Wat Florida Dhammaram - Thai Food, Buddhist Monks, and the Ultimate Test of Inner Peace! If you've ever wanted to visit Thailand without spending 20 hours on an airplane, Wat Florida Dhammaram offers a pretty convincing alternative. You get close to authentic Thai food, a beautiful Buddhist temple, actual monks, and enough people standing in line to make Disney World look like a private country club. I attended the Taste of Thai Food Festival on October 18, and I can confidently say this place is suffering from a serious case of its own success. Apparently, somebody told the entire state of Florida that you could eat authentic Thai food for $20, and everybody decided to show up at the same time. Let's start with the good news: THE PRICE! Admission was just $20 per adult and $10 for children under 12. CASH ONLY! Food samples from the various stations were included in the price. That's right, $20 to sample a variety of Thai dishes without being financially assaulted every time you pick up another plate. In today's economy, where a hamburger, fries, and a soft drink can practically require financing, this is an outstanding deal. THE FOOD? VERY GOOD! Authentic Thai dishes, plenty of variety, and an opportunity to experience flavors that go well beyond your neighborhood takeout menu. The temple itself is beautiful, with traditional Thai architecture, Buddhist monks, and surroundings that genuinely transport you to Thailand. For a moment, you almost forget you're in Central Florida. Then you look at the lines. AND NOW, THE NOT-SO-ENLIGHTENING PART. Holy Buddha, the crowds! I've seen shorter lines at airport security during Thanksgiving. Parking was practically a competitive sport. You circle the lot, spot an opening, accelerate toward it, and discover that three other drivers have apparently been praying for the exact same parking space. By the time you finally park, you've already completed the first stage of your spiritual journey: suffering. Then comes the second stage: the food lines. Some of those lines were so long I began wondering whether the people at the front were ordering food or applying for Thai citizenship. And remember, this is a Buddhist temple, a place dedicated to peace, patience, and enlightenment. Which is fortunate, because you're going to need all three! A FEW SURVIVAL TIPS FROM SOMEONE WHO LIVED TO TELL THE STORY: 1. ARRIVE EARLY. Not Florida early, where you leave the house whenever you feel like it. I mean genuinely early, preferably before the other 10,000 people have the same brilliant idea. 2. BRING CASH. Twenty dollars for adults, ten for children under 12. No cash? Congratulations, you've just driven all that way to admire the architecture. 3. BRING A CARDBOARD BOX OR LARGE TRAY. I'm serious. This is probably the most important advice I can offer. With multiple food stations and all those delicious samples, you'll need something to carry your containers. Otherwise, you'll be balancing noodles, curry, rice, and desserts like a circus performer, all while trying not to spill lunch on the person who's been standing in line for 45 minutes. 4. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. Forget your step-counting goals. You'll accomplish them here before your second serving. 5. BRING PATIENCE. LOTS OF IT. If you're the type who gets irritated waiting three minutes for a microwave, this event may not be your spiritual calling. I'm told these food festivals are held monthly, and judging by the attendance, they're not exactly struggling to attract customers. Quite the opposite. The organizers have created something genuinely special, but the parking situation and crowd management could use some serious attention. Perhaps a better system for managing food lines, more organized parking, and improved traffic flow would help. Because while Buddhism teaches us that desire leads to suffering, I'm fairly certain the Buddha wasn't referring to standing in line for Pad Thai. SO, WAS IT WORTH IT? Absolutely! For $20, you're getting close to authentic Thai food, a wonderful cultural experience, beautiful temple grounds, and a chance to appreciate Thai traditions without purchasing an international airline ticket. The food was very good, the atmosphere was authentic, and the value was excellent. The only real drawback is that apparently everyone else knows it. WOULD I GO BACK? Without hesitation. But next time I'm arriving early, bringing cash, comfortable shoes, a cardboard box, and possibly hiring someone from Disney who specializes in crowd control. FIVE STARS for the food, the culture, the temple, and the incredible value. As for the parking and the lines? Let's just say that by the time you finally reach the food, you may have achieved a level of patience that takes Buddhist monks years of meditation to master. Khob Knun Ka/Khrap... Now please pass the Pad Thai before I reach my next reincarnation. read more

Thailand Food Festival AYCE for 2026. My first time attending this event for $20 adult fee to enter festival and all you can eat from variety of food booths. Children age 6 and above is $10. Located in Old Vineland in Kissimmee Florida. The area is not a bad area - the parking may be a challenged but for today's event the parking was spread out from the temple so some may had to walk a mile or so to enter the temple. I think some residential homes were charging a parking fee to park at their driveway etc. We got there early than food service time. Foods were being served at 11am but you can come in early before that. There were i think close to 30 food tent stands and 6 plant stand,1 toy stand and 1 Thai attire stand. Drinks are NOT included that is a separate fee for drinks. Drinks were sodas, water, Thai coffee / tea, Longan juice, Juices - Some were priced from $1 - $5. So these are sample sizes of foods except the soups, You get a good amount of soup. The desserts were counted as much as 2-3 dessert choices per wristband if the tent has variety of desserts. The desserts were my favorite. The meats serves most were dry. The soups were ok, Not super hot but warm enough. Let's talk about the lines - They were a hot mess. They had no coordination on per tent one line flow. It was just a long line to capture the tents on the row. They need to organize it better next year because I heard this year was very packed of patrons than last year. They need to make each tent a line. Not a long line for the section of the tents. That is where people took too long to eat the foods. They were too busy staying in line where it seem the line didn't even move. This festival is from 11-230pm so by 12-1pm the foods are pretty much sold out. They had stations to provide / napkins and utensils. Trash pickup was ok - some were overfilled. They needed more staff to provide doing the trash areas. Some paid a wristband didn't even eat due to long wait on lines. That is not fair IMO. They need to have a staff per tent designate a 1 line PER TENT. This would been faster to serve the people. Some tents were cooking fresh and that took too long for lines to move. The food stands should avoid cooking fresh like that especially for an event like this. For $20 though the AYCE idea is not bad its just waiting in line that was bothering. Also - The bathrooms. Patrons had to REMOVE SHOES TO ENTER BATHROOMS. that is disgusting to use socks/barefoot to walk on bathroom floors which may be wet/dirty from urine etc. This rule is disgusting but I understand the rule behind it. Otherwise - This even had a beautiful weather - it was breezy and not hot. Bring your Tumblers for water / drinks to save $ on buying drinks. Lots of people brought in their own tables/chairs - coolers and "trays' to hold their samples of foods. read more

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This last weekend they had an open house full of activities and a large Thai market. It was a great visit to see the temple and rest of property with the busy fun Thai market in the back full of typical food drinks and snacks read more

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Visited for the Songkran Thai New Year festival and had an awesome time. The energy was great--super festive with music, dancing, and a strong community vibe. The highlight for me was the *amazing* street food--so many authentic Thai dishes to try, from pad thai and grilled meats to Thai tea. I didn't get to explore much of the temple itself this time, but I definitely plan on coming back for a deeper visit. Overall, a fun, flavorful experience and a great way to celebrate culture in Central Florida. read more

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It's my favorite Orlando place; the most magical place on Earth has a hidden sanctuary and this is it! Take your time here; it's like being on the other side of the world without the 24 hour flight. read more

Wat Florida Dhammaram - Main Temple - Meditation Centers Near Me - Kissimmee, Florida

This place is absolutely beautiful. Me and my family dropped by while visiting. Once we got out of the car, I instantly felt at peace. It's very quiet and relaxing. One of the monks even came over to us and talked to us a bit. I had never been to a temple before. We didnt go inside any of the buildings. We still really enjoyed. We hope to go back during one of their events read more

Wat Florida Dhammaram - Meditation Centers Near Me - Kissimmee, Florida

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What a beautiful Temple! I found this place by mistake and I'm glad I did .It's located in a very quiet and serene area and is very peaceful. To go inside the temple ,one has to remove their shoes for respect. It's free to enter but donations are welcome. read more

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We went to the Taste of Thailand today. What a lovely welcoming community event. Everyone was very friendly. All the temple rooms were open so you could go in and pay your respects. The monks started the celebration which was a nice way to experience a different culture . The food tents and entertainment were so fun. read more

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I grew up coming here as my mom is from Thailand. Majority of the folks here are Thai, but many visitors from all places. Great food on Sundays. Fun place to bring your family on big event days read more

April 22,2017. I found this place by accident. It was peaceful and serene. I loved being surrounded by Asian art, architecture, and silence. The quotes on the wooden boards nailed on the tree and posted on stakes were thought provoking. Going to this place was what I needed that day just to think and unwind. It was very calming. I would visit this place again just to meditate. The golden snakes, the carved doors, and gigantic ultra vivid Buddha statues and guardians all over the temple were spectacular. Great place to photograph and to meditate. read more

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Visit this lovely Buddhist monastery as a respite from the madness that is Orlando. I love the Magic Kingdom but this is magic of a different kind. The Abbot is very welcoming and the shrines are really something to see. Haven't been there for meditation yet but all are welcome at 6am and 7pm daily. There's also a Thai feast in October that is said to be fantastic. Hope to be back! Namaste. read more

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It's a cute temple that's free to visit but would it hurt to at least offer a Food court on the weekends selling Thai Street foods? They are literally located in Kissimmee, a busy tourist area, Selling food on the weekends would be a big draw, don't they need the extra income and buisness? read more

This thai temple is so beautiful. The people there are so nice and kind. If you don't know about each temple there they will Take their time to explain it to you. Today they had a food festival $14 for entry and all the food you can try. I love this place read more

Went for a festival and Had a lot of fun, met great people. Place is beautiful and there was a lot of booth with food for purchase. read more

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What a beautiful property. The Buddhist monks are all very friendly and willing to answer any of your questions or give you a tour. They have lovely festivals throughout the year and even have free meditation retreats twice a year. The temple is gorgeous. They have daily meditation and chanting and on the weekends they have English dhamma talk and guided meditations. Peaceful and beautiful. One of my favorite spots in the city. read more

I've only visited during their annual Thai Food Festival, and it is always a fantastic event. For a small free (about $12) you get to enjoy as much Thai food as you can handle, from numerous local vendors. The grounds are spacious and beautiful, and everyone is always so friendly. read more

Beautiful grounds, excellent center area with the temple. A perfect place for photography of unusual places. Located in Kissimmee just past a residential area, this place is a hidden gem. The temple offers classes for those who want. read more

Peace, ah... breath in. Breath out. Relax and enjoy. I have driven past this place every day for 2 years. I decided to visit when nobody was around. I walked around the area for a few minutes and met a nice man. I am not sure what his position was, but he invited me to the main Temple. The man explained a few of the customs (remove your shoes before entering the temple), and do not meditate on the prayer mat which is reserved for Monks. He explained a few basic principles of meditation and invited me to attend scheduled meditation classes and other celebrations. He was gone in a moment. I was all alone inside the most tranquil place i have found in 10 years of living in central florida. Shhhhh, dont tell anyone else how peaceful it is here. I have practiced meditation a few times. But the atmosphere inside the Temple was magic. I had a safe and most relaxing time here. read more

The Taste of Thailand festival at the monastery is a must for the food, music, crafts, and atmosphere. I enjoyed my last outing and will keep returning. Their website is worth visiting for events, retreats, and meditation instruction. read more