel room with screens and snacks at 1:30 — that way lies a feral 7 p.m. Keep the afternoon structured, and the rain is just air-conditioning with sound effects.
FAQs About Orlando with Kids on Rainy Days
What do you do in Orlando when it rains?
Head indoors: Orlando Science Center, Crayola Experience, SEA LIFE at ICON Park, or WonderWorks. Summer storms usually clear within 90 minutes.
Do Orlando theme parks close when it rains?
No — parks stay open. Outdoor rides pause during lightning, but indoor rides and shows run, and lines shrink dramatically during storms.
Does it rain every day in Orlando in summer?
Most summer afternoons see a short, intense storm around 2–4 p.m., then clear evenings. Plan outdoor mornings and keep one indoor option in your pocket.
Helpful Local Resources
Before you go, these official Orlando, FL sites are worth a bookmark. They have current hours, beach conditions, and event calendars straight from the people who know the area best.
- Visit Orlando for official visitor information, events, and trip planning help
- Orange County Parks
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