CitySurfing Orlando

It was a nice late fall day out, so my family and I went to CoCo Key Water Resort today, to check out their water park.

A while back, we had spotted them on Groupon. The offer was for day passes to their outdoor water park, so I bought 2 for us at “buy 1 get 1 free” for a day pass. We have been driving by it every Sunday on our way to church since it opened and the kids have been dying to go.

It’s nice that a hotel has realized that locals can provide revenue, too. It’s a small park, but that is not necessarily a bad thing with small kids. They have a good variety of slides for all ages. Our 6 yr old could ride all but 2 slides, and our 40″ 3 yr old could ride all but 3 slides. There are lots of slides and play things for very small kids too. And at 85 degrees, the pools were nice to just be in.

The fall/winter single day ticket price is $14.95 per ticket which makes it more affordable than other water parks. Florida resident discounts bring that price down to $9.95 per pass. But with the winter hours, I would recommend getting there as it opens.

We will go back, there is no doubt about that. But I may wait for another Groupon or other special with the winter hours (Thurs-Sat 11am-7pm; Sun 11am-5pm; closed Mon-Wed). And I did not get any pictures as I was too busy playing, too.

Day passes to CoCo Key Water Resort are available based on water park capacity with certain restrictions and blackout dates. Admission to the water park is only guaranteed to guests of the resort.

[Image courtesy of CoCo Key Water Resort]

Zombies, ghosts, Florida Ghost Busters and pirates will inhabit the streets of Old Town in Kissimmee throughout October as they break out their best family-friendly scares for Halloween.

An “Old Town Halloween” takes place Friday and Saturday nights through Halloween, starting each night at 6pm and running until midnight.

There will be zombie walks, four haunt zones, and appearances by the Florida Ghost Buster Fan Club, and it’s all free. There will also be costume contests on Saturday nights.

From October 29-31st, bring the kids trick-or-treating from 6-9pm each evening at the Old Town stores.

The regular rides and attractions will also be available, with the purchase of a wristband. This includes the permanent attraction, The Haunted Grimm House.

Old Town is located at 5770 West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (Hwy. 192) in Kissimmee.

If you are a vegetarian, vegan or have an interest in the dietary lifestyle of either, you’ll definitely want to check out Central Florida Veg Fest, which takes place October 22, 2011.

Veg Fest will feature healthy living and eco-friendly exhibitors, speakers, and presentations, all promoting the vegetarian options available in Central Florida.

Speakers include Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (The Compassionate Cook), Matthew Rice (Mercy for Animals), Lynette Pate (Organic Infusion), and Ellen Jaffe Jones (Eat Vegan on $4.00 a Day).

There will be live cooking demonstrations all day, as well as food booths to purchase vegetarian and vegan dishes. Over 250 vendors will be on hand, promoting the lifestyle, including many non-profits.

The event will also have a vegan food drive, so please bring non-perishable items to donate.

Entertainment comes via two stages of live music and there will be fun and games for the kids They even welcome dogs, so bring the fur kids, too.

Veg Fest takes place in Loch Haven Park (900 E. Princeton St) from 10am to 6pm. It is free for all to attend.

This month, the website Yelp is running a special promotion called The Yelp Culture Club here in Orlando. It has nothing to do with Boy George, but everything to do with great deals on area museums and live shows throughout October.

Here’s the deal: Yelp has partnered with select museums to offer free days of admission. These include the Morse Museum of American Art and Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, and the Orange County Regional History Center downtown.

They’ve also arranged discounts on select concerts at downtown venues like The Social, as well as shows by the Orlando Ballet and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. There are even discounted Cirque du Soleil tickets for Florida residents through October 29.

To get in on all of this, or for more info, visit the Yelp Orlando website.

This weekend female artists from across the state will be in Orlando for the fifth annual Ella Music Fest.

According to organizers, Ella stands for elevate, listen, love and appreciate and the fest itself aims to celebrates Florida female artistry with music, visual art, poetry, and crafts.

In addition to a slew of musicians and visual artists, there will be a yoga session and a vendor area. The full schedule can be found online.

The 2011 edition of the festival takes place September 30 to October 2 at Orlando Brewing Company (1301 Atlanta Avenue), located just south of downtown, near the Orlando Amtrak station.

Tickets are $10 for a single day or $20 for a three-day weekend pass. All ages welcome.