ICE! - Gaylord Palms - Kissimmee, FL

I have heard about ICE! at the Gaylord Palms since moving to Florida the first time in 94 and have never gone.  Duane's sister mentioned that we received discounted tickets through work so I figured it was finally time to go.  For those of you that do not know, ICE is an indoor ice wonderland that is at the Gaylord Palms from November to January.  There is over 2 million pounds of ice and is a chilly 9 degrees below 0.  No winter coat, no worries they will provide a large parka for you to use while you walk through the attraction.  Below are some pics that I took while we were there.  If you have never been I would suggest going at least once because it is extremely beautiful inside.

Osceola County Fair and Rodeo - Kissimmee, FL

For Duane's birthday this year we decided to go to the Osceola County Fair and Rodeo held at the Heritage Park in Kissimmee, FL. The kids and I had never been to either the fair or the Rodeo before so it sounded like a good plan.  We waited until the last day of the event figuring that it would be a little quiter and his sister, her husband and daughter came with us. We arrived right when the fair opened at 12:00 and purchased the Rodeo tickets right away.  They were very reasonable, only $15/adults and $10/children.

The fair had a lot of things to do: pony rides, elephant rides, carnival rides, games and tons of different food vendors.  When we first arrived Harleigh wanted to ride the pony, I think it was only like $5 or $10 and she rode for a good 10 minutes, mostly because no one else was there. 

I tried to get the kids to ride the elephants but neither of them wanted to smell like elephant for the rest of the day so they passed.  After that we decided to eat, but while deciding what we wanted to eat, Cody saw this Hamster Wheel thing that he really wanted to try.  It was the most hilarious thing I think I have ever seen.  The boy actually did the Irish jig while walking around in this thing. He had people flocking to this attraction in droves just to laugh at him.

Since we were waiting for the Rodeo to begin at 2:00pm we walked around and the kids got to ride some rides and we played a few games.

Around 1:45 we started heading over to the arena and got settled in for the Rodeo.  I loved it!  I had never been to a Rodeo before but it was very exciting watching the different sections.  There was something for everyone and even the kids enjoyed themselves.  Apparently they have two Rodeo's a year, the one we went to in February and then another in June.  If you have never been to a Rodeo, I suggest that you go.  It was a good show and relatively inexpensive.  Even the drinks and popcorn was priced reasonable.  Below are some of the pics from that day.

Old Town - 192 - Kissimmee FL

One of the places that my family and I always enjoy going is Old Town on 192 in Kissimmee.  It is a fabulous place to take the kids and have a fun filled day, go for just an hour or two, or go at night and party a little.  Old Town is a dead end street that is lined with shopping, eateries, bars, games and things to do.  They have an arcade, electronic bull, the feats of strength games, and tons to do and see.  On one end of the street there are smaller festival type rides and games and at the other end there is a free fall drop, laser tag, bumper cars, and small go-cart track

We enjoy the bouncy house glow-in-the-dark laser tag.  It is only $5.00 per person and you get about 5 minutes of play.  It is fun to jump, hide and run through the bouncy house while trying to remember it is laser tag and the idea is to shoot to win. 

If you are looking for something to look at while you are enjoying your day Old Town has specialty nights.  Thursday is bike night, Friday has newer custom and exotic cars, Saturday is all of the classic cars made before 1975 and the first Sunday of every month they have Latin night filled with music and dancing.  All of the speciality nights you can wander around and look at the cars and they do a parade so you can pick a spot and watch them all cruise by you and then go look closer at your favorites. 

Right outside of Old Town (otherside of the fence) is a Fun Spot USA.  They have two go-cart tracks that are 3 stories tall and look like they intertwine.  We do this often.  It is about $8.00 per person to ride either of these tracks.  They also have the superman high flyer if you want to take a try, 2 other leveled go-cart tracks, tons of festival type games and more.  For a certain price you can buy arm bands that either cover all the rides except the go-carts or by a go-cart wristband and ride as many times as you would like.

Wanting to go out without the kids.  They have something for you as well.  Sun on the Beach transforms from a casual bar to a dance club when the sun goes down.  Get there early and no cover will be charged to you.  Not in the dancing mood, you can try the Blue Max Tavern where you can try your hand at Karaoke every night of the week. 

We have a blast everytime we go to Old Town and try to go at least once a month.