Florida Vacation Blog

Spring is in the air in Orlando so take a minute to stop and smell the flowers - at Disney’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. It’s a great way to start your Disney Orlando family vacation.

This special annual event is filled with an immensely colorful array of flowers, not to mention a wide variety of gardens, more than 100 topiaries, plus live music on the weekends and a number of educational gardening events and demonstrations.

Whether or not you are a gardening fan, you’ll find plenty to capture your attention and interest at Epcot. Experience the magic of millions of blooming flowers. Watch in amazement at the hundreds of colorful butterflies inside the Butterfly Garden. And don’t forget to simply enjoy the dozens of rides and attractions throughout Epcot and the always popular World Showcase.

The party goes on and on at Universal Studios Florida as the popular Mardi Gras celebration continues through mid-April. This week’s musical guest is none other than the incomparable Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

Her list of achievements goes on and on, including a dozen million-selling singles, 20 Number 1 R&B hits, a cover story in Time magazine, the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 15 Grammy Awards with a lifetime achievement award in 1995, and a roll in the movie, The Blues Brothers.

Now the legendary Lady Soul brings her smooth voice to the stage at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando at 8:30 pm on March 13, 2010.

Go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and other Orlando area theme parks and attractions, as well as details on discount theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages. Or visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm for information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging.

Spring is in the air and Major League Baseball is back in Central Florida. Orlando might be the theme park capital of the world, but when it comes to Spring Training baseball, there’s no better place to catch all the Grapefruit League action.

Fourteen different major league teams call Central Florida their home for spring training. As a result, baseball fans don’t have to look far for the next game throughout the month of March.

Two teams - the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros - have training camps right in the middle of the greater Orlando area. The Braves play at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista while the Astros take the field just down the road in Kissimmee.

From there, just a short drive down I-4 takes you to Lakeland, spring training home of the Detroit Tigers. And farther west along the Gulf coast, you’ll find the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers, the New York Yankees in Tampa, the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota, the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte and the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater.

On the Atlantic coast side of Florida’s peninsula, you can catch spring training games and workouts for the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter and the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie.

There’s no better way to see and interact with your favorite MLB stars up close than at a highly affordable spring training game. For spring training schedules of your favorite team, or for any of the Grapefruit League teams, visit www.MLB.com.  

For details on discount theme park tickets and discount Orlando vacation package specials, please visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. For discount resort or hotel packages, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

The party goes on and on at Universal Studios Florida as the popular Mardi Gras celebration continues through mid-April. This week’s musical guest is Akon, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter and one of the music industry’s fastest-rising stars.

Akon’s special mix of hip-hop, R&B and rap includes a number of chart-topping hits like Lonely, I Wanna Love You, Don’t Matter and Dangerous. He’s the first artist to accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.

A frequent guest on TV’s American Idol, Akon brings his act to Universal’s Mardi Gras at 8:30 pm on March 6, 2010.

Go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and other Orlando area theme parks and attractions, as well as details on discount theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages. Or visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm for information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging.

Spring is in the air as the annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival kicks off at Disney World on March 3 and runs thru May 16, 2010,

This year’s event features more than 100 colorful and fun topiaries ranging from a 14-foot tall Goofy fishing to Lion King characters and, of course, Mickey and Minnie. Enjoy millions of blooms, hundreds of butterflies in the butterfly garden, and more. There’s also experts ready to provide gardening tips and demonstrations, and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival, you can also enjoy the Flower Power Concert Series featuring music from the 1960s and 1970s.

For more information about Disney World, Epcot and other Orlando theme parks, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. You’ll find discount tickets, discount Orlando vacation packages and discount Orlando hotel and resort accommodations.

ESPN’s annual fan-fest continues this weekend (Feb. 26-27-28) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL.

 With 35 superstar athletes, two dozen sportscasters, live shows, special motorcades, interactive sports zone and more, it’s sure to be a fun-filled weekend for sports fans of all ages.

Don’t miss your chance to get up close and personal with stars from the NBA, NFL, major league baseball, golf and more. Plus look for all of your favorite ESPN personalities.

Of course, you’ll also enjoy a full day of fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park which offers a wide range of thrill rides, shows and other attractions.

For information on Disney’s Hollywood Studios, discount Orlando vacation packages and discount Orlando theme park tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or for discount Orlando resort and hotel accommodations, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Legoland® Florida, slated to open in the fall of 2011 on the site of the former Cypress Gardens theme park, will feature a unique mix of attractions. The largest Legoland park in the world, the Central Florida version will feature more than 50 rides, shows, attractions as well as spectacular LEGO models and other interactive elements for the entire family.

For information about the new park and the LEGOLAND sister park already open in California, please visit www.legolandfloridaresort.com. Or you can visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for more information on all the Orlando area theme parks and attractions as well as discount Orlando theme park tickets and discount Orlando hotels and resorts.

Parades, food, music and beads. Lots of beads. It’s all part of the annual Mardi Gras fun and excitement at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando!

This week’s Universal Mardi Gras concert features rising country star Dierks Bentley on Saturday, February 27 at 8:30 pm.

For complete information on Mardi Gras and the soon to open Wizarding World of Harry Potter, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. For information on discount Orlando theme park tickets and discount Orlando vacation packages including hotel and resort accommodations, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com or www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Universal Orlando is promoting vacation packages featuring the soon-to-open Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Islands of Adventure. Deals are valid for travel beginning May 28, 2010, meaning the long awaited Harry Potter adventure should be open no later than late May.

The $200 million theme park expansion project is taking shape with Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Village as the central attractions.

For more information on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. For details on discount theme park tickets, discount Orlando, Florida vacation packages and more, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com or www.westgatereservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Get ready to celebrate. While the official Mardi Gras celebration kicks off in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Universal Studios style has already started in Orlando with a a long list of weekly concerts and parades plus fabulous food and plenty of beads.

The party really gets cranking tonight, Feb. 16, at Pat O’Brien’s within Universal CityWalk where the popular restaurant/club is hosting a Fat Tuesday celebration to kick off the Lenten season. From 4pm til close, you can enjoy a live party band, special drink discounts, New Orleans style food specials, stilt walkers, bead girls and plenty of other fun and entertainment.

Admission is free until 7 p.m.

After 7 p.m., admission is $8 per person or $20 for a VIP ticket offering private balcony access, light appetizers from 4-8 pm and free admission to select CityWalk clubs.

This week’s Mardi Gras concert features the music of Blondie and lead singer Deborah Harry. Ranging from disco and punk to new wave and hip hop, Blondie is best known for hits like Call Me, The Tide is High, One Way or Another, Heart of Glass and Rapture.

For additional information on Mardi Gras events at Universal Orlando or discount Orlando vacation packages and theme park tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or to register for a free resort getaway sweepstakes, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.