Places to Visit

St. John’s Town Center Goes Green on Earth Day, April 22nd! @StJohnsTownCtr #Earthday

March 30, 2016 By Marijean

Cheers to planet Earth! Earth Day is Friday, April 22, and St. Johns Town Center plans to celebrate our planet in a big way by showcasing its current sustainability programs, hosting educational demonstrations and offering exciting giveaways throughout the day.

In honor of Earth Day, the Dick’s Sporting Goods courtyard will be transformed into an environmental fair complete with demonstrations and information from groups including The YMCA and UNF Public Health Department. Eastcoast Land Care will give away 100 trees to patrons interested in planting to commemorate the special event.

While Earth Day is celebrated only one day, St. Johns Town Center celebrates and supports sustainable living year round! Most recently, two electric vehicle charging stations have been installed on the property behind Jos. A. Bank store on Midtown Parkway. Shoppers are able to “pull up and plug in” their vehicles at the charging station while they enjoy time at the mall. The center has also added free Tesla charging stations behind the Tesla store.

Additionally, the Shop Shuttlebug, which runs on an electric battery, transports shoppers from surrounding parking lots to their shopping destination on property. The 15-passenger Moto Electric Vehicle shuttle operates Fridays and Saturdays from 12 – 9 p.m. and Sundays from 12 – 6 p.m. The center recently added drinking fountains with bottle refill stations to the Wolfson’s play area, restroom next to Starbucks and in the park green, where misters can also be found. The center also offers cardboard recycling for tenants and recycling bins located throughout the property for everyday use. Even the landscaping at St. Johns Town Center is green! Drought-tolerant plants that require less water decorate the property, and plants are fertilized organically. Guests also have access to twelve bike racks, which can be found throughout the property, and paperless hand dryers in common-area restrooms.

“We want to reinforce our enthusiasm for going green and encourage our shoppers to do the same,” said Valerie Beaubrun, General Manager at St. Johns Town Center. “With all of our upcoming and existing eco-friendly initiatives, we are making it possible for even more people to make a positive difference when it comes to the environment.

About St. Johns Town Center

St. Johns Town Center is Jacksonville’s newest and most-talked-about shopping destination with over 16 million visitors each year. Guests can shop, dine, live and entertain in a beautifully designed lifestyle center that offers 1.4 million square feet of unique shopping and dining including many new stores they won’t find anywhere else in Jacksonville. St. Johns Town Center features 11 anchor stores and more than 175 brand name specialty stores. Relax and enjoy the Park Green and Luxury Courtyard, attend community events, or dine at one of our fine restaurants.

For the latest information, please visit www.StJohnsTownCenter.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare at @StJohnsTownCtr

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Here are Some Ideas On How To Keep Your Kids Entertained During Spring Break #sponsored #pley

March 5, 2016 By Marijean

Spring Break is quickly approaching (wait, wasn’t it JUST Christmas??). The kids have off from school for a full week and they won’t want to sit around the house. So you think “What should we all do?” I have a list of great ideas to get out of the house (and a couple for maybe rainy days or days you just want to hang home) and get moving and have fun!

Here are some fun things to do with your children on Spring break!

Plan a day trip. Doesn’t have to be far away, but going to a new place the kids haven’t been before will be fun for all of you. Check out a Museum, Zoo, Aquarium, even a State park!

Pack breakfast or lunch and head to the park. If you are on a budget for Spring Break then this is the perfect place to take the kids and enjoy family time. They might run into some friends to play with, even have them do a scavenger hunt! They will have a blast!

Give the kids a surprise and order them an awesome subscription from Pley! Kids love getting mail, on days you just want to hang home Pley would be perfect! They will enjoy fun memory-stimulating toys to build and play with – such as LEGOs or K’nex, Nerf and Robotics Toys, American Girl Doll accessories and so much more! Pley offers a range of plans starting as low as $9.99/month and all plans include free delivery. Once your child is done playing with that toy you can send it back and get a new one! No more clutter!! Your kids (and you) will love Pley for Spring Break!

Photo Credit: Pley

Head out to the beach for a day of fun. Only in warm weather states of course, take the kids for the first beach day of the new year! Bring along some new sand toys and pack a lunch, the kids will love spending the whole day at the beach!

Rain? Head to an indoor play place. Places like Rebounderz, Pump It Up, My Gym and Air Velocity Sports for example are great ways to entertain the kids if bad weather happens. They will have a blast and get out lots of energy for maybe nap time! Oh yea!!!

Have a Craft day. Look up some awesome crafts to do and the kids will be thrilled. Perfect for a bad weather day, or a not feeling so well day.

Playdates, Playdates, Playdates! Your children are going to want to hang with their friends on spring break and not spend all the time with Mom or Dad. Set up playdates beforehand. Some great ideas are Park playdates, Bowling, Mini Golf, Zoo trip and meeting up at the Pool!

Overnight trip. Overnight trips are always fun for kids and adults. How about a night away at Disney World or Disney Land? Buch Gardens is a great one, and so are the indoor water parks such as Great Wolf Lodge. You all will have a blast!

I always look forward to spending more time with my kids, especially when they are off of school. I will definitely be doing most if not all of these ideas. I hope you will too!

What are your plans for Spring Break?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Pley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Seminole County Blog Fam Trip #DoOrlandoNorth

February 9, 2016 By Anne

We’ve driven to Orlando from Jacksonville many times over the past 4 years. We always pass Sanford, FL and I never really thought much about it. I knew there was a small college town in Oviedo and a small airport but that’s about it.

A few weeks ago Seminole County Tourism contacted me about coming to Sanford for a few days with my family to experience North Orlando and all it has to offer. The trip included myself, my husband and my two children.

I love learning about Florida and all the great towns here. Even though I was not born in Florida I’ve always felt like I was a true Florida girl.

I was excited to visit Orlando’s Natural Oasis, Seminole County. There are miles of rivers and acres of beautiful parks. Seminole County is conveniently located just north of Orlando, off Interstate 4 and close to Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike. You are within 45 minutes of Florida’s Beaches or Disney. You will save a lot on hotels as apposed to the hub of downtown Orlando.

Day One of our adventure.

We checked into the Westin Lake Mary Hotel, who welcomed us bloggers and our families with complimentary rooms. The Westin Lake Mary Hotel offers a heated outdoor pool, landscaped courtyard, WestinWORKOUT® Fitness Studio and Westin Kids Club®. It was a bit chilly, so we were not able to try out the heated pool. The Westin Hotel is also a pet friendly hotel, we saw several dogs being escorted to and from their rooms. It offers a nice convention center, as well.

Seminole County Tourism, staff member, Stephanie and Terry and Mary Jane from Paradise Advertising were at the hotel to greet us with goody bags for each of the kids and one for myself and my husband. We went up to the room and unloaded our stuff and just relaxed for a few minutes before heading down to the lobby for our first adventure. All of us bloggers loaded in a 15 passenger van. It was so nice to be chauffeured around during the trip.

We headed over to Rebounderz of Apopka. Rebounderz of Apopka has 26, 000 square feet of fun, including an open area arena, foam pit jumper, in the air dodgeball and a basketball slam. The kids jumped and bounced for a little over an hour. Some of the other adults partaked in the fun as well but my husband I just watched. I was afraid I might hurt myself :-). As we got in the car we were offered snacks and water until we read your next destination.

The next stop was to Hot Pots! Pottery Studio. I thought for sure my husband and my 15 year old son would not like painting pottery. Surprisingly, they both really enjoyed painting the pottery so much, they want to go again! When we arrived at Hot Pots! we were greeted cheerfiully and we were told we could pick anything from their stock. We chose a tee light candle holder, a dog dish, an alligator and a soup bowl. Everyone had a great time and we can’t wait to receive our glazed pottery in the next week or two.

After we were done we headed back to the hotel for a 45 minute rest. Then it was off to dinner.

Dinner was at Gator’s Dockside restaurant. Gator’s has a family-friendly atmosphere, the mouth-watering menu items and the fun, casual dining experience that makes Gator’s Dockside your favorite place to be.
Gators dockside offers a wide variety of food from hamburgers, chicken, fish and even Gator bites. They also have big screen TV’s, pool tables and video games. There are 19 Gator’s Dockside restaurants in Florida.

After we ate dinner we headed over to Congo River Adventures, in Altamonte Springs, for a game of miniature golf. My family loves mini golf so we were really excited to be able to play. I love when the golf courses have hills and water and lots of fun scenes and this Congo River didn’t disappoint. Congo River Adventure has a mobile app to keep score. No more looking for that little pencil!

After mini golf it was back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep.

See what happens on Day Two!

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!

Send The Gift Of Jacksonville, In A Box! #JacksonvilleInABox

January 29, 2016 By Marijean

I moved to the Jacksonville area in 2014. I immediately fell in love. Jacksonville has so much to do, and so many shops and restaurants. My parents come visit often from New Jersey, and love bringing home goodies from local owned businesses here in Jacksonville. When I was asked to review Jacksonville in a box, I thought this would be a perfect gift to send to my relatives up north who love to visit Jacksonville.

I reviewed the Jacksonville Experience Box which includes so many great things from Jacksonville.

What I received in my box.

Jax Experience Box

The Jacksonville Experience Box contains:

– Peter Brooke’s Chocolate Popcorn
– Sweet Pete’s Candy Taffy
– Papa John’s Cotton Candy
– Alligator Bob’s Jerky
– Bono’s BBQ Sauce
– Jacksonville Jaguars Pennant
– Jacksonville Suns Foam Finger

– Vintage Jacksonville Postcard
– Jacksonville Flag Postcard
– 904 Paper Co Heart of Jax Poster
– Intuition Ale Koozie or Sticker
– Bold City Beer Koozie or Sticker
– FreshJax Grilling Seasoning

The experience box costs $54.99 and is definitely worth the price. Anyone who loves Jacksonville will love this box. I have sent out my postcards already to my family up north, and my kids are loving all the football goodies and of course, the snacks!

If you only want to send some of the best Jacksonville snacks, I recommend sending the Jax Snacks Box. This box costs $34,99 and contains all yummy goodies from your favorite Florida city!

Jax Snack Box

The Jacksonville Snack Box contains:

– Peter Brooke’s Chocolate Popcorn
– Sweet Pete’s Candy Fruit Taffy
– FreshJax Grill Master Seasoning

– Papa John’s Cotton Candy
– Alligator Bob’s Jerky
– Bono’s BBQ Sauce

My family was thrilled with our box and can’t wait to order for our families up north. They really do include everything you need for a taste of Jacksonville. My kids loved the cotton candy, my husband is loving the BBQ sauce and I am loving the Peter Brooke’s popcorn!! Yummy!

To learn more and to order your box, click here.

Connect with Jacksonville in a box: Website, Facebook

***I was given a product in exchange for my honest opinion. This review is based on my experience with the product. I am not affiliated with the company and everything in this review is my opinion.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Wild Days Start This Weekend at SeaWorld Orlando, Brings Guests Closer to Animals & Nature #SeaWorld #WildDays

January 14, 2016 By Marijean

Wild Days Event Starts This Weekend at SeaWorld Orlando,
Brings Guests Even Closer to Animals and Nature
Each weekend has a new animal theme for animal lovers

SeaWorld Orlando kicks off the new year with Wild Days, presented by Coca-Cola, the popular annual event that connects guests in even more ways with animals and the natural, wild world. The event is included with park admission and takes place three weekends in January (Jan. 16-17, Jan. 23-24 and Jan. 30-31). Each weekend is hosted by different animal experts, and features new educational shows – from orcas to wildlife rescue – and even more up-close animal experiences, meet-and-greet opportunities and interactive education stations.

Three Wild Days Weekends Themes:

January 16-17: “Wild Weekend with Jack Hanna”
World-renowned animal expert “Jungle Jack” Hanna hosts the first weekend. Guests can meet and learn about amazing animals from Jack, and hear about his unique travels and personal experiences.

Add-on packages:
· Breakfast with Jack Hanna at Sharks Underwater Grill — Package includes breakfast and a personal meet-and-greet with Jack Hanna starting at $49 (available Saturday and Sunday).

· Dinner with Jack Hanna at Sharks Underwater Grill — Package includes dinner and a personal meet-and-greet with Jack Hanna starting at $59 (only available Saturday).

January 23-24: “Penguin Lovers’ Weekend
Nationally recognized SeaWorld Animal Ambassador Julie Scardina hosts a cool weekend of wildlife surprises with a special focus on penguins. Guests can get up-close to these amazing feathered friends and hear from Julie about her lifelong love of animals and the parks’ commitment to wildlife conservation.

January 30-31: “Sea Rescue” Weekend
SeaWorld has rescued more than 27,000 animals over 50 years, and these amazing animal stories are featured weekly on the popular Saturday-morning ABC TV series “Sea Rescue.” Hear first-hand accounts of marine animal rescues, rehabilitations and returns by SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Team, heroes and partners featured on the show.

Every Wild Days Weekend Includes:

New “Ocean Discovery” killer whale presentation – Guests can learn more about killer whales, also called orcas, and other species of whales during a special educational show. This interactive, 30-minute presentation teaches guests about the animals’ adaptations, habitats and behavior. (Note: This special presentation is in addition to the popular “One Ocean” shows scheduled throughout the day.)

New “Inspiring Stories” pre-shows – The SeaWorld Animal Training Team has some of the most fascinating jobs in the world. Guests can learn what it takes to care for animals that call SeaWorld home and how caring for them has helped with the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals that need help. “Inspiring Stories” will take place at the beginning of three of the park’s popular shows: Blue Horizons, Pets Ahoy and Clyde & Seamore’s Sea Lion High. Check park maps for times.

Meet our Animals – Throughout the park, even more trainers, educators and animal care staff are stationed to share information and stories about the animals in our care and provide up-close meet and greets, scheduled feedings and fun surprises. Check park maps for times and locations.

Explore Zones – More than 14 fun and interactive education stations can be discovered throughout the park, featuring games and hands-on experiences that teach guests about animals and what they can do to protect the wild world in their own lives. Check event guide for exclusive in-park experiences.

Wild Days takes place every Saturday and Sunday, January 16 through January 31, and is included with park admission. All feature shows take place at Nautilus Theater at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The best way to experience this year’s Wild Days is with an Annual Pass. For a limited time, park guests can receive a refillable souvenir cup with the purchase of a SeaWorld Annual Pass. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit SeaWorldOrlando.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest details on Wild Days 2016. Join the conversation with #SeaWorld and #WildDays.