Florida Tour Discounts for the Military and Veterans

By Lauren Tjaden

South Florida | Central Florida | North Florida

Florida offers a vast array of tours with discount for military and veterans—including a candy tour that caters to chocoholics, an airboat tour likely to make your palms sweat, and a ghost tour that explores the dark corners of a haunted city. The ones featured here all have one thing in common: they offer discounts to the military. Discover the perfect tour for your troops—on the cheap.

South Florida

Sawgrass Recreation Park, Weston

In this thrilling airboat ride, you’ll skim across the shallow waters of the Florida Everglades with a highly-trained, experienced guide. While you learn about this impressive ecosystem, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife and prepare to hang on and have fun. The park promises year-round complimentary admission to the military for standard airboat rides and exhibits, and guests traveling with you also receive 15% off. Just show your military ID.  evergladestours.com

Conch Tour Train, Key West

Each year on Veterans Day, this iconic Florida Keys attraction offers free admission to all veterans and active duty military personnel. In addition, they offer free Veteran’s Day admission to the following: Old Town Trolley Tours, Key West Aquarium, Truman Little White House, Sails to Rails Museum, Key West Shipwreck Treasure Museum, Key West Walking Tour, and Ghosts & Gravestones. See conchtourtrain.com/veterans-discounts.for details.

Central Florida

Three Sisters Springs Center, Crystal River

Enjoy a ride on the trolley tour to Three Sisters Springs, home to huge numbers of gentle manatees.  Sometimes called sea cows, these massive animals move in and out of the springs as they please as temperatures and tides change. Your best chances for seeing manatees at the springs is on a chilly day when the water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Check out military discounts for the springs here: threesistersspringsvisitor.org

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island

You’re sure to be inspired when you tour Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the historic birthplace of American spaceflight. The Space Center celebrates our ongoing space journey, and also offers exciting experiences such as training like an astronaut and special interest tours. U.S. Active Duty military receive $7 off adult admission and $6 off child admission when presenting a valid military photo I.D. at the Visitor Complex ticket windows. kennedyspacecenter.com/info/tickets

Wild Florida, Kenansville

Wild Florida promises that their airboat ride over the Headwaters of the Florida Everglades will be the wildest adventure you’ll experience in Central Florida. While there, visit the Gator Park, home to more than 200 native and exotic animals. If you’re really feeling adventurous, get up close with a gator, a sloth or even a porcupine in an interactive animal encounter. After the action, refuel on swamp delicacies at the Chomp House Grill. The military gets 15% off all airboat tours and experiences, and 50% off Gator Park admission. wildfloridairboats.com/deals-for-humans

A Day Away Kayak Tours, Central Florida

This company offers an assortment of kayak tours, including Moonlight Tours, Sunrise & Sunset Tours, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Tours, Manatee Encounter Tours, Silver River Tours, and Private Refuge Tours. But their specialty is Bioluminescent Tours, where they take visitors into the lagoon waters on the Space Coast of Florida. Every paddle stroke, every fish that swims past, or even dangling your fingers in the water all spark the gentle plankton called bioluminescence to make the water glow blue. Call for details about their military discounts. adayawaykayaktours.com/

BK Adventure Eco-Tours, Central Florida

Local guides at BK Adventure Eco-Tours will bring you to the very heart of natural Florida for bioluminescent kayaking, manatee and dolphin tours, as well as mountain-biking day trips. Call for details about their military discounts. bkadventure.com

Showcase of Citrus, Clermont

The size of the monster trucks at this 2,500-acre working citrus and cattle ranch estate has been described as "staggering," and given their dimensions - 14 feet wide, 16 feet tall and 40 feet long – that description is apt. You’re invited to climb aboard these behemoths to cruise through native woodland, pastureland, grove land, and swampland, learning about the estate’s history. Take a selfie next to the trucks and afterward, relax and pick some fresh Florida citrus straight off the tree. Active military and veterans ride free with military ID.  showcaseofcitrus.com

North Florida

Sweet Pete's Jacksonville

Whatever decadent Sweet Pete tour you choose – including one especially for chocoholics - your tastebuds will celebrate. Learn about candy and chocolate as you tour the 100-year-old Sweet Pete's candy mansion, exploring the production facility, the packaging room and caramel wrapping machine. The best part? The tour is capped off with the creation of a chocolate bar made exactly the way you want it. Sweet Pete’s promises free tours for the military for a whole month in the Spring as well as a 10% military discount all year. sweetpetescandy.com/collections/tours

Ghost Tours of St. Augustine

If you’re looking for a spirited adventure, you can’t do better than a ghost tour in St. Augustine, considered to be one of the most haunted cities in America.  Explore the back alleys of the city by the glimmer of lantern-light with a guide, while searching for the supernatural and delve into the gruesome history of the city's lesser-known dark side. Military discounts for all of the company’s walking tours are $2, including the following:

·         ghosttoursofstaugustine.net  

·         TourStAugustine.com

·         StAugCityWalks.com

·         GhostToursofStAug.com

·         StAugBlackHeritageTours.com

Emerald Coast Tours, Pensacola

Segway tours! Walking pub tours! A combination Segway-sailing-tour! Emerald Coast Tours offers them all and more. Have fun learning about the Pensacola area, from its historic downtown to its glistening bay and white-sand beach. Check out details about military discounts here:  emeraldcoasttours.net/segway-tours

Always Ask

Many places offer military discounts for tours, even if they’re not advertised, so make sure to ask.

Looking for Florida theme park discounts? Here’s where you can find them: Military Discounts at Florida Theme Parks