Floridianestates

Who says that you have to spend big bucks to get a good meal? If you are vacationing in Orlando you can try out a number of local restaurants that serve good food at prices that wont break your budget. Here is an introduction to some of my favorite budget restaurants in the Orlando area.

Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern
(Many Locations)

Bennnigans boasts of offering 100 types of beer and other drinks as well, making its alcoholic menu greater than its food menu. The food is served in a loud, lively atmosphere. Some specialties include the fire-roasted salsa shrimp, charbroiled and basted in a smoky sauce, the Monte Cristo, combining ham, turkey, and Swiss and American cheeses on wheat bread that has been dipped in batter and deep fried. If you are watching your weight there are several healthy, low calorie “Health Club” dishes.

Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Cue
5818 Conroy Rd.
Orlando, FL 32819

Bubbalou’s is considered by local residents to be one of the best rib restaurants in the area. You can order at the counter, get a drink and then sit down at a picnic table. You can try the chopped pork sandwiches and the “Texas caviar,” cold black-eyed peas in a spicy vinaigrette. In addition to the ribs you can choose from the chicken, lamb and smoked turkey. All of these cooked over an open-pit fire. Be careful for their “killer” sauce, it can destroy your taste-buds! The restaurant has been voted Central Florida and Orlando’s Favorite BBQ Restaurant and BBQ Catering Service by the readers of the Orlando Sentinel

IHOP
(Many Locations)

This chain has been serving mouth watering breakfasts for over 40 years. They’ve got a wide variety of pancakes to choose from, including Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Banana Nut Pancakes, Buttermilk Pancakes, Country Griddle CakesSM, and fruit-topped pancakes. They also serve a selection of Crepe Style International Pancakes and French Toast.

Thai Thani

This restaurant is known for its authentic Thai cuisine and the Thai Thani Restaurant is a must-visit destination for lovers of Thai food. In addition to the authentic food, it has a dcor to match. Thai artwork and furniture contribute to an ambience that makes you feel like you are dining at a palace in Bangkok.

Hard Rock Cafe Orlando

Located at Universal Studios Orlando in the CityWalk entertainment complex, this Hard Rock Cafe is the biggest HRC in the world and boasts more pieces of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia than any other location.

These are just some of the places in Orlando where you can eat to your hearts content and still stay within your budget. Try them out when you come to Orlando.

There’s now another good reason a growing number of bird-watchers are flying toward Florida beaches. The newly opened south loop of the Great Florida Birding Trail brings 116 sites across south Florida into the 2,000-mile highway trail designed to conserve and enhance bird habitat by promoting bird-watching activities and conservation education.

With more than 300 species of birds visiting or living along The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, visitors come from all over the world to explore sites along the shoreline, shallow mud flats, inland waters, back bays and forests. Birds are so prevalent in the area, it’s been named the top bird-watching destination in the U.S. by USA Today. Bird-watchers can spot egrets, wood storks, ibis and herons of every description and color. Rarities such as limpkins and reddish egrets may also be seen, as well as birds of prey such as red-shouldered hawks, bald eagles and osprey.

Mark Kiser of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission serves as birding trail coordinator. The Florida Birding Trail program identifies interesting sites for bird-watchers in a Birding Trail guide available, free, at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary or www.floridabirdingtrail.com.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary was selected as a premier or “gateway” site because of its extensive services for visitors, from a 2.25-mile boardwalk, to state-of-the-art Blair Audubon Center and a variety of educational activities, as well as more than 200 species of birds, including the largest nesting colony of endangered wood storks. The area encompasses more than 13,000 acres of natural habitats; there’s even the largest stand of old-growth bald cypress trees.

Moving chronologically through the calendar, January and February are usually considered off peak months, which means that if you are looking for a little less crowded theme park experience, this is an ideal time to travel. Lines for major attractions are short, and often non existent, and the days, although warm and pleasant are not debilitating.

This is a popular time for seniors to travel to Florida, often to escape the winter conditions in their home land or state. And these snowbirds as they are known, have been around a while and are savvy enough to know a great vacation opportunity when it presents itself.

Many families also take the opportunity to travel at this time of year when accommodation costs, especially in privately rented vacation homes, tend to be at their lowest. After all, you get all the usual luxury you would expect, but for a lot less money, so it really makes a lot of sense.

March and April can, dependant upon the year of travel, include the Easter break. Without exception, Easter is the most popular time to travel to Florida. Many vacation homes will actually book out Easter and the surrounding weeks up to three years in advance, so it is important that if you are restricted by school vacation schedules that you dont drag your heels. You can expect the theme parks to be busy, but remember that these places are huge, and well equipped to handle large crowds and keep them moving throughout the day.

May and June are often considered the respite months after the hustle and bustle of Easter, and again you will discover the parks are less crowded, excluding the half term UK vacation slot towards the end of May beginning of June, which again is very popular. Temperature wise, things really start to hot up now, as we head into the full glory of the Floridian summer. However, June marks the official start of the rainy season, which is actually a little less scary than it sounds.

At this transitional time in the meteorological calendar, weather conditions are rapidly changing from late spring to early summer, and as a result, it is not unusual to experience a short shower around mid afternoon. The good news however is that these showers last on average approximately 20 minutes, before returning to the glorious sunshine for which Florida is famed.

July and August are considered peak months in the vacation calendar, as it is the time when most folks are granted their annual leave from work. Temperatures can soar into the high nineties and beyond. It is a busy time for vacation home rentals and theme parks alike, but also an excellent time to work on getting that gorgeous bronzed tan !

September slowly begins to lead us out of the summer months and begins to transition us in preparation for Autumn (or the fall). Temperatures begin to slide to a luxurious 85 degrees, and the humidity levels drop off too. Once again, the theme parks take a respite after the events of another fun packed summer period.

By October and November, the temperatures have reached a modest 70 80 degrees throughout the day, but you will notice a slightly cooler night time scenario. Of course by cool, Im not talking scarves and mittens, this is Florida after all ~ but a lightweight jacket or sweat shirt will help to keep you comfortable on your nocturnal travels. Again, another excellent time to visit, as theme parks are a lot less crowded, (with the exception of the end of October ~ yet another UK half term break), and ideal if you find the hotter temperatures a little to much to handle.

And so to December. Always a magical time in Florida and this is reflected by the stunning array of decorations and parades in both the theme parks and in the local communities. But here is a little known tip for those of you who always thought travelling at Christmas way out of your league Between 1st and 15th December most airlines tickets and vacation homes are available at brilliant rates. The reason ? Most families are gearing up for Christmas itself, with all that that entails, and so this two week pre-Christmas slot tends to get overlooked ! So my advice would be to give the family a pre-Christmas treat and snag a bargain at what is a wonderful time of year.

Of course, as you would expect, the weeks including Christmas Day and New Years are extremely popular, and are priced accordingly. However, you havent lived until you have witnessed the New Year firework displays that Disney produces. They are literally out of this world.

So, in conclusion, when is the best time to visit Florida ? I stand by my original answer, and say, unreservedly, Anytime ! Because each and every month of the year holds something unique and special for anyone travelling to the sunshine state. Go ahead, stick a pin in a calendar and try it out for yourself ~ I guarantee you wont be disappointed !

My husband retired last year, and I have always been a stay at home mom raising the kids. However, our wonderful children have since grown and are living their own lives, so my husband George and I can do what we want to now. Not that we couldnt when our kids were growing up, but you know what I mean we can start having adventures again.

Im always amazed at the fun things George has up his sleeve after all these years. I mean, were in our late 60s and people often mistake us for newlyweds! Can you imagine? George always gives me little hints about our trips and all he would say is that we were going to a Florida attraction Id never guess. He sure was right! George surprised me just last week on our 45th wedding anniversary with a brochure on Cypress Airboats. Never in my life did I imagine Id be riding on any kind of open air boat in the midst of snakes, lizards, alligators, and lord knows what else.

I would have thought George might take me to one of the better-known Florida Attractions like Disney World or Busch Gardens. I am so glad he chose an airboat tour instead! It was so thrilling!

George selected an early morning airboat tour, and we had breakfast just before we started. When I stepped onto the airboat, I was really nervous, but George just tucked my arm under his and guided me along like he has all these years. We were able to see alligators, and the only place I ever thought Id want to see alligator skin was on a purse! It was just so exciting. I felt like I could reach out and touch the alligators, but of course, I didnt!

The best part of the airboat trip, aside from having a special tour of the Florida Everglades with my wonderful husband, was when we saw a blue heron. One of our first dates way back when was at a jazz club called the Blue Heron. There is no way George could have anticipated we would see a blue heron on our trip with Cypress Airboats, but it made our tour even more perfect.

If you are considering a trip to Florida, I would definitely recommend Cypress Airboats private tours over any other Florida Attraction. Sure, you could go ride roller coasters and see how movies are made, but those are common events in a persons life and will be logged with all the other memories you often forget. I cant think of any attraction in Florida that is more memorable that the Florida Everglades with their thick vegetation and fantastic wildlife. George and I had such a great time were thinking of going again for our 50th wedding anniversary and taking an even longer airboat tour!