Today’s travel tip sheet includes information on staying cool with Orlando’s unique watersports attractions, planning a pet-friendly getaway, a popular outdoor music festival extension and a spotlight on animal dining experiences. For interviews and media info: media@visitorlando.com.
In this Issue:
- Summer Fun on (and in!) the Water
- Orlando Named Most Dog-Friendly Vacation Destination
- Unique Ways to Dine with Animals
- Award-Winning Outdoor Festival Extended
- What’s New & Upcoming in Orlando this Month
- DYK? Orlando’s cool pools feature music underwater!
Watersports Attractions in Orlando
From clear-bottom, bioluminescent kayaking tours to a floating ropes course, Orlando is overflowing with unique watersports activities from mild to wild for everyone in the family:
- WaveAround offers a variety of water tours throughout Orlando, from kayaking tours along Venetian-style canals of the Winter Park Chain of Lakes to nighttime bioluminescent paddle experiences viewing the “living lights” in the warm waters of the Indian River.
- Nona Adventure Park features a floating Aqua Park, Cable Park for wakeboarding/water skiing, one-of-a-kind 60-foot climbing tower and a ropes course.
- Buena Vista Watersports at Paradise Cove offers Jet Skiing, boat rentals along with wakeboard and waterskiing lessons by professional instructors on Lake Bryan – a 450-acre, natural, spring-fed lake surrounded by cypress trees and tropical foliage.
More info about outdoor activities is available here.
Pet-Friendly Orlando Vacation Options
Ranked by Booking.com as the Most Dog-Friendly City for a Vacation in the US and Best City for Pet-Friendly Hotels - with over 600 to choose from - Orlando is a must visit destination for dog-lovers seeking to bring their furry companion on a “paw-some” getaway. Orlando’s unique pet-friendly events and activities include:
- Epic Paddle Adventures offers a Paddle with Pups in Paradise experience, where guests are welcome to bring their furry friends along a paddleboarding tour of one of Orlando’s most beautiful lakes to enjoy the clear water and city skyline.
- Museum of Illusions Orlando, Central Florida’s newest mind-bending “edutainment” destination, will hosts a one-day-only “Puppy Paw-ty” on Saturday, September 25, offering museum guests and their fur babies a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore the museum together while capturing mind-bending snaps.
- Barxi Park in Lake Nona’s Boxi Park, Central Florida’s first outdoor food hall and entertainment venue built from repurposed shipping containers, let pups to explore while their owners enjoy unique cuisine or drinks from the park’s many outdoor counter-service restaurants. Kids can also enjoy an onsite playground.
- The Alfond Inn, a stylish boutique hotel in picturesque Winter Park, welcomes four-legged guests with its VIP (Very Important Pup) Package providing dog-friendly rooms, complimentary keepsake water bowls and signature treats at turndown.
Additional information and ideas for planning a dog-friendly vacation can be found here.
Orlando’s Unique Animal Dining Experiences
Visitors can combine an unforgettable meal with an up-close animal encounter at Orlando attractions, resorts and local hangouts. From dinner with a savannah view to lunch with a 1,000-pound gator, guests seeking to dine with a special guest appearance will not want to miss these unique animal experiences that Orlando has to offer:
WOW FACTOR
- At Sanaa guests can watch gazelles, zebras, giraffes, kudu, ostriches, cranes and more as they dine overlooking the four savannahs of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Visitors seeking a more personal experience can choose to Dine with Animal Specialists and enjoy an insightful 4-course lunch experience, featuring a private table facing the Sunset Savannah and an Indian-style feast, all while learning about the animals roaming just outside the windows from an Animal Specialist.
- Wild Florida offer’s guest the opportunity to enjoy lunch with their 14-foot gator, Crusher, during the Dine with Crusher experience. At the up-close encounter, guests can discover interesting facts about his life and learn more about the respect and conservation needed for these animals from his personal trainer.
LOW KEY FUN
- Pack a blanket and picnic basket and head to Lake Eola for a casual lunch alongside the lake’s signature residents – swans! Afterward, take a ride on an adorable pedal-powered Swan Boat to get a closer look.
- The Orlando Cat Café in Clermont is the first to open in the state of Florida, offering delectable pastries and gourmet coffee alongside roaming feline friends.
Outdoor Concert Series Featuring Private Pods Extended
Visitors can continue to enjoy the nation’s first socially distanced, award-winning music festival, through mid-December. At the expanded Dr. Phillip Center’s outdoor Frontyard Festival™, presented by AdventHealth, patrons can book a private, elevated box for up to six people, spaced 5 feet apart, where they can order food and drinks from local restaurants while watching shows ranging world class entertainment to big-name concerts.
What’s New in Orlando this Month?
Stay up to date on Orlando's most recent announcements and openings - from accommodations and attractions to restaurants and events - available here.
Did You Know?
Not only do Orlando’s resort pools include lazy rivers, waterslides, and secluded grottos, several also feature state of the art underwater sound systems pumping out a variety of tunes including Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel Orlando and Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.