- Tucked into DeLeon Springs State Park, an hour north of Orlando, the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant (planetdeland.com/sugarmill) serves a slice of Old Florida along with an interactive dining experience that will have you flippin’ your flapjacks. Each table has a griddle for cooking your own batch. Two pitchers of batter—the restaurant’s own mixture of five stone-ground flours and an early American Amish white—arrive at the table alongside add-ons like bananas, chocolate chips, peanut butter and even applesauce. After lunch, bob in the roped-of shallow end of the springs (the water’s 72 degrees year-round). All-you-can-eat-pancake entrée: 4.50/person; add-ons $1.75/person.
- Family night is a hit at Pizza by the Sea (pizzabythesea.blogspot.com) in Northwest Florida’s WaterColor. Kids’ brightly decorated pizza pans adorn the walls, and hula hoops and sidewalk chalk invite hours of entertainment. The cheeseburger pizza, loaded with beef, cheese, pickles, mustard and ketchup, is a definite rival for Mickey D’s grub. Average entrée: $12.
- When Leigh Kendall couldn’t find a kid-friendly place, she decided to create A Latte Fun Indoor Playground & Café (alattefun.com) in Palm Beach Gardens. Tots zoom down inflatable slides and bandy about in the foam pit, while mom—cappuccino in hand—taps into free Wi-Fi. Dig into paninis and Peanut “Bunny” and Jelly. Average entrée: $6.
- Sharky’s Restaurant & Tiki Bar (sharkysbeach.com) in Panama City Beach has some of the Gulf’s best beachfront dining, but the real treasure here is the pirate ship playground on the sand. Mom and dad can sip Shark Attacks (a coconut-rum concoction) and munch on bay scallops, while kids explore the ship just steps away. Average entrée: $16.
- Jacksonville’s Times Grill (timesgrill.com) is for the sports-centric family. TVs, etch-a-sketches and 20 specialty burgers are sure to please. The Cajun Sunset, with Creole spices and a pan-fried egg, is a must. Children gobble up catfish and the Worms in the Dirt ice-cream sundae with Oreo crumbles, syrup and gummy worms. Average entrée: $12.
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