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My favorite thing to do in Orlando costs $20 and involves stunning wildlife and multimillion-dollar homes

My favorite thing to do in Orlando costs $20 and involves stunning wildlife and multimillion-dollar homes

Megan duBois

There are plenty of beautiful Orlando attractions outside of Disney World. Megan duBois

I travel to Orlando at least twice a month to visit the theme parks and explore the city.
One of my favorite things to do is a $20 boat ride through a historic neighborhood.

I've been traveling to Orlando at least twice a month for the past 10 years. Since I visit the city's theme parks so often, I'm always looking for something new to do with family, friends, or by myself.

I always tell people who are visiting to get off the highway before the theme parks to experience one of my favorite discoveries: a $20 scenic boat ride through historic Winter Park near downtown Orlando.

The hour-long ride on the pontoon-style boats is full of wildlife, stunning multimillion-dollar homes, and famous landmarks.

Prices are set no matter what time of day you go.

The boat ride has always been $20 when I've gone. Megan duBois

I recently took the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour on a Thursday morning, and I was surprised to learn that no matter what day or time you go, the price is always $20.

It makes this an easy and affordable tour that almost anyone can do. I also loved that the tours are prompt, leaving every hour on the hour.

I got to the dock in Winter Park about 15 minutes before a tour, and there was still plenty of room for me to get on the list.

During the tour, I saw stunning mansions that line the lakes.

There are multimillion-dollar homes in Winter Park. Megan duBois

The main draw for this boat tour is seeing some of the multimillion-dollar mansions along the three lakes the boat travels around.

Our captain, who also doubled as the tour guide, told us that homes can be $10 to $20 million or more, depending on where they are on the chain of lakes.

He also pointed out one home that's still under construction on Lake Maitland. It's set to be a whopping 44,000 square feet.

My favorite part of the tour is traveling through the canals.

There's so much lush vegetation to appreciate in Florida. Megan duBois

To get between each lake, the boat travels through two different canals — one of them is over a mile long.

I love the canals because they offer great closeup views of some homes, the tree canopy keeps the area shaded, and birds and other wildlife are often hiding in the vegetation.

There were some tight stretches along the canal.

We went under bridges along the canals. Megan duBois

The captain made sure to let everyone on the boat know when to lower our heads so we didn't bump into a low-lying branch.

He'd also sound the warning so we wouldn't be surprised by an upcoming bridge.

The tour ends with a view of Mr. Rogers' home.

The house is a fun landmark along the lake. Megan duBois

Before heading back to the dock, our tour guide slowed down so everyone could get a good view of the home of the late Fred Rogers from "Mr. Rogers's Neighborhood."

The captain also mentioned that two of Rogers' cardigans are on display at nearby Rollins College, where the TV host attended school in Winter Park.

I’d recommend the boat tour to anyone who’s going to Orlando.

The affordable, hour-long boat tour is a great daytime activity. Megan duBois

The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour was a great way to relax in an otherwise busy city.

From seeing the home of Mr. Rogers to learning more about the history of Winter Park, the tour is wonderful. It's a must-do for anyone visiting Orlando.