Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

Visiting Orlando or Central Florida in July? It’s a wonderful month to be in Florida as there’s so much to do. Apart from everything going on at Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Orlando there’s all kinds of other events happening to capture your interest. Here’s a look at some of them:

1st July – 1st Thursdays.

The Orlando Museum of Art has a themed happy hour on the first Thursday of each month and July is no exception. There is an admission charge and the museum is open from 6pm – 9pm. Listen to the jazz and classical sounds of the Brian Petras Trio while enjoying tasty bistro fare from Harmoni Market, a handcrafted beer from Shipyard and Seadog Brewing Co. or wine poured by Premier Beverage Co, which will be available for purchase throughout the evening.For more info: 407-896-4231

2nd July – Rockin Lake Eola

There’s no admission fee to enjoy live music, great food, and cold drinks (don’t forget your ID) every Friday 3 – 11pm till Sept. 3, 2010 at Lake Eola.
More info: 330-653-8130

3rd July – Party in the Park

Bring your lawn chair or blanket to a fun filled afternoon of activities, live music, children’s crafts and fireworks at Newton Park, Winter Garden. More info: 407 656 4111

3rd July – Red Hot & Bloom

Celebrate Independence Day with live entertainment, children’s activities, vendor booths, great food and a 25 minute fireworks display synchronized to patriotic music at Cranes Roost Park, Altamonte. More Info: 407 571 8180

Free July 4th Fireworks in Orlando!

Fireworks at the Fountain

Downtown Orlando, July 4th – Entertainment, games and food from 4 pm to 10 pm with fireworks starting at 9:30 pm at Lake Eola Park.

4th July Celebration at the Lakefront, St. Cloud – The Chamber of Commerce presents an all day celebration on the 4th of July. Festivities run from the opening ceremony at noon.  Fireworks will begin at 9:30pm.  This annual event that started in the 1930′s represents a community get-together culminating with a dynamic fireworks display. Festivities include local bands, games, contests, patriotic singing, and arts and craft displays.

July 4th Celebration at Avalon Park – Activities, bike parade, rides and much more! The celebration goes from 5 – 9 pm with fireworks starting at 9 pm.

A Flashback 4th of July – Celebration Town Center – Travel back in time for a Rockin’ July 4th celebration. The events start at 5:30 with fireworks beginning at 9:30pm.

July 4th Celebration – City of Kissimmee – From 5:00pm till 9:30 pm at Kissimmee’s Lakefront Park. A free concert starts the festivities. Coolers are permitted into the park, but no alcoholic beverages are allowed in. Food and Beverages can be purchased at the park. Call 407-518-2501 for more information.

July 10-11 – 13th Annual The Villages Craft Festival

A great opportunity to browse arts and crafts can be found at the Spanish Springs Town Square. For more information visit www.artfestival.com or call 954-472-3755.

July 15 – August 1 – Splash

The Orlando Shakespeare Theater presents a summer fun tale. Showing Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Visit www.orlandoshakes.org or call 407-447-1700.

July 16, 2010 – Cinema in the Park

Family movies on the third Friday of each month at 9th Street and Park Avenue in Sanford. Bring the family and a blanket or chairs for free admission to the 7:00pm showing of this month’s movie. More info: 407-688-5004

July 16, 2010 – Friday Night Live

Friday nights at Uptown Altamonte, from 7 – 9 pm enjoy free admission to outdoor entertainment in a beautiful setting. Local artists perform Jazz, Pop, Big Band and Contemporary music weekly. More info: 407-571-8180

July 16 – 25 – Joesph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical sensation in a brand new production of this timeless Old Testament story at Broward County Main Library Auditorium. www.flct.org or call: 954-566-7628

July 17 – 18 – 8th Annual Elvis Festival – Tampa

Come for all the Elvis fun, including Elvis tribute artists, Elvis memorabilia, food vendors, Elvis performances and shows throughout the day. Visit www.Elvistampatcb.com or call: 813-977-6011

July 25, 2010 – “Music at the Casa”

Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum in Winter Park, open house and live music on Sundays from 12 – 3pm.
More info: 407-628-8200

Here’s the World Cup Quarter Final line up… not sure what I’m going to do for a couple of days now!

Netherlands vs. Brazil  – 2 July  10.00am (ET) on ESPN

Uruguay vs. Ghana  – 2 July 2.30pm (ET) on ESPN

Argentina vs. Germany – 3 July  10.00am (ET) on ABC

Paraguay vs. Spain  – 3 July  2.30pm (ET) on ABC

Thought you’d never be able to surf in Central Florida? Well this is the land of make believe and where dreams do come true, so why shouldn’t you be able to catch a wave or get to surf here too?  After all, you’re now able to do it on cruise ships so I guess it was only a matter of time before someone had the idea to bring it to the world’s number 1 vacation destination.

Opening in the Fall is Fantasy Surf and soon you’ll be able to  experience the rush of sliding, riding and surfing waves when the new $4 million indoor aquatic recreation venue opens.  Fantasy Surf will feature the patented FlowRider system that has the look of surfing and wakeboarding, ride of snowboarding, and tricks of skateboarding in a controlled environment so I’m told. The thrills and techniques developed from this water experience have even spawned a new competitive sport called Flowboarding.

Fantasy Surf will feature a FlowRider Double system which is 32 feet wide, 49 feet long and can accommodate 25 to 30 riders per hour. The padded walls, floor and beach is covered by a three-inch sheet of water that creates a surfable wave. This ride, with its cushioned surface, was designed for wipeouts.

“Riders will experience an adrenaline rush like no other theme park or thrill-based attraction,” said Chuck Richardson, director of hospitality and marketing. “Fantasy Surf riders will want to come back again and again as they increasingly develop their skill while cooling off in a secure, indoor environment. Plus spectators will enjoy watching as much as participants enjoy riding.”

In addition to the indoor wave experience, lite dining and a surf shop will be available. Fantasy Surf will accommodate large groups and parties and unique, memorable custom events. All are welcome. You don’t need to be staying at the Fantasy World resort, near the junction of US 192 and SR535 in Kissimmee, to take part. Prices have yet to be decided but it’s sure to be another fun place to visit .

“We are creating a Central Florida experience that will not only appeal to tourists but to school and corporate groups, board sport aficionados and people who want to learn a new sport,” said Richardson.

Approximately 300 construction tradesmen are currently working to build the 14,000 square foot  facility and once completed, Fantasy Surf is expected to be open seven days a week throughout the year. I’ll keep you updated as things develop so check back often.

Many of Orlando’s theme parks have now announced their fireworks shows for July 4, 2010. It’s one of the busiest days of the year for the theme parks so be prepared to join a crowd if you decide to leave the pool at your vacation home and go.

Magic Kingdom
“Celebrate America Fireworks” will fill the sky at 9 p.m. July 4. (Guests who’d like to begin the celebratory weekend a day early can enjoy the special fireworks on July 3 at 9 p.m.) After the fireworks, guests can enjoy Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” of lights, music and magic at 10 p.m. and midnight on July 4 (on July 3, the parade will be at 10:30 p.m.). Park hours on July 4 are 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Special fireworks set to a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack will be presented at 9:50 p.m. on July 4, providing guests with a bonus nighttime entertainment extravaganza to complement “Fantasmic!” (which will be at 9 and 10:30 p.m.). Park hours on July 4 are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Epcot
“IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” which features special effects, colorful lasers, fireworks, and fiery torches all choreographed to a musical score, becomes even more dynamic on July 4 as the normal show is supplemented with a patriotic finale. The performance begins at 10 p.m. Earlier in the day, guests will be treated to the Voices of Liberty 4th of July Concert – featuring an expanded cast of singers plus the Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps and Disney characters – at 12:30, 1:45 and 3 p.m. on the America Gardens Theatre stage. Park hours on July 4 are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

SeaWorld
In addition to the SeaWorld After Dark events going on all summer, the 13th Army Band, Florida National Guard will perform at Bayside Stadium prior to the fireworks finale. This 40-piece band, known as the Governor’s Own Band, will entertain the audience with classic and current tunes, gearing them up for the special Fourth of July Reflections show featuring additional fireworks timed to patriotic music. Performance begins at 9:45 p.m. Park hours on July 4 are 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Universal Studios
Starting on July 4 and running most nights through Aug. 8, Universal will present their Universal 360 – A Cinesphere Spectacular. This cinematic show combines projection technology with lasers and pyrotechnics to bring the movies to life. Park hours on July 4 are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Walt Disney World has announced that it has started to accept reservations for its new kennel, Best Friends Pet Care Resort, which opens on 27 August and replaces other Disney kennels.

The facility is located across from Disney’s Port Orleans Resort and will house as many as 270 dogs and 30 cats for daytime and overnight boarding. Dog owners can choose from air-conditioned indoor rooms, 48-square-foot indoor-outdoor suites, and four expansive VIP (very important pet) suites with television, raised bedding and private outdoor yards. Feline guests will spend their visit in the separate “Kitty City” pavilion, away from the dogs, in two and four room condos.

The resort’s exclusive dog park features a fenced walking trail bordering the natural wetlands around the park. Inside the trail, guests can choose from a variety of different play areas, including a 3,300 square-foot area covered in artificial turf, a 4,500 square-foot area with shade trees and a 1,300 square-foot “canines only” water park. There are several large areas for owners to sit, relax and watch their dogs play. The entire park is secured from outsiders and is illuminated for use after dark.

Other features of the resort include: a grooming salon, which will provide go-home-fresh baths and haircuts for pets; two 1,100-square-foot “camp rooms” for play group and doggy day camp, each opening onto an outdoor play yard; and a special facility for the boarding of “pocket pets,” such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and ferrets.

Pet parents can choose from a wide range of a la carte activities for pet guests from one-on-one playtimes and social playgroup with other doggy guests, to cuddle time and bedtime stories with staff. Additional amenities and upgrades include ice cream treats, bottled water and premium/orthopedic bedding.  Feline guests can also enjoy private playtimes, activity toys in their suites and treats such as cookies and milk or tuna on a ritz.

Dog stays begin at $37 per night ($34 for resort guests), which includes indoor boarding with two potty walks. At the high end, the VIP suites go for $76 per night ($69 for resort guests). Cat owners will pay $23 ($21 for a resort guest) for a two-level condo and $32 ($30 for a resort guest) for a four-level condo per night.

Prices are less for daytime boarding, and discounts are given for pets sharing suites. You can get more details at wdw.bestfriendspetcare.com or 877-4-WDW-PETS.

As I write today’s blog I feel like a two tennis players that have played an epic 5 sets…the Isner / Mahut match finally ended when Isner hit a backhand up the line to win the last of the match’s 980 points by the way! In doing so the longest match, by some distance, ended as Isner defeated Mahut in the fifth set by an amazing 70 games to 68!

This first round marathon took 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days and lasted so long that play had to be suspended two nights in a row due to darkness. Play resumed yesterday at 59 games all and and took just over an hour to finish as the players battled out a further 20 games.

So here are the records that the match set:

Longest match, 11 hours, 5 minutes.

Longest set, 8 hours 11 minutes

Most games in a match, 183

Longest games in a set, 138

Most points in a match, 980

Most points in a set, 711

Most aces by both players, 215 (Isner 112, Mahut 103) and by one player, Isner

Most service games held by both players, 180 of 183

Most consecutive service games held by both players, 168 and by one player, 84 each.

And one final record…longest final set … 8 hours 11 minutes which was almost two hours longer than the previous longest match of 6 hours 33 minutes!

So why do I feel almost as tired as these two guys…simple…I’m doing College tours as my youngest daughter prepares for next year! Anyone who’s ever walked around campus after campus will tell you it’s exhausting and here in North Carolina where the heat is touching 95 degrees, it’s no exception.

Of course, thousands of students and parents are making these trips this Summer and it seems this is one area of the economy that seems recession proof. Yesterday I made three visit to colleges in the North Carolina area and it was an interesting study in how the college business attracts its customers.

An early morning flight from Orlando saw us touch down in Greensborough at around 8.30am and from there we drove straight to Elon. Elon University is an historic 575 acre campus which has been designated a botanical garden and features oak trees, brick sidewalks, fountains and lakes. It’s a hugely impressive place of study not to mention steeped in history.

In 1889, the North Carolina legislature issued a charter for Elon College. William S. Long was the founder and the first president. The original student body consisted of 76 students. In 1923, a fire destroyed most of the campus, including school records, classrooms, the library and the chapel. The Board of Trustees voted to rebuild immediately. Many of the buildings that were erected in the years following the disastrous fire still stand today and make up the bedrock of Elon’s campus.

Many prominent figures have visited and spoken at Elon, including Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton along with  former U.S. Secretaries of State General Colin L. Powell and Madeleine Albright.  British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak,  Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel and astronaut John Glenn have also visited.

From there, we then went to the remarkable High Point University run by an even more remarkable man, Dr. Nido Qubein. Qubein came to the United States, with just $50 in his pocket, when he was just 18 years old and attended Mount Olive College and High Point University. At the time he spoke very little English and learned the language by writing down 50 words a day on a card and by memorizing those words.  Nido then went onto start a bank in 1986 and now serves on the board and executive committee of a Fortune 500 financial corporation with $135 billion in assets and 35,000 employees. He is chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company with 218 stores in 42 states and serves on the board of BB&T and La-Z-Boy Corporation, one of the world’s most recognized furniture brands. He is also a superb speaker and if you ever get the chance to hear him, you should grasp it with both hands.

Nido Qubein & Nigel Worrall

The transformation at High Point since Qubein became its President has been amazing. From a respected but rather sleepy University town, High Point is now much talked about all over America. Since taking over as President in 2005, Qubein has largely been responsible for raising over $350 million that has been invested in the campus and facilities.

Several new residential and educational buildings have been added and these additions include the notable Norton Hall, the Blessing Residential Hall, The Village Residential Complex, the Slane Student Life and Wellness Center, and the Jerry and Kitty Steele Sports Center. A large number of fountains have also been installed throughout the university commons with plans to add even more. In 2009 several new buildings opened that included the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication, the Plato S. Wilson Family School of Commerce, and the crown jewel of student life, the $50 million University Center (formerly called the Multiplex). The University Center houses 600 students in 300 upscale apartment-like facilities, a virtual bowling alley, fully-functional movie theater, a steakhouse, a sandwich shop, and a two story gaming-and-restaurant concept. It’s simply amazing!

With the campus renovations at High Point University breaching $300 million in August 2009, President Nido Qubein wasn’t finished there. He then announced several other additions to the campus and these include a new dormitory parallel to the University Center, and a Greek Village. The Greek Village will consist of roughly 14 houses aimed at housing 200 total students. The $10 million Greek Village is scheduled for a fall 2011 completion.

Overall, it’s an amazing place and the student experience is pretty much unparalleled. More later…

Yesterday was just one of those days that rarely comes around in the sporting world. There was some fantastic football (soccer) played at the World Cup in South Africa and the US team sent the nation soccer crazy when they scored the decisive goal against opponents Algeria, nearly two minutes into added time.

It was crazy stuff. The US had knocked on the door several times during the match but were defied by some goalkeeping heroics and then by the woodwork. As we approached the end of the match, it looked like the US were going to go out at the group stages but Landon Donovan’s dramatic stoppage time goal not only secured a deserved victory but also took the US to the top of the group over England.

In the England v Slovenia, it was a similar story. England created several opportunities to score more than the one goal but failed to take them. Ultimately it cost them the chance to win the group. In the other games played yesterday Australia beat Serbia 2-1 and Ghana lost 1-0 to Germany. So in that group it’s Germany topping the group and they now play England on Sunday, while Ghana are now set to face the US on Saturday.

Talking of England, some amazing scenes were seen at Wimbledon. It’s hard to really write about what happened because it was so extraordinary and the history books have now well and truly been re-written.

At 2.00pm GMT John Isner and Nicolas Mahut set foot on Court 18 to resume their match from the previous night. The match was delicately poised as they walked off the Court last night due to play being suspended through bad light,  so when they resumed they were tied at 2 sets all and going into the fifth deciding set.

John Isner

In an astonishing afternoon, Isner and Mahut battled it out with each other and the record books saw record after record broken. Some 10 hours into their game they again left the court for the evening, again bad light stopping play, tied at an amazing 59 games each! Yes, 59 GAMES EACH! Play was officially suspended at 9.10pm GMT by officials although both Isner and Mahut wanted to go on!

Nicolas Mahut

The previous sets had gone 6-4 Isner, 6-3 Mahut, 7-6 Mahut, 6-7 Isner and no-one expected this game to drag on for much more than an hour and a half. To still be going all those hours later was astounding and speaks levels of these guys concentration and fitness. So today they get to go again and to build yet more records. Currently Isner has made 98 aces in the match while Mahut has 94.

So, we’re in hour 10 of this amazing match. The previous record was six hours and thirty three minutes set at the French Open in 2004 when Fabrice Santoro beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14.

Another record to tumble was the most games in a match, which had stood at 112 in singles and 122 in doubles. We’re currently at 163 games in this match!

The Wimledon record has also been put in its place as a 1969 singles match between American’s Pancho Gonzalez and Charlie Pasarell ended up 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9 and lasted a mere five hours and twelve minutes.

Further, the record number of aces served by one player in a match has now been broken by both players. The previous record was by Croatian Ivo Karlovic in a 2009 Davis Cup match where he hit 78 aces.

So, whoever wins this game is sure to be tired but they can at least draw some comfort from the fact that opponent Dutchman Thiemo de Bakker had a relatively hard game in defeating Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 16-14.

After today’s feats the players commented:

Isner: ” Nothing like this will ever happen again, ever” while a drained Mahut simply said “We played for too long.”

But the spectators weren’t so convinced at they yelled “We want more”.

So more it is… make sure you watch. You’re unlikely to ever see anything like this again. Here’s the stats so far…

One of the things we love to do with our families is have fun, isn’t it? Sometimes that means goofing around the house and at other times we go to other places to be entertained. Orlando is pretty much the “fun” capital of the world as there is so much to see and do but one of the things that often gets overlooked is its emerging reputation for really great food.

For several years my family has always enjoyed visiting Kobe Japanese Steakhouse as we’ve always had great meals there and when my eldest daughter said that’s where she’d like to go for her birthday meal, that’s where we headed!

As usual the meal was fabulous… and on this short video you can get to see and almost smell the food as it’s being cooked.

Check back often on this blog as I’ll be doing regular restaurant reviews… and giving you tips about where you can find great value for money when dining out!

The really great thing that we do here in Orlando is give people great vacations. There’s really no other place on earth quite like it. With all it’s fabulous weather, theme parks, shopping, dining and other entertainment offerings it really is the perfect place to take a vacation.

The other thing that makes Orlando so special is its great accommodations. There’s lots of choice, from roadside motels to luxurious five star hotels but there’s one way to stay that makes a vacation even more special. A vacation home rental.

Hotels can be a great way to stay but a vacation home is simply better. With the average hotel room having 300 to 400 square feet of space a vacation home scores big every time. The average vacation home is 1500 square feet and upwards. If you then add into the equation the fact a vacation home has a full sized kitchen, one or two spacious living areas, TV’s in multiple rooms, three bedrooms upwards and all the creature comforts you have at home like games, books, dvds etc, then you start to see what great value a vacation rental actually is. If you then consider each vacation home has its own private swimming pool and that it then comes at the same price as a decent hotel room then it really is a “no brainer” why so many people are now choosing to stay in an Orlando vacation home on their next trip.

As more people get used to the idea of staying in a vacation home, then it is important that the homes continue to offer great facilities and this is where we at Florida Leisure are different to others. Every week we look at our inventory of homes and look at where improvements can be made. When we see something, we immediately contact the home owner and make our observations known so that the owner can make the improvement.

As a result, our homes are the best maintained and best equipped homes in the Orlando area. No other vacation rental company can claim that two thirds of its customers come back and visit year in, year out like we can. The reason for this is two fold, we are extremely choosy about the homes we manage…and that means we only manage the best homes and those owned by people who aren’t under financial pressure to cut corners. It’s an important point …particularly in a tough economic market.

So, with all that said, here’s a video with the latest update on Orlando Vacation Home 4752.

To see more photographs of Orlando Vacation Home 4752 click here.

Wow… that really was an exciting weekend. It all started with the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and ended late last night with Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell clinching his first major… the US Open. Sandwiched in between was some great action from the World Cup … so where to begin?

The main news story in Orlando simply has to be the massive crowds that were at Universal’s Islands of Adventure on Friday. I updated this blog extensively as the day went on here but I couldn’t let today pass without saying what a fantastic success the opening has been. Sure, Universal could have made it more dramatic and could have done it better but everyone I have talked to has simply loved the experience. And that is all that matters.

From the time Potter fans lined up overnight to walk the cobblestone streets of Hogsmeade on Friday morning and then queued in their thousands through the weekend to see the new attraction, it has been nothing but a huge success.

The opening on Friday was broadcast live on the Today show, and featured fireworks, drinks of Butterbeer and a chance for some lucky schoolkids  from Virginia, Denver, Oklahoma and Texas to shake hands and even go on a ride with British actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played the young wizard in the Harry Potter movies.

Radcliffe was joined by other actors from the films, including Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley). J.K. Rowling, the amazing author, even put in an appearance at the event… and here’s what Radcliffe had to say:

“What Universal Orlando has done with Harry Potter is really, really fantastic. We’re all kind of very grateful that the next part of the Harry Potter legacy has been so well done and so well made.”

The twenty acre Wizarding World cost an estimated $265 million to build and involved more than three years of planning and construction but it has so been worth it. Everyone simply must see it and we decided to do our bit by offering two FREE tickets to anyone that booked a vacation home with us last week… and now we have even more exciting news… we’re extending the offer.

Yes, that’s right….we’re now extending the offer for a further week! So that means anyone making a reservation this week for one of our fabulous vacation homes will get TWO tickets to Islands of Adventure and the chance to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for FREE!

So be quick… you’ve got one more week left to make your reservation and get your TWO FREE tickets. Call 1-800-760-1114 right now or visit the Florida Leisure web site www.FloridaLeisure.com to make your reservation online.