What a nice event for Orlando. We went on the last day of the 2020 event and arrived around 2p…read more We were lucky enough to find a close parking spot so we started off great. We had free tix courtesy of a local radio station contest. I can still hear the busy signals in my ear from dialing in. This year, the event was "cashless", which doesn't mean you can't bring cash, but it means you pre-load your bracelet with money that you can use to purchase items from various vendors. It sounds like a good idea, but you have to guess as to how much to load, then do math all day and remember how much you have. When you purchase something, you can ask the person what your balance is. It's nice to not have to get out your wallet every time, but also a pain if you want something that's $7 and you have $6 left. You can't combine "bracelets" either so if someone had $1 left, they'd either have to reload or lose it. There was also a $1 service charge for the privilege of using the bracelet. As far as food options, there were plenty. Various restaurants from around town were there serving up some of their favorites. Gringos Locos, Dixie Dharma, Kaizen Something or other, American Social, Jeremiahs Italian Ice, Jimmy Hula's, and many others were there. It's a great way to try things without driving all over. Many places also had vegan and vegetarian options. There were plenty of wine vendors as well, and those lines were the shortest (or non existent). There was something you could buy that was a sampling of wines for $20. I think they punched or scanned something with each vendor. Most wineries were charging $7 for a glass (plastic cup) of wine. I would think if you want people to try your wines, you'd have it at a lower price point. Are they there to make money or get people to love their wine? (Gringos Locos got it with their $2 Double Decker Tacos, the line was nuts). The event ran till 7 but around 4p, some vendors were already closing up shop. That would be disappointing to me if I was arriving later in the day. There was also Mixed Drinks, Bloody Mary Bars, Beer, Hard Seltzer, and water/soda if you weren't there to get Lit. Prices were good for these options. There were plenty of porta-johns and hand washing stations which is nice. There was a stage with rotating bands. Lots of security as well. I'd recommend going as a nice day out. I wish they'd improve the cashless payment method though. At least let people combine. I'd give it 4 stars if it wasn't for that.

An A OK event that has some ups and downs. This is an annual event that takes place in the heart of…read moredowntown. There are tons of parking garages and lots in the local area that are within walking distance, most are around $5-7 dollars, so it's not too bad. It's about $20 for entry into the event, which seems a bit steep to me, since you have to pay for tickets for the food and drinks on top of that. Each ticket is $2 and most drinks and food are between 3-4 tickets ($6-8). It's a pretty expensive event overall once you tally up parking, entry and tickets. There are a lot of vendors, especially local vendors, which is great, cause I love to support local. There were about 40 tents, about half drinks and half food. There is a menu of options when you arrive, so you can know what to expect. Overall: B- A good locals event, but a pretty steep price tag on it once you add it all up.

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

The Orlando Auto Museum is a classic car museum that opened at Dezerland Park in Orlando, Florida…read morein December 2020. It was founded by Israeli-American real estate developer and long-time car collector Michael Dezer. Growing up in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dezer was very interested in motor vehicles. As a teenager, he purchased a Vespa followed by a Harley Davidson motorcycle. This would spark a lifelong obsession to collect more motor vehicles. The first car Dezer purchased was a 1949 Plymouth. After relocating to the United States in 1962, he continued to purchase more and more cars. By 2012, Dezer had opened the Miami Auto Museum which featured more than 1,000 cars that he collected. To add to his growing collection, he purchased the collection from the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in England, its sister site The Bond Museum, and other various movie cars. In 2020, Dezer moved his entire collection to his newly built Dezerland Park Orlando. The current museum spans over 250,000-square-feet and features over 2,000 motor vehicles that are valued at $200 million across more than 20 themed rooms. My family and I recently visited the Orlando Auto Museum while we were on an East Coast Road Trip. We've visited a few different automobile and motor vehicle museums over the years, but this was overwhelming to say the least. We have never seen so many cars and vehicles located under one roof. Cars and vehicles were grouped into various rooms themed by country of origin (Israel, Italy, Germany, U.K.), type (Art Deco, Chryslers, Hot Rods, Military), and screen-used movie cars ("Hollywood Cars of the Stars"). There were even rooms devoted exclusively to Batman and James Bond vehicles. The collections of motorcycles, Vespas, scooters and bicycles were equally impressive. I spotted four of my five all-time favorite movie cars: the Ghostbusters' Ecto-1, the Back to the Future DeLorean, the 1989 Batmobile, and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5. The only exception was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We ended up spending nearly 5 hours at the museum. If you're a fan of classic cars then I highly recommend a trip to the Orlando Auto Museum.

This is probably the best auto museum I have ever attended. I actually thought this was only a car…read moremuseum but it ended up being a lot more. Each and every vehicle you could imagine. Very large museum. Expect to be there about 60-90 minutes. Depending on how long you observe each car. If you like antique vehicles you will love this place. I love that they have the foot steps telling you which direction to go to next. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes because you definitely will be getting those steps in. I enjoyed every moment. Plenty of parking available outside of the mall.

i came here on a day a lot of the exhibits were being worked on but i enjoyed the half off price…read morebecause of it (plus i can come back !!) this was a beautiful museum of art w/ such a variety of different types of art. i took my time as i walked around the rooms & it was lovely. they had a whole hallway dedicated to young artists which was sweet & they also have many art programs for the littles as well as adult events! i really enjoyed my time & will make another stroll soon, i'm sure of it. thank you for existing.

This museum is much bigger and more comprehensive than I expected. Orlando isn't typically known…read morefor amazing art museums on the scale of New York or Chicago, but I was pleasantly surprised when I visited! There's both pretty cool modern mart pieces as well as lots of ancient Latin American art and sculptures. I loved learning about the history of the Aztec, Mayans, and Incans through the preserved art pieces. I do wish there was an expanded area for Asian and African art, but I guess that leaves room for them to continue to grow and improve. Definitely check them out during Museums on Us through Bank of America! You can experience great art for free :)

This is another original spot to Icon park I've been to a few times…read more The wax figures do change periodically, so it's pretty cool to see what's changed. It's a self guided exhibit, so you can spend as much as little time as you want in each room. Some of the celebrities and historic figures have their own rooms. There is a larger room at the end that has a handful of different figures that you can take photos with. Madame Tussauds has exhibits all around the world, so the exhibit, figures and experience change at every location!

I have been to this Madame Tussaud's several times over the years. It's very fun. It is cool to…read morestand next to some of your favorite celebrities and see how tall or not so tall they are. They are very realistic looking and it's kind of kitchsy but cool. I first came here over 10 years ago and they definitely update most of the figures. Taylor Swift is featured prominently in one of her costumes from the Eras tour and she was not there dressed like that the last time I visited. However, there are some that they do not. I have a picture of me and the Ryan Reynolds figure in the exact same jacket in the exact same spot 10 years apart. They have a DC comics area and that was probably my child's favorite part. They also have kung fu panda and Shrek and Fiona so those characters kept him entertained. The price to visit is a little steep however you can buy a combo ticket where you can visit numerous sites at icon park and that is definitely a better deal if you're planning on visiting multiple sites like the Orlando eye or sea life . We have Legoland annual passes and so a visit here is included with our Legoland annual pass. They are all a part of Merlin entertainment. A visit here last anywhere from 30 minutes to maybe a little over an hour. It definitely depends on how crowded it is and how much time you want to spend taking various pictures.

Love it, love it…read more The Asian fest is free event located at Bill Frederick Park Turkey Lake. The event is free to all. Normally the park requires $4 fees to enter but the expo was free and make the park entry is free also. The festival is located near the Turkey Lake because they have the Dragon Boat Race. Many team has show up on the race. Since this is fresh water Race, the boat take off is a bit tougher. Because the buoyancies drop the boat deeper in the water. The event included many cultural dance and show. They showcase multi Asian nation culture with great vibe. I was able to see the Tai Chi and the Taiko. It fun to watch the drumming and special traditional dress. There are some food truck and local restaurant. I wish there are more Asian food instead of regular food truck.

What a comfortable autumn weather for outdoor activities! This was our first time attending…read moreOrlando's Asia culture expo. It was a fun, free event. There were venders promoting their products. We got free flu shot from the Walgreen tent. Instant noodle company gave away free samples. Different Asia country groups set up booths and introduced their unique cultures and some art and craft activities. On the stage, there were 2 nice MC running the show- singing, dancing, drumming , Tai chi, Kung Fu show, etc . The live performances were wonderful and exciting. Food trucks were available there for people to grab a bite or drink. Dragon boat racing was such a interesting sport to speculate. Team members wore their beautiful uniforms and rowed with all their power trying to win the race. The best team came home with a big trophy and big smile on their faces. Thanks for Asia Trend magazine organized this event so we can enjoy the fun activities and learned different cultures.

As a random, spur of the moment activity a friend and I decided to pop in to see what they have on…read moredisplay. We had actually arrived about 15 minutes prior to opening time but was able to hang out in the cool lobby while the workers finished their opening protocols. Standard admission is currently $10 and the building has 4 floors, with displays on floors 2-4. The main floor has a small gift shop. It was recommended that we start on floor 4 and work our way down. There was a mix of very interesting displays on Florida history including ranches, orange groves, the native people including some early interactions with those that escaped slavery, black history, a court room. Disney and NASA. There was even a tribute to Florida's 150th birthday. Quite the selection of history snippets for the limited space. It was an ok way to spend $10 and about 1.5 hours of time in Downtown Orlando. Worth visiting at least once.

Who knew Orlando had a history before Disney? Maybe smart people do but I sure didn't. It wasn't…read morenamed after Orlando Bloom or even Tony Orlando. It has a rich history and the Orange County History Center highlights this, as well as the rest of Orange County (of which I think a good chunk of it). I was here for an event so I didn't really get to explore everything it has to offer. I saw a few exhibits and I could definitely spend some time here learning about this area of Florida. It used to be the courthouse and they still have that courtroom as part of the center. It's neat to see although man, the echo's in there are crazy. I didn't see any parking close by so I parked at the Library garage and made the short walk over. Not too bad actually. But keep that in mind if you're planning a visit. Also, you can totally walk to Taco Kat from here. Reason enough!

I've been going to this Powwow for a very long time and it is by far one of my favorite ones to…read moreattend. The powwow lasts from Friday to Sunday so we make a weekend of it, me and my Mom. It's held waaaay in the back by the lake on the Central Florida Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds itself is fairly easy to spot on West Colonial Drive as you'll see a row of trees out front and they have a Flea Market. Sometimes they'll have several events going on there. For those who don't know, a Powwow is a Native American gathering that consists of singing, dancing, visiting with old friends and making new ones. The powwow is open to all and can be used as a learning experience to those who aren't familiar with Native American ways. The powwow was great this year. This year there was a Polynesian Revue, with Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Maori dancing. Other entertainment included flute playing, an elder speaking about the legends from his nation, and hoop dancing. I believe that the main attraction was the dancing. There were Native American people from all over the U.S. there to dance. The spectators were also able to join in as well. There were many craft vendors selling their items, from silver jewelry, beadwork, blankets, leather, etc. They didn't have as many food vendors as they used to so the lines were kinda long. Newcomers should definitely try frybread, which is a flat dough that is deep-fried in oil and is usually topped with honey or powdered sugar. It's good. I'll definitely be back next year.