Bands Brew & BBQ

22 Feb 2012 -

There are some great musicians coming to Central Florida! If you are visiting, or live here, and are planning to go to either Busch Gardens or SeaWorld, try to plan your theme park attraction visit around one of the live music concerts being offered as part of the regular admission costs. There is a wide variety of music genres being offered, so you’re bound to find one that you just have to see.

Both theme parks are hosting the annual “Bands, Brew and BBQ” event which takes place in February and March. Busch Gardens is also offering the “Real Music” concert series during this time as well. These performances are held at the park’s Stanleyville Theater three times a day – 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The performances for “Bands, Brew and BBQ” for Busch Gardens will take place at Gwazi Field. Event information for Busch Garden’s “Bands, Brew and BBQ” can be found here. Sea World’s “Bands, Brew and BBQ” concerts are held within the park with limited seating capacity on a first-come, first-served basis. SeaWorld’s beer garden will feature nearly 50 craft beers from around 20 different domestic and international breweries. Food and beverages at this special event cost extra, and VIP passes with meal vouchers and front-of-the-line benefits are available. Information for SeaWorld’s event can be found here.

Here is a schedule of the remaining live music performances:

Feb. 22-25 Real Music Busch Gardens Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
Feb. 25 Bands, Brew & BBQ SeaWorld Doobie Brothers
Feb. 26 Bands, Brew & BBQ Busch Gardens 38 Special
Feb. 26 Bands, Brew & BBQ SeaWorld Ronnie Dunn
Feb. 29-March 3 Real Music Busch Gardens The Ventures
March 3 Bands, Brew & BBQ SeaWorld Sarah Evans
March 4 Bands, Brew & BBQ SeaWorld Scotty McCreery
March 4 Bands, Brew & BBQ Busch Gardens REO Speedwagon
March 7-10 Real Music Busch Gardens Rita Coolidge
March 14-17 Real Music Busch Gardens The Grass Roots
March 21-24 Real Music Busch Gardens Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.

Whatever music performance you choose, you are sure to have a great time. It’s a great time of the year to visit Orlando attractions. If you enjoy live music, you’re really in luck.

Category: Featured Events  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment

Mardi Gras Beach Style

20 Feb 2012 -

Mardi Gras maskFat Tuesday offers celebrations all over Central Florida and can be a fun time to get out with friends on a week night. Many vacationers and locals will flock to the normal venues of Universal, SeaWorld, Downtown Orlando and Disney, but this Tuesday, I’ll be in the quaint town of New Smyrna Beach (NSB) for their Mardi Gras parade and street celebration.

It’s not the big fanfare you expect from the ‘big boys’ in the region, but a small-town parade is often what many vacationers would treasure should they happen to stumble upon it. NSB’s parade is all of about 7 blocks long down beach side’s Flagler Avenue. The parade which starts at 7:00 p.m. will consist of a string of residents on floats, golf carts, antique cars, Segways and on foot; throwing out candy, beads and showing off some crazy outfits. Since Mardi Gras also happens to fall during Race Week, the famous Budweiser Clydesdale Horses will be making an appearance in this years’ parade.

The fact that many don’t think of New Smyrna Beach to celebrate Mardi Gras is exactly why you’ll be glad you did. It’s not overly crowded, it’s fun, it’s real, it’s inexpensive, small-town America. People are friendly and downright neighborly. There many wonderful restaurants to dine at before the parade, plenty of bars to party at after the parade, and hotels and B&B’s to stay at overnight.  ORLANDO TOURIST TIP: Come early and expect to walk a few blocks due to the lack of parking. The shops are wonderful and easy to spend a few hours browsing while waiting on the parade. Do not miss Dolly’s Gift Shop at 405 Flagler Ave. I could spend an hour in that shop easily.

Spend this Tuesday in NSB and be sure to catch some beads and a piece of small town charm. Wednesday will be here soon enough and you can go back to the crowds, standing in line and fighting the traffic.

Category: Featured Events, Night Life  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment

Exotic Driving Experience at Disney World

17 Feb 2012 -

If you are visiting the Central Florida area and want to try something new, you need to check out the “Exotic Driving Experience.” This new Orlando theme park attraction at Disney World allows guests to drive their dream car. It is fast, fun and oh so exotic!

The new Exotic Driving Experience offers some of the world’s finest automobiles, including a Ferrari 458 Italia ($389), Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 ($339), Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 ($299), Audi R8 ($269) and the Porsche 997 S ($199). If you’d like to save a little money and have a professional do the driving, you can ride-along for $99. Some of these cars cost more than a house!

Ferrari at Exotic Driving Experience

The new exotics course track is specifically designed for drivers to safely experience the cars’ powerful acceleration, speed and handling. The one-mile layout includes an interior road course-style section designed specifically for Exotic Driving Experience featuring a series of quick, challenging right and left-hand turns, known as “switch backs.” The course also covers  the tri-oval’s backstretch and turn two where you can really experience the speed and handling of your dream car. Guests are able to take six laps around the course.

Guests must be at least 18 years old with a valid driver’s license to participate in the driving experience and they must be at least 14 years old to participate in the ride-along. There’s a $35 Driver Release Fee plus photos and videos of each guest’s experience available for purchase. Petty Holdings is the owner and operator of both the new Exotic Driving Experience and the Richard Petty Driving Experience, which is also available at the Speedway. However, the Exotic Driving Experience is only available at Walt Disney World. For more information, visit exoticdriving.com.

Category: Featured Attraction  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment

The Greek Corner Restaurant

07 Feb 2012 -

I had the chance to visit some distant relatives in Orlando in November. When I got there, my cousins told me about a great Greek restaurant and, since I’m Greek I had to go there and see the place, not only read about it in a travel blog, they wanted my opinion on its authenticity to the Greek cuisine so we went there to check it out.

The Greek Corner RestaurantIt was great to see that it was called “The Greek Corner”.  Being a Greek myself, I can tell you that it lives up to it name! I felt like going to a restaurant in Greece; its design was amazing, very similar to the Greek ‘taverna’. It even had live Greek music!

The food was excellent and the prices fair! We got saganaki as our appetizer, which was very good made and a Greek salad. All four of us got souvlaki and gyro sandwich and had beers, just like in any Greek tavern.  Apart from its Greek authenticity, the food tasted great! I recommend it to anyone who’d like to try the original Greek cuisine in Orlando. You won’t be disappointed!

Written by TriandtravelBlog
Category: Dining Information  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment

Free Admission to Florida’s National Parks This Weekend

12 Jan 2012 -

This weekend, in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, you can visit one of Florida’s 11 national parks for free. The National Park Service is offering free entry to all 397 national parks. View our directory of Florida’s National Parks.

The closest Central Florida National Park is Canaveral National Seashore. Situated on a barrier island along Florida’s east coast, the park includes a pristine, undeveloped beach, dunes and plenty of water offering sanctuary to an abundant blend of plants and animals. Year-round recreation includes fishing, boating, canoeing, surfing, sunbathing, swimming, hiking, camping, nature and historical trails.

Canaveral National Park

When you get there be sure to check out the Eldora Statehouse. It has a lot of history of earlier life along Mosquito Lagoon. Just down the road is a historical interpretive park called Seminole Rest. Here you will learn about the Native Americans who lived here thousands of years before us.

Once you’ve had your fill of history, head over to the beach. Even in the cooler weather, this beach is a joy to experience. Bring your fishing rods along for some of the best surf fishing in Central Florida. ORLANDO TOURIST TIP: If you own a boat, put it in on the Mosquito Lagoon side. If you really love to fish, hire a guide for a day. This is a fantastic time of the year to fish the Reds, which Mosquito Lagoon is world famous for. 

Join millions of others who have discovered the natural beauty of a recreational paradise. Spend a day this weekend at one of Florida’s National Parks.  Enjoy!

Category: Featured Events, Tourism News  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
« Previous Entries