While Mother’s Day is traditionally a day to pamper mom and take her out for a nice meal with no cleanup afterwards, Father’s Day is about doing activities that men like to do that involves family time, activities, and maybe some sports. Waterford Lakes in east Orlando has a few good options to help celebrate dad.
Firkin & Kegler and Boardwalk Bowl
At the top of our list is the Firkin & Kegler bowling alley just behind the large Waterford Lakes Town Center. It combines all of the activities above with oversize television screens fixated just above the bowling lanes for some high-tech bowling action. It’s the best of both worlds for dad as he can have some quality time with mom and the kids playing a few games of bowling while watching some of the sporting events taking place on the screens overhead. If the family has some children in the preschool age-range, there is also a mini-bowling alley that allows the kids to play bowling for their size (see video below). At the Firkin & Keggler, there is also a bar just behind the bowling alleys, an arcade, and a full service upscale English Pub.
Firkin & Kegler Entertainment Complex
At the nearby Boardwalk Bowl bowling alley, the focus is on the sheer number of bowling lanes to play at with the space that formerly housed a Wal-Mart. Boardwalk Bowl has 80 total bowling lanes. Similar to the Firkin & Kegler, there is a restaurant and an arcade to play at as well as a mini golf course.
Miniature Golf
Another great option for Father’s Day in the Waterford Lakes area is the Congo River Miniature Golf that has 18 holes of mini golf that is very highly themed with rock formations and waterfalls that has multiple levels of hills that go up and down. This is a great option for the dad’s that like to golf. In addition to the miniature golf, Congo River also has some baby gators on hand that you can feed from a fishing line. Who doesn’t enjoy feeding alligators from a fishing line on Father’s Day? Afterwards, you can walk over to the adjoining Chili’s to get an Awesome Blossom or some fajitas.
Congo River Mini Golf
Real Golf
If the kids are more like adults and you want to have a father and son/daughter experience out on the golf course, some of your best options are at Stoneybrook or EastWood golf courses down Alafaya Trail that have some well-kept fairways and greens.
Real Food, Bar Food, and Waffles
For moms, we present the top 10 romantic restaurants around the Waterford Lakes and UCF area here. For dad, we suggest some good barbecue and sports at the Smokey Bones BBQ Restaurant at Waterford Lakes Town Center or the Buffalo Wild Wings across the street. Some other great options around Waterford Lakes include Miller’s Ale House and the Fuji Sushi Japanese Steakhouse. Closer to the Boardwalk bowling alley is some of the best pizza in Orlando at Mellow Mushroom or Kobe’s Japanese Steakhouse. There is a also a Greek and Lebanese restaurant that you can read about here.
If you are taking dad out for breakfast, Keke’s is the best spot that has several different and creative waffle creations with multiple topping to select from or you can go for a more traditional breakfast spot at Toojay’s Gourmet Deli across the street.
Pictures and a Movie
If you are looking for a great spot to take some pictures of the family for Father’s Day, we recommend heading over to UCF to take some pictures in front of the Reflecting Pond (click here for details) or head over to the UCF Arboretum for some more aesthetic pictures in the outdoors with lots of tree’s around. Another idea is to take dad out for a movie at the Regal Movie Theater at Waterford Lakes. For a cupcake and some frozen yogurt, we recommend Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly.
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Congo River Alligator Feeding
Father’s Day in Waterford Lakes Map
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