Well Christmas is here again and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year for 2011. Glad to say that Florida is not having the snow that the UK is having with more than a foot falling. Although I have been told it has been a lot cooler this year than past years…

I hope that everyone who has been lucky enough to go to Florida, this Christmas was able to get there without too much trouble or with any flight delays or cancellations.

 For us - we are here in the UK for the 1st time in 5years – How lovely. Sure I would have much rather been in Florida Never mind.

Let’s just hope that you have your Holiday well planed if it is over the Christmas and New Year time – lots of places such as “Old Town” and Celebration will have free entertainment.

At Celebration they have a band playing which you can sit and listen to or you can walk around the stalls and shops Celebration also has wine bars and restaurants open till late – a good selection of shops with plenty of extra Christmas ideas and that little something special to take back home with you - they have the Snow fall on the hour, which is entertainment in its self. With horse and carts rides - The little train which will take you around Celebration and then there is the water shoots for the children to play in- remember to bring a change of clothes for them or a towel to dry off with. And of course there is Santa to see – he and his helpers will be found down by the lake, a great opportunity to have a fantastic family photo.

If you’re planning to go to the parks be sure to get there early – once the parks are full they will close the gates to you. I have known this to be as early has 10.00am in the morning be prepared for a long day!!   Eat well and drink plenty. All well worth it – the fireworks are fantastic and the atmosphere is thrilling.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New year to you all!

There’s almost always something good going on in Kissimmee.  The Silver Spurs Rodeo host to a variety of concerts,  festivals and events all year long, offering fun, excitement, and entertainment for every member of the family. We have seen Hulk Hogan in person at one of the promotions, he is a Fishing fanatic and an expert angler. He signed our autograph book and we had pictures taken along side him, he is MASSIVE.

The Rodeo Show and Funfair weekends are great family entertainment with live music, lots of free give aways and live demonstrations. It’s a real crowd pleaser, offering a taste of the Wild West and you can watch bronco bucking, barrel racing, steer wrestling, team roping, and even those funny little rodeo clowns. It is worth getting the Events Calendar, where you’ll find what’s happening all year round.. 

Also, the three downtown areas, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Celebration, host numerous uniquely-themed special events throughout the year. You can also head over to Lake Toho in St. Cloud for a day of free family fun revolving around a beach, a playground, and several lakefront fishing spots including a tranquil fishing pier with a gazebo. Take one day of your holiday to slow down the pace and just see what you can do for free.

It will certainly make a change!!!!!

Happy Holidays

Mary & Larry

For new visitors to Florida, it is a hidden Gem away from the hubbub of the Parks, bright lights and glitz.

It has all of the tranquillity you could ever want to enjoy, with a quaint Main Street, Custom Shops, Cinema, a gorgeous Lake, complete with Alligators  and a variety Dining places to sit and enjoy the unique ambiance. Our favourite is The Tavern, with it’s New England Fish menu an absolute must, snow crabs, Maine lobsters are the best.

Throughout the year the Towns folk have Special events for each & everyone and it is all free.

We always make an effort to go down, especially on Sundays to sit in the Rocking Chairs on the promenade to chill for a little while and get our energy back for the next attack at The Parks with the Grandchildren. We thought that some visitors would find the time to venture down so we have the events due for this year. We can really recommend the Great American Pie Festival in April. We were fortunate to be here 2 years ago with our two grandsons and they had a fantastic time. Firstly making their own Cherry Pies, then joining in the Fastest Eater competition, we still enjoy the video. 

CELEBRATION TOWN CENTER 2010 SPECIAL EVENTS 

MARCH 27TH & 28TH.           SPRING ART FEATIVAL

APRIL 16TH & 17TH.             CELEBRATION Exotic Car Festival

APRIL 24TH & 25TH              THE GREAT AMERICAN PIE FESTIVAL

JULY 4TH.                              A FLASH BACK 4TH. JULY (Live music, parade, fireworks & 50s theme)

JULY 23RD – 25TH.                SUMMER SIDEWALK SALE (TV SHOW “SURVIVOR” WINNERS & CAST)

OCTOBER 8TH & 9TH.            OKTOBERFEST (Autumn German Themed Street Party)

NOVEMBER 6TH.                   ALFA ROMEO CAR SHOW

NOV. 27TH – DEC. 31          NOW SNOWING NIGHTLY (Snow Falls every hour, Strolling Santa, Photos etc)

DECEMBER 11TH.                  RADIO DISNEY CONCERT (Jump, Jingle & Jam to your favourite Disney Artist)

We hope you are luck enough to catch one of these shows, it really is worth it for a Family Day out.

Have Fun

Mary & Larry

Since those early days Celebration has grown in size with several new property phases being added, each with their own individuality and style. Names such as North Village, West Village and Evalyn Lake enrich the community with homes ranging from small condominiums to great mansions. Whether Disney’s original values still hold good is, I guess, a question for today’s residents to answer.

At first glance the Disney influence is very apparent, a hotel very much in the Floridian style, an Art Deco cinema that could easily have been transported from Hollywood Studios and a lake with walking trails reminiscent of Disney’s Boardwalk area. It is hard to come to terms with the fact that this is a working community with its own infrastructure including all emergency services and local amenities including schools, libraries and leisure facilities.

At the far end of Water Street, along a beautiful tree lined avenue is the entrance to Celebration’s very own championship golf course and back in downtown, just a ten-minute stroll away are the chic boutiques and elegant restaurants that can be found dotted around the lake.

Try Sherlock’s, which is a quintessential English teashop that also specialises in fine wines, or sit outside in the evening sunshine and enjoy Spanish tapas at the Colombia restaurant.  A tad cheaper is the Market Street Café, which does ‘the best breakfast’ in Celebration according to many reviewers. The Front Porch is an ice cream parlour with pavement seating, and is an ideal place to rest on a hot summer’s day with your favourite ice cream concoction in hand.

The visitor can be forgiven for thinking they have stumbled upon a perpetual movie set as Celebration is so far removed from the ‘real world’ yet only minutes from hustle and bustle of the US192 corridor. There are no chain stores or recognisable fast food outlets here and Disney has been clever enough to link Celebration Boulevard to World Drive so that residents can reach the theme parks and return home without having to venture on to any other major roads or thoroughfares.

So can the visitors…but don’t tell everyone!!

In the Kissimmee area for example, the main drag along the US192 is full of restaurants, and of course some are better than others.

Now I am old and wise enough to know that recommending restaurants is asking for trouble, so this is just an overview of some we have tried, and what is generally on offer.

The breakfast buffet deals, of course, are legendary. Places like the Ponderosa Steakhouse offer an “all you can eat” breakfast for $3.99 (drinks are extra). There’s a very wide choice of food from the healthy to the very unhealthy, and you can certainly skip lunch after one of these extravaganzas. The buffet experience also enables you to sample American favourites such as grits, and biscuits and gravy.

More upmarket – and not too far from the 192 – is the Market St Café in Celebration. It is a typical smart American diner and the food is good, without being too expensive. You can create your own breakfast and the Eggs Benedict is a speciality.

For dinner, you can find Chinese buffets, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Indian and Japanese. Sea food restaurants abound and often supply buffet menus. Try The Crab House, Red Lobster, or Angel’s Lobster and Seafood Feast.

If you are looking for the American experience, there are many diners which give very good value such as Bahama Breeze, Chilli’s, and Logan’s Road House (free peanuts on the table, just throw the shells on the floor!). And remember that the burger you order in the US will be a proper burger with 100% meat, unlike the version you would avoid back home in the UK.

A trip to Downtown Disney, or the Universal Boardwalk gives you the opportunity to try out some very nice restaurants, such as the Rainforest Café, Wolfgang Puck, Fulton’s Crabhouse, and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.

For a more sophisticated dining experience, many hotels have more exclusive surroundings. The Omni, near Champions Gate, has several restaurants none of which would break the bank.

Another area for smart restaurants, where it’s probably best not to wear shorts, is just off International Drive on West Sand Lake Rd.  There you can try the Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bar, Seasons 52, and Antonio’s. Antonio’s also has a sister business called Cafe D’Antonio in Celebration where you’ll enjoy “…the taste and style of a more expensive place”

Don’t forget your discount coupons. Many of the more popular restaurants and diners accept discount coupons to be found in coupon books from tourist information centres.

Coffee and “sodas” (coke, sprite etc) are generally topped up at your table for free, and you won’t even have to ask.

Tipping is always the problem. It is very rare to get poor service and a tip of between 15% and 20% is expected. Remember that waiters are poorly paid in the US, and rely on tips. It certainly ensures that service is good. Do check your check (bill) carefully though; some restaurants will add the tip on automatically, so don’t tip twice!

Andy Brownlie

It’s a question we regularly ask ourselves when we are intending to eat out either for breakfast, lunch or evening meal.

A variation of that same question can often come from guests. Usually guests who are visiting for the first time.

Like many who have been the area more than once you soon become aware that the choice of eating establishments is enormous.

Breakfast is easy. If we want to fill up prior to a days activities it would be one of the ‘eat as much as you like’ establishments, usually Ponderosa (192 opposite the old town).

Lunch time eating out would depend on where we were. If we were at the house the choice would be between Beef O’Bradys, Chili’s or Applebee’s

Evening dining out can be a little more difficult.

If we had a family debate every time we ate out for our evening meal we would be never get out to eat.

In our family depending on who is making the final decision where to eat for an evening meal it’s usually a forgone conclusion for the rest of us where that person would choose.

Carol, my wife would choose chili’s (Champions Gate) or Applebee’s (H27). Her reasoning would be that both places have a good choice on the menu at very reasonable prices. However the deciding factor for her would be that they are both with in a few minutes drive from our house so she could get back, pour a red wine, soak in the spa and chill out.

My eldest daughter would probably choose either Antonio’s or The Columbia Restaurant both in Celebration.

The menu is more expensive than other eating establishments but in our experience the food has always been excellent and if I’m picking up the bill what do the others care what it costs.

For my youngest daughter and me it would have to be Logan’s roadhouse (opposite the old town 192). If their was one thing I could bring home to the UK it would be a Logan’s roadhouse.

The menu choice is good but for me you could take everything off and just leave the stakes.

The pub / sports bar set up is excellent, we have never been rushed, the staff are laid back, you can drink beer or spirits and you get the bonus of walking over to the old town to check out the old cars and motorbikes (if you pick the right evening) and spend forever deciding which one I’m going to buy and ship home.

In your dreams (as carol would say).

Eating out in Florida is not as easy as you may think.