Do you know, there is so much to do here in Central Florida that it’s difficult to know where to start.  Yes, the first thing to do is go to your favourite theme park, whether you like the character parks, the water attractions, or the animal parks.  There’s no getting away from the fact that they are so very popular , especially for families with young children or young teenagers.  Then what?     Well, over the past few months, we have given you some ideas with our blogs; and we still have loads of other ideas on what to do.

The next most popular thing to do on vacation is Shop!!   and we have every type of shopping that you can imagine.   From the big designer stores in Millenium Mall, to small individual boutiques and specialty shops in local downtowns, there’s something to suit everyone’s taste.  And while you’re out for the day shopping, what about a quick cup of coffee or a long leisurely lunch in one of our local restaurants.

If shopping does not appeal, then perhaps a sporting fixture would be more acceptable.  Did you bring your golf clubs?   If not, there are plenty of local courses where you can hire clubs and carts and play a round or two.

Perhaps you enjoy spectator sports rather than participating;  the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Tampa Buccaneers have their home bases here in Central Florida, and it’s not far to drive to see them play, whether you’re a baseball fan or an American football fan.  You can even find Cricket and Soccer being played.

Maybe you’d like to try your hand at sky-diving, or water-skiing, or fishing or off road four-wheeling or cycling.    If you’d like a more relaxing hobby, there’s swimming, walking ( lots of walking and biking trails in the area).  Cinemas showing the latest films, libraries with the latest books,  bookshops with coffee houses attached, antique stores, art galleries and museums;  the list is endless.   What is even better, is that no matter what time of year it is,  you can do all or any of these things.

Many of our smaller towns are off the beaten tourist track, but if you take the trouble to find them and explore, you will find fascinating insights into their history – you will learn of the hardships the first settlers faced, you can visit archeological sites showing where the Native Americans lived or alternatively  just sit on the welcoming rocking chairs that line Main Streets and watch the world go by.

Marriage

If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him
and never say it’s not quite as good as his mother’s

..then adopt a dog.

If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour,
for as long and wherever you want …

…then adopt a dog.

If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn’t care
about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies

..then adopt a dog.

If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to
warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores

..then adopt a dog !

If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn’t care
if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if
every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves
you unconditionally, perpetually ..

..then adopt a dog.

BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come
when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair
all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only
comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence
is solely to ensure his happiness ..,
.

.
.
.
..then adopt a cat!

Now be honest, you thought I was gonna say… marry a man, didn’t you?

It’s not often my 15 year old grand-daughter is silenced;  she usually has plenty to say on every subject under the sun.  However, we managed it!!!   How did we do it?   An Orlando helicopter tour!

Because this is her last week staying here in Central Florida with us, before she goes back to the UK and School, we wanted to give her a really special trip for her memory book, and this is what we chose to do.

A short ride along Highway 192 in Kissimmee took us to mile marker 10, where Helitours Orlando is situated.  Easily noticed from the road because of the helicopter parked on the side, there’s plenty of parking adjacent to the helicopter landing pad.  Using a Jet Bellranger four  seater helicopter, this company has been operating for 15 years or so .  The pilot was in the office when we walked through the door, and luckily was ready to go there and then.

Away we go

No time for her to get nervous or worried about this flight.   We were helped into our seats, and the front seat next to the pilot was given to our grand-daughter.   This is where the best views can be obtained.  We sat in the back, strapped ourselves in and donned our headphones, which are speech activated, so we were all able to converse with each other and with the pilot.   Our pilot was very experienced and obviously knew his stuff.  He told us he’d been a pilot for 22 years.   The helicopter was very comfortable, and once we had our headphones on, the engine noise was totally reduced.

The tour we had chosen to take was to fly over  Epcot, Caribbean Beach Resort, Hollywood Studios, the Swan and Dolphin,  and many other areas around the major attractions.    It is quite amazing just how much can be seen while flying at low speeds  in a helicopter.  Sights that you wouldn’t see in a small plane, are easily visible from the low levels of a sight seeing helicopter tour.

Whilst the people on the ground and in the resort areas looked like ants scurrying round, we were gently flying overhead in an air conditioned helicopter with a  knowledgeable pilot .  He pointed out many of the features of the resorts and parks that are not even visible from the ground.    Something that we were all amazed by were the number of lakes;  we all know there are lakes in our area, but from the air, you can see so many of them, and there seem to be many more than you can imagine.

what a view; Epcot in the distance

The views from this height were amazing.  In the first photo you can see Epcot in the distance, and the second photo shows the Town of Celebration from above.   I didn’t realise there was  a canal running around the town and out into the swamp land.   That’s what makes this helicopter tour so interesting;  you see things from the air that you simply didn’t know about.

Our grand-daughter was speechless, and remained that way for several hours, except for repeating Wow!   every time one of us asked her if she had enjoyed the tour.  I heartily agree with her, it was a Wow! trip, and well worth the cost

We all agreed that this had been a fantastic experience and not one of us wanted it to end.  Sadly all good things come to an end, but I’d love to do it again, and again……………..