Dragon Fire Grill Opens June 1st at Busch Gardens

May 22, 2015 By Anne

We have not been to Busch Gardens in years! I’m excited that my stepson has moved to Tampa so we can go visit and make a trip to Busch Gardens too!

Here is a press release I received about a new restaurant opening up soon. I will be posting more about Busch Gardens as we plan out trip.

All-New Dining Experience Offers Cuisine Inspired from Around the World

Tampa, Fla. (May 21, 2015) – The all-new Dragon Fire Grill™ officially opens on June 1, featuring cuisines from around the world. Located in Pantopia™, Dragon Fire Grill features market-style dining, a wide selection of beverages and brand-new entertainment.

Market-Style Dining
Dragon Fire Grill reimagines the traditional culinary experience with market-style dining, featuring Italian, American, Southwestern and Asian cuisines. The menu includes shrimp lo mein, rotisserie chicken, flatbread pizzas, paninis and more. Dragon Fire Grill also adds to its current beer beverage lineup with national and local craft brews and adds a brand-new grab-and-go station featuring Starbucks coffee. Plus, the Dragon Fire Pub offers a selection of premium cocktails and frozen refreshments.

Treasures of the Mirage
Guests are invited Busch Gardens’ all-new stage show, Treasures of the Mirage. This Arabian-inspired celebration transforms Dragon Fire Grill into a vibrant dance party with belly dancers and cultural music, creating an eclectic atmosphere for the entire family to enjoy.

Tribute Bands
On select dates from June 4 to 22, tribute bands bring guests together for a celebration of classic pop, soft rock and blues at the Dragon Fire Grill. Feel the beat with authentic renditions of ABBA, Billy Joel and the Blues Brothers:

June 4 – 8 Abbamania, ABBA Tribute
June 11 – 15 Turnstiles, Billy Joel Tribute
June 18 – 22 The Official Blues Brothers Revue

Experience Dragon Fire Grill’s savory selections and live entertainment this summer with the Ride, Slide & Dine Ticket for just $99. For a limited time, this flexible deal allows guests to choose two visits and two meals to either Busch Gardens or Adventure Island. For more information, visit buschgardenstampa.com.

Plus, be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at buschgardenstampablog.com, or “Like” the Busch Gardens Facebook page and follow @buschgardens on Twitter and Instagram.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

FREE 2015 SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Preschool Pass

January 6, 2015 By Anne

Busch Gardens is commemorating five years of family-friendly experiences with Sesame Street® Safari of Fun by bringing back a limited-time offer. With Preschool Pass, kids 5 and younger can enjoy all the excitement of Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld® Orlando for FREE from Jan. 5 through Dec. 31.

Join everyone’s favorite Sesame Street friends at Busch Gardens’ Sesame Street Safari of Fun for a family-friendly African adventure filled with kid-size rides and cool water fun. This is a limited-time offer and online registration is required. The Preschool Pass does not include daily parking, separate-ticketed events or other Pass Member discounts.

Sesame Street® Safari of Fun is commemorating five years of family-friendly experiences in 2015, and Busch Gardens® Tampa is celebrating by bringing you a limited time offer!

From January 5 through December 31, kids age five and younger can enjoy all of the excitement of Busch Gardens® Tampa and SeaWorld® Orlando for FREE with the return of the Preschool Pass!*

UNLIMITED
Admission through 2015

FREE
for kids 5 & under

ONLINE REGISTRATION
Required

Register Now

Anne

Boggy Creek Airboat Rides

September 16, 2014 By Anne

We received complimentary tours via Kissimmee Guest Services.

We went to Orlando, FL recently and decided to try out Boggy Creek Airboat Rides. I’ve read about them, heard about them and seen other bloggers having fun there, but in the 30+ years of living on Florida I’ve never been there.

There are so many wonderful things to do in Orlando other than the parks. This trip we stayed away from the parks and ventured outside our normal vacation.

It took about 30-45 minutes to get to Boggy Creek from our timeshare. It was long ride fro the children but along the way we saw a different part of Orlando. It was more country and not a lot of “entertainment”.

Enjoy one of four unique airboat adventures and idle along canals to find exotic birds, turtles and the Florida alligator wallowing in their natural environment. Then soar atop the swamp water at speeds reaching 45mph. You’ll feel like you’re flying through the wetlands as you enjoy the best Everglades experience in Central Florida.

We did the Scenic Nature Tour 1/2 Hour. No reservations are needed and the tour leave every 30 minutes, 365 days a year, from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. We had to wait a bit for the next tour but there was lots to see in and around the store.

When it was our turn we all got headphones to block out the noise and my daughter received a life jacket.

Our first sighting was an alligator. We only saw two on our trip, but that was okay. We’ve seen them around Florida plenty of times.

The scenery was beautiful although it was a hot day.

We saw several cows in the marsh, lots of birds, dragon flies and a bald eagle.

Our tour guide was wonderful and funny. He’s lived in that area all his life and knew the marsh like the back of his hands. He suggested we come back for a night tour and we’ve decided that the next time we go to Orlando that’s what we’ll do.

After the tour we stuck around to see the baby alligators and the kids got to hold him. See our pic above.

Boggy Creek has two locations and are open 365 days a year.

Anne

Disney Quest Indoor Interactive Theme Park

April 2, 2014 By Anne

Thank you to Disney for proving us tickets to Disney Quest.

During my trip to the Type A Bootcamp in Disney this past weekend, my family and I were able to attend Disney Quest. Disney Quest is a five story, indoor, interactive theme park. We visited Disney Quest about 4 years ago, but now that my daughter is older I thought she would like to revisit it. And what teenage boy doesn’t like video games?

We arrived in Orlando, Friday early afternoon and checked into our hotel. Then we took the bus over to Downtown Disney. It was a bit of a walk to Disney Quest but after being in the car for 2.5 hours, it was nice to walk around.

It’s located at Downtown Disney West Side, this 5 story, 100,000 sq. ft. attraction houses some of the most cutting edge technology, mixed with the very best concepts from Disney’s imagineers.

We received our tickets from Will Call and were told we could come and go as we please up until closing which is 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. When you enter, you immediately take the elevator to the third floor. From there you can take the stairs or elevators to any of the five floors to play and play and play.

Right on the third floor we got to see a giant Wreck It Ralph. A great photo opp, right?

From there we walked around and found lots of games to play…

My son’s favorite games – football and basket ball.

My favorite section was the Replay Zone. They had all kinds of classic arcade games like, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Space Invaders, Centipede, Asteroids, Q-bert and Mario Bros. It I love Q-bert!!

My daughter loves to dance and was able to try her moves.

She also tried some pinball. I LOVE pinball! I played a few games my self. After an hour of playing we were hungry. So we headed upstairs to floor five and had a bite to eat. My husband and I shared a hamburger, made with real hamburger and fries. My son had the chicken basket. It had a lot of real chicken pieces in there.

My daughter and husband found Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster. You could see it from a floor above and it looked really fun. Unfortunalty my daughter was 2 inches shy to play. She cried a little but then we went on to other games. The buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster is kind of like bumper cars. The cars roll over and suck up foam balls (“asteroids”) on the floor. By doing so, the asteroids will be sucked up into the cabin where players can then load them into a cannon and shoot at the other cars. If hit in the correct spot, one’s car may spin around uncontrollably for ten seconds. Usually there are two players to a car; however, it is possible for one person to pilot and shoot at the same time. Hopefully next time we go she will be tall enough!

My daughter and I took a look at the Create Zone. There were many areas to “create” art or music. My daughter drew Donald Duck. The picture though is terrible, my picture not hers. My phone added a huge flash. It’s pretty dark in there.

Other Zones to explore:

•EXPLORE ZONE: You’ll be transported to another world as you experience the Virtual Jungle Cruise while shooting the rapids. Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride sends you through Agrabah as you race to release the Genie. Go in search of hidden treasure on the Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold.
•SCORE ZONE: Become a superhero as you Ride the Comix! in a 3D comic book battle. Your crew visits other planets as you go on a rescue mission in Invasion! An Alien Encounter. The Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam puts you in the middle of the action.
•CREATE ZONE: Express yourself in this artistic center. At the Living Easels you can paint a live masterpiece. Create and ride your one of a kind rollercoaster at CyberSpace Mountain. Toy Story fans will love Sid’s Create-A-Toy where you can assemble and take home your own toy. Become a Disney animator at the Animation Academy. Budding musical stars can create their own CD by choosing from over 20 styles and 1000 vocals at the Radio Disney SongMaker.
•REPLAY ZONE: Classic games and rides with Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster pitting you against your competitors in a zany bumper car race. Mad Wave Motion Theater gives you a choice of riding a fantasy coaster or steering a high speed race car. The Dance Zone offers the latest dance video games and KidQuest is designed for kids ages 2 – 7. Custom Redemption Games require the purchase of Disney Quest Game Play Cards. Points can be used to redeem prizes.

So we left after a few hours. Had we started in the morning we would have gone back. But we were ready for some rest and night time was coming soon.

If you are heading to the parks and want to try something new, check out Downtown Disney and Disney Quest!

There are a few games that require additional money but most of the games are “free” with your ticket into the park. Prices are Children $35.00 (3-9) adult $40.00 (10 & up).

Anne

Spring Break, Part 1

March 22, 2014 By Anne

I’m a little unmotivated this week as the children are home for spring break. My daughter wants constant activity.

Monday I took my daughter and mother over to St. Petersburg to visit two old friends. They are more friends of my mom, but I’ve known them both a long time. While we were there, we made a trip over the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where Winter lives. Winter is the dolphin that lost her tail and is the star of Dolphin Tale, a movie that came out a few years ago and over the last few months my daughter has watched dozens of times.