Things to Do in Haines City

Much like professional skydivers, wily coyotes, and other careers that involve a degree of danger, most professional glassblowers aren’t self-taught. Joshua Poll, however, learned to harness the glass furnace all by himself, today imparting more than a decade of self-taught experience to Zen Glass Studios, where he and fellow glass smith David Walker create custom works of art by hand. Together they shape glass into authentic and unique pieces, including custom glassware and jewelry to wear while meeting a spouse’s goldfish for the first time.

Within their studio, Joshua and David teach workshops and classes, during which students survey basic to advanced glass-blowing techniques, crafting their own handmade objects such as ornaments, beer glasses, and vases. The duo also runs a full glassblower training program, which follows a syllabus structured to arm all students with all the necessary skills to set out on their own in the industry, just as Joshua did all those years ago.

Captain Bear Smith leads intrepid crews of up to four guests on fishing charters down the scenic Crystal River. Forgoing the need for GPS or inquisitive text messages to Aquaman, amateur anglers can rely on Captain Smith's 15 years of experience as he guides his specially modified vessel on a four-hour excursion. Guests use the provided bait and tackle to attract a wide range of species including redfish, cobia, gag grouper, and mangrove snapper—click here to see stellar examples of past voyages' catches. Guests should bring a light jacket, sunscreen, a packed lunch, and a container to take home any caught fish. Start times will vary depending on the customers’ desired catch and fishes’ erratic lunch schedules.

Safari Wilderness Ranch's exotic wetland animals freely roam 260 acres of grassy plains, girded by an 850-square-mile watershed. Accredited by the Zoological Association of America and licensed by the USDA, the ranch is an agritourism project dedicated to teaching about endangered species through hands-on safaris. Wandering zebra and watusi-cattle herds coexist harmoniously with waterbuck and lost cable guys as explorers ride by on trucks, horse-drawn carts, and camels. An outdoor aviary flutters with nearly 100 colorful, playful budgie parakeets who will munch millet seeds from the palm of a hand, and a lemur habitat allows guests to feed the ring-tailed primates grapes.

Fresh paintballs delivered each week splatter on first-time players and tournament competitors on Central Florida Paintball's 12 courses sprawled across 22 acres. Experienced players prep for tournament play on one of six flat-grass airball fields decorated with inflatable barriers. Staff members rebuild these X-ball and speedball-style fields every two weeks to improve the health of the bahia grass and switch up the terrain. With limited protection, these faster-paced airball fields force teams to work together and move as a unit as they attempt to outlast the competition.

Recreational players attack and defend on 12 acres of woodsball courses equipped with a two-story fort as well as larger huts. Stone structures invite players to duck inside for a breather, and crowd of trees affords a sliver of protection and a place to spy the coming ambush. Though both fields are open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the woodsball fields are available Wednesday–Friday to groups 10 with a reservation. Guests can stalk each other at night on lighted fields equipped for evening play or retire for the evening to overnight campgrounds with fire pits perfect for making popcorn seasoned with unspent paint capsules.

Able to hold three passengers without dissolving, the Yamaha WaveRunners at Extreme Wake Jet Ski Rental churn through water along gulf beaches from Clearwater to St. Petersburg. For those seeking a little guidance beyond a rental, Extreme Wake also leads tours. These excursions can pass by sandy beaches, lighthouses, and dolphins as they shoot plumes of ocean water into the air. Additionally, the company's free shuttle ferries customers to and from their holding pods at nearby hotels.