Florida Vacation Blog

Archive for the ‘Orlando Parks’ Category

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.

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.

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.

Each spring Florida bursts into bloom with a variety of eye-pleasing garden festivals — from butterfly celebrations to one of the nation’s most ambitious flower and garden fests.

A short drive from Orlando, you’ll find beautiful Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. The Gardens present Butterflies at Bok from March 3-31, 2010. Special areas of the gardens feature plantings specifically designed to attract the beautiful wings of a variety of butterflies.

For information, you can visit www.boktowergardens.com.

Meanwhile, Disney’s Epcot also opens its annual flower festival on March 3. The 17^th Annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival remains one of the largest such events in the world, with more than 30 million blooms spread across 300 acres of Epcot’s World Showcase.

The event runs thru May 16 and visitors will experience themed gardens, floral floating islands, gardening seminars, planting demonstrations, exhibits, hands-on activities and a wonder series of Flower Power concerts. The concerts feature music from the ‘60s and ‘70s at the American Gardens Theatre each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the Festival.

Concerts and most festival activities are included in regular park admission. Visit www.disneyworld.com/flower for additional details. For information on Orlando Disney theme park discounts or savings on Orlando vacation packages and Orlando hotels near Disney, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

With music, parades and the biggest street party imaginable, Mardi Gras celebrates its 15^th year in Orlando, FL with an amazing concert lineup featuring some of the biggest names in pop, rock, R&B, country, and hip-hop performing live in the Universal Music Plaza.

KC & the Sunshine Band get the party rolling on Feb. 6 - the first of 13 nights of concerts and Mardi Gras good times. Experience the fun, the colorful costumes, live street musicians and performers, dazzling floats and the delicious and authentic Cajun food. And let’s not forget about the beads…lots of beads!

Mardi Gras is part of your regular admission to Universal Studios. Visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on discount Universal Orlando theme park tickets and discount Orlando vacation packages. Or see www.WestgateReservations.com for discount hotel and resort accommodations near Universal Studios.

The countdown is on to the grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort this spring.

 The exciting new addition to Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park is still under construction. But as the spires of Hogwarts Castle rise into the sky, worldwide anticipation is also on the rise.

Those expectations will get an additional boost during the 2010 Super Bowl on Feb. 7 when Universal unveils a new commercial to kick off a new, national advertising campaign. The commercial designed to hype the Harry Potter attraction which is based on the J.K. Rowlings books and movies will offer all new footage of the theme park area - from the bustling village of Hogsmeade to the immense castle.

The commercial is scheduled to air during the first half of the Super Bowl contest between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Kickoff for the big game is 6:30 pm on Feb. 7 on CBS.

For more information on Universal Orlando Resort and discount Orlando vacation packages, theme park tickets or accommodations, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com or www.WestgateReservations.com.

Sports fans get ready. ESPN The Weekend returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, February 25-28, 2010.

Highlights of this popular sports fest include the ESPN Interactive Sports Zone, Fan Q&A with Athletes, Celebrity Game Shows, Athlete Motorcades, ESPN Live TV Telecasts and ESPN Radio Live Broadcasts of Mike & Mike in the Morning, NFL Live, Baseball Tonight and more.

Athletes scheduled to appear at ESPN The Weekend 2010 include Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts, retired major league baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, champion beach volleyball player Misty May Treanor, Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams, U.S. women’s soccer star Brandi Chastain, former NFL star Darrell Green, former NBA player Scottie Pippen, University of South Carolina football head coach Steve Spurrier, gymnast Shawn Johnson and NFL legend Thurman Thomas.

A variety of ESPN personalities are also scheduled to appear at ESPN The Weekend, including Mike Golic, Karl Ravech, Mark Schlereth, Skip Bayless, Mike Greenberg, Ron Jaworski, Tedy Bruschi, Trey Wingo, Dana Jacobson, John Kruk and others.

For details on great discount Orlando hotels and accommodations, go to www.WestgateReservations.com. Or for discount Orlando theme park tickets and discount Orlando vacation packages, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

While there are numerous opportunities to pitch in and donate time and money toward the Haitian earthquake relief cause, one option allows you to enjoy some Orlando theme park fun at the same time.

Holy Land Experience, Orlando’s unique bible-based attraction, is donating ALL ticket revenue from admissions on Feb. 1, 2010 to the Haitian relief efforts.

Admission to Holy Land Experience, owned by Trinity Broadcasting Network, is $35 general admission, $20 for ages 6-12 and $30 for ages 55 and older.

The Holy Land Experience is a living biblical museum that blends fun and excitement with an interactive learning experience. From ancient Jerusalem to the Qumran Dead Sea Caves, the park takes visitors back 2,000 years to bring the history of the Bible to life.

Visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for additional information about discount Orlando vacation packages, discount Orlando theme park and show tickets or discount Orlando accommodations.