So what now – do you long for something a bit different?  Are you tired of your younger children standing at the beginning of rides crying either because they are too short for it and therefore can’t go on, or because they make the grade but REALLY REALLY don’t want to go on (despite Daddy’s protestations of “don’t know why we bothered coming if you’re not going to go on the rides”).

Well, I have four words for those of you who recognise yourselves in this – Green Meadows Petting Farm.  Located in Kissimmee along Poinciana Blvd (six miles down from the 192), this completely different Orlando experience gives you the opportunity to draw breath and get well away from multi-coloured theme parks. 

The farm offers an ideal opportunity for children of all ages to interact with over 300 animals – pigs, cows, horses, chickens – even a horse (called Tigger, who is so gorgeous that I defy you not to want to take her home).

Children and adults alike are actively encouraged by the friendly and knowledgeable guides to get “up close and personal” with the animals – pony riding, milking cows, stoking pigs – and if you’ve never watched a group of children trying to catch a goose or a duck, then this is something that you shouldn’t miss out on.  The competition is fierce – all the dad’s willing on their offspring to be the first to “catch the chicken”!!

The admission price also includes a ride on the Green Meadows Express Train and a tractor drawn hayride around the farm.  Just don’t forget to take your hayfever medication!

So, what’s involved?  To be honest, this is best aimed at children up to about 10 (so around the age that Mr Mouse deems them to be adults!!), although our 12 year old was extremely gracious during our visit, and although a bit disappointed that he was too tall to ride the ponies, soon regained his composure when faced with trying to catch a couple of dozen geese to impress his younger brother and sisters!

Everyone is assigned to a guided tour which lasts around two hours, but this is very easy going and you are at liberty to duck out part way through if you wish.  The literature quotes the average visit as being between 2-4 hours, so there are plenty of picnic areas available for those bring lunch with them.  We (based just up the road) went after lunch and stayed until closing.  There are play areas for the children and plenty of space for them just to run around and let off some excess energy.

Prices compared to the rest of Florida are more than reasonable (general admission for adults and children is USD19 per person) and if you keep your eyes out in the freebie magazines that you can pick up in all supermarkets, you may well find money off vouchers as well.  Suffice to say that our party of two adults, one senior citizen and three children (under 2’s are free) came in at slightly under USD100 for something that is COMPLETELY different and a refreshing change.

So go on, you know you’re just itching to catch that goose………

Green Meadows Petting Farm can be found at www.greenmeadowsfarm.com

The Cast In THe Disney World Stage Show Will Invite Guests From The Audience To Join Them To Sing And Dance With Them To All The Hit Tunes From The Album. I Am Sure The Top Hits Such As “We’re All In It Together” And “Bop To The Top” Will Be Two Of The Fans Favourites.

Other Added Attractions Are To Include “Toy Story Mania”, A 3 D Ride Through Video Game. Based On The Hugely Popular Animated Film About A Group Of Talking All Action Toys. You Will Be Able To Board Vehicles And Shoot Virtual Darts And Eggs At Targets From All Directions.. A Sure “Lets Do It Again Dad” Ride For The Kids.

Another New Attraction, Again For All The Family But Especially The Boys And Dads, Will Be New “Jedi Training Academy” Created Bt The Film Company Behind “Star Wars”

Those Kids Hooked On “Pirates Of The Caribbean” Films Will Be Able To Learn And Test Their Sea Dog Skills In “A Pirates Life For Me”.

All This Can Only Add To Your Choices Of The Already Fun Filled Holiday For All The Family At Disney And Not Forgetting The Brand New Seaworld Water Park Also Opening In 2008

There are also a number of State Parks along the Gulf coast - our favourite it Caledesi State Park which boasts one the country’s best beaches. This is reached via a ferry from Honeymoon Island. The ferry runs from 10am until 5pm. It’s a delightful unspoilt place where the number of daily visitors is strictly limited. You can stroll around the island along the 3 mile nature trail - look out for the wild Tortoises among the multitude of wildlife. There is Kayak hire on the island - try exploring the lagoons or simply stroll along the white sandy beaches. Its a great place for shelling.

The Park is located just one mile west of Dunedin http://www.floridastateparks.org/caladesiisland/ for details.

If you are checking in at Downtown Disney (Travellers with Virgin) then if you haven’t been there during your stay you can do some last minute shopping and enjoy a meal without moving the car.  Alternatively you might like to just move a little distance to the West and Visit Disney’s Boardwalk.  This is part of the Disney Boardwalk Hotel but visitors are welcome.   You can self-park your car in the visitor’s car park and then walk down to the Boardwalk. 

It is like stepping back in time to the 1950’s British Seaside, except that there is a lake instead of the sea and the “pier” goes right around.  It is a very pleasant stroll around or you can hire one of the family bicycles, which is great fun.  If you just want to chill you can enjoy a coffee and muffin, or an ice cream, or have your lunch there. 

Around the other side of the lake there are more grand hotels and a marina where you can hire a fishing boat.  Certainly it is different to the thrill rides of the theme parks.

Another good place for 2 – 3 hours is Gatorland and this has the advantage of being closer to the airport than most of the other attractions.  You can, of course see alligators and also learn quite a bit about them and other local wildlife. 

If you really just want to chill we find Celebration a good place to go to watch the world go by.  You can sit in the rocking chairs under the sun shades, enjoy window shopping, and enjoy a leisurely lunch.

Of course if you haven’t managed to hit the shops during your holiday you may want to visit one of the malls.  Premium Outlets is our favourite for bargains.

Most villa owners, like us, will be delighted to help you find just the activity that is right for you and your group so do ask for advice about activities and visits that will be just right for your group.

Lynne Temple

What parks do we want to visit?

Plan what you want to do first of all (there is a free planning guide on our website - link above) Most people visit for 14 days and fitting everything is impossible in one visit. Disney alone has four major parks, an interactive theme park, water parks and evening entertainment.

Are you willing to stay in one park all day or would you prefer to ‘hop’ from one park to another? ‘Hopping’ between parks is a good way to see as much as possible but, if it’s your first visit you will find plenty to keep you occupied for a whole day at each of the major venues. However it is a useful ticket if you plan to visit, say Animal Kingdom during the day and then watch Fantasmic at MGM in the evening.

Do you intend to come back to Orlando in the future?

Some tickets will expire within 14 days of your starting to use them but if you pay a little more for your tickets they will never expire. So with the former you have to ‘use them or lose them’.

How much can you afford to spend?

Purchasing more days works out cheaper per visit, so buying a ticket which gives you 7 or 10 days in the parks can cost less (per day) than a 3 or 4 day ticket.

Do you plan to do just the major parks or visit the water parks, Pleasure Island etc as well?

Disneys’ ‘base’ tickets will just get you into the major parks but their ‘water park fun and more’ tickets will also get you entrance into the likes of Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest and Pleasure Island.

As an example (correct as at 30th December 2007):-

A 4 day ‘water park fun and more’ pass would give you four extra visits to the smaller attractions for just $49 more than the cost of the base ticket. By the way Disney are currently throwing in a 5th day at a major park with their 4 day tickets. A ticket to one water park alone is $39.

Tickets for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure can be bought separately. However, if you are planning to visit both check out the 7 day pass which is cheaper than two one day passes and you can move between the parks during the day. By upgrading to a 4 or 5 day flex ticket you can use the ticket to visit Busch Gardens, Wet n Wild and Sea World as well.

If swimming with dolphins is your thing then book into Discovery Cove. A ticket here will get you into Sea World later in your stay.

Bear in mind that in most of the parks you will be charged to park your car ($12 in October 2007). However, you can leave the park and return later in the same day without paying again.

There are lots more attractions than just those mentioned above. For more information on buying park tickets visit http://www.silvercreekvillas.com/tickets.php

Before entering the World Showcase, stop at the gift shop at the entrance and purchase an Epcot Passport for each of the children.  They are very reasonably priced, of a very high quality and make a great souvenir to take home afterwards.    The package contains a few items including a cool pin showing a traveling Mickey surrounded by each of the flags of the various countries.  (My children wore their pins proudly!)  The main item is a very realistic looking “passport” book with a 2 page spread for each of the World Showcase countries contained in a very durable plastic case.   A collection of stickers is also enclosed.  There are 6 stickers for each country.  One names the country showing that county’s flag surrounded by mouse ears (cute!) and the remaining 5 show pictures of points of interest located at that particular country’s pavilion.

We purchased these passports the first time we took our children to Epcot.  We had them go on a “scavenger hunt” to locate the various spots depicted on the stickers – when they located one, they were allowed to remove the sticker and paste it on the appropriate page of their passport.   

We stopped at the Kidcot station at each country along the way and got their passports “validated”.   The young people stationed at the various posts were so friendly and many of them not only stamped the passport but also added a nice message in the “notes” section of their particular country.

The passport served double-duty for my children as they found the extra pages at the end very handy for collecting autographs from their favorite characters that they met throughout the park.

 My children were so absorbed with the “hunt” and the task of getting each page of their passport stamped, that we didn’t hear one complaint all day long.  We adults thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the kids had great fun while getting an education (little did they know)!

My kids often take out their passports, which are truly their very own “personal travel record”, and have fun remembering their very first tour of the Epcot World Showcase. 

Situated adjacent to Highway 27 you are close to the 192 and the I-4 so getting to your chosen destination should never be a problem and you actually have a choice of routes to get to Disney World, Seaworld and Universal Studios. Both coasts are easy to get to, as are Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens and Kennedy . It is even possible to view a shuttle launch from your front door.

As you would expect from the name, this community has a large lake which is a 5 minute walk from ‘tigger-woods’. Next to the lake is a picnic area with BBQs, and a small dock from where you can view the wildlife.

The community has a pool which is available to all residents, as is the adjacent tennis court and small play area.

Obtaining provisions is not a problem whilst staying on the community. There are no less than 3 supermarkets within a 2 mile drive and a little closer is a deli and a convenience store. You can also find here a bank, gas station, hairdressers, bar, cafe and liquor store. Very nearby are several restaurants including a pizza take-away and if you drive the one-third of a mile to the 192 you will find more restaurants than you could ever use in a month. A short way down the 192 is an internet cafe for those who need to check their e-mails.

A few minutes away Polo Park has two golf courses, where you can hire equipment should you wish. Some of the fairways play through the villas on the local communities.

The community runs events from time to time for the residents and the “Dive In Movie” on the 17 foot screen by the community pool is always popular. Should you like to know more about this community why not visit their website - www.davenportlakes.com

*this was clocked from Davenport Lakes to MGM - you may see more optimistic estimates of the distance advertised by villa owners.

For guests with flights home from Tampa.

A stop for lunch at Ybor City, just off the I4 before Tampa International Airport, is a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Choose from a variety of cuisine - Spanish, Cuban, Italian, Greek and French – these can be found by strolling down La Setima, the main street of the Historic District.  Try tapas and a pitcher of Spanish sangria or you can grab a coffee and light lunch – there is a lot of choice and it is a great way of using up those remaining dollars.  There are many specialty stores giving a perfect opportunity to buy some last minute souvenirs, gifts and postcards.  There are also bus and walking tours, these are of course subject to date and time.

For guests with flights home from Sanford and Orlando International.

Lakeridge Winery is situated on the US 27N, just outside Clermont. Complimentary Tours and Wine Tasting are offered seven days a week. Tours operate frequently, starting with a short video, a walk near the production area then outside on a balcony to see a great views of the vineyards where the grapes are grown and harvested. The Wine Tasting (best bit for non drivers!) is held downstairs at a large tasting counter and a variety of wines ranging are usually offered. The winery tour and wine tasting lasts approximately 45-50 minutes. Afterwards you can browse their retail area with gifts, wines, accessories, and there is no sales pressure to make purchases.

Winter Park.  Historic Winter Park is situated on the I4 East, Park Avenue in the heart of Winter Park is a great place to spend your last few hours in Orlando.   Park Avenue has a long park in the middle of the street. (There is a fantastic pet store with everything for your favorite pet). This avenue has  many restaurants, cafes and upscale bars and many offer reasonable lunch time specials.  Park Avenue has a rival with Winter Park Village. This is a newer shopping center that includes restaurants and a movie theater. Park Avenue has it’s charm but Winter Park Village seems to have something for everyone too. Cheesecake Factory to Ruth’s Chris for eateries. Some upscale stores and specialty shops to Pier One and Borders bookstore.  This is not as walkable as Park Ave but does feature very nice and updated retail space.  The scenic boat tour is well worth a visit. The narrated, one hour cruise through the beautiful lakes and canals of Winter Park makes it a must on every person´s list. It´s really the only way to see the true beauty of Winter Park which includes Rollins College, Kraft Azalea Gardens, Isle of Sicily, tropical birds, plants, flowers and magnificent mansions.  The boat trip operates daily and is only 5 minutes from Park Avenue and is reasonably priced.

Celebration,  easily accessible for anyone staying on US27, Hwy 192,  or near I4 -this is an ideal way to spend an hour or two - you can stop for a reasonable priced lunch at the Market Street Cafe, have a walk around the lake, sit on a rocking chair or even visit the cinema.  There are also a few specialty stores with plenty of choice for last minute gifts.