Last July, Margaritaville Resort Orlando broke ground and we recently were invited out to see the construction progress, plus tour four different cottage styles.
The huge 187-room Margaritaville Hotel is still under construction, but the framework is already in place. In addition to accommodations, dining, fitness center, wedding pavilion, and 2 pools (general and adult-only), it will feature 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
This week, CSO visited Madame Tussauds Orlando to see its newest addition, Selena, the Queen of Tejano music.
Selena Quintanilla was one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the 1990s, and ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time.
Each year the Astronauts Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center to remember the astronauts who gave their lives while serving to further the NASA mission of space exploration. It is generally held on the last Thursday of January, since many of the tragedies occurred around this time of year.
This year, the annual Day of Remembrance was held at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation building at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC), as well as at the Space Mirror Memorial.
LEGOLAND Florida recently kicked off its first ever LEGO NINJAGO Days weekend, and CSO was invited out on the first day to check it out.
Among the highlights was the premiere of a new 4D movie, “LEGO NINJAGO – Master of the 4th Dimension,” which featured the NINJAGO heroes in a new 12-minute adventure where they must learn to work together to escape a mind-bending dimension opened by one of Master Wu’s magic scrolls. Teamwork saves the day in this fun 4D experience!
One of my favorite annual events in Central Florida is Otronicon at the Orlando Science Center. I mean who wouldn’t love to explore four floors of STEM-inspired exhibits, simulators, and games?
This weekend I popped in to spend a few hours at Otronicon, and there was so much to do and see!
Monster Jam is coming to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on January 20, and we were invited to get a feel for the show at its Tampa stop on January 13.
My family and I are huge Marvel fans so we were excited to the the Marvel Universe LIVE! Age of Heroes at the Amway Center last night (Jan 12)! This show is loaded with action.
The show begins with Dr. Strange flying in and telling us about a powerful and magical wand; The Wand of Watoomb. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the universe!
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) has long been known as the gateway to outer space for those seeking to get a close up view of our nation’s space program. Between housing space artifacts and memorabilia, to actual spacecraft like the orbiter Atlantis, as well as hosting viewings of launches from the historic pads, they have always been on the cutting edge of space related tourism.
With the introduction of the all new Astronaut Training Experience (ATX), KSCVC will continue the tradition of offering hands-on interactive exhibits, but with a twist – you actually get to experience training for simulated space missions!
We were invited to attend LEGOland Florida Resort’s “Christmas Bricktacular” on its opening day, and we were excited to experience the event. Opening days are always a challenge as not everything is completely ready, and that was the case here. But that’s okay as the employees were fabulous in getting things done and making sure everyone had a great time.
In fact, the staff was great and very friendly all throughout the park. In Fun Town, they had the store fronts and trees around the carousel decorated for Christmas. It was truly lovely.
Christmas at Gaylord Palms starts today, November 21, and there is so many fun things to do for the whole family!
Last night CSO was invited to a media preview so we could experience it first hand, and it was a great evening.
Recalling the vintage pastry shops of the mid-1900s, The Glass Knife opens this weekend in Winter Park.
The name comes from owner Steve Brown’s mother and her collection of vintage 1920’s era glass cake knives, many of which are on display inlaid in the communal wood table that occupies the center of the eatery.
Healthy eating on the east side of Orlando just got easier as Fresh Kitchen opens in Waterford Lakes Town Center this weekend.
Fresh Kitchen offers a streamlined menu of gluten-free items offered in a customizable bowl format. Dairy-free and even vegan combinations are possible.
Diners choose from Six bowl (two bases, two proteins, and two vegetables along with a sauce for $9.99); Four bowl (two bases with one protein, vegetable and sauce for $8.29); and a Kids bowl (one base, protein, vegetable and sauce for $6.99).
This Saturday, Orlando Magazine hosted the Orlando Burger Battle at the wonderful Ace Cafe Orlando downtown, and CitySurfing Orlando got to check it all out.
Set up in the parking lot were 11 popular Orlando restaurants who brought their best burger creations to battle it out. Among them were Ace Cafe Orlando, Artisan’s Table, Freddy’s, Hash House A Go Go, Jimmy Hula’s, Liam Fitzpatrick’s, Planet Hollywood Observatory at Disney, Raglan Road, The Whiskey, White Wolf Cafe, and The Tap Room at Dubsdread.
This weekend the annual Taste! Central Florida took place, and it was an evening of great food and drink which raised funds for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and the Coalition for the Homeless.
The numbers have yet to come in, but it’s safe to say the event raised a lot of money that will stay in Central Florida to help those in need.
Since I can’t report on the numbers, I’m going to list my choices for favorites at the event. Keep in mind I have food allergies so I couldn’t try everything. But of the dishes I tried, here’s my most memorable:
The 139th Silver Spurs Rodeo was in town last weekend, and this is always a family-friendly fun event. We attended the Friday, June 2nd show. There was supposed to be a big Schools Out Bash prior to the rodeo, however, the rain and storms made that an impossibility. We need the rain, so it’s ok.
The evening began with the Junior bull riding. These kids are brave and have a great future ahead of them in rodeo.