Flea World Sanford FL

Sanford is home to America’s largest flea market, Flea World. Located on highway 17-92 (you know you are getting closer when you pass Bargain Boulevard), this huge area of air conditioned warehouses (though open on sides, therefore not really cool) offers its visitors pretty much anything you might be looking ford, from clothing and accessories to perfumes and electronics. There are also lots of “specialty booths” present, like custom license plates. Flea World is definitely worth a visit if you live in the Central Florida area. I have bought some smaller items here in the past, including perfume, CDs and handbags. If you are a patient shopper bargain hunter or negotiator, you will definitely find something to your taste here )

Local businesses are also encouraged to start their own booth here. It can get them great exposure and is not as expensive as you might think. Vendors, click here for more information about the process and Flea World in general.

Here is their information:

Flea World
4311 S Orlando Dr
Sanford, FL 32773
(407) 330-1792

Flea World is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm.

Flea World is located right next to Fun World (only open Saturdays and Sundays), a little amusement park with carousels and racetrack but also a monthly changing free entertainment program (August is Elvis month).

Shopping for Bargains at Flea World in Sanford FL

Sanford FL Zoo

As most of you already know, Sanford has its own Zoo, the Central Florida Zoo. Located right off exit 104 from I-4, the zoo entrance faces beautiful Lake Monroe and is surrounded by a preserve. If you are in the area you should definitely check out the Zoo. I had previously mentioned the zoo because of the many events it offers to its visitors (including the popular Zoo Boo Bash for Halloween and the Fiesta del Coqui).

The Central Florida zoo doesn’t only offer you and your family to admire and learn about its beautiful animals (many of them endangered) but also a train, carousel and water splash park for the kids and the new zip lining adventure that lets you explore the world from above. Prices for ZOOmAir start at $20. I have not yet tried ZOOmAir yet but can’t wait to do it soon! Today I just took pictures of the zip lines and “tree stations”…

More about the Zoo will follow soon! Definitely check out their web site for more information about upcoming events, educational programs, the annual membership ($45 single, $70 family) or Adopt an Animal Program.

Zip Lines at the Sanford Zoo

Zip Lines at the Sanford Zoo

Here is their information:

Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens
3755 NW Hwy 17-92
Sanford, FL  32771
407.323.4450

The zoo is open daily from 9am to 5pm with exception of Thanksgiving and Christmals day.

Here are the current rates of the Central Florida Zoo:

Adults: $10.95
Seniors 60 and above: $8.95
Children 3-12 years: $6.95. Children under the age of 2 get free admission.

Aquatica Orlando

Entrance

After sitting on our tickets for almost a year (they would have expired Memorial weekend) we finally made the time to take a day off (it rarely happens) and spent the day at Aquatica, Orlando’s newest water park.

When we tried to visit the park last year we weren’t very lucky: we got there by 10 am only to find out that the park had already reached full capacity and was therefore closed until at least 4pm.

So we were a little skeptical and called the Aquatica Hotline all morning just to be sure this wouldn’t happen again. After all, it was Mother’s Day and you never know which kids wouldn’t surprise their mom with a day at Aquatica…

Beach Area

But we made it in (just in time BTW) and had a fabulous day! We truly relaxed, despite the the crowds. Aquatica, just like any water park, has something that relaxes me. We tried every single ride, enjoyed the lazy river and “Roa’s Rapids” and laid by the beach and wave pool. The weather was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in the sky!

Fun Water Rides

Here a bit about my experience and some tips:

• Obviously, try to be there early so you can get in!
• Coolers are allowed so bring plenty of water and maybe even some snacks because food is expensive. Not sure about glass bottles, I am assuming they are not allowed so check out the web site or call for more info.
• If you don’t want your feet to get burned, bring water shoes or your old flip flops. It was quite funny to see people (me included) run from one puddle to the next, trying to keep our feet from being burned by the hot sand and pavement. If you’re not good at running around in your bathing suit the investment in those shoes is definitely worth it! Buy them at Wal Mart BEFORE your get to the park because, just as with the food, you will pay a premium if buying them at Aquatica
• Don’t expect to be able to shower at the park. I tried but the lines in front of the showers are just too long and if you like to take long hot showers (I do) you don’t want to be rushed and block everyone else.
• Bring at least one recognizable towel to leave at your chair when you lay by the beach because it is kind of hard to find your spot again after you tour the park.
• The rides are kind of short so don’t be disappointed. Especially the highly advertised Dolphin Plunge were you are supposed to see all these dolphins swim around you – it isn’t like that! You may get a glimpse at them though if you are able to keep your eyes open (it is tough, and even tougher with contacts in because the water really is splashing from all sides).
• If you have been to Typhoon Lagoon, Aquatica doesn’t really have the tropical landscape to the extend that Typhoon lagoon has it. I remember Typhoon Lagoon as a “water park within nature”. Aquatica is much more open in that way, kind of like in between Wet n’Wild and Typhoon Lagoon.
• Most of the rides are pretty much “child safe”, so if you’re expecting the really wild rides it’s the wrong place! I heard Wet’n Wild is best for those.
• Florida Residents: Remember the specials (click here for info and to order tickets)

Dolphin Plunge

My favorite rides were the Taumata Racer and Roa’s Rapids, a very fast lazy river with awesome currents that will carry you away

If you have any tips you would like to share here, feel free to post them!

Aquatica Orlando
5800 Water Play Way
Orlando, FL 32821

(888) 800-5447
aquaticabyseaworld.com

Inside Aquatica

I found this video online to give you a better impression of what a day in Aquatica looks like:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYsnLoahBUA]

View of Universal City Walk by Night

Right after our adventure at Universal Horror Nights we walked through Universal City Walk. I took this picture before we walked over the bridge that connects the park with this fun night life spot of Orlando.

Universal City Walk has a lot to offer but keep in mind that it tends to be crowded, especially on the weekends, and obviously, it is one of Orlando’s main tourist destinations.

I like the fact that Universal City Walk offers something for everyone: restaurants in every price range, themed bars and night clubs, coffee shops, ice cream places and a huge movie theater.

More about Universal City Walk will be posted soon!

Universal Studios by Night

Ghost trying to scare Holly

Friday night brought me to Universal Horror Night in Orlando. What a scary night – No really, it was scary! At least for me since I am not a Horror movie fan or anything like that. I was holding on to Jose most of the time and squeezing his hand until it hurt. The theme this year is “Bloody Mary” and the event promises more haunted houses than ever!

The picture I took shows one of the less scary ghosts trying to scare our friend Holly. If this had been me you would see a very different facial expression. She took it with a good portion of humor, in fact this is her third time at the event.

We got to Universal at 7:45pm and it was already pretty packed as you can imagine for a Friday night. We were lucky since it had just stopped raining. The waiting times at the haunted houses were not even that bad. We did 3 haunted houses and waited between 15 and 60 minutes. If you buy drinks along the way and hang out wit friends while waiting it’s actually time well spent.

The whole atmosphere and great decoration truly gets you into the Halloween mood and indeed, there are plenty of haunted houses to choose from. According to friends who have been several times already, the best 3 haunted houses at Universal Horror Nights are:

• Dead Exposure
• Creatures
• Body Collections

Good to know when going to Universal Horror Nights:

• Bring Cash
• Do not wear a costume
• Florida residents can save a lot on tickets – visit the web site referenced below for details
• Do not scream before scared because it attracts “them” even more
• A video camera seems to scare most of the ghosts
• Wear comfortable shoes – ok, I am such a girl, believe it or not but I was wearing high heels…by the time we got to City Walk I was in pain and had to buy myself (overpriced) flip flops; really, don’t worry too much about looks, it’s dark anyway and everyone is dressed casual
• In case you do plan to go out to City Walk afterward though and want to wear those high heels, take them with you and put them into one of the lockers by the rides; there’s one by the Mummy ride
• Get there as early as possible to at least hit the first couple of haunted houses with waiting times under 30 minutes (pretty obvious, right?)
• November 1st is still a day you can visit Universal Horror Nights, even though Halloween is officially over – I heard it is supposed to be much more quiet that day (in terms of visitors)

On a side note: I never realized how real Universal Studios actually looks at night. I always thought of it as a very fake environment but yesterday it really felt like I was walking through entirely different scenes and sets. Very impressive, I liked it!

Since I am such a chicken we ended up also doing the new Simpsons ride that I hadn’t been on yet and I LOVED it! I am more of a roller coaster fan you must know. The wilder the better. But here now the short video I cut together of last night (sorry, a bit dark, but I hope you can still get a bit of an idea…)

More information about Halloween Horror Nights can be found here

For those of you looking for a less expensive way to enjoy Halloween in the Central Florida area, check out this post about other Halloween Events