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How to Enjoy Central Florida’s Westgate River Ranch on a Budget

Feeling the urge to get outdoors and embrace your inner cowgirl, but don’t know where to start? Experience one of the last untouched pieces of Florida wilderness at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo in Central Florida about two hours northwest of Boca Raton. Families have the opportunity to kick back and relax (in their favorite cowboy hats of course) in “the beautiful, great wide open.” The Ranch, which is situated on 1,700 acres overlooking the scenic Kissimmee River, features horseback riding, an award-winning Saturday night rodeo and so much more. And believe it or not, it’s totally possible to do Westgate River Ranch on a budget! Let me tell you how…

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Posing in front of Westgate River Ranch’s Luxe Teepees. 

How to do Central Florida’s Westgate River Ranch on a Budget

Live like a cowboy, but choose your lodging carefully…

Little did I know before we visited that there are so many ways to “stay” at Westgate River Ranch. You and your family can camp in:

 

  • A regular tent (least expensive)
  • Platform tent
  • Your own RV
  • Glamping tent
  • Luxury teepee
  • Luxe Conestoga Wagon (most expensive)
Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Conestoga Wagon under construction during our visit

Not to mention there are rail cars, cottages and cabins which are ideal (and probably most cost effective) for larger parties/families.

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
The Lodge

For our first trip, we chose to stay in The Lodge, which consists of hotel rooms and suites with a little kitchenette and in our case, a screened in porch/balcony.

 

The porch is the best part of the room, so definitely spring for a Lodge Suite at minimum. It’s located conveniently next to the pool and tennis courts too!

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Toasting our second floor Lodge Suite views of the tennis court

Westgate River Ranch on a budget

MBMom Tip: Request the bottom floor of the Lodge, so you can have direct access from your porch to a grill and outdoor picnic table. Pack multiple bags of charcoal if you plan to cook out. There is a small General Store that has plenty of supplies though, if you happen to run out.

 

They also serve killer ice cream…

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Grilling out!

The more luxe you go with your camping accommodations, the higher the rate per night to stay at Westgate River Ranch. However, it does pay to do some number crunching/comparing ahead of time because a golf cart, concierge, several paid activities (like the rodeo) and breakfast do come with some of the higher end options. Staying in the lodge, those items were priced a la carte for us.

 

Bring your own food and drinks

Packing a big cooler in advance of our trip with plenty of grilling meats, wine, beer and various items for breakfast and lunch (and s’mores!!!) was the best idea we had. Not only to save money, but TIME as well! We could eat and snack at our leisure in between activities…and fill up our Yeti cups with whatever cocktail floated our vacation boat. 🙂

 

MBMom Tip: The River Ranch Saloon is definitely worth paying a visit to, especially before/after the rodeo. Invest in a “boot” because beer refills become quite inexpensive (all over the property) once you have that cup! Save it for future trips too.

We did have one dinner out the evening of the Rodeo, which was nice. The Westgate Smokehouse Grill overlooks the Kissimmee River and serves typical BBQ fare like steaks, seafood, baby back ribs, burgers, sandwiches, salads and appetizers. They’ll even refill your boot at the restaurant!

Westgate River Ranch on a budget

Prioritize family activities

Before heading to Westgate River Ranch, I reviewed the entire list of free and paid activities available to families on their website. I had to take into consideration my daughter (and her friend’s) age and sizes. We also wanted to choose things to do together that everyone would enjoy!

 

I had heard from other guests that having a golf cart is a MUST, so we planned our rental time accordingly to maximize our use and the daily cost. It was so nice leaving our car parked in one spot for the entire trip.

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Our golf cart

MBMom Tip: If you’re visiting Thursday to Friday, reserve a golf cart (easy to do at the front desk when you check in) on Thursday evening. Return it right before the Rodeo on Saturday night. Check out is late morning, so you won’t need it on Sunday.


Below, I bolded all of the activities we did AND can recommend.

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Saturday night Rodeo

Westgate River Ranch on a budget

Paid Activities:

  • Westgate Rodeo on Saturday nights (a must! Get there early to snag some good seats–the higher in the bleachers the better. Bring your boot!)
    • The Westgate River Ranch Rodeo you know and love is held on Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. for the whole family to enjoy as rodeo athletes from all across the region compete in daring stunts.
  • Horseback riding (starts at age 8, so wasn’t an option for my daughter who’s currently 7, but it looked fun.)
  • Swamp buggy rides
  • Airboat rides
  • Archery range 
  • Boat rentals
  • Cowboy Adventure Park (rock climbing wall, mechanical bull, tractor racetrack–over 15 activities!)
  • Pony Rides
  • Trap & Skeet Range
  • Guided Hunts
  • Bike rentals
Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Of course I rode the bull. Adults can purchase tickets for these types of activities a la carte at the Westgate River Ranch Adventure Park. 
Rock climbing wall

Complimentary Activities:

  • Swimming Pool/jacuzzi
  • Tennis (BYO rackets and balls!)
  • Fishing (catch and release pond)
  • Horseshoes
  • Petting Farm
  • Street Party
  • Outdoor movie
Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Children under 8 can’t go trail riding, so a pony ride is the next best thing!
Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Horseback riding

As you can see, there is tons of free stuff to do at Westgate River Ranch! For example one afternoon, after letting the girls have one paid pony ride, we spent more than an hour at the Petting Farm. Then, we grilled dinner outside before enjoying an movie projected on the back of a covered wagon under the stars! It was pretty sweet.

Westgate River Ranch on a budget
Pack blankets and pillows if you want to take advantage of the free outdoor movie night!

 

One group activity that children of any age and size can do with supervising adults is a Swamp Buggy ride. We lucked out and got our own buggy and had a blast bouncing, splashing and spotting wildlife throughout the open swamp! Bonus if you get some cool weather…

Westgate River Ranch on a budget

Westgate River Ranch on a budget

But most of all, have fun doing Westgate River Ranch on a budget!

Going “country” for the weekend, at least for my family, is pretty rare. So, it was all the more reason for us to take advantage of everything Westgate River Ranch had to offer…within reason. 🙂

 

Maybe someday we’ll spring for a Luxe Teepee glamping experience or check out the new Conestoga Wagons! But for now, we’ll simply plan to come back.

Westgate River Ranch on a budget

Westgate River Ranch on a budget


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Michelle Olson-Rogers, Modern Boca Mom Headshot

Michelle Olson-Rogers is the founder of Modern Boca Mom, a leading lifestyle site for the stylish & modern South Florida mommy. ModernBocaMom.com features local businesses, events, lifestyle and family travel options and was the proud winner of the 2019 Florida Blog Con Sunshine Award in the “Favorite Events/Neighborhood Blogger” category. Michelle is also a regular contributor to Boca Raton magazine.


In addition to blogging, Michelle also serves as the Director of Communications and Community Outreach for Grandview Preparatory School, a private PK3-Grade 12 independent school in east Boca Raton. Her successful “Modern Boca Mommy & Me” program has been running there year-round since 2014.

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