Florida Vacation Blog

Archive for the ‘Orlando’ Category

Music is in the air. At least it will be starting Saturday night at Universal Orlando.

The Universal Orlando Summer Concert Series kicks off June 12 at Universal Studios Florida with featured musical guest, Train.  It’s the first in a series of Saturday night concerts slated throughout the summer season. Other performers scheduled include Pitbull, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rob Thomas, Pat Benetar and REO Speedwagon, as well as Counting Crows.

For details, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. Or for more information on discount Universal theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages, go to www.Orlandothemeparkvacations.com.

It’s almost time for another Velvet Sessions at Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. The popular rock ‘n’ roll cocktail party is held the last Thursday of every month (excluding November and December).

This month’s featured artist is Everclear, best known for songs like “Everything to Everyone” and “Wonderful.” The Universal Orlando Resort hotel event begins at 6:30 pm on June 24, 2010.

Advance admission is available for $25 online and includes specialty cocktails, finger foods and the concert held in the Hard Rock Hotel’s lobby lounge and Velvet Bar. Parking is free.

Each Velvet Sessions event showcases a different type of beverage theme while past  performers have included Joan Jett, The Tubes, Eddie Mondy, The Romantics, The Fixx, Foreigner, ABC and others.

For more information, go to www.velvetsessions.com. For details on discount Orlando vacation packages and Universal Orlando theme park tickets, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

Some of music’s biggest stars are coming to Orlando this summer. It’s all part of Universal Orlando’s exciting Summer Concert Series.

Best of all, it’s included with regular theme park admission to Universal Studios Florida. So catch a ride on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Ride the Movies. Enjoy a full day of fun in the sun. Then kick back and soak up the sounds of your favorite bands, including:

June 12th - Train
June 19th - Pitbull
June 26th - Earth, Wind, and Fire
July 3rd - Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon
July 10th - Rob Thomas
July 17th - Counting Crows

It’s all yours this summer and it’s only at Universal Orlando® Resort! For more details on Universal Orlando, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

SeaWorld Orlando began its annual summer celebration over the Memorial Day weekend by welcoming back its popular SeaWorld AfterDark activities and shows.

Back for another fun-filled summer season are the killer whale show “Shamu Rocks,” the comedic “Sea Lions Tonite” as well as “Reflections,” a fireworks-and-fountains finale, which is best seen from seats at Bayside Stadium.

There is one difference in this year’s “Shamu Rocks” show as it will be presented without trainers being in the water with the whales.

SeaWorld AfterDark festivities are scheduled to run through Aug. 15 and all AfterDark shows are included with regular park admission.

For more on SeaWorld Orlando and discount Orlando vacation packages, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or for discount Orlando hotel and resort information, visit www.WestgateReservations.com.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with FREE Admission to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL.

The central Florida attraction will feature carillon concerts being performed on the Singing Tower at 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 9.

The “Faces, Events & Places” art exhibit by Owen Jolly and “Fertile Ground” sculpture exhibit by William Kidd will also be on display in the Garden’s Visitor Center through May 27, 2010.

For information, on this and other Orlando area attractions, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

Get ready Orlando. Star Wars-style Stormtroopers are coming to take over the Orange County Regional History Center on Saturday, May 8 from 10 am to 4 pm. But it’s all in fun as part of the center’s Galactic Encounter Day.

This special event is being held in conjunction with the downtown Orlando museum’s current exhibit, “Out of the World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television.” The exhibit will remain on display in Orlando through May 16.

In addition to Stormtroopers, other activities slated for Saturday include costume and makeup workshops and crafts. Guests are also invited to assist a LEGO “master builder” create a 4-foot tall Lego replica of Star Wars robot, R2-D2. Participants will receive a $5 coupon for a Lego purchase (while supplies last).

All Galactic Encounter Day activities and events are included with the regular admission price of $12 for adults and $7 for children aged 5-12.

For details on other Orlando area theme parks and attractions, please visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

Goodbye April and Hello May! Just a few days away from May 5 and Cinco de Mayo celebrations around the globe.

If you’re in Orlando, you can catch the biggest Cinco de Mayo party in town at Universal Orlando CityWalk’s Latin Quarter from 5 pm til close. Enjoy free admission from 5-8 pm. There will be a $7 cover charge after 8 pm (must be 21 for admission after 8 pm).

The celebration includes one complimentary Dos Equis, Tecate or margarita (must be 21 or older). You can also enjoy a variety of drink and food specials.

For additional information, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com.

Now thru December 31, 2010, children age 12 and younger can get into SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego for just $5. The dramatically discounted child admission price is valid only when purchased online at www.seaworldcares.com.

Under the program, you can receive one $5 child’s admission for each full-paid, single-day admission (retail price $78.95). The regular child admission (ages 3-9) is $68.95.

By purchasing tickets at the seaworldcares.com site, each $5 child ticket price goes to fund non-profit organizations working on wildlife conservation projects. Guests can choose which effort their donation will support.

For more on Orlando family vacation packages, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

There will be music aplenty filling the delightful springtime air throughout Orlando this weekend. All three of Orlando’s major theme parks are offering special concert series performances.

At Disney’s Epcot, you can turn back the clock to the 1960s and 1970s during the Flower Power Concert Series. The series, which is part of the park’s annual International Flower and Garden Festival, takes place under the skies of the open-air American Gardens Theatre. This weekend’s performances - Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m. & 7:45 p.m. - feature Paul Revere and The Raiders.

At nearby Universal Studios Florida, the extended Mardi Gras celebration continues on Saturday with a fun filled Mardi Gras parade and concert at 8:30 featuring Aretha Franklin.

Meanwhile, at SeaWorld Orlando, Viva La Musica takes place Saturday afternoon with an appearance by musical guest Oscar D’Leon at 4 p.m.

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.