Summer Travel - Panama City Beach, FL - David's Sno-Balls

Hey y'all!!  No excuse for not writing sooner - it's just been hectic!!

I have so much to get caught up here on the blog!  Especially fun places from our travels over the past year and a half.  Today I want to share a yummy place we stopped at in Panama City Beach, Florida back in November! We're still thinking about how good it all was!

David's Sno-Balls features New Orlean's style sno-balls and boy, are they great!  These are like  shaved ice or a snow-cone.  They have  a bunch of flavors, and some fun options for them, too!  There was a stuffed sno-ball that had creamy soft-serve ice cream right down the middle of the sno-ball.  They can make a Sno-shake with any flavor, or a Sno-ball pie, which is a sno-ball layered with graham cracker crumbs and sweetened condensed milk. Wow!! 

Some of the flavors they offer include Bahama Mama,  Birthday Cake, Blue Raspberry, Cappuccino, Cherry, Cheesecake, Cotton Candy, Fireball, Hurricane, Key Lime, King Cake, Peach, Peppermint, Pink Lemonade,  Red Velvet Cake, Tsunami, Watermelon and Wedding Cake.   But there are so many more!!  You can choose to add toppings, or pick from cream flavors and sugar free flavors, too.

They also make terrific beignets!! If you haven't ever had a beignet, they are like pillowy puffs of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar.  David's offers 3 beignets per order, or a dozen baby beignets per order.  They are delicious!

David's isn't just about delicious desserts though. You can enjoy fabulous food if you are ready for a meal before your Sno-ball.  Choose from daily specials that include red beans and rice, jambalya, gumbo and shrimp etouffee.  Or try a Po-boy with roast beef, shrimp, oysters or other choices.  They also make a yummy Muffuletta on authentic bread with homemade olive salad.  Delicious, y'all! 

There are kid-friendly choices such as hot dogs, PB &J, grilled cheese and sides of Zapp's potato chips in several varieties and french fries. 

This is definitely on our list of places to visit the next time we are in PCB! We had great food, the owner was very friendly and the staff were too. 
Check them out!! David's is located at 13913 PCB Parkway, across from Carrabas in the Bid-A-Wee Shopping Center.  Open Mon - 11 - 8, Tues-Sat 9 - 8  and Sunday 12-8.  Their website is here.

I bet you'll love them like we did! 

Travel - DeLeon Springs State Park #VisitWestVolusia #WestVolusiaFL #5DaysofFun #LoveFL

I have another fun and beautiful place to share with you from our recent trip to West Volusia county, Florida ~ DeLeon Springs State Park. The park is in DeLeon Springs, Florida - about a 25 minute drive from where we stayed in DeBary.

The West Volusia Tourism Bureau hosted us for breakfast at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant inside the park. I've heard about this restaurant and we were excited to get to try it! It's very unique, as you will read....

She advised us to get there right at 8 am when the park opened, to head straight to the restaurant to get our name on the list!  We were surprised to see lots of cars ahead of us at 7:45!  We waited in line and got inside the park right after 8.  We were lucky to not have any wait in the restaurant. We were quickly seated in a booth next to a window covered with a screen to let the breeze in.  Perfect spot for a nice breakfast!

Our sweet waitress Jessica explained the process.  Each table has an electric griddle, and you cook your own pancakes on it.  She brought us two pitchers of batter, and our drinks.  We also ordered bacon and pecans (the pecans were an add in for the pancakes) and sprayed the griddle to get it ready. She also brought us a shaker of cinnamon to try on our pecan pancakes. (yum!)

Then we poured the batters on and began cooking our pancakes.   These pancakes aren't exactly like the ones you make at home. They are Early American-style pancakes, with a lumpier batter than what you may be used to.  One batter was made with unbleached white flour, the other a mixture of five stone-ground flours.  Both were delicious!  You have a spatula and cooking oil spray, so you cook them, flip them, put them on plates, then spray the griddle and start all over again. It was fun!

The prices are very affordable - pancakes are $4.95 per person.  (Gluten-free option available for $5.95)   They are served with raw honey, syrup and unsulphured molasses.  You can choose add-ins, like bananas, pecans, blueberries, peanut butter or chocolate chips, for $1.95 each.  Add bacon, sausage, ham or eggs for $2.95.  They cook your bacon or other meats in the kitchen.  You cook your own eggs on the griddle.  Breakfast is available until 4 every day and there is a menu with salads, sandwiches and other items.   We all enjoyed this unique breakfast in such a pretty setting!

Outside you will find some of the equipment from the old sugar mill, which was used to crush sugar cane in the 1830's, then rebuilt around 1900.  You can still see a chimney from the original mill.  We checked out the spring, which is rumored to be Ponce DeLeon's famous fountain of youth. There is evidence that as far back as 6000 years ago, Native Americans came here to fish and gather plants.

There is a small hill in the middle of the park, topped with a house, that is what remains of the shell and earth mound left by generations of Native Americans here.  The spring produces 19 million gallons of water per day, and is 72 degrees year round.   You can swim, rent canoes, paddleboats and kayaks, and even fish if you have a Florida fishing license! They also have a riverboat tour.  The park is just gorgeous - so green and pretty!

There are picnic tables, grills, and a playground.  You can walk the hiking trail or the paved nature trail.  There is even a butterfly garden!  The trees provide lots of shade.

One of the coolest things they offer is that kids can become a junior park ranger by completing activities in the activity book available at the park.  We were headed to the Florida Cheese Festival in DeLand, FL right after breakfast so we didn't have time to do any of these other activities.  They are on my list for next time we're down that way! David wanted to swim there so badly and I hated telling him no! But we sure enjoyed our time at the Cheese Festival. That will be in my next post, so stay tuned...

DeLeon Springs State Park is located at 601 Ponce DeLeon Blvd, DeLeon Springs, FL 32130
386-985-4212

I paid the park entrance fee, but our breakfast was provided by the West Volusia Tourism Bureau  Thank you Dena - it was wonderful!

Travel - Florida's Blue Spring State Park #VisitWestVolusia #WestVolusiaFL #LoveFL

One of our favorite places we visited in Florida earlier this month is Blue Spring State Park.  It's only a few minutes from our hotel in DeBary, FL.  As a state park, you'll pay a fee to enter for the day.  We paid $6 for our car.

In the winter, more than 200 manatees come to stay.  The park has over 2400 acres, and includes a north-flowing river, a lagoon, a 1/3 mile boardwalk, and much more! Stop by the visitors center to watch a short interpretive video about the manatees that come to Blue Spring each winter.

In the summertime, you can swim, tube, snorkel or dive in the 72-degree waters of the spring.  There is a lawn area for sunbathing, picnic and BBQ areas are close by too.   There are also 3 covered pavilions that you can rent for reunions or get-togethers.

The park has cabins and 51 campsites.  Want to really get away from it all?  There is even a 4.5 mile hiking trail that takes you to a primitive campsite near the St Johns River!

If swimming isn't your thing, you can rent a canoe or kayak, take a kayak tour or a 2-hour river cruise. The water is clear and beautiful in the spring.

There is gift shop offering food and beverages near the Spring as well.   We saw some baby wild hogs (see them in bottom left pic in my collage above) near the restrooms the day we visited, and also had time to talk with one of the rangers about the park.  He told us that manatees had been spotted in the spring the day we visited!  David wanted to get in, but the water was still a little too cool for him. (It was a chilly day)  The park is absolutely beautiful and very well-maintained.  It would be a great place for a picnic on a hot summer day, followed by a dip in the spring!

A little more about Blue Spring ~ it's a first-magnitude spring that sends 104 million gallons of water daily into the St Johns River.  In 1971, an episode of the Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau was filmed at Blue Spring, called "The Forgotten Mermaids" - the manatees of Blue Spring.   It is a habitat for at least 15 threatened or endangered plants and animals.  Among the creatures you may see at Blue Spring State Park are the Florida Scrub Jay, black bear, gopher tortoise, herons, gar, sunfish, swimming turtles, and alligators!   We saw lots of gar in the spring - I thought they were logs until they started moving! Those fish are BIG!  Click on my collage above and you can see them in the middle picture on the left side.

We enjoyed visiting the Park and the spring, and next time we are there I hope to finally see a manatee!

Blue Spring State Park is located at:

2100 West French Ave
Orange City, FL 32763
(386) 775-3663

Hours are 8 am until sunset, 365 days a year!

You can read more online at www.FloridaStateParks.org and the West Volusia Tourism Bureau's website.

Next up: Green Springs Park  & DeLeon Springs Park - check back soon!

Travel - St. Johns River Eco Tours ~ #DiscoverDeLand #WestVolusiaFLA #VisitWestVolusia

Today I can't wait to share the River Cruise we took with St. Johns River Eco Tours last week! It was so much more fun than I expected! Not to mention educational, too. A perfect family outing!

First, let me tell you about our accommodations for the trip.  We stayed in DeBary, FL, at the Hampton Inn - it was located right off of Interstate 4.  We had a great room with two queen-size beds, a fridge, microwave and coffee maker.  David especially liked the cookies and milk offered each evening at 8 pm, and the huge breakfast (including make your own waffles) offered every morning. Everyone there was so kind and went above and beyond to make sure our stay was perfect.  The pool and hot tub were nice, and we spent a nice afternoon enjoying them.

I can't say enough good things about the Hampton Inn in DeBary.  Comfy beds, perfect pillows, cold air conditioning, too!  As a blogger, I was happy they offered complimentary wifi and lots of workspace for me to upload pics at the end of each day. There is also an IHOP located right in front of the hotel - perfect for a quick meal before our adventures!  So that was our home base while we were in West Volusia - it was in a great location and very convenient to everything we had on our itinerary.

Friday morning we were booked for a 10 am cruise at St Johns River Eco Tours.  We got there a couple of minutes early and checked in at the hut, then waited at a picnic table til it was time to board the boat. There were two other groups on the cruise with us - everyone was friendly and excited.  We all took our seats and met Captain Jeanne Bell and Doug Little, who was our guide that day.  We knew immediately that this was going to be a great cruise with them!

The boat left the marina, and it wasn't long before we began seeing wildlife - lots of wildlife!  Doug was great at spotting birds, and telling us about them.  Within the first few minutes we also saw our first alligator!

We learned a lot about the history of the area from Doug and Captain Jeanne -  they are very knowledgeable about the river and the wildlife that live in and on it. They shared some great stories with us throughout the cruise.

Among the many birds we saw during our cruise were the Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Limpkin, Turkey Vulture, Osprey and more!  We learned that the loud cries of the Limpkin signals that it will rain soon!  And we got up close to a family of Barred Owls - that was amazing.

We saw a total of 23 gators on our cruise - 23!!  I thought maybe we would see one or two! (Click on any of the pictures to bring up a larger photo)

We also learned that the area is full of black bears and you can even see American Bald Eagles here. Sadly, we didn't see any bears, eagles or even manatees on our cruise.  Despite that, I still managed to walk away with over 200 pictures!!  One of the coolest parts of the cruise was when we got up close and personal with a mama gator - she wasn't too happy about that and hissed at us!  I stuck my phone down on the other side of the railing and got this picture:

The Barred Owls we visited were so cute - they were waiting when the boat pulled up to shore, and they quickly flew down for some tasty mice, then took them up in the trees to eat.  Really amazing moment!

While cruising down the river, Doug told us about the book Swamp Ghosts, written by local author Marcia Meara.  She interviewed Captain Jeanne and took several river cruises in order to gather information for this book - the first in a series.  Well, I just had to buy a copy at the hut after our tour (along with one of Doug's gorgeous wildlife calendars!) and it was even autographed by the author! My Aunt Anne read this book in less than two days, and I'm well into it now myself.  It's great - very suspenseful, and if you take the tour, you will recognize some people and places in this novel.

You can get a copy for yourself here ~ (affiliate link)



The cruise was two hours long and it's one of the best times I've EVER had in Florida.  I learned so much, and saw some really fantastic things.  David enjoyed helping Captain Jeanne out, and he really liked counting the alligators we saw!

The boat is covered, so you won't get direct sun - a good thing if it is hot!  The day we went it was fairly overcast and a little chilly, so jackets were a good thing to have with us.  Doug had blankets for those who needed them, too.   Make sure you have plenty of room on your camera card and be ready for an entertaining two hours!

I promise you that this cruise is at the top of our list for next time we visit this part of Florida. I think every cruise will be a little different, and I'd love to take this again and maybe see a manatee or bear next time!!  If you are in the area, this really is a must-try, unique attraction that the whole family will love.  I am so thrilled that we were able to have this experience on our visit to the West Volusia area.

To find out more about St Johns River Eco Tours, check them out on Facebook and on their website.

They are located at:
St. Johns River Eco Tours
488 W. Highbanks Road, DeBary, Florida, 32713 | (386) 626-9004

Stay tuned later this week to find out about the incredible Springs in the DeBary/DeLand area that we visited!


Disclaimer:  My family was hosted on a complimentary river cruise with St Johns River Eco Tours in order to share the experience with my readers. We were also hosted at the Hampton Inn during our stay in Florida, courtesy of the West Volusia Tourism Bureau. You can order a copy of their Visitors Guide too! All opinions shared here about our trip are 100% my own.  

Atlanta History Center Review/Giveaway for Atlanta readers!!

Nestled amid 33 beautiful acres in the heart of Buckhead you'll find a hidden gem ~ the Atlanta History Center. The largest history museum in the Southeast is a fantastic resource for Atlanta families! Not only can you visit many permanent and traveling exhibits inside the History Center, you can also tour several historic homes, walk through their many gorgeous gardens and take part in educational programs about our wonderful city.

Randy and I took the kids to the AHC last weekend. I'm a planner, so the plan was to visit all of the outdoor places first, before it got really hot and steamy.  If you visit in the summer, this is definitely the way to tour the Center!  We all walked down to the playhouse first. This is a favorite spot of mine at the Atlanta History Center, as Katie used to love that sweet playhouse when she was David's age! This was David's first trip there, and he enjoyed exploring the little white playhouse with his big sister.

Then we walked over to the magnificent Swan House. Built in 1928 for the Inman family, it was designed by Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze. If you'd like a glimpse inside the house to see what life in the 20's & 30's was like, sign up at the ticket desk for a free tour!

After a few pictures outside and a peek in the windows, we headed to the Tullie Smith Farm, which meant a quick walk through some of the beautiful gardens behind the AHC. The farmhouse is quite historic. It survived the burning of Atlanta in 1864, and was later moved to the Center from east of Atlanta.  You can sign up for a free tour of the farmhouse at the ticket desk. We didn't take the tour this time, opting to walk around the farm on our own, admiring the beautiful flower gardens and looking in the various structures. These include a double corncrib, a blacksmith shop, a smokehouse,  an open-hearth kitchen and more. It's like stepping back in time!  It's almost surreal to scan the horizon - on one side you see this old-fashioned farm and on the other side, skyscrapers! 

In September, make plans to visit the Farm for the annual Fall Folklife Festival. There will be hands-on crafts, a petting zoo, storytellers and more, plus demonstrations of traditional folk arts.

By now it was getting hot and sticky - typical weather for Atlanta in July!  My husband headed to the Kenan Research Center next door to do some research on his favorite Southern authors, while the kids and I went back to the AHC. Ahhh - cool air conditioned air! Our first stop: Atlanta's Book: The Lost Gone With The Wind Manuscript exhibit. I'm a huge GWTW fan, so I was really happy to have the opportunity to check this out! It's been 75 years since the publication of this novel, and the AHC is one of only two venues displaying chapters from the original manuscript! You'll see foreign editions of Gone With The Wind, first editions, correspondence from Mitchell to fans, colleages and friends, images and more.

As mentioned before, the highlight of the exhibit is the last four chapters of the book, including one entire chapter, page by page, posted on the walls.  They include handwritten changes from Mitchell and her husband - what a treasure to see! The desk she used to write the book is on display as well. The kids and I really enjoyed this exhibition!  It will be at the AHC through September 5.  By the way, the Atlanta History Center also owns and operates the Margaret Mitchell House, located a few miles away in Midtown.  For a few dollars more, you can purchase a dual ticket that includes both the Atlanta History Center and the Margaret Mitchell House - just inquire at the ticket desk when you arrive!

David wanted to see the golf display ~ Down the Fairway With Bobby Jones. While it focuses on the life and golfing career of Bobby Jones, it also includes the history of the game of golf. David liked the trophies and the mannequins dressed in their golfing best!

Next, we visited The Goizueta Folklife Gallery, which is home to Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in a Changing South. This is a very family-friendly, hands on exhibition. My kids enjoyed the two rooms created for listening to traditional songs, hymns, and stories. In addition, there are so many folk arts to see: quilting, wood carving, musical instruments, baskets, needlework, even face jugs - something Randy and I both love and hope to collect one day!

LOVE the collection of face jugs - some of my favorite things!

In the DuBose Gallery we spent time exploring Turning Point: The American Civil War. It is one of the nation's largest Civil War exhibits and has a huge collection of artifacts. You can see the Confederate Flag that flew over Atlanta at the time of its surrender, a huge collection of firearms, uniforms, medical equipment and other everyday objects the soldiers used, and more. It's a fascinating, yet moving look into this troubled time in our nation's past. There are interactive stations and videos to check out, too. Your kids will enjoy exploring this 9200 square foot gallery - there is so much to see and do in here.

David was really fascinated by this statue, taking several pictures of it, and lingering beside it until I persuaded him to move on.  It depicts Lt. Hamilton M. Branch, a veteran of the 54th Georgia regiment and the Atlanta campaign.   He was supposedly wearing his old uniform, which is one of the ones displayed in the nearby case.  It is an approximate copy of the statue atop the Confederate monument in Forsyth Park, Savannah.    

The biggest hit with my kids was the Centennial Olympic Games Museum. *So. much. fun!* This brightly-colored, high-energy museum tells the history of the Olympic Games and details Atlanta's journey to hosting the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. I still remember the day it was announced that we won the bid to have the games here ~ "It's Atlanta"! ~ our whole city celebrated! The Olympics were such a HUGE deal in Atlanta and it is so cool to relive that excitement all over again in this museum. There is an interactive trivia quiz that has 12 stations throughout the museum, and my kids enjoyed challenging each other to see who could answer the most questions correctly! I loved seeing the collection of memorabilia from the 1996 games, too! There are so many things to see, read, and do in here ~ it is an absolute treasure for the citizens of Atlanta!

Another fun exhibition is Metropolitan Frontiers. It shows Atlanta's humble start as a rural region, then as a transportation center, later a commercial city, and finally a sprawling suburban metropolis. There are so many fantastic artifacts from the past to see in here - an 1879 log cabin, an 1894 shotgun house filled with period furnishings, beautiful vintage clothing, vehicles, videos to watch, vintage photos to look at and more, more, more!

Our last stop was War In Our Backyards: Discovering Atlanta 1861- 1865. By the time we got here, my camera battery had died and my kids were getting a bit whiny for lunch. I didn't get to see as much of this exhibit as I'd have liked. It was interesting to see maps of Atlanta before and after the war, to see how much of our beautiful city was actually destroyed by Sherman and his troops. There is even a 3-D video slide show to watch - wow!  This exhibit is at the AHC through October 7.

Finally, no trip to a cool place is complete without a visit to the Gift Shop, right? The AHC Gift Shop doesn't disappoint! My husband discovered a book he really wanted about Blues singers on the sale shelf. There were also beautiful pieces of jewelry, fun Christmas ornaments, plus lots of books, games and plenty of kid-friendly items to be found. So make sure you stop by the Gift Shop before you leave the Center and find a little souvenir to take with you! If you are hungry, check out the Chick Fil A Coca Cola Cafe downstairs, or enjoy lunch or afternoon tea at the Swan Coach House, just a short walk from the Swan House!

As you can see, the Atlanta History Center is packed full of exciting things to see and do. Much of it is hands-on, kid-friendly fun. All of it is interesting and educational. You'll learn how Atlanta has transformed from a sleepy rural community into the metropolis it is today, including the not-so-pretty parts of our history. Believe it or not, there are still more exhibits that I didn't get the chance to see while we were there! You could easily spend several hours exploring the Center, or even a full day if you want to really take your time and see it all!  Whether you live here already or you are planning to visit our city, please find the time to visit the Atlanta History Center!

The Atlanta History Center is located at 130 West Paces Ferry Road Atlanta, GA 30305. The Museum is open Monday - Saturday 10 am - 5:30 pm. Sunday 12 pm - 5:30 pm.  Their website is here.  Find out about different membership options here.   The Margaret Mitchell House is located at 990 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309.  Their hours are the same as the AHC.  The website is here.

 I have a special treat for my Atlanta readers that you are going to LOVE!  The Atlanta History Center has generously shared two family passes for me to give away!!  Each pass admits two adults and up to four children (under the age of 18).   Want to win one?  You need to either live in the metro Atlanta area, or be planning a visit to Atlanta.  Complete the mandatory entries below, and any of the additional entries to enter.  Please make sure that you leave me your email address in each comment so I can contact you if you are one of my winners!  *Again, please only enter if you live in/near Atlanta, or you are planning to visit!*

Mandatory Entries: 

• Like the AHC Facebook page then leave a comment here saying you did so. (Don't forget to include your email address in each comment!)
• Follow the AHC on Twitter, send them a tweet saying "@ATLHistCenter, @justkiddingaroundatlanta.blogspot.com sent me for AHC giveaway", then leave a comment here saying you did so.   (If you don't have a twitter account, just leave a comment here saying so to count as your 2nd mandatory entry).

Additional Entries:

• Follow JKAA via GFC, (box in right sidebar) then leave a comment saying you did (or already do) with your GFC id. 
• Follow JKAA via Twitter, leave a comment saying you did with your twitter id.
• Sign up for JKAA's email newsletter via the box in the sidebar, confirm via your email, then leave a comment here saying you did. 
• Like JKAA on FB, leave a comment on the wall, then leave a comment here saying you did, including your FB id.
• Like the Margaret Mitchell House on FB, leave a comment on their wall saying justkiddingaroundatlanta.blogspot.com sent you, then leave a comment hear saying you did.
• Vote for JKAA on Picket Fence (click the Picket Fence button in upper right sidebar), then leave a comment here saying you did.   **can do this once per day, just leave separate comment each day after you vote on Picket Fence**
• Tweet about this contest, including #atlantahistorycenter & @aimeer68 in your tweet so I can verify! Then leave a comment here.  ** can do this once a day, just leave separate comment each day after tweeting**

Contest will end at 11:59 pm EST on August 14, 2011.  I will draw two winners, confirm their entries and then notify winners by email.  They will have 48 hours to reply with their mailing address, or a new winner will be chosen.  I'll mail the passes out by August 24th.   I can only mail these tickets to a US address.  **Please, please, please only enter if you will be able to visit the Atlanta History Center!!**

Disclaimer:  My family was given a family pass to visit the AHC for this review and two additional passes to give away. No other compensation was provided.  The opinions stated in this review are completely my own, and were not influenced because we received free admission - if we had purchased tickets I would have felt the same way about the Atlanta History Center!

Review ~ Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium ~ Orlando

Last month the kids and I were fortunate enough to go on a wonderful trip to Florida with some dear friends.  We were on a pretty tight budget, so the big theme parks weren't on our itinerary this trip.  I knew there were plenty of other places to visit in Orlando!  My seven year old has a huge appetite for learning, and I thought he would really enjoy Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium. 

We visited Ripley's on our first full day in Orlando, which happened to be the coldest day of the this winter so far in Orlando - it was in the 20's, brrrrrrrrr!  When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was that the building is tilted!  Really, it looks like it is being swallowed by a sinkhole - yikes!

This picture is from the Ripley's website, and shows the exterior of the Orlando Ripley's Believe it or Not!

Parking is free, and there is a shopping center next door with plenty of extra parking spaces if the Ripley's one is full.   Once inside the newly-renovated, 10,000 square foot building, we started our self-guided tour with many other folks trying to avoid the cold weather! 

Each gallery you visit is full of interesting displays.  Depending on how much reading you want to do, you could easily spend a couple of hours looking at every single item!  But when you have little ones, you tend to follow at their pace, and my kids were all about looking quickly and moving on to the next thing! 

First we learned about Robert Ripley, the founder of Ripley's Believe it or Not.  He was an explorer, an adventurer, and cartoonist.  He spent much of his life on a quest for unusual and bizarre items to share with his readers through his cartoons.  He truly had a passion for finding unique things to share with his readers, and he traveled the globe seeking them out!  Eventually he began hosting a television show to showcase his collections.  There were many books written detailing his unique finds over the years as well.  David loves reading the Ripley's yearbook at the library and here he is next to an entire stack of Ripley's books at the Orlando location - my boy was in book heaven!

David with a huge stack of Ripley's books!

Even after his death in 1958, Robert Ripley's legacy continued through his cartoons and the many Ripley's museums.   Millions of visitors are entertained at his museums every year!

Soon after your tour begins, you'll find change machines, so go ahead and cash in some dollar bills for quarters.  You'll be glad you did when you enter the next gallery where you can use them in various novelty machines.  There are also brain teasers, optical illusions and interactive exhibits to try!  David used some of his change to have his fortune told, and he and Katie even tried out the passion throne (against my wishes!!)   This section reminded me of a game arcade and it was very exciting for kids.

David in the Passion Throne - it said he is passionate, which cracked him up!!

Next up is the tilted room.  It will mess with your head, let me tell you! But it's so much fun to walk through this room at an angle, and the kids loved that the balls on the pool table rolled uphill!

You will feel very off-center while walking through this tilted-sideways room!

There are a variety of collections to see in each of the 16 unique galleries.  And there are a few surprises along the way! For example, keep an eye out for tourists who aren't what they seem!  Both my kids thought the wax figures were hilarious!

Believe it or not, she isn't a tourist, she's a wax figure!! And her "hubby" is in the same gallery!

A few of our favorite things at the Orlando Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium are below:

This HUGE wall mural of Jimi Hendrix was made with over 8000 playing cards!

So amazing to see an actual piece of the Berlin Wall!

There are so many exhibits of human oddities, like this man with double pupils.  Fascinating stuff for kids & adults!

There is so much more to see.  Like the lifesize model car made entirely of matchsticks, or the gallery of miniatures you can observe.  There's a real human shrunken head, and authenticated dinosaur eggs!  There is even a gallery with animal anomalies.  Check out the picture of Beyonce, made entirely of candy! Trust me, you won't want to miss any of it!

An actual human shrunken head

I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to because I was chasing David from exhibit to exhibit! He loved it all!  Katie was with her friend and they went ahead without me - who wants to hang out with your mom (or your friend's mom) when you are a teenager?! Both girls enjoyed the Odditorium as much as David did;  it truly is fun for every member of the family!  The displays will interest young and old alike.  There are even large flat screen tv's throughout the museum showing behind-the-scenes footage and information about various exhibits.

Before you exit the exhibit area, you'll discover a trick played on unsuspecting visitors! And then there is the coolest tunnel you can walk through to get out.  It feels like you are moving, but it's really a walk-through tunnel that moves around you! If you don't want to try it, you can bypass the tunnel and exit through a hallway. We walked through it more than once, getting dizzier each time! So much FUN!

On the way out of the building make sure to take a look at the gift shop.  You'll find the usual wares - t-shirts and more bearing the Ripley's logo, plus lots of toys and fun stuff for the kids. There are items for any budget.  My son was intrigued by the insect candy.  Yes - lollipops and other candy with worms, scorpions and such! Just what you'd expect at the Believe it or Not! Gift Shop.

We really enjoyed our visit to Ripley's Orlando, and I can honestly say it is a place families would have a blast exploring together for a few hours.  As I mentioned before, there is something for everyone!

 Ripley's is very easy to find on International Drive.  The address is 8201 International Drive Orlando, FL 32819 and their phone number is 407-345-0501.  They open every day of the year at 9:30am and the website says they are open til midnight!

Visit the Ripley's Orlando website here. To buy tickets online visit here.  Tey have a Valentine's Special coming up with 50% off tickets only on February 14th.  If you buy the tickets online, they are good for one year from date of purchase, so you can enjoy the savings and use the tickets later!   Check out the details on this Valentine's Special here.    You can follow Ripley's Orlando on Twitter here.

Giveaway!

I have a coupon we received in a Kids Meal from Wendy's that is good for free admission for up to 3 kids with the purchase of an adult ticket.  It's good at any Ripley's attraction through September 30, 2011.  I'd like to give this to one of my blog followers!  If you are planning a trip before September 30 and will definitely be able to use it, please leave me a comment below and I'll draw a winner on Valentine's Day. 

Have you ever visited Ripley's? Which location did you visit, and what did you think of it?




***The kids and I received free admission to Ripley's Orlando in exchange for this review.  However, the opinions expressed are completely and totally my own! *** 

Review ~ Pirates Dinner Adventure, Orlando, Florida

Here it is, finally! The first of two reviews of very fun, family-friendly places to visit while you are in Orlando.  It's a very popular destination for Atlantans - several people I know are planning trips there this winter & spring!   As a child, I was fortunate enough to have grandparents living in Orlando, so I grew up visiting lots of fun places there.  Sadly, most of those attractions (Circus World, Mystery Fun House, Stars Hall of Fame, and more) have disappeared.   But there is much more to Orlando than just Disney & Universal  - just drive down International Drive to find a variety of fun places to check out on your next visit!

The night we visited Pirates Dinner Adventure was the "most fun night of our trip" according to my kiddos.  Considering one is almost 17 and one is 7 that is saying a lot!  It takes a really great experience for them to both feel entertained!  Pirates Dinner Adventure offers just that. 

First thing you should know: you'll want to get there an hour before your show starts.  Otherwise you will miss food, shopping and lots of entertainment!  You will pay for parking (I believe it was $3 per car).   When you get to the box office you are given the opportunity to upgrade your meal.  This is one thing I wish we would have done.  The standard dinner is ok, but I wouldn't have minded an upgrade!  To be honest though, though, we didn't go for the food, we went for the show!  So when you buy your ticket, you can choose to upgrade to filet mignon, salmon and other choices.  You will be given a certain color on your ticket - that is the section you will be seated in.  Then it's time to head inside the big domed building.

Once inside, you can have your photo taken by the friendly staff.  If you choose to do this, they will bring the pictures to you inside the theater for you to purchase prior to the show.   Instead, we headed to the cash beverage bar where Katie & I chose pina colada smoothies in a souvenir glass, plus an orange juice for David.  Then we checked out all the things you could do ~ Katie got her face painted (beautiful!), and David shopped in the gift shop.   There's even a VIP lounge you can upgrade to which offers more food and interaction with the Pirates!

We went with a group of friends,  and there were 11 of us all together - 5 adults, 6 kids.  While we waited for the show to start, we were treated to a mini buffet: pasta, fresh fruit, and veggies with dip.  Suddenly, there were performers up on and behind the bar!  This event is called the King's Festival, there is a lot to see!  The beautiful Princess Anita even came out to watch the show from her throne.  There was Raddo the Gypsy King, The Magical Gypsy, plus the Magic of Raddo and the Gypsy Wizard. An amazing acrobat performed incredible stunts, including "walking in the clouds" upside down across the ceiling. 

Another performer is "shot" from a cannon into a tank of water across the room.   Soon, roguish pirates led by Sebastian the Black, came out and took Princess Anita hostage and led all of us into the theater!  Our party was seated in the orange section. In front of us, surrounded by water, was a giant pirate ship! There were six seating sections of theater-in-the-round style seating.

Pitchers of soft drinks were waiting on the table, and our fantastic server brought us a pitcher of diet soda when I requested it.   If you prefer, you can get a pitcher of beer instead.   As other sections were being seated, our pirate came out to introduce himself and show us how important it was to cheer appropriately for him whenever he was on stage during the show.  

We were to stand and yell! My kids LOVED this!  They sell princess wands and pirate swords that light up and make sounds ~ they were a big hit with the kids.  If you don't want to spend the money on those, you can always bring those light up bracelets from the dollar store and your kids will have just as much fun showing off their glow-in-the-dark jewelry!

Soup or salad was served first.  Katie had the tossed salad and I chose the creamy vegetable soup.  The show began with lots of fanfare. The time passed quickly - there was always something going onstage, so you were constantly entertained!  Our main course was chicken & pork with potatoes and rice.   For kids, the entree was chicken fingers with potatoes.  Dessert was the final course and it was a delicious Apple Cobbler a la mode drizzled with chocolate.  

The show consists of dancing, music, swashbuckling pirates, a love story, acrobatic feats, and a gorgeous finale!  It's truly so much fun to watch, but don't forget to cheer for your pirate!

Since we were visiting the last week of December, we were able to see the Christmas show which featured a beautiful Christmas tree lighting plus a lovely "snow" fall during the sparkling finale. 

We attended the early (6 pm) show, so when we left, we exited right into the parking lot.  If you attend the last show of the evening, there is a Buccaneer's Bash after the show that is included in your ticket price. It's suitable for all ages.

In closing, this dinner and show are so much fun and very entertaining for the entire family. Almost a month later, my kids are still talking about it!  If you need something to fill an evening, this show is worth the drive from wherever you are staying. (it's only a few minutes from both theme parks, by the way!)

There are coupons available in a variety of publications available in Orlando, and the website offers discounts, too.  There is even an option to just see the show, without purchasing a meal, for even more savings.  

You can check them out for yourself at the links I've included, or join their email club for more discounts and news.  Pirates Dinner Adventure is on Facebook and Twitter.  Pirates Dinner Adventure is located at 6400 Carrier Drive Orlando, FL 32819  (right off International Drive), and their phone number is 800.866.2469. 

***I did receive discounted tickets for our entire party to attend Pirates Dinner Adventure.  The opinions in this review are completely my own, and I was not compensated in any other way by Pirates Dinner Adventure. ***

If this is your first time here on the blog, I invite you to follow it via email, facebook, twitter and Google Friend Connect - all linked on the right sidebar. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!  I've also got a sweet Thirty-One gifts giveaway below - you can add a comment on that post if you follow my blog and that will get you an entry in the contest!!  Thanks so much for stopping by, and check back here later this month, I've got reviews coming very soon for Orlando's Ripley's and Titanic The Experience!