Hi S.,
I live in Lakeland which is right next to Auburndale. There's a place in Lakeland you should check out. It's called Explorations V Children's Museum. Here is there website-
http://www.explorationsv.com/
It's a great hands-on place for kids. They also have arts and crafts they can participate in.
Another thing we did after we moved here was when we received our income tax refund, we bought annual passes for Disney. They include parking and admission to the four theme parks, two water parks, and their indoor virtual reality theme park called, "Disney Quest". They are pricy, but we have more than gotten our money's worth. If you can't afford the full passes, last time I checked, they annual water park passes were only $100 a person. You can use them year round because they heat the water when the weather gets cold. My little girl and I have had a blast at going to Disney and the best part is that you don't have to rush, You can really take your time. You can just go for a few hours or maybe make an evening of watching the fireworks. If you want anymore information, feel free to email me. ____@____.com
Hope this helps,
L.