Ever since James Cameron’s highly acclaimed movie “Avatar” was released, at least a few mentions of floating mountains, Pocahontas, and blue people are going to crop up.

So, naturally, as I was strolling through City Walk at Universal, Orlando on my way to see the Blue Man Group, I had aliens on my mind. 

I was disappointed to find that these blue men do not come from Pandora and are not nine feet (ten feet? eleven feet?) tall.  Instead, their blueness comes from some sort of latex and paint film on their faces and hands while the rest of their bodies are conveniently covered in nondescript black clothing.

The Blue Man Group has been around far longer than Cameron spent filming “Avatar,” which is definitely saying something.  The show is known throughout the States as family friendly and highly amusing entertainment.  The advertisements always show men who are ostentatiously blue-skinned and staring wide-eyed at the viewers as though we should clearly have cobalt skin too. 

So no one really knows what the show is about before going in.  And from what I gather, the routines differ, perhaps not night to night (except when audience volunteers elicit different reactions in certain skits) but definitely from city to city.  This is quite alright, because honestly I don’t think anyone knows what the show is about coming out, either. 

The Blue Man Group involves excellent drumming by the Blue Men, a fantastic rock band playing back-up, strangely baffling stunts involving paint, lots of noise, and incredible lighting.  It appears that in order to be a Blue Man, you must be highly musically inclined, have excellent hand-eye coordination, and be able to perform an entire two hour show without speaking a single word. 

There was definitely something delightfully endearing about the silently sapphire men and their mute appeals for attention.  Their silence was also highly amusing.  The three men interacting in very strange situations without uttering a sound was simple, cute, and funny.  It also brought about lulls in the show where small children (or exhausted adults) probably fell asleep, but the incredibly loud rock music was bound to wake everyone up every once in a while, so that was alright. 

The show was also distinctly unique because all of the situations and comedy centered around very ordinary things that were vaguely scientific and at times simply amazing.  Somehow, the Blue Men managed to make plumbing, ears, eating Twinkies, and the definition of animation both interesting and comical.  Their inclusion of various audience members in their show was both adorable and personal, and usually highlighted by sarcastic, understated, or bizarre humor. 

The lagging bits of the show notwithstanding, the Blue Man Group delivered just what it advertised - a mysterious hodgepodge of colorful paint, lights, comedy and music which was family friendly and at times awe-inspiring.  The actors are no doubt exceedingly talented, managing to elicit delight and laughter from a very diverse crowd with only body language, accented by videos or scrolling words to set up their miming.  Their performance is both one-of-a-kind and breathtaking. 

Although I would have much rather been able to say that I watched looming aliens lope around the stage, I suppose that I can settle for the Blue Man Group being a show that is out of this world. 

Written by my daughter: Gabriella Bensur

Kissimmee Lakefront Park is a great place for families to visit for recreation and to enjoy the many popular events, festivals and concerts that are held there throughout the year.

Kissimmee Lakefront Park is situated on Lake Toho which is the second largest lake in Florida.  The park has basketball courts, a playground, a volleyball court and picnic areas with BBQ grills.  There is boating and fishing on the lake for water enthusiasts.   If you are a nature buff, you can take an excursion boat out to Cypress Island which offers visitors some gorgeous nature trails for hiking and exploring.  The beautiful ancient oak and cypress trees are part of the habitat of a number of birds including herons, osprey and owls as well as a good variety of other animals.  You’ll also see sheep, goats, llamas and emus grazing throughout the area.  Your family can enjoy airboat rides, swamp buggy rides, horseback riding, tubing, and water skiing during your visit.

Here are some of the annual events and festivals held at Kissimmee Lakefront Park that are fun for the whole family:

In January, you can attend the annual Sunshine Regional Chili Cookoff.  This event features competitors from all over the U.S. creating their signature chili recipes.  In addition to plenty of food, there is stage entertainment, arts and crafts, and family activities.

Caribbean Fusion is an annual event in March that offers Latin, Caribbean, and Hispanic music, food, arts and crafts.  There are plenty of stage performances and activities for the kids.

Music lovers will find many free concerts to attend at the park including the Concert in the Park series that features a performance by the Orlando Philharmonic and Jazzfest Kissimmee which showcases many jazz artists from the area as well as local high school jazz bands.

The 4th of July celebration offers families a fun day of live music, festival food, rides and of course a spectacular fireworks display to finish off the day!

In December, the Holiday Extravaganza is held.  This very festive event includes live bands, street performers, arts, crafts and food  vendors as well as  ice carving demonstrations. Winter comes to Florida with the 30 ton pile of snow known as “Frosty’s Playground.”  The climax of the Extravaganza is the “Festival of Lights” parade down Broadway followed by fireworks over the lake.

Admission and parking is free at all of these events.

The atmosphere is great with a very friendly staff.  Your hostess will take you up to the display case and ask if you would like to choose your own steak.  As you pass by, you’ll see the yummy rolls being cut and shaped right before your eyes and your hostess will pick up a steaming basket full fresh out of the oven to leave with you after she has shown you to your table. While you’re waiting to order, snack on buckets of peanuts and keep your eyes open because at any time, you might see the wait staff break into a country line dance!

We love to start out with a spicy cactus blossom (a hand-battered whole onion, deep fried and served with Cajun horseradish sauce) or the Cheese Fries (steak fries with melted cheese and bacon).

There are many fabulous entrees, great steaks of course, but also ribs, BBQ chicken, pulled pork as well as seafood choices plus even a County Vegetable plate if you happen to have vegetarian in your party.  Probably the very best value is the 8 ounce sirloin steak dinner - only $10.99!! Dinner includes a fabulous salad with all the fixings topped off with hard boiled egg, shredded cheese and croutons (the house dressing is fabulous!), potato (try the sweet potato with brown sugar and marshmallows!) and those warm fresh made rolls that I already mentioned with cinnamon butter!!

I prefer the Dallas filet - 6 oz only $15.99! This one melts in your mouth.

For you guys with the big appetites, there’s a larger Dallas filet or see if you can handle a 16 ounce New York Strip, Sirloin, Rib-Eye or Prime Rib. 

For the kiddies, there is a great kid’s menu with prices starting around $2.99.  And for middle aged kids, there’s a Ranger Menu including a choice of sirloin steak, chicken or ribs.  All kid’s meals include a beverage and a side.

Save room for dessert – my favorite is Granny’s Apple Classic, but often times, I’ve got to have chocolate and the Big Ol’ Brownie is just the ticket!

We all agree that Texas Roadhouse offers truly extraordinary food and at the best prices besides!

Finding restaurants outside of Disney in the Orlando area can be tricky.  Most won’t be able to accommodate your gluten free diet even if they say they can.  You have to be very careful.  Unfortunately, you will find that most restaurant staff will be uninformed about proper handling of gluten free food and there is a risk with foods that are normally considered to be gluten free selections because they could be contaminated in preparation. 

Of the chain restaurants, the Outback and Carrabbas Italian Grill are the preferred choices as they both offer a special gluten-free menu  unlike many of the others.

The following is a list of  local establishments that do offer gluten-free options:

Azteca D’oro

Ethos Vegan Kitchen

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar

Nona Sushi

Bonefish Grill

Thai Blossom Restaurant

Bonefish Grill

Tijuana Flats Burrito

Though the restaurants listed are gluten-free friendly, most celiacs find it easier to just prepare their own meals.  There are gluten-free products available at the local grocery store chains, especially at Publix.  My friend found Chamberlin’s Natural Foods to be a particularly good resource.  They not only sell gluten-free foods (and other foods for those who suffer from food allergies or lactose intolerance) but also organic products, vitamins, beauty products and books.

Carrabbas is a very popular place to eat great authentic Italian food.  We always try to eat there at least once when we’re in Florida.   Since it’s popular and they don’t take reservations, you could be in for a lengthy wait.   They do offer call ahead seating which we always take advantage of.  Call when you’re ready to leave and they’ll put you on the waiting list so that when you arrive, your wait will be reduced considerably.

On this last visit, we had the opportunity to go to the newer location on Vineland Avenue in Orlando just up the street from Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine.  As always, we started off with some of the wonderful appetizers.  My favorites are the bruschette of the day and the zucchini fritte (thin strips of zucchini coated with a parmesan batter and deep fried).  On that particular day, the bruschette was a tomato goat cheese topping served with slices of toasted garlic bread – delicious!  Three different starter salads are on offer, Caesar, Italian and House.  Though I chose Italian this time, I have had all three and they are all wonderful.   The Italian salad has a vinaigrette dressing whereas the House salad is served with a creamy dressing, both full of lettuce, olives and assorted veggies.  With our salads came baskets of warm crusty Italian bread with herbed olive oil for dipping. 

For the main course, there are a variety selections including pastas (of course), seafood, veal, chicken and steak all prepared in an authentic Italian manner.   I have tried many but my favorites are Chicken Bryan (grilled chicken breast topped with herbed goat cheese, basil, sun dried tomatoes and a light sauce), Veal Piccata (sauteed veal topped with mushrooms, proscuitto ham and lemon butter sauce) and Pasta Weesie (fettucini alfredo topped with shrimp, scallions and mushrooms).

There are a few choices for side items with certain entrees and a must have is the cavitappi amatriciana.  It’s a pasta dish with a delicious tomato sauce.  The sauce is excellent and we have been known to ask for a bowl of it for dipping our bread! The server always complies!

Make sure you save room for dessert!  They always have a wonderful selection on offer.  Since I love tiramisu, I almost always order this – it’s delicious!  My husband usually orders the fudge brownie with ice cream and I have to say that it is also very delicious since I usually have to sample his as well!

Bon Appetit!

You can visit Disney Marketplace and enjoy a few hours with the family for no cost at all. Parking is free and there is no admission. Bring your swimsuits and some towels and you and the children can cool off in the ground fountains that randomly shoot up through the sidewalk.  The Lego Imagination Center is a family favorite.  The Lego creations surrounding the store are massive and intriguing especially the giant serpent in the lake right out front.   The largest selection of Legos I have ever encountered is in this store.  Out front, your family will find stations with Lego bases and bins full of all shapes and sizes of Lego blocks.   Here you can build to your heart’s content.  Try building a car and race it against others on the ramp with 4 racing lanes.  Take your little ones over to the toddler play area - they have probably never gone down a Lego slide before!

Check the events calendar for free live family entertainment.  There are free daily performances at the Dock Stage and you  may even catch a street performer who will amaze you with juggling, magic, and other tricks.

Wander through the World of Disney store – it probably has the largest collection of Disney merchandise you will find anywhere.  The children will enjoy the Disney décor and may even catch their favorite characters or Disney actors on the TV.  Step into Ghiradellis and grab a free sample of their delicious chocolate.  Check out the amazing window displays at Disney’s Days of Christmas.

Once Upon a Toy is not to be missed!  Your children will be amazed at Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbell flying overhead.  Here, your kids can play with toys and you don’t even have to buy them!  They can build their own Disney-themed Mr. Potato Head and build at the Tinker Toy and Lincoln Log play stations. 

Disney Marketplace opens daily at 9:30 a.m.  From Sunday through Thursday, closing time is at 11:00 p.m.  On Friday and Saturday, it stays open until 11:30 p.m.

Have a great time!

The food, though a little pricey (not surprising as you have to take into consideration the novelty of your surroundings), was very good.  One of their specialties is rotisserie chicken which you can see cooking in the “Kitchen of Fire” (the kids will enjoy this special viewing area as it is truly surrounded by fire!) as well as watch the chefs bake pizzas and flatbreads in the wood burning oven.

 We ordered the Footprints Flatbread and Dexter’s Dual Dips for our appetizers.  The flatbread was topped with 4 cheeses, carmelized onions, chicken and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.  The dips included a queso and an artichoke dip served with tortilla chips.  Both were very good. 

For the main course, my daughter and I decided to share our entrees.  I ordered the Omnivore’s Delight salad with grilled chicken and she opted for the Triassic Tortellini.  Both were delicious, but we agreed that the salad was probably the best we’ve ever had.  It was a huge salad of iceberg lettuce and field greens with really generous portions of sweet pecans, sliced strawberries, craisins, and goat cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  I was really pleased because I really love salads with pecans and goat cheese and I’ve never seen such a pile of pecans and so much goat cheese in any salad I’ve had before.  I really loved it!

You may be familiar with the Rainforest Café’s famous “Volcano” dessert – lots of chocolate, lots of ice  cream, lots of topping, lots of yelling “Volcano!” and just plain lots – one will feed our family of 5!  Well, T-Rex offers their version of this indulgent dessert – the “Chocolate Extinction.”  Make sure you finish off with one of these – it’s fabulous!

This Central Florida tourist ministry began years ago with folding chairs and makeshift altars offering Catholic church services in hotel conference rooms!  The number of visitors increased over the years and through the support of the late Pope John Paul II, and the generous contributions of the many faithful visitors, the Shrine became what it is today. 

The 22-acre complex is comprised of several areas.  The main feature is a 2,000 seat Shrine Church where a full schedule of daily and weekend masses are celebrated.  A priest is also available every day to hear confessions or for counseling.  This Church is unique in that it is not a part of a parish with a wealth of members to support its ministry.  This entire facility was developed and continues to thrive on the donations of the tourists and locals who come to tour the facility or worship there.  Also part of the Shrine is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, a beautiful sanctuary that invites worshippers to reflect and pray in a tranquil setting with the Lord of the Eucharist.  There is also an outdoor chapel featuring a stunning bronze sculpture of Mary and Jesus. 

A very unique area of the Shrine is the Rosary Garden with walkways amid trees and landscaping in the shape of the Rosary.  The complex also includes outdoor stations of the cross, a multi-media theater that is used for evangelization, a museum which houses historic Catholic art from the United States and also from around the world and a gift shop which sells religious articles.

Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine is located at 8300 Vineland Avenue in Orlando.  We had the opportunity to attend mass there on New Year’s Eve to satisfy our Holy Day obligation.   The church is beautiful of a modern style but with the traditional icons and gorgeous stained glass windows.   The parking lot is a bit of distance from the front doors of the church, but there is a small parking lot on the side for handicapped visitors and drop-offs are permitted here as well.   For a current mass schedule and/or to find out the current museum and gift shop hours of operation, you can call the Shrine at 407-239-6600.

The first time we took our two older children to Epcot, they were both under five.  Get there early when the park opens and since World Showcase opens later than Future World, you’ll start there!   The first thing you’ll see on entering the park is Spaceship Earth (it resembles a giant golf ball)!  This is a very slow moving pleasant attraction that is fine for toddlers.  If your child is afraid of the dark, though, it may be best to avoid this one.  

The Universe of Energy pavilion has one of our favorite attractions at Epcot, “Ellen’s Energy Adventure”.   Your children may enjoy this, or they may be very frightened of the life-like dinosaurs that move and roar.   Use your judgment on this one! 

Not to be missed in Future World with pre-schoolers are The Living Seas pavilion and The Land Pavilion.  They will particularly love “The Seas with Nemo and Friends” as well as “Living with the Land”.   My children particularly enjoyed this and wanted to go back on the boat ride again and again!   They were quite enthralled with the trip through the Disney greenhouses where they saw unique new-age growing methods in practice plus a number of unusual fruits and vegetables.

Before leaving Future World, you’ll want to take in one more attraction, “Journey into Imagination with Figment” at the Imagination! Pavilion.   My kids really enjoyed this ride led by a very lovable purple dragon named Figment.   Let me warn you, though, that you won’t be able to get that song out of your head!

This is a good time to go back to the villa for a nap!  You can return late afternoon or early evening to take in the World Showcase.  When you return, depending on the age of your children, stop in to one of the gift shops and consider purchasing a Passport for them.  This will keep them busy as you tour the country pavilions.  You can read more about this item here:

http://www.silvercreekvillas.com/blog/archives/77

Before you enter the World Showcase, check out the times for the various live performances.  There will be a variety of acts outside the different pavilions and some of these may appeal to your children.  So, plan on taking a few of these in as you stroll through the countries.  Most of the main attractions in this area of the park will not be suitable for young children.  The Maelstrom seems tame enough but there is a fast drop and a frightening troll that really disturbed my children so I don’t recommend it!  There are beautiful films in China, France and Canada but the short attention span of your young children will more than likely only allow you to attend one of these.  If that’s the case, we found “Reflections of China” to be a great choice.  The one main attraction that will be suitable and most enjoyable for little ones will be  “El Rio Del Tempo” in the Mexico pavilion.  This is a very pleasant and beautiful boat ride through a very colorful and festive world!

If you managed to get a nap break in at some point during the day, you’ll want to stay and see “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth”!  All of Epcot comes to “light” with this most spectacular grand finale laser light show.  Your children will be in awe – so will you!!

My first surprise came upon entering the park as we passed by all the enticing establishments of City Walk with the huge roller coasters of Islands of Adventure looming ahead.  That was only the beginning!

As we experienced our day at Universal Studios, we found that a few of the old attractions had been updated and revamped such as “Disaster! A Major Motion Picture Ride starring You” which was formerly “Earthquake – The Big One!”  Earthquake closed in 2007, however, several of the main elements of the ride are the same incorporating a new theme and some additional special effects.  Some attractions were entirely replaced such as the old “Back to the Future” which in March of 2007 was replaced with “The Simpsons Ride” and “Kongfrontation,” which closed in 2002 to be replaced by “Revenge of the Mummy” which according to my son is a pretty “awesome” indoor rollercoaster (I don’t do roller coasters).  The “Funtastic  World of Hanna-Barbera” is now “Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast” which is a wild simulator ride through the worlds of everyone’s favorite Nicktoon characters (it was great fun though I had to close my eyes a few times).   “Alfred Hitchcock: The Art of Making Movies,”  closed in 2003 to make way for “Shrek 4-D” which is a fantastic adventure with all the special effects you come to expect from 3-D (or in this case 4-D) that takes off from where the popular movie ended. 

Men in Black: Alien Attack was brand new in 2000.  You enter this ride under the pretense that you are at the World Expo about to view a presentation called “The Universe and You,” but you end up being an MIB trainee.  This ride is similar to the arcade-style Buzz Lightyear in Magic Kingdom as you travel in vehicles shooting up aliens with your laser gun trying to score as many points as possible – fun!

Some outdated sets such as the Bates Mansion and Swamp Thing were gone but the kiddie area called Woody Woodpecer’s Kidzone had expanded to include the Nuthouse Coaster and the Curious George interactive playground.

Sadly, the Boneyard had disappeared.  I remember how much I enjoyed viewing the discarded props from some of my all time favorite films.  This has been removed to make way for the entrance to the coming attraction, “Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.”   Out with the old and in with the new as they say!

We had a great day and loved the new attractions.  We will no doubt return very soon!