Leisure Markets

Are you planning on visiting the Overland Park, Kansas area soon? If you are you must read this article. It will tell you about one of the best places to visit in Overland Park. That place is the Arabia Steamboat Museum. Keep reading to learn a little more about this great destination.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving a steamboat by the name of the Arabia which traveled the rivers until 1856. In 1856 it sank and was lost only to be rediscovered 132 years later with its cargo still intact. It is an interesting destination to say the least. So what is there for you to see and experience at the museum? The museum will give you a glimpse into the life of the frontiers of the past. When you arrive you will be taken on a guided tour which will tell you about this steamboats history. It will tell you about its history, its sinking and its resurrection. The tour even includes a short video of the excavation process which will show you what went into reclaiming the vessel. You will then be taken to the actual ship which is quite a sight for any history buff. The museum is not only about the vessel though. It is also about the contents of the steamboat which were also recovered. Case after case was recovered from the vessel. This includes glass bottles, fabrics, sewing supplies and a number of different personal belongings which are of great interest. There is for example tools, dolls and more items that belonged to those aboard the ship. And since the museum is still a work in progress more items are being offered every day. Items are still being painstakingly restored behind the scenes. This means that the museum is constantly changing and expanding so even if you have been to it before you might want to take a return trip.

Hopefully this article has give you enough information to convince you to add the Arabia Steamboat Museum to your list of things to see in Overland Park. You can find the museum at 400 Grand Boulevard in Overland Park. For more information call (816) 471-1856 . Enjoy.

This title says it all, sort of. You can find just about anything you want in Orlando, and any time of year (unless you like snow and cold weather; sorry friend).

The superb shopping in Orlando can be just as much of a tourist attraction as the world famous theme parks and other regular tourist attractions.

Called by some writers the ultimate family holiday destination this small but vibrant city is home to a large number of excellent shopping malls, and is known for its vibrant nightlife and renowned sports centers.

In sum, a visit to Orlando means a phenomenal number of outstanding shops and stores. Youll find a vast range of designer outlets, classy department stores, countless fashion boutiques and sprawling shopping malls.

Something for everyone, indeed. Lets check out a few of them now, so you can have an idea of what to expect in this tourist mecca.

Starting at the top end, there is the Florida Mall, Orlandos largest shopping center. With 245 stores, including eight department stores, well, youre more than likely to find what something you want here. The location, naturally, is convenient as its near International Drive, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.

Not so large, but hardly small is Alamonte Mall, near the downtown area. More than 150 stores beckon you to a great shopping experience which is very much Florida, including indoor palm trees and native vegetation in the mall.

And if shopping is your thing, or even if you just need a couple of personal items or a gift or two, or three, dont miss The Mall at Millenia. Reputed as very big and very complete, its centrally located and close to major theme parks. The mall offers such conveniences as valet parking, discounted hotel reservations, gift wrapping, and a U.S. post office; and thats just the beginning.

And with all that shopping, eating has to fit in there somewhere. Theres quick and easy food for the family at the food court. There are also plenty of upscale restaurants and their famous cheesecake factory.

The variety of shopping in Orlando is not just in the number of malls. There are various styles also. For example, outlet malls are known for great deals. Orlando has several outlet centers. Two are located right on International Drive: Belz Designer Outlet Center and The Belz Factory Outlet are convenient to get to and the Belz Factory Outlet is the largest outlet center in the United States. The designer outlet includes brands such as Ralph Lauren, DKNY and many others.

Another outlet mall is The Orlando Premium Outlet, featuring discount merchandise. There are good deals at just about every store. And Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores, located near Disney World, has a great variety of stores and products for everyone in your family, including a playground for the kids.

Completing the shopping cycle, International Drive has two large, open air markets.

The Mercado has several stores featuring a wide variety of designer clothes. There are also various places to buy the art work of local artists as well as other Floridian merchandise. The ambience of an open air market is emphasized by the cobblestone walk ways throughout.

The Pointe Orlando is a large open air market with sixty stores, but is not only for shopping. One can have a great time dining and enjoying their evening entertainment. Its seven restaurants and two night clubs assure you a fine time.

And to get more of a sense of locality, another open air market, The Farmers Market, features fresh produce, locally made crafts and a variety of other merchandise.

So, yes, its true, Orlando really does offer the visitor a full experience. After the theme parks, dont forget your shopping. Youll find it all here!

Orlando – Off The Beaten Path: Discovering Central Florida Without Visiting Any Theme Parks… Can It Be Done?

One of my husband’s favourite places is Florida, since he is an avid golfer and likes to get away from the cold Canadian winter for his birthday in early December.

For a while now we had planned to visit Orlando, but neither one of us are into theme parks. So there was the challenge for me: would we be able to visit Orlando without setting foot into Disney or Universal Studios? For someone as curious as me this was a suitable challenge and I had been doing weeks of searches on the Internet and communicating with the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau to find out about interesting destinations off the beaten path.

Well, I am happy to say, we arrived back safely yesterday from our trip, and the trip itself was quite an adventure since we decided to drive from Toronto to Orlando, about 2100 km each way! Actually, the drive was not as painful as I expected. The drive through Pennsylvania and West Virginia was nice and hilly, and I particularly enjoyed coming over the ridge of the Appalachians, right where Virginia and North Carolina meet, where you get a beautiful view of the piedmont area around Winston-Salem that spreads out towards the Atlantic in front of the mountain chain.

And I am even happier to say that in the 14 or so days that we spent in Orlando, not only did we get to play a lot of golf (to make my husband really happy…;) – including Mystic Dunes, Champions Gate, Royal St. Cloud Links, Hawk’s Landing and Timacuan Golf and Country Club, not to mention the Walking Hall of Fame experience of the PGA Father Son Challenge at Champions Gate, but I also got to explore some really interesting places, destinations I would not have expected in Orlando and its surrounding region. I also had a chance to do an interview with GolfOrlando to get a much better idea of why Orlando is called “The Ultimate Golf Theme Park”.

We started off our first week with a visit to the Orange Country Regional History Center, which gave us a suitable historic background of Orlando and Central Florida. Then, for some sociological and cultural insights, we visited the Well’s Built Museum for African American History and Culture in Orlando. To top off our first day of exploration we enjoyed a walk around picturesque Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.

The next item on my off-the-beaten path agenda was a discovery of the City of Winter Park, a beautiful suburb of Orlando, reminiscent of Old European towns. I also went on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, which was an entertaining, informative and visually appealing excursion.

The adrenaline revved up significantly on our next outing: a very high-speed airboat ride at Boggy Creek, that was followed up by a much lower speed swamp buggy ride in a custom-built monster truck that took us through authentic Florida landscape.

After our golf outing at the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links we enjoyed a wonderful picnic by the waterfront in sunny downtown Kissimmee. Then, on a beautiful Sunday morning we drove about an hour outside of Orlando to reach the quaint town of Mt. Dora, where I hopped on the “Herbie Express”, part of the Mt. Dora – Lake Eustis Scenic Railway.

From midweek in the second week onwards the weather took a turn for the worse. While planes were sliding off runways in Chicago and record temperatures were registered in the mid-western states, we were freezing in Florida where the mercury hovered around 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (around +20 degrees Celsius). So I bought a rain jacket, and determined not to let the freezing cold interfere with our plans, we headed out to continue our explorations.

On a day that was forecast to be rainy, but just ended up being a bit grey and clammy, we went out to discover Loch Haven Park, Orlando’s center of science, art and culture. We then continued our explorations further south to discover some of Orlando’s historic neighbourhoods and parks such as Lake Cherokee and Lake Lucerne.

As the drizzly weather continued, we went on to visit Florida’s Natural Visitor Center in Lake Wales, about an hours drive south of Orlando, where I got a really good understanding of Central Florida’s citrus industry. I spent the afternoon in another famous attraction in Lake Wales which holds two National Historic Landmarks: the Historic Bok Sanctuary, where I got to see the beauty of the Bok estate and its historic carillon tower, combined with a tour through the historic Pinewood Estate, which was decked out in full Christmas decorations.

During these 2 weeks in Florida, we got exposed to a lot of its plants, flowers and wildlife, much of which you run into casually even while playing golf or picknicking by the waterfront. Florida has a surprising amount of natural diversity and I enjoyed watching the various types of birds, lizards, and squirrels. The only thing we didn’t get to see was a live alligator (with the exception of the well-hidden rear end of a small alligator during our swamp buggy tour – unfortunately I couldn’t even get a good picture of that one..). Apparently winter time is too cold for these creatures to come out of the water…

On our drive home, on a bright sunny day (of course…), we stopped off in St. Augustine, a historic town founded by the Spaniards in the 1500s, and the oldest continuously inhabited town in the United States – a mighty photogenic place, I should add.

So, you ask, is it possible to spend 2 weeks in Orlando without even setting foot inside a theme park and still have a good time? Well, based on the above itinerary I’d say that my plans to explore Orlando off the beaten path came to full fruition.

Mission accomplished.

This entire article including photos is located at http:www.travelandtransitions.comstories_photosorlando_off_the_beaten_path.htm

Will you be visiting Ontario, California in the near future. If the answer is yes you might be looking for something for you and your family to do while you are there. Shopping is always fun while on vacation so you should consider visiting Ontario Mills. Read this article and learn a little about this premiere shopping center.

Ontario Mills is one of the best shopping centers in the state of California. It has over two hundred different retailers and countless entertainment venues for you to enjoy. If you love to shop this is the place for you and you can easily spend the entire day enjoying this shopping mall. For the women you have stores like Anne Klein, Banana Republic, Guess Factory Store, JC Penney’s and much more. For the guys you have Foot Locker, Finish Line, Nike and to name a few. There are also countless home stores and stores for teens and children. Shopping is not the only thing you can do at the mall however. You also have a variety of dining options from their extensive food court. Restaurants range from fast food to sit down dinging to snack shops like Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. When you get tired of shopping you can even catch some great entertainment at the mall. Catch a movie at the thirty screen AMC movie theatre or go play some games at the Gameworks. This just scratches the surface of what is available at the mall. It is a place where you can take the whole family and enjoy a nice day.

I hope this article will convince you to check out the Ontario Mills shopping center while you are in Ontario, California. If you have decided to go you can find it at 1 Mills Circle, Ontario, CA 91764. For more information or to check on current hours call the malls information line at 909-484-8300. Have fun shopping.