ORLANDO, FL: one of the best attractions we did on our trip was a haunted walking tour with…read moreOrlando Haunts! Leashed and friendly dogs are allowed to join as you walk through downtown and stop at buildings that have history of supernatural events! Our guide, Korben, was fantastic in telling the stories of ghosts, mysteries, and history that you wouldn't even know are right here in the city! A graveyard under a movie theatre, a college campus that was a former morgue, murders, mafia crimes, and more! This was such a unique experience and we had a great time! The tour is about 60 minutes covering 1 mile and features a few stops! Policy as of 4/26/24: "Pets are welcome as long as they do not disrupt or distract from the tour." You can also find these ghost tours in over 40 cities in the U.S.!

100-year-old buildings, historic saloons, gothic cathedrals…read more Not all of Orlando is all about Mickey & Minnie, Harry Potter's World and warm beaches but there is always something enchanting about listening to ghost stories. We attended a walking ghost tour in Orlando on a Sunday evening. For a Sunday night the restaurants, bars and clubs all seem to be operating as if it was the start of a weekend... although the on-and-off rain has reduced the "usual" crowd there were still a lot of people out, we actually walked to some shady parts of DTO which was more scary than the ghost stories... but wait, I'm still getting started with the actual ghost tour. Our meeting place was outside the Orange County Regional History Center in Downtown Orlando. We did a lot of walking so wear comfy shoes. Our guide talked about haunted buildings focusing on: 1- The Beacham - a ghost of an old woman is seen somewhere near the stage, always accompanied by drastic temperature drops. 2- The Cheyenne Saloon is one of the most popular venues in Orlando, but it has a spooky past... 3- Church Street 4- Ceviche - guests will see an out-of-place woman dressed in 19th century garb, standing behind them in the reflection 5- Hamburger Mary's Bar and Grille, originally a hardware store. Apparition of a young girl dressed in Victorian clothing 6- Kress Building - Kres Chophouse is considered to be a paranormal hot-spot by Central Florida ghost hunters 7- St James Catholic Cathedral - they even conduct their own ghost tour inside 8- Orange County Regional History Center - we learned about one of America's most prolific serial killers, Ted Bundy. The building was the location of Bundy's murder trial in 1979 My daughter purchased the Bonus Extended Tour Upgrade which was up to 4 additional haunted locations. These were all interesting and cool. Thank you to our tour guide, Tabitha.) Review #2781

I just returned from a Blue Walk Art tour with owners Jeannette and Suzy, and artist Mary Beth…read moreShaw. Whether you're traveling alone, with a friend or spouse, this is truly the trip of a lifetime. You can opt out of any of the walks or hikes, but you will miss the most beautiful scenery. We stayed in Barcelona for two nights and saw so much of the city along with tours of La Sagrada de familia and Santa Pau, a renovated hospital - now an art nouveau site. Along with city walks and wonderful food, it's a great way to get a feel for this bustling city. Jeannette and Suzy find such interesting restaurants and locations to visit and make the metro trips so easy. The Costa Brava portion was incredibly beautiful, walks between medieval towns, hikes along the coast, great food and an incredible hotel location. Art class with MaryBeth was stellar and we all made beautiful art journals, learning new techniques along the way. I can't recommend Blue Walk tours enough!

My husband and I did the Blue Walk tour to Italy that included Search…read moreCinque Terre and Lake Como. We spent several weeks in Italy, the first half we were with the Blue Walk and then we went off on our own to a few cities when the tour ended. The Blue Walk portion of our trip was BY FAR the best part. So relaxing. The guides handled everything. The hotels were just lovely, so many wonderful walks and meals and cocktails and we made some new friends. I thought it was a really good price for what we got, and I would definitely recommend The Blue Walk to others. The other members of the tour were lovely and we made several friends that we continue to keep in contact with. I just want to thank the guides for everything they did for us and thank God they spoke the language and could help us communicate to others.

Want to spend 3 hours on a guided stroll down Park Ave stopping in restaurants, shops and learning…read moreabout some history? Check this out! Nice for locals and visitors. Having seen a lot of post cards for this event around Park Ave, we decided to give it a try this past weekend. We went with the Saturday tour and unfortunately, we were interrupted with some rain during our tour so we didn't get the full history and stroll that usually is part of it. Bummed but we didn't let it stop us from having a good time. Reid was our guide for the day and also a founder of this Food Tour. He was fun and very lighthearted throughout our experience. I do feel that since there was rain we missed most of what the tour was trying to accomplish, which was to give us a history lesson as well. I do have to say, I didn't learn much but since we were scurrying to each location, I know it was difficult. They do warn you of the rain, I mean, hello! It's Florida! So they recommend bringing an umbrella! Do yourself a favor and do that if there is more than 30% chance! You will be glad you did. For a $47 price tag, check out the stops we headed to and keep in mind, they are the same stops for each tour but they will be adding a new tour of the other end of Park Ave in the next few months. This is a tour of 6 businesses which consist of: Prato Ancient Olive The Spice & Tea Exchange Orchid Thai Cuisine Kilwin's Sassafras Sweet Shoppe Prato I have been various times so I already knew it was going to be a great kick-off to the tour. When you booked, there were an option of Wine or Beer. I went for the wine and a red wine was waiting as we were seated at the table. We tried 2 of their pizzas and had their house bread as well. It was lovely as you really can't have a bad experience in Prato. However, I think this would have been a great opportunity for someone from Prato to chat about their business but Reid did a pretty good rundown. Ancient Olive By far, Ancient Olive took the cake for being the highlight of the tour. WOW! Not only does this shop rock in it's own right, they know how to host a tour of people who love food and want a taste of local. We had someone from Ancient Olive walk us through an Olive Oil & Balsamic tasting, think Wine tasting but with Olive Oil & Balsamic. They also had some tapenade and a goat cheese spread with balsamic and almonds to snack on. They carry a local all-natural beverage mixer as well, Bungalow23 and we had the Prickly Pear. Just when we thought we were already in heaven, another door opened: Ice Cream with Olive Oil and salt... OMGGGGG... I could have stopped the tour here and taken a bath in this. You are not supposed to shop on this tour but it was raining and I spent almost $70 here. Such a great stop. The Spice & Tea Exchange They have so many teas, salts, spices and peppers than you could ever imagine. The best part is they have kick-a recipes to use and we tasted two of them on this stop. Beer cheese dip and an orzo pasta. The pasta was delicious! We also had one of their cold brew teas. Lovely stop. I did feel a little rushed from here on out but that may have been because the rain kept us at the 2nd stop for a long time. Orchid Thai Cuisine I have been here and unfortunately, everything we tasted, chicken satay and their appetizer platter was everything I have had here before. Didn't get much of a new experience here and didn't really learn anything about the business except they have been there for 6 years. Kilwin's My least fav stop on the tour. Not sure why we went with Kilwin's since it's not local. When we arrive, we really didn't learn anything about the business and no one from there interacted with us. We had a taste of the Winter Park Mud, vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and carmel. It was good but the ice cream wasn't very smooth, it was more crystalized. I am not into fudge so I gave mine away. It was the turtle fudge. Sassafras Sweet Shoppe I adore this store so I was excited to see this on the stop. However, we only spent about 2 minutes in here and grabbed cotton candy and went and ate it under an awning outside and were sent on our way. A very abrupt ending but it was still raining out so I guess we couldn't expect too much. Overall, wasn't blown away but I did it with 2 friends and the others that were on the tour were fun as well. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon even if the stops and content didn't blow me away.

Good food, new friends, perfect weather. What more could you want on a Saturday afternoon?…read more We had a great tour of Winter Park with Kiel. He's very knowledgable about the area and locations where we made stops. We also had great service at each of our stops, as Kiel is on a first name basis with everyone on Park Ave. I highly recommend this tour for out of town guests or if you'd just like to get to know your neighborhood a little bit better.

Excelent tour. Deland center town and around Stetson University is a great historic district. Stan…read moreis a retired history teacher and knows every house, business and alley. A great tour and very entertaining. Highly recommended.

This food tour with Tracy was fabulous. She knew the history of Ivanhoe Main Street, and took us to…read morethe neatest, and all very different, food venues. Come hungry! The offerings at the five spots are delicious and filling. Ivanhoe is a quaint area of locally owned eclectic shops. The walking part of the tour does not cover a large area, but there are curbs to step up and down. Free parking is in a big school lot. I recommend this tour, and I would do another tour with Tracy.

and so ... you know a Food Tour was bound to be happening …read more.. Orlando FL took a lesson from the nationwide Main Street America, which leads an inclusive, impact-driven movement dedicated to reenergizing and strengthening older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts nationwide -- and they divided into "districts" ... the Milk District, the Packing District and so on ... we went to the Ivanhoe Lake/Village District ... beautiful little neighborhood quite unaffected by the neighbor nearby (mouse's house!) Started with a bit of shopping and a sip of wine at Maffrey's ... a way cool shop filled with many delightful items. From there we took a walk about to The Thirsty Topher bar and Ziggy's Pizza ... great slices with very unique toppings! Walked by a restaurant named Russell's ... then to The Piney for many - Shrimp and Grits (pink rice sourced from Congaree & Penn)! I have a honey, melted cream cheese on toast points that was delicious. Piney named in honor of the huge pineapple plantations that thrived for years here in this area (prior to trade embargo with Cuba and HI becoming a state!). Then to an organic cafe - Equalbro where we had a chicken salad wrap and a pineapple/tumeric smoothie. Then to Washburn Imports which houses a "speakeasy" like wine and beer bar ... here we got shredded duck, with melted brie and carmelized onions on toasted bread ... and our final stop Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream for the finish ... so much deliciousness in one afternoon! Yum!! https://wanderingpalmadventures.com/ Owner, Operator Tracy was friendly & knowledgeable.

Food delicious very nice cruise, I would do it again Plus bring new people with to enjoyread more

Amazing day!!! The entertainment was excellent and the food was delicious! There were three of us…read moreand each had a different entree. We were all very satisfied with our choices. Nice day trip especially for a celebration!!!

I took this tour with a group of co-workers. We were promised a private tour and then on the day of…read moreour tour we were paired with another couple. They were lovely people but this was disappointing because we wanted to treat this tour as a special company retreat and be able to discuss performance reviews, which now was impossible due to having additional guests present. There was very few food stops that we could not have just gone to ourselves, such as sampling olive oil at an olive oil store. At the end, a single dish of Mac and cheese was purchased for 8 people and they just passed that around with tiny paper plates and plastic silverware, not impressive at all. We also told them about dietary requirements of some of us and these were not taken into consideration at all, so one person who paid $45 for a tour ended up eating a single macaroon and a small side of cold black beans. This was not the experience we had hoped for.

This was a great experience! My wife and I went on this tour earlier this year with Jamie and John…read more(the owners). We came hungry and left over-full (but not in a bad way - the food kept getting better and better so my stomach just had to suck it up). It'd make for a great date-day/night. Very inexpensive for what it is, and a fun way to see Winter Garden.

I had a pretty good time on this tour. It was fun to walk around downtown and sample stuff from…read morerestaurants I'd never been to before. Be sure to choose a day with a favorable weather forecast. We went on a really hot day, but thankfully water was provided. If you have dietary concerns, be sure to eat beforehand. There might be cases where you don't get to try an item that's offered. Some restaurants offer alternatives, others don't. I'll admit I was disappointed with a restaurant that only offered a coffee shot. I don't really drink alcohol, and I don't really drink coffee, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Red Mug Diner was the star of our tour. They served the best club sandwich we've ever had at a restaurant. Of the five places we went, that's the one we're excited to return to. For what you get, I'd say look for a Groupon if you plan to do this tour.

Great tours! Both the food tour and crafty cocktail tours are a must do for locals and those…read morevisiting from out of town. Tour guides are fab. So friendly and a lot of fun. The tours are adult family fun activities!

My husband and I just hosted the wedding of our daughter and now son-in-law at the Howey Mansion…read more The venue was just perfect. Fran was extremely helpful in accommodating special requests and answering questions we had right away. Very friendly and pleasant to work with. All of our guests for the wedding raved at how beautiful the home is.

William John Howey (January 19, 1876 - June 7, 1938) was an American real-estate developer, citrus…read moregrower, and Republican politician from Florida. He founded and served as mayor for the town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida where he developed and sold citrus groves, becoming one of Florida's greatest citrus developers. He was one of the first citrus growers to send fruit from Florida to England. In 1921 he opened Florida's first citrus juice plant. He ran for governor on the Republican ticket in 1928 and 1932. Mr. Howey's prominence led to many distinguished guests visiting the Howey mansion, These included Lord Bathhurst of England, H.B. McNeal, publisher of Golfer's Magazine, golf master Chick Evans, Kansas Governor Alfred Landon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Phillip's of petroleum fame, and President Calvin Coolidge who was guest of honor at an all-male dinner party in February 1930. Mr. Howey's former home near Lake Wales, Florida became the site of Florida's Bok Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens. In 1925 Mr. Howey commissioned a 20 room mansion in the town he founded. The architect was Katherine Cotheal Budd. During WWI she designed temporary lodgings known as hostess homes for women who were visiting their husbands at military training camps. Budd is credited for creating 72 lodgings with a homelike atmosphere and the Howey House is one of a few existing examples of her work. The Howey Mansion was designed in the popular Mediterranean Revival style. The house is set back on a wide lawn with wrought iron gates and a long horseshoe drive. The entrance to the home features an elaborate, two story bas relief frontispiece .The massive front door and the woodwork on the first floor is made from peaky cypress. Leading to the second floor is a graceful curving stone stairway with a wrought iron banister. Other features of the home include three large fireplaces, a ballroom-size drawing room, enormous beamed ceilings, and a servant call-bell phone system. There is even a hidden passage behind a sliding bookshelf panel in the library. The original 15 acres grounds of the mansion were called The Park and included many botanical plants and shrubs. On March 6, 1927 The Park was the host site for an open air concert performed by the New York Civic Opera Company bringing the top opera singers of the day to the mansion for a concert for the community. The mansion was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Place on January 27, 1983. On April 12, 2017 it was listed for sale at $480,000. The new owners are Brad and Clay Cowherd, Orlando real estate investors who have made period-accurate restoration of the house. I visited the Howey Mansion for the Founders Day Festival. Admission for tours of the home was discounted to $10. The Howey Mansion is available for private rentals like weddings while historical tours are also available Monday through Friday at 11am. The Founder's Day event included a local market, food trucks, live music, and family activities. I enjoyed visiting the tents and touring the mansion including the hidden bar in the basement that was created during prohibition. Behind the mansion, is a trail through the woods that will take you to the Georgian marble mausoleum where the Howey family is interred including William J. Howey (1938), daughter, Lois Valerie Howey (1941), and Mary Hastings Howey (1981). This year Centennial Founder's Day Celebration, marked100 years since the town's founding in 1925.