Florida Vacation Blog

Archive for the ‘Orlando Vacation Packages’ Category

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.

There will be plenty of music, food, beverages and fun across Central Florida when SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay presents their annual Bands, Brew & BBQ 2010 - weekends throughout February.

This feel-good music festival and live concert series offers fabulous concerts, great BBQ food and ice-cold beer. It’s your chance to kick back, enjoy the music of your favorite bands, and experience the fun-filled attractions of the theme parks.

Bands, Brew & BBQ 2010 kicks off at SeaWorld on Feb. 6 with special guest performer LeAnn Rimes. The fun moves to Busch Gardens on Feb. 7 with a concert starring Dennis DeYoung featuring the music of STYX.

For more information on central Florida’s theme parks, details on discount tickets and savings on 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.

Five. Only five space shuttle missions remain on NASA’s schedule, with Endeavour getting prepared now for a planned February 7, 2010 flight from Central Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

Commander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station - a scheduled 13-day mission designed to increase the interior space for the ISS. The Endeavour crew will deliver the Italian-built Tranquility node, to provide space for crew members and the space station’s life support and environmental control systems.

They will also deliver a 7-windowed cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The cupola offers a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. The mission will also incorporate three spacewalks.

While there is plenty of work to be done in space over the final five space shuttle missions, much of the excitement for Central Florida visitors is geared around the remaining launches.

The Endeavour launch on Feb. 7 is targeted for 4:39 am EST, meaning the night skies will be lit up with a brilliant glow seen from as far away as Orlando and beyond.

For more information on the STS-130 mission, visit www.NASA.gov. Or for details on the Kennedy Space Center and discount Orlando vacation packages and discount Orlando accommodations, please visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

A new theme park is coming to Central Florida!

Merlin Entertainments Group announced that the world’s largest Legoland will be established in Winter Haven, FL on the site of the former Cypress Gardens theme park. The newest Orlando area theme park is slated to open by the end of 2011.

Located just a short drive from Orlando’s other popular theme parks and attrations, the new Legoland complex is expected to include 40 to 50 main attractions ranging from kid-powered rides to their signature giant Lego brick models.

The new theme park will also incorporate some favorites from Cypress Gardens, including the park’s magnificent historical gardens, its popular water ski shows and possibly one of the two existing wooden roller coasters.

Another section of the old Cypress Gardens - the Splash Island Waterpark - will also remain in operation, but as a separate ticketed admission.

Merlin said it plans to keep the popular Splash Island Waterpark operating, although it will be a separate, ticketed admission. Cypress Gardens’ water ski shows and one of its two wooden roller coasters will probably be integrated into the new Legoland as well, Varney said.

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

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has brought a little bit of Hollywood from California to Orlando, FL. This park is very different than other Disney theme parks as it gives you a taste of Hollywood. For example, one favorite attractoin is the new American Idol Experience. Guests can audition for a spot on the stage, and sing for a real audience and win prizes. You can also go behind the scenes of many Disney productions to see how a movie was made or enjoy other related stories. Add a little extra magic to your next Orlando vacation with a visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
September 25 — November 8, 2009

Visit Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL for 300 acres of fun divided into two distinct sections: Future World and World Showcase. Future World gives you a look at a technologically advanced world where ideas become a virtual reality.  Experience World Showcase for a melting pot full of live performances, attractions, shops and restaurants that mirror the cultures of the United States, Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Morocco, France, Canada and the United Kingdom. Get an Orlando Disney package today at an affordable price through OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com and make your dream vacation a reality.  Vacation packages include hotel accommodations, tickets to your desired theme park, as well as discounts to local venues, dining and shopping in Orlando.