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

As owners of a Gulf Coast villa in Rotonda, Englewood our preferred route is a flight from our home city of Bristol to Tampa via Newark Liberty Airport which is where Immigration and US Customs take place allowing for a relatively quick exit at Tampa to the car rental areas.   Alas this route will discontinue in late 2010 after six successful years; now it means back to starting from Heathrow.

Experience has told us over the years not to make a mad rush to the door of the aircraft once it reaches the gate although it is tempting having sat in a cramped seat for many hours and those with small children must be aching to get off the plane to have some space. No matter how quick or slow disembarking the aeroplane it will not make the luggage arrive into the luggage hall any quicker! ! !

Having made your way off the plane, blood having found where your legs are and you follow the crocodile of fellow passengers to the Immigration Hall the best advice I find is then to go and use the Rest Rooms!

US Nationals naturally ‘get in line’ on their own whilst all other passengers form a snaking queue at the head of which is generally a member of staff who will give a quick glance to your Visa Waiver or Visa form to ensure you have completed it correctly including the reverse portion on the Visa Waiver.

Generally you will not have a choice of which queue you then get allotted but if you are lucky enough to have a choice I would choose to stand behind what seem like business people as they seem to get through immigration without too many questions.

Upon reaching your allotted immigration officer, they after all just doing their job and protecting their country, they do often seem to be somewhat disinterested and we have known to have our details taken and passports stamped with barely a word spoken. On the other hand you can be lucky and get a cheerful officer who is glad to see the British in their country. Fingerprints and photographs taken and you then start the next portion of your Terminal voyage to the luggage hall.

Find the belt number according to your flight, and wait. Luggage trollies are chargeable but if it is easier to pull out a credit card than fumble around for your dollar currency by all means use a credit card. When you get to returning your luggage trolley to the rack make sure you wheel it onto the rail and then collect the returning quarter coin that will pop down into the tray.

Luggage collected, family gathered, white and blue customs forms handed to officer you are on your way.

Passengers travelling on an interconnecting flight must then locate the section whereby your newly found luggage will be, most probably, tossed onto yet another moving belt to disappear – some do miss flights if time is tight but in our experience they are brought to your door the following day, so a few essentials in hand luggage are generally worth it.

Happy travelling – just remember, sunshine, Mickey Mouse or the peace of the Gulf Beaches are there waiting for you.

A leisurely stroll through the magnificent gardens will take on average around one and a half hours, but for those with a little more time on their hands there is so much more to do and see. In the Garden House you can sit a while over a coffee or browse through a plethora of informative gardening books in the custom-built library section. However, the purpose of this article is to look at the early history of Leu Gardens and, in particular, the part Harry P Leu played in its development.

At the heart of the the gardens in The Leu House Museum which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours, illustrating turn of the 20th century living, are available to visitors and last around twenty minutes.

Originally The Leu House was simple farm-house with five rooms built in 1888 by the first landowners, the Mizell family. Subsequent owners made further additions to the property and Joseph Woodward completed the house as it is seen today.

After Woodward’s wife died in 1928 the estate went into trust and was rented out until it was bought by Harry P Leu in 1936 for the pricely sum of $40,000.

Harry P Leu was born in Orlando in 1884 and became an extremely astute and well-respected businessman. After graduating from college he worked locally for a boiler repair company called Cain & O’Berry. Leu worked his way up through the ranks before taking time out in New York to develop his business acumen even further.

On returning to Orlando, Leu eventually gained control of Cain & O’Berry and changed its name to Harry P Leu Inc, which then became an industrial supply company with offices in Miami and Tampa.

He bought Leu House in 1936 and set about major renovation work, which included the installation of central electricity and plumbing.

Away from the house Harry Leu had a great interest in plants and flowers. With his wife they embarked on several trips around the world bringing back many of the exotic plant varieties seen in the gardens today.

In 1961, the house and their beautiful gardens were given to the city of Orlando. This was Leu’s way of giving something back to the community where he had made his fortune.    The deed stipulated that the estate would always remain a botanical garden, for enjoyment and education of the people.  

The Leus hoped the house and gardens would attract people from all over the world. If they had been around today they would have seen that dream become reality.

There is a wide range of shopping malls big and small as close as international drive. For the older generation there are beaches like coco and Daytona and if you fancy a long drive, you could take trip to Miami.

There are water parks some that are suited to the more adventurous and others that are just like real beaches. And there is water skiing, jet skiing to flinging from a 300ft pole overlooking a lake these options are for the more adventurous.

There are spas that you can visit if you want to get away from the kids. There are also helicopter rides which can take you all over Orlando.

There are Wal-Mart’s located all over the place  for your shopping it great it’s just like Asda in England. There are loads and loads of restaurants from buffets to three course meals. The buffets are to die for the ranges of food you get for just a small price it’s amazing. There are obviously fast food restaurants located just about everywhere.

Going to Orlando is the best thing you could possibly do. There are a wide range of hotels with a wide range of prices. But there are others places to stay such as villas or condos. If you rent somewhere its means that it’s yours and you don’t have to share it especially in a villa. Orlando it a place you don’t ever want to leave that’s why you have to get it right and book suitable places that you will enjoy.

The theme parks are all amazing so there is no worry there. You’ll kids will love it but it’s not just for kids the adults will love it as well.  If you got a chance to go to Orlando take it. So if you want to go to Orlando get booking.  

But there are other ‘jewels’ in Florida, and a two centre holiday has become a popular option for visitors. Here are some suggestions why….

Central Florida
The Silver Creek Villas website has a wide choice of privately owned villas, which can be rented directly from the owner. Check with the owner what facilities are nearby - the Disney theme parks will be within a short drive, as will Universal, SeaWorld, water parks, virtually endless shopping, golf, air boat rides, more shopping - and return visits to the parks. Central Florida offers so much - but we must confess that it is possible to finish a vacation in need of a rest. (A tip - remember most vacation homes have their own private pool - allow some relaxation time in between the ‘activity’ days). A two centre holiday is one possible solution - spend a week in the Orlando area, then follow up with a week relaxing in the second centre.

Gulf Coast
A popular option for the second week (or perhaps the third week if it proves possible to stretch your vacation to 3 weeks) is the Gulf Coast. There are other options (a cruise, a Caribbean island, the Atlantic coast, or perhaps the Florida Keys) - but the Gulf Coast has a very real advantage in its location - just 90 minutes drive will bring you to the glorious beaches.

We can recommend the Gulf Coast beaches as a great option for relaxing - but wouldn’t want to give the impression that there is nothing to do in the area. Shopping and golf are still popular options - but there is no need to miss out on the theme parks, as Busch Gardens is relatively close to Tampa Bay. Tampa also brings top level professional sport (Tampa Bay Lightning for ice hockey, the Buccaneers for American Football) - whilst the bay area offers dolphin watching tours, or perhaps a half day cruise on the inland waterways.

Conclusion
Florida is so much more than theme parks. So whilst Disney, Universal and the others are a compelling reason to spend vacation time in Florida, there are plenty more reasons to spend time in ‘The Sunshine State’

As we had purchased a 3 or more day card we also got a free dinner show included. (Make sure that you book the show for one of the days that you intend to use the card). There is usually a choice of 2 or 3 different shows.

We booked to see The Arabian Nights Dinner Show and what a great night we had, the food was great, the drinks unlimited, (beer, wine or soft drinks), and the show was fantastic.

Once you use the card for the first time the countdown starts and the card expires 14 days from the first activation, you can use each of the remaining days at any time within the 14 day window. During a days use you can visit as many of the attractions listed in the guide book as you like. For a full list of the places you can visit have a look at the Go Orlando Card website. Many of the big names are there - Kennedy Space Centre, Gatorland, Fun Spot Action Park, Cypress Gardens……..the list just goes on and on. The card is also valid for a huge amount of special offers and discounts at many shops and attractions for all 14 days after the first activation of the card, again full details are on the website and in the free guide book issued with the card.

You can pack a lot into one day if you plan it carefully, this is what we did with the card:-

Day 1:-

• Cypress Gardens Adventure Park
• TIP - If you take your entrance ticket to guest services you will get a second days free admission for any time in the next 7 days so you actually get 2 days for the price of one!
• Splash Island Water park at Cypress Gardens
• Congo River Adventure Golf

Day 2:-

• Forever Florida Eco-Safaris
• Gatorland
• The Haunted Grimm House
• Congo River Adventure Golf
• Arabian Nights

Day 3:-

• Fun Spot Action Park
• Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
• Titanic - The Experience
• WonderWorks
• Congo River Adventure Golf

As you can see from the above we packed a lot into each of our Go Card days! If you check the guide book and plan carefully you can do a great deal in one day and get fantastic value for money. We were very impressed with the card and will be purchasing one again on our next visit as there are still many more attractions for us to visit.

If you are still a bit unsure, why not try a 1 day card and use it on the International Drive area attractions, as per our day 3 above. It is easy to hop from one attraction to the next and cram lots into one day with very little travelling between venues. Check the opening times and the times you can use the card and leave the late opening attractions until last.

Once you have tried a 1 day card I am sure the next time you go to Florida you will be getting an Orlando Go Card with at least 3 days on!