The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye

Not only is summer the busiest time for Orlando, but it is also the prime time to any of Orlando’s many summer attractions. One of these is the Coca-Cola Orlando Eye, which may not be as popular as Disney World or Universal Studios, but is still a great attraction for Orlando residents.

The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye is a 400-foot tall observation wheel that offers a 360-degree view of downtown Orlando’s skyline, Orlando’s various amusement parks and the pristine landscape of Central Florida. The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye offers a variety of ticket packages including a deal for Florida residents. If you present the staff with proof of residency, you can purchase an adult ticket for $22.50 and a child ticket for only $17.50.

The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye is only 10 miles away from 420 East Apartments and will no doubt be a fun experience for all involved. If you would like more information about The Coca-Cola Orlando Eye, visit their website here.

Father’s Day Gifts That Keep On Giving

It’s Father’s Day again and you are more than likely left wondering what to buy a Dad that has just about everything.  Instead of buying him a gift, why not give him the gift that keeps on giving? A subscription service is not only a useful idea, it also guarantees you that he will be reminded how much he means to you all year round!

If Dad loves to snack, Love with Food offers memberships from as low as $7.99 a month! In addition, every box purchased buys a one meal donation through the Feeding America Network and Share Our Strength—No Kid Hungry.  They also have a special Father’s Day gift box called Rad Dad with over $20 different snacks!  There’s still time to get it to him for Father’s Day so don’t wait a second more!

Harry’s Razor and Dollar Shave Club both deliver high quality razors, blades and shaving supplies directly to your Dad’s door.  Dad has to shave right?  Why not surprise him with a useful and thoughtful gift?

Birchbox Man not only has subscriptions ideal for men’s grooming, but they also have a number of great Father’s Day gifts still available for delivery in time for his big day!

Beer of the Month Club is a great gift idea for a Dad who loves craft beers.  Every month Dad will have 12 craft brews delivered, starting at only $32.95 per month.

These are just a few of the clubs and subscriptions that make perfect Father’s Day gifts and you don’t even need to leave your apartment in Orlando to buy them!

 

Celebrate Memorial Day in Orlando

Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner and you could spend it at your luxurious Orlando apartment enjoying the resort-style pool, chill at the outdoor chill lounge, cook at the grilling area OR you could check out these local gardens and parks!

Lake Underhill Park
4355 Lake Underhill Rd, Orlando, FL 32803
Website

This 8.8 acre park is an ideal spot to spend Memorial Day.  Take a relaxing hike/walk on the .75 mile shoreline trail or the 1.3 Underhill loop. Nature lovers will love bird watching, boating, fishing or viewing Florida’s unique flora and wildlife.

Mayor Carl T. Langford Park
1808 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32803
Website

Beat the heat at this beautiful downtown park for a picnic and relaxing day.  This park has plenty of shade including mature oaks, expansive green lawns, butterflies, birds, two play areas and more!!

Mead Botanical Garden
1500 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, FL 32789
Website

Enjoy an afternoon at Mead Botanical Garden and visit the Butterfly Garden and Legacy Garden. The beautiful urban oasis highlights native fauna, floral, birds and wildlife unique to Florida.  Enjoy a walk on Bartram Trail.

Check out these great parks located not far from your Orlando apartment!  Happy Mother’s Day!

Celebrate Mother’s Day In Orlando

Make this Mother’s Day special and treat Mom to a day she won’t forget by taking her to brunch. Here are some of our top picks for the ultimate Mother’s Day brunch near your apartment in Orlando!

Rozen Plaza Mother’s Day Brunch

9700 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819

Website

Over 30  dishes including seafood, breakfast, salads, Florida conch chowder, carving stations, desserts and a champagne toast.

Shingle Creek Mother’s Day Brunch

9939 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819

Website

Treat Mom to a brunch she won’t soon forget at Shingle Creek’s Cafe Osceola with unlimited champagne, over 44 selections and a “dazzling dessert extravaganza”.  May 14th, 2017 – 11:30 am – 7:00 pm; call for reservations at (407) 996-6338.

Soco Restaurant

629 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801

Website

Enjoy Mother’s Day at one of Orlando’s best restaurants this year.  Soco serves brunch with a wide variety of creative menu items and libations!

If Mom doesn’t live close to your apartment in Orlando you can treat her to flowers or better yet a phone call or Facetime visit!

Orlando’s Best Barbecue

Orlando may be better known for citrus, Mickey Mouse and tourists, but barbecue aficionados can still find their fair share of great barbecue in the “City Beautiful”.

Whether you prefer pulled pork, dry rubbed beef ribs or fall off the bone tender ribs and beef brisket, Orlando gives St. Louis and Memphis a run for their money when it comes to barbecue restaurants.

 4Rivers Smokehouse

400 S Orange AveOrlando FL 32801

Website

With a claim to bring the BEST de-regionalized barbecue in Orlando and the lines to back it up, this smoke house is serving up some of the finest barbecue.  The menu includes ribs, smoked chicken, sausage, brisket, tri-tip, turkey, pulled pork and other barbecue classics.  But in typical Orlando fashion, they also serve some incredible and creative other options including many farm to table selections.

Pig Floyd’s Urban Barbakoa

1326 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803

Website

This popular Orlando barbecue adds an ‘International twist” (Latin, Caribbean, Asian) to barbecue!  Pork is the specialty of the house and the menu includes “traditional” barbecue ribs, pulled pork sandwiches and brisket. The sides are delicious with items like plantains, apple and fennel slaw and Cuban banana pudding.

Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Que

Kirkman Shoppes, 5818 Conroy Rd, Orlando, FL 32835

Website

It isn’t fancy, but then again neither is eating fall off the bone ribs with sauce so delicious you won’t want to miss a single taste.  The menu serves traditional barbecue like ribs, brisket, chicken and sausage.

Try out these great barbecue restaurants all located not far from your luxury apartment in Orlando.

Family Fun in Orlando

Kids grow up fast and before you know it they are teenagers and too independent to spend time with their families.  Whether they are your children, nieces or nephews or friend’s kids, don’t miss out on being a kid again by enjoying these family fun activities near your Orlando apartment.

Here are our top five picks!

  1. Whether you typically leave Magic Kingdom for the tourists or have season passes, watching the fireworks show over Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World is a magical experience that can’t be missed.
  2. Ride bikes on West Orange Trail in Winter Garden.  This flat 22-mile long trail is the perfect family fun activity.
  3. Take a thrilling air boat ride through Florida’s Everglades.  This fast and fun activity is ideal for older kids and a great way to get out and explore nature in Florida.  There are many companies who offer these rides, Boggy Creek Air Boat Rides is just one that has great reviews.
  4. Visit Orlando’s upside down building where you can learn and discover at Wonderworks.  There is so much to do at this “edu-tainment” attraction, you will want to schedule a whole day.
  5. Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium is a great way to spend a day with kids.  You will be amazed at some of the exhibits!

These are just five family fun things to do and visit near your apartment in Orlando. Have Fun!

Orlando’s Best Local Lunch Spots

From old-fashioned burgers to fast Mexican and creative pub fare these local restaurants are a great choice for lunch near your Orlando apartment.

Hamburger Mary’s

Church Street Station, 110 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801

Website

This funky little place specializes in fresh, all natural half-pound burgers, sandwiches and fries.   It is fast, affordable and delicious!

Open daily at 11am

Gringos Locos

22 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801

Website

With a self-deprecating name and fast service, this Orlando Mexican restaurant has a few locations and some great lunch offerings.

Open daily from 11am to 3am

Dexter’s of Thornton Park 

808 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801

Website

A little more upscale than our other local lunch choices, Dexter’s is open for lunch with some creative sandwiches, entrees, and a full bar.

Open for lunch on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (brunch).

These lunch spots are local favorites and are located near your apartment in Orlando, FL.

Orlando’s Best Bakeries

Living in an apartment in Orlando and enjoying relatively warm weather year-round means that you probably watch your weight, trying to keep up your beach body!

We get it, but sometimes you just have to cheat and indulge in a piece of pie, cake, cookie or donuts! If you are going to cheat and have something sweet, it might as well be the best.

To help, we have put together a list of the best bakeries and sweet shops near your Orlando apartment. You can thank us later!

Fortuna Bakery & Cafe

12701 S John Young Pkwy #106, Orlando, FL 32837

Website

This South American bakery features delights from Colombia and Venezuela!  Enjoy both savory and sweet baked goods, coffee and decadent cakes at this small, family run bakery!

Blue Bird Bake Shop

3122 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL 32803

Website

We can hardly contain our excitement over this wonderful little shop that features delicious, small batch cupcakes!  With over 50 varieties you will find it hard to buy just one!

P is for Pie Bake Shop

2806 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL 32803

Website

This shop is SWEET!  Everything from cutie pies, pie pops, pies and cakes, this shop is definitely worth the splurge!

St. Patrick’s Day in Orlando

There really is no shortage of fun things to do in Orlando all year long so it should be no surprise that St. Patrick’s Day is shamrockin’ with fun parties, parades and celebrations.

Liam Fitzpatrick’s Restaurant & Irish Pub

Colonial TownPark, Market Promenade Ave, Lake Mary, FL 32746

Website

One of the Orlando area’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day parties is happening at Liam Fitzpatrick’s Irish Pub!  This fun celebration will be hopping with DJs, Irish Dancers, music food and drink specials.  The fun begins at 11am and goes until 2am with NO cover charge!

Don’t miss the Orlando Fighter Fighter Pipes and Drums at 6pm and 8pm.

Wall Street Plaza – St. Patty’s Day Block Party

Block Party Website

The self-proclaimed biggest and best St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in Orlando is happening at Wall Street Plaza on Friday, March 17th.  The party starts at 4pm with over 7 venues and 2 city streets.  So get out something green and get down to Wall Street Plaza for drink specials, giveaways, green beer, music and tons of giveaways.

St. Patrick’s Day Disney Style

Head to Disney to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  Raglan Road at Disney Springs celebrates with a big Irish party with music, authentic food, dance performances and family friendly activities.  The fun goes on all week!

The Rose and Crown Pub in the UK pavilion at Epcot honors St. Patrick’s Day with green beer or cider, food and unfortunately lines!

 

Visit Orlando’s Botanical Gardens

As the weather starts to warm you might be looking for activities to do without the influx of tourists.

Did you know that the Orlando area has some great botanical gardens that offer classes, tours and allow you to welcome spring with the fragrant scent of local flora?

Here are a few gardens near your Orlando apartment with a focus on the beautiful 200 acre Harry P. Leu Gardens located at 1920 North Forest Avenue in Orlando.

University of Central Florida Arboretum

4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL 32816

The Arboretum of the University of Central Florida is located on the main campus of the University of Central Florida and offers tours for a small fee and features Florida plants and flowers.

Website

Hollis Gardens

702 E Orange Street, Lakeland, FL 33801

This beautiful Botanic Garden is set in a neo-classical architectural environment with patterned flower beds, public art and ornamental fountains. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon or a few hours.

Website

FEATURED GARDEN

Harry P. Leu Gardens

1920 North Forest Avenue, Orlando, FL

Website

This gardens is open from 9am to 5pm every day with a small admission fee. Self-guided and guided tours are available where you can tour the Leu House Museum, a historical home as well as the gardens.

Dinosaurs will be roaming the gardens until April 30th with an outdoor exhibit with life-like prehistoric creatures throughout the gardens.

You can also explore the wide array of gardens including the Arid Garden with agaves, cacti, succulents, yuccas and flowering trees.  You can also explore the Aroid Collection, a tropical stream garden or the fragrant Azalea Collection and Magnolia Collection, the Bamboo Collection and the Banana Collection (not the edible kind), the Butterfly Garden and Conifer Collection.

Flowers in bloom in February:

Camellias, azaleas, gold/pink/yellow trumpet trees, orchid tree, sweet osmanthus, powderpuff, citrus

Flowers in bloom in March:
amaryllis, camellias, herbs, vines, gold/pink/yellow trumpet trees, citrus, shaving brush tree, angel trumpet, orchid tree

They also offer classes for horticulture, landscaping, fine arts, and specialties all year round for both children and adults.