We found Walmart (www.walmart.com ) excellent for all kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and tableware items, and also baby items.  Local stores to US192 are:

Walmart Super Center                    Walmart Super Centre

4444 West Vine                             3250 Vineland Road

Kissimme, FL 3474                        Kissimmee, FL34746

Tel (407) 397 7000                        Tel (407) 397 1125

(near marker #15)                          (near marker #9)

Target (www.target.com ) stores were also useful for kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and baby items.  Local stores to US192 are:

Target                                         Supertarget

3003 W Vine St                           4795 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy

Kissimmee, FL34741                  Kissimmee, FL34746

Tel (407) 846 6611                     Tel (407) 594 0029

For outdoor furniture, the difficulty was matching the existing furniture.  Palm Casual have a showroom full of patio furniture (including sling style), and cushions, etc.  By looking at their website (www.patiofurnitureinc.com ), we were able to match up our cushion fabric prior to our visit.  They are located at:

Palm Casual
11701 S. Orange Blossom Trail
South Orlando, FL32837

Tel (407) 438 2330

(Not far from the Florida Mall)

For furniture, we found Furnitureland USA (www.furnitureland.org ), who have a large showroom full sitting room, dining room and bedroom furniture, and often next day delivery is available.  They are located at:

Furnitureland USA
2345 Orange Blossom Trail
Kissimmee, FL34744

Tel (407) 847 8518

For sports equipment for the games room, we visited the Sports Authority (www.sportsauthority.com ), and found everything from billiard cues to table hockey.  They are located at:

Sports Authority
The Loop
3214 N John Young Parkway
Kissimmee, FL33741

Tel (407) 846 6844

For bedding we visited Sears (www.sears.com ) at The Florida Mall (www.simon.com ) – they have an end of range aisle which is always worth a look at to get a bargain.

The Florida Mall
8001 South Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, FL 32809

Tel (407) 851 6255

Many items in our villa had a palm tree theme, and we found everything from table linens to doormats in the FloridaMarketplace range at Bealls (www.beallsflorida.com ).  They are located at:

Bealls
4081 W Vine Street
Osceola Square Mall
Kissimmee, FL34741

Tel  (407) 847 4301

(near marker #15)

We are still searching for a window valance company…….

Wallaby Ranch is in a secluded location near Davenport, surrounded by woodland, and yet only 20 minutes from Kissimmee.

Wallaby Ranch is an excellent place for anyone wishing to take their first hang gliding flight.  Normally, months of hill training are needed before you can launch from a mountain site, but with tandem aerotowing, you can experience the thrill of a high altitude flight straightaway.

A highly experienced hang gliding instructor flies alongside you on a tandem hang glider, which is towed up to 2000 feet in the air by an ultralight towplane.

Once released, the tandem hang glider will free-fly for 15 to 20 minutes, during which time the instructor shows you how to control the glider by shifting your weight.  And the return to the 100-acre take-off and landing field culminates in a smooth rolling landing.

These flights can be enjoyed by everyone from 4 years to 90 years of age.

The tandem flights are done in the mornings, and late afternoons, which is when the smoothest and calmest winds are experienced.  Flying starts everyday at 8.00am, weather permitting.

Take-off and landing can be done in any direction on the 100-acre field, and are therefore not bound by wind direction. 

Wallaby Ranch employ 10 full-time staff, which include professional tow pilots, experienced certified instructors and a gourmet chef to prepare breakfast and lunch.

Other Amenities

Tent & RV camping facilities

7-foot deep swimming pool

Cimbing wall

Children’s playground, with a Dr. Seuss tree house.

Mountain bike trails

Walking trails

Directions

Wallaby Ranch
1805 Deen Still Road
Davenport, FL  33897
Tel 863-424-0070

Take US-192 W, then join the I-4 W to Tampa.

Take exit #58 (Kissimmee/Champions Gate), onto Champions Gate Boulevard

Carry on past the shopping centre to the T-junction

Turn right onto Ronald Reagan Parkway/CR 54, and crossing over Hwy 27, this becomes Deen Still Road.

Wallaby Ranch is 1.7 miles from Hwy 27.

Look for the mailbox with 1805 on, and turn left down the driveway, and pull up at the office and ring the bell.

Prices

Standard Tandem Instruction (All Inclusive)                 $120.00

Tandem Flight with DVD                                              $180.00

3 Lesson Package                                                         $320.00

Advanced Tandem Thermal Instruction                        $200.00

(10 & 20 Lesson Packages also available)

Christmas is a quite place in the summer, but bustles with activity prior to the Christmas holidays.  People line up to mail their Christmas cards and letters at the post office, to obtain the unique postmark of ‘Christmas, FL’

The post office is small, but modern and is located on the right, not long after the green ‘Christmas’ sign at the entrance to the town.  Year round, the post office is decorated with a wreath on the outside and a Christmas tree in its entrance.

Originally the town was called Fort Christmas, named when 2000 US Army Soldiers and Alabama Volunteers arrived on December 25th 1837 to construct the fort.  However, when the first post office opened in 1892, ‘fort’ was dropped from the name. 

The town has a small Christmas gift shop, and a Circle K convenience store.  For travellers, there is a choice of the Christmas RV Park, or the primitive camping site at Tosohatchee Reserve State Park.  For more comfortable accommodation, the nearest hotels are in Orlando or Titusville.

Capitalising on the name, there is a large Christmas tree marking one intersection, and on the top of a building in the RV Park is Santa’s reindeer and sleigh.

A replica of the original fort built in 1837 during the Seminole Indian War, is located a few miles north of the main highway, at the Fort Christmas Historical Park. The park also features a traditional Florida ‘Cracker’ house, a sugar cane mill, seven pioneer homes (showing life from the 1870’s through to the 1930’s) and historical farming equipment.  There are also picnic pavilions, themed children’s playground, a baseball diamond, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts.

Opening Hours: (Closed Mondays)

Museum:   10.00am – 5.00pm

Park:

Summer: Tuesday – Sunday          8.00am – 8.00pm

Winter:    Tuesday – Sunday         8.00am – 6.00pm

(Hours change when the clocks change)

Admission Price:   FREE

Further Information:

Christmas Post Office
23580 East Colonial Dr.
Christmas, Florida 32709-9998

Telephone: (800) 275-8777

Fort Christmas Historical Park

1300 Fort Christmas Road (C.R.420)
Christmas, Florida 32709

Telephone: 407-568-4149

9067 International Drive, Orlando, FL32819

Open daily 9.00am until midnight

Easily recognisable as the ‘Upside Down House’ on International Drive, Wonderworks contains over 100 interactive exhibits.

With opening hours until midnight, this is a fun family attraction that can be enjoyed when the theme parks close, or after a day lazing in the sun.

Entry to Wonderworks is through a revolving tunnel that transports you theoretically upside down to begin your experience.

The exhibits begin with the Earthquake Simulator which recreates a 5.3 earthquake, followed by the Hurricane Simulator. Also enjoy the Global VR which simulates the virtual combat of a Desert War.

Then take the controls of the Discovery Space Shuttle or an F14 and F18 fighter jet, and discover the skills and techniques required to fly them.

Here, there are also photo opportunities with life size replicas of an Astronaut Space Suit and Mercury Capsule.

Much fun can be had in the Bubble Lab where there are a variety of fun, gigantic bubble-making tools.  Then lay on the Bed of Nails and feel 3500 sharp nails rise under you, or press into the 40,000 pins on the Wonderwall and create a 3D impression of your entire body.

In the Virtual Sports section, play virtual basketball, soccer or air hockey.

The Wonder Coaster is not for the feint hearted.  This simulator rolls 360o, up, down, backwards, forwards and any which way it can.  Riders must be 48” tall. 

Negotiating each level via the stairway, introduces the many mysterious pictures that will bring you to a standstill trying to figure them out.

On the top floor is the arcade and prize shop. 

The café is located on the 1st floor, and offers a variety of pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, French fries, soft pretzels, popcorn, ice cream and drinks.     

The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show

Voted as the best dinner show for 2009, this is an impressive, interactive, entertaining and extremely funny dinner show, containing magic, impersonations and improvised comedy.

Ticket price includes unlimited fresh cheese and pepperoni pizza, salad, popcorn and unlimited wine, beer, soda and dessert.

Show times are 6.00pm Sunday to Saturday, with an extra performance at 8.00pm on a Saturday.

Lazer Tag

Wear a technology enriched vest, and outplay, outlast and outshoot your opponents in the huge maze.

Prices (2009)                           Child (4-12)/Over 65’s             Adults

Wonderworks                                      $14.95                                     $19.95

Lazer Tag (One game)              $  4.95                                     $  4.95

The Outta Control Dinner Show            $16.95                                     $24.95

    (Dinner Show Only)

Magic Combo                                      $28.95                                     $38.95

    (Wonderworks & Dinner Show)

Lazer Combo                                       $17.95                                     $22.95

    (Wonderworks & 1 Lazer Tag Game)

Ultimate Combo                                   $29.95                                     $39.95

Discount coupons for $1.50 off Wonderworks admission and $1.50 off The Outta Control Dinner Show are available from Wonderworks own website!  Visit www.wonderworksonline.com

Parking

Parking is directly behind Wonderworks, in the Pointe Orlando parking Garage.  The fees range from $2.00-$6.00 per car.

Generally we book to fly from our local airport and return in to a London airport.  We find that this is usually the cheapest combination.  We then take the train home.  For the cheapest train tickets, book them 12 weeks in advance (or just less).  If you are taking the train in both directions, it is usually cheaper to get 2 x single journey tickets, rather than a return ticket.  Sometimes cheaper train tickets can also be obtained by splitting each journey down in to two parts (ie say from Leeds to Peterborough, and Peterborough to London Kings Cross, rather than Leeds to London) – it’s just trial and error if you have the time to do this.  Train tickets can be purchased at www.thetrainline.com  

With departing and returning to different airports, this will generally mean changing planes at an American airport.  We have found it costs no extra to leave the plane as it touches down in America, and catch the same plane a few days later.  We stopped over in New York for 3 nights at Christmas, with no extra flight costs by doing this.

We have also booked different returning flights to England, to the flights we booked to Orlando.  Recently we flew to Las Vegas for 4 nights (via New York), before flying down to Orlando (via Memphis).  We then returned to London via Memphis.  We were able to do this combination of flights by booking through www.expedia.co.uk and using the multiple-destination option.

We have also found cheap charter flights by booking the night before, although this option is usually outside of school holidays, and means set durations of 7, 14 or 21 days.  Also, when taking this option, it usually means that baggage is charged extra, but the upside is that these flights are usually direct flights, although in to Sanford Airport and not Orlando International Airport.

We have also found it to be an advantage to be a member of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, register at www.virginatlantic.com . We have acquired numerous airmiles both with Virgin and their network of partners, such as Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Dollar Car Rental.  These airmiles entitle members to reward flights (look out for the special offers) and for miles+money flights, which means reduced flight prices in exchange for 2000 of your acquired airmiles.  Airmiles do not expire as long as you earn or spend airmiles every three years.

Brevard Zoo

8225 North Wickham Road

Melbourne, FL 32940

www.brevardzoo.org 

Opening Times

Daily                9.30am – 5.00pm (last admission at 4.15pm)

Closed             Thanksgiving & Christmas Day

Closes at 3pm on event days (ie Safari Under the Stars, Boo at the Zoo, Great Tastes of Suntree). Most activities are outside, and may close early if there are severe weather conditions.

Prices (2009)

Adults              $12.50

Seniors$11.50

Children           $9.50 (Ages 2 – 12).  Under 2’s are free

Opened in 1994, Brevard Zoo is about an hour’s dive away from Kissimmee, and is located on the Space Coast, just ½ mile east of I95, exit 191, in Melbourne, Florida.

Covering 5 acres, Brevard Zoo contains more than 550 animals representing 165 species from North and South America, Australia and Asia.

The zoo is divided into five areas: Expedition Africa, Australia/Asia, Wild Florida, La Selva & Paws On Play.  These loops are accessed off the main loop that encircles the Indian River Play Lagoon.

Feed The Giraffes / Lorikeets
Feed the giraffes at the giraffe platform in Expedition Africa.  (Treats are $2).
Feed nectar to the lorikeets (parrots) in the Aviary in Australasia. (Nectar cups are $1).
Feed seed sticks to the cockatiels in the Aviary in Australasia. (Seed sticks are $1).

Cape To Cairo Express Train Ride
The 10 minute ride passes the Australian aviary and around Lemur Island, an island that houses the zoo’s lemurs. ($3 for ages 2 and up)

Australia/Asia
Featuring animals from Australia and Oceania, such as the red kangaroo, emu and wallaby. This also houses the aviary which is divided into three sections: bats, lorikeets and turacos. There is also a butterfly exhibit six weeks of the year in the turaco section.  Siamang gibbons are located between the entrances to Expedition Africa and Australia/Asia.

Kayaking
Choose either a guided kayaking tour of the 22 acre restored wetlands in Wild Florida, at the Wetlands Outpost, or paddle through Expedition Africa, which features white rhinos, giraffes and ostriches.  ($6 per person).

Not for under 5’s.  Children 5 - 12 must be accompanied by an adult in the kayak with them. All participants must sign a waiver in order to kayak (Under 18’s must have a signed waiver by a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian).

Wild Florida
On exhibit are otters, alligators, crocodiles and bobcats.  This is where the alligators and otters are fed.

La Selva (the jungle)
On exhibit are the jaguars, Cottontop Tamarins, Golden-headed Lion Tamarins, iguanas and vultures.

Animal Demos
Alligator and Crocodile Feeding: At 3 p.m. every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, viewed from the bridge to Wild Florida.
Vulture Feeding: At 12 noon daily in the La Selva loop.
River Otter Feeding: At 2 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday at the otter habitat in Wild Florida.

WildlifeDetectiveTrainingAcademy
Specifically focused toward smaller children, the building houses the terrariums containing the zoo’s reptiles, amphibians and arthropods.  The children can dig up bones in a sand pit, from an ‘animal crime scene’ and an animal hospital where children learn about animal anatomy and veterinary science.  There is also a new mystery every month which children can investigate and find clues throughout the zoo. Visit Lagoonadventures.org for more information.

Paws On Play
Lots of fun for the whole family, including water play, an aquarium, fort building and animal petting area.  The Indian River Play Lagoon is a water play area that runs alongside the 20,000 gallon aquarium featuring animals found along the Indian River Lagoon. There is also a separate area for under 3’s to splash about.

The Flamingo Café and Whale’s Tail offer a large selection of food, snacks, and drinks. Open daily 10.00am to 4.30pm. 

Panther’s Paw Gift Shop:   Opens at 10 a.m.

Admission Packages:

Young Explorer’s Package (Adults $17, Seniors $16, Children $14).  Includes Zoo admission and tickets to ride the train, feed the giraffe and lorikeets..

Wild Explorer’s Package (Adults $19, Seniors $18, Children $16).  Includes Zoo admission, a choice of kayaking Wild Florida or Expedition Africa, and giraffe and lorikeet feedings.

Wild Encounter Tours, Destination Africa(Ages 5 - Adult $75, Seniors & Ages 3 & 4  $37.50, Unders 2’s are free).  An educational hour with the Zoo’s animal residents like Ollie, a black-throated monitor lizard, and Howard, one of the white rhinos. Learn how to keep these beautiful creatures conditioned, healthy, and mentally enriched, and explore first-hand how the Zoo’s skilled keepers utilize their training to interact with the animals. (For reservations call 321 254 9453 Ext. 219 or email edregistrar@brevardzoo.org  )
Tours are on Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m

The Rules of the Wild

No age limit, but children 5 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times. No strollers permitted on tour.
Smoking is not permitted inside the Zoo.
Pets are not allowed inside the Zoo (service animal owners must check in with Zoo administration office.)
Shirt and shoes are required at all times.
Loitering on Brevard Zoo property, including the parking areas, is prohibited.
Weapons of any kind are not permitted on Zoo grounds.
Bicycles, skateboards, roller blades and rolling shoes (heelies) are not allowed in the Zoo.
A full-service ATM machine is located in the park, just inside the main entrance on your left. Brevard Zoo is handicapped accessible with wheelchair and stroller rentals.

Surrounding Area

Brevard Zoo is a half-day experience, probably an hour to see all of the exhibits and at least an hour to experience the Paws On children’s play area. Then the activities and animal demonstrations will require a few more hours. 

But why not explore the surrounding area as well.  Within 20 miles of the Zoo, there is Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne, Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite Beach, West Melbourne, and Florida’s Space Coast. The Zoo is also only 30 miles from Sebastian and Titusville.

Special Events

For information on late night and special events, and extended opening hours on Saturday nights in summer, visit www.brevardzoo.org

Sebastian has one 18-hole golf course, and several more are within a short distance of town.  It is also a favourite location for sky diving.

Route 512, from I-95 to Sebastian, passes through cattle ranches, citrus groves and some of the area’s light industry, giving the motorist a flavour of the diversity of the Sebastian River Area.  Route 512 then continues east across the Indian River to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, which contains Dodger Town, the former spring home to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

www.floridastateparks.org/stsebastian

Located to the west side of Sebastian, the St Sebastian River Preserve State Park is a place to see ‘natural Florida’, with open grassy forests of longleaf pine forming a backdrop to cypress domes, scrubby flatwoods, sandhills and a strand swamp.  Over 50 protected species inhabit this area.

There are many miles of trails to be explored on foot, or by bicycle or on horseback, as well as canoeing, boating and fishing on the St Sebastian River.  Launching facilities can be found outside the park, at Dale Wimbrow Park and a canoe launch north of County Road 512.

Park Opening Hours:       8am until sundown 365 days a year.

Visitor Centre Hours:      9.00am – 4.30pm Friday, Saturday & Sunday

Admission Fee:               No entrance fee.

Primitive Camping Fee:   $5.00 per person per night, plus tax.

Driving Directions:

North Entrance (Visitor Centre & Manatee Vista): Exit I-95 at County Road 514 to reach County Road 507.  Entrance is off Babcock Street, just north of the C-54 Canal.

South Entrance: Off Fellsmere Road (County Road 512) 1.8 miles east of I-95.

Address:

1000 Buffer Preserve Drive
Fellsmere, Florida 32948

Phone: 321-953-5005
Fax: 321-953-5006

Sebastian Inlet State Park

www.sebastianinletcam.com

Actually located on S Atlantic Avenue that runs the length of the peninsular from Cape Canaveral, it is actually 3 miles by water, 16 miles by land from Sebastian to Sebastian Inlet State Park.  This park covers 600 acres and spans both sides of Sebastian Inlet.

Sebastian Inlet is one of six inlets that connect the Indian River Lagoon to the Atlantic Ocean.  The Indian River Lagoon actually extends 156 miles over 6 costal counties in all and five state parks.

Sebastian Inlet provides three miles of beautiful beaches to swim, scuba dive, snorkle or just sunbathe.  Sebastian Inlet is also home to Florida east coast’s best saltwater fishing, and where snook, redfish, bluefish, croakers, jacks and tarpon are plentiful (As of 01/08/09, a shoreline fishing permit must be purchased).  The north jetty extends into the Atlantic, whilst the south side has a smaller jetty allowing access to the rocks.  Also on the south side is the ‘cleaning table’ as well as the L-Dock, where anglers cast jigs and bump the bottom to entice the fish.

Many surfing tournaments take place at Sebastian Inlet every year – see website for current dates.  As well as the north jetty and inlet, another popular surfing spot is Monster Hole, which forms long lines of waves, and is located 1/3 mile off the beach, on the south side of Sebastian inlet.

The tidal pool on the north and west of the bridge is a great place for families to bathe.

Sebastian Inlet State Park also has two museums, both open 7 days per week 10am – 4pm:

The McLarty Treasure Museum: Recounting the history of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet

The Sebastian Fishing Museum: Recounting the history of the area’s fishing industry

The Hammock Trail provides a relaxing mile-long stroll through the park, and there is a marina located one mile north of the Sebastian Inlet bridge, which provides a food concession and a gift shop, open 9.00am – 5.00pm daily.

There is also a boat ramp, picnic areas, camping facilities and a bait and tackle shop (not open Tuesdays & Wednesdays) where fishing licences can be bought.

A concession stand also rents out canoes, kayaks and paddleboats.

Also, take a look at the website to find when concerts are held at the pavilion on Coconut Point, located on the south side of Sebastian Inlet, which overlooks the water, and provides an ideal platform for a musical interlude.

Park Admission Fee:    
$8.00 per vehicle (Limit 2 – 8 people per vehicle). 
$4.00 per single occupant vehicle.
$2.00 pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers.

Camping Fee:        

$28.00 per night, plus tax (includes water & electricity).

Driving Directions:                               

From Indian River County (i.e. South): Exit I-95 at Fellsmere/Sebastian exit, and go east on County Road 512 (towards Sebastian).  Turn right on County Road 510 and intersect with US Highway 1.  Continue over the Indian River, to State Road A1A.  Turn left and head for 7 miles on State Road A1A.

From Brevard County (i.e. North): From I= 95 take the US 192 exit and go east to State Road A1A in Indialantic.  Turn right (south) on State Road A1A and continue for 18 miles.

Address:

9700 South A1A
Melbourne Beach, Florida 32951

Phone: 321-984-4852
Fax: 321-984-4854

Whilst surfing the internet to get an idea of prices, I came across floridatix, which seemed to have the best prices – between £107 - £189 per ticket.

There are 6 types of tickets available to use at Discovery Cove:

Ultimate Adventure Swim

1 day at Discovery Cove, including unlimited access to the Coral Reef (snorkel with thousands of tropical fish), Ray Lagoon (snorkel with hundreds of rays), Resort Style Pool (with sandy beach) and Free Flight Aviary (home to more than 250 tropical birds), and including a 30mins reserved Dolphin Swim Experience

Also included are a generous continental breakfast, 3-course freshly prepared lunch, unlimited snacks, fresh fruit and smoothies, also water, sodas, and (for over 21s) beer and wine.

Complimentary all-day self-parking, sun loungers, lockers, towels, sun cream, showers, snorkels and either a swim vest or wetsuit.

14 consecutive days unlimited admission to Seaworld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens (including free transportation to Busch Gardens from International Drive, and various locations in Kissimmee).

Ticket available without Dolphin Swim Experience: Ultimate Adventure Non-Swim

Choice Of Adventure Swim + 14 DaysBuschGardens

14 consecutive days unlimited admission to Busch Gardens (including transport) only.

(As the Ultimate, but doesn’t include Aquatica and Seaworld).

Ticket available without Dolphin Swim Experience: Choice Of Adventure Non-Swim + 14 DaysBuschGardens

Choice Of Adventure Swim + 14 Days Seaworld

14 consecutive days unlimited admission to Seaworld only.

(As the Ultimate, but doesn’t include Aquatica and Busch Gardens).

Ticket available without Dolphin Swim Experience: Choice Of Adventure Non-Swim + 14 Days Seaworld       

Notes

Check-in begins at 8am daily

Children must be 6 years old to swim with dolphins

Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult to enter Discovery Cove

One swim ticket must be booked per party

Only sunscreen provided (safe to animals) can be used (additional sunscreen factors SPF 15 & 30 can be purchased)

Limited capacity – calendar on flordiatix website shows which days are booked up.

Location

Discovery Cove
6000 Discovery Cove Way
Orlando, FL 32821

From the heydays of the 1950’s drive-in movie theatres are nowadays few and far between.

However, within 1 hour’s drive of Kissimmee there are two drive-in movie theatres still operating:

Silvemoon Drive-In Theatre 

Location: 4100 Route 92, W Lakeland, Polk County, Florida 33815. Tel (863) 682-0849

Directions:  From the I-4 take the County Line Road exit (at the Hillsborough/Polk County line), and continue south to US 92 W.  Turn left (east) and about 3.5 miles down the road there is a flashing ‘Silvermoon’ neon sign indicating the entrance..

Admissions:

Adults                         $4.00
Children (Ages 4-9)      $1.00

Capacity: 300 cars

The Silvermoon has two screens, each screening a double feature 7 nights a week

The Theatre also has a Swop Shop/Flea Market which operates from 5.30am until 12 noon every Saturday & Sunday.

Originally opened in 1948, the price of admission then was 35 cents per person.

Joy-Lan Drive-In Theatre

Location: 16414 Hwy. 301, North of Dade City, Pasco County, Florida 33525. Tel (352) 567-5085

The Joy-Lan has one screen and is open 5 days a week (Closed Mondays & Tuesdays)

Admissions:     

Adults                         $3.50
Children (Ages 4-9)      $1.00

Capacity: 300 cars

The Theatre also has a Swop Shop/Flea Market which operates from 5.30am until 1.00pm every Saturday & Sunday.

Refreshments:

Both theatres have snack bars, offering:

Pizza (Pepperoni & Cheese)

Hot Dogs (Grilled or roasted hot dog, served on a soft warm bun, with the option of onions, relish, mustard & ketchup)

Golden Corn Dog (Tender, meaty corn dog on a stick)

Grilled Sausage Dog (Giant sausage sandwich, served on a soft warm bun, with onions & peppers).  Only available Thursday to Sunday inc.

Nachos (Nacho chips served with cheddar cheese sauce)

Popcorn (Large size includes 1 free refill, Medium, Small, Economy)

Candy

Cold Soft Drinks (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, in Giant (44oz), Medium, Small, Economy)

Budweiser & Bud Lite Beer (12oz cans, purchaser must have a valid ID)

Bottled Water, Coffee, Hot Chocolate

On swap shop days, breakfast sandwiches (egg, sausage & egg, bacon & egg, cheese) and the big breakfast (2 eggs, bacon/sausage, grits/potatoes, toast & jam) are available.

Larger Vehicles

As a courtesy to other customers, large pick-ups and vans are requested to park at the rear

• The Trail is only open during daylight hours, and alcoholic drinks are prohibited.
• Pedestrians and handicapped have the right of way, wheelchairs should use the pedestrian lanes and electric handicap wheelchairs are always permitted
• Bicyclists are required to obey all traffic controls and signals
• Cyclists are not permitted to wear headphones at any time and under age 16, they must wear a helmet
• Electric bicycles and motorised vehicles (except wheelchairs, maintenance, law enforcement and emergency vehicles) are not allowed on the Pinellas Trail, nor are horses
• Bicyclists and skaters should obey the posted speed limits. No racing or race training
• Skaters should use the bicycle lanes, and both skaters and cyclists should give an audible warning when passing
• Pets must be kept on a max. 6 foot leash and under control