Jacksonville to Kissimmee drive: Distance, time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Jacksonville to Kissimmee drive are St Augustine, Daytona Beach and Orlando. The distance from Jacksonville to Kissimmee by car is 162 miles, with a 2h21m driving time.

Planning a Jacksonville to Kissimmee road trip itinerary

The Jacksonville to Kissimmee drive connects northern and central Florida.

Top Jacksonville experiences include Amelia Island kayak tours, guided art and architecture tours by electric bike and electric skateboard rides along Fernandina Beach.

For cultural attractions, head to the Cummer Museum, where the strength tends to be the rotating temporary exhibitions.

Highly-rated Jacksonville accommodation options include the charming Riverdale Inn B&B and the conveniently downtown Hyatt Regency.

Effectively a southern suburb of Orlando, family-friendly Kissimmee goes its own way. The Old Town Entertainment District, full of restaurants, bars and fairground-esque attractions, is the centerpiece.

Good Kissimmee experiences include airboat swamp tours, self-guided lakefront tours on an electrified adult trike and scenic helicopter flights over Florida’s theme parks.

Perhaps best of all, though, is a two hour eco-kayaking tour. This heads through the cypress forest on Shingle Creek – the headwaters of the Everglades.

Reliably good Kissimmee hotels include the Banana Bay Resort and the affordably retro Hotel Monte Carlo.

Jacksonville to Kissimmee distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Jacksonville to Kissimmee is 162 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 21 minutes. The majority of the drive is down the I-95 and I-4.

The best stops to add to a Jacksonville to Kissimmee road trip itinerary are St Augustine, Daytona Beach and Orlando.

For more suggestions, see the guides to the Jacksonville to Daytona Beach drive and Daytona Beach to Kissimmee drive.

Best stops between Jacksonville and Kissimmee: St Augustine

St Augustine is the oldest continually inhabited city in the United States, and it has largely escaped heavy modernised development. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León.

In the compact, historic centre, there are several chintzy heritage attractions which are fun but not exactly brimming with centuries of authenticity.

The Spanish-built Castillo de San Marcos on the waterfront does pack that historic power, though. It should be sight number one before mooching around town.

Other St Augustine experiences include hop-on, hop-off trolley passes, sunset cruises and dolphin, manatee and sea turtle-viewing tours.

Jacksonville to Kissimmee drive: Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach is one of the most attractive cities on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. To many, it is most obviously associated with NASCAR racing at the Daytona Speedway, but there’s way more to it than fast cars.

Enjoyable Daytona Beach experiences include small group sailing cruises, paddleboarding or kayaking with dolphins and manatees, wine bar tours and a Polynesian fire and dinner show.

You can also try a dive bar crawl, zipline adventures and beach Segway rides.

Good Daytona Beach accommodation options with pools by the beach include the Days Inn Daytona Oceanfront and Bahama House.

Jacksonville to Kissimmee road trip attractions: Orlando

Orlando is known worldwide as the home of Disney World, but there’s far more to it than Mickey and Co. You can get crazy selfies at the Museum of Illusions or WonderWorks, learn how chocolate is made at Chocolate Kingdom and ride the Wheel at ICON Park or Orlando StarFlyer. Alternatively, visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, play adventure golf at Pirates’ Cove and say hi to the stingrays at Sea Life.

In the evenings, there’s the Polynesian Fire Luau and Dinner Show, Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn To Life and the Outta Control magic comedy show.

Other Orlando experiences include glow-in-the-dark kayaking, foodie walking tours and kayaking through Cypress forest.

There are hundreds of hotels to choose from in Orlando. Flexibility is key (precise location is not critical here) – and compare prices online before booking.