Spending Memorial Day weekend at Florida's theme parks? See weather, travel forecasts
Memorial Day weekend is almost here, with a record-breaking 2.6 million Floridians expected to be travel over the course of five days.
The federal holiday lands on May 26 this year and is a day of remembrance and commemoration for military members who lost their lives in service. Many Americans also take advantage of the three-day weekend to travel, especially to Florida's theme parks.
AAA projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26. The organization said this year's domestic travel forecast will increase by 1.4 million travelers compared to last year and set a new Memorial Day weekend record.
For wanting to spend the three-day weekend at Disney World, Universal Orlando or any of Florida's theme parks, here's what to know about traveling and what the weather forecast will look like.
Orlando unsurprisingly ranked in first place on AAA's list of the top 10 most popular Memorial Day weekend destinations in the U.S. for 2025. The list is based on AAA booking data for trips between Thursday, May 22 through Monday, May 26.
Here's AAA's list of the top 10 most popular Memorial Day weekend destinations in the U.S. this year:
Orlando
Seattle
New York City
Las Vegas
Miami
San Francisco
Anchorage, Alaska
Chicago
Denver
Boston
Before you head out on your road trip, make sure you know where you're going. From Orlando to Tampa, here are the official addresses for each of the top theme parks in Florida:
Walt Disney World
Magic Kingdom - 1180 Seven Seas Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
EPCOT - 200 Epcot Center Drive. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32821
Hollywood Studios - 351 South Studio Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Animal Kingdom - 2901 Osceola Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure - 6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819
Universal's Epic Universe -1001 Epic Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819
SeaWorld Orlando - 7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, FL 32821
Legoland Florida - 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay - 10165 McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
Florida's theme parks will be incredibly busy — and not just because of the holiday weekend.
Universal Orlando's newest theme park, Epic Universe, will open to the public a few days before Memorial Day on Thursday, May 22. The new park will see large crowds in its first months (or even years), seeking to immerse guests in five new worlds to experience and explore.
Theme park travel blogs always stress how packed the parks can get during holiday weekends. Memorial Day weekend is listed among the busiest times to visit in general.
Good news for those going to Epic Universe on its opening day — you'll be avoiding the beginning of major Memorial Day weekend traffic.
According to AAA's Memorial Day weekend travel outlook for 2025, you should avoid driving on Thursday and Friday evenings. And if you're planning to travel home on Sunday, the earlier you leave, the better.
Here are the best and worst times to travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA and INRIX:
Best times for traveling:
Thursday, May 22 – Before noon
Friday, May 23 – Before 11 a.m.
Saturday, May 24 – Before noon
Sunday, May 25 - Before 1 p.m.
Memorial Day Monday, May 26 - Before 2 p.m.
Worst times for traveling:
Thursday, May 22 – 1 p.m. through 9 p.m.
Friday, May 23 - Noon through 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 – 2 p.m. through 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 - 1 p.m. through 6 p.m.
Memorial Day Monday, May 26 - 4 p.m. through 7 p.m.
Memorial Day weekend is gearing up to be a scorcher in Florida.
Temperatures above normal are expected from May 18 through May 22, especially for Florida, south Texas and stretching into southern Georgia, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
"Hot," the National Weather Service Melbourne said, saying residents across the East Coast and Central Florida can expect "well above normal temperatures," although records are a little more uncertain at this time. A moderate heat risk is expected across most of the area through the weekend.
Here's what the forecast looks like in Orlando and Tampa, where the state's theme parks are housed, according to Accuweather:
Thursday: A couple of morning showers; otherwise, partly sunny and warm. High of 95, low of 74.
Friday: Remaining warm and less humid with sunshine. High of 94, low of 75.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High of 92, low of 72.
Sunday: Mainly cloudy with a little rain in the afternoon. High of 92, low of 71.
Memorial Day: Partly sunny. High of 91, low of 71.
Thursday: A couple of showers in the morning; otherwise, partly sunny and humid. High of 93, low of 77.
Friday: Sunny and less humid. High of 92, low of 76.
Saturday: Partly sunny. High of 92, low of 74.
Sunday: Mostly sun. High of 92, low of 74.
Memorial Day: Mostly sunny. High of 91, low of 73.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Memorial Day at Epic or Disney: 2025 travel forecast for Florida
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