A Little Picnic Lunch in Kissimmee
December 6, 2007
A Little Picnic Lunch in Kissimmee
by: Susanne Pacher
After our exhilarating airboat ride and swamp buggy tour at Boggy Creek, we snaked our way north towards Orlando and decided to have a picnic lunch in the Orlando suburb of Kissimmee. This town is located at the doorstep of Walt Disney World complex and offers a variety of tourist class accommodations near historic downtown Kissimmee. The historic downtown districts feature walking tours, antique shops, shopping, dining, or sightseeing.
According to the City of Kissimmee’s web site”local historians have offered many variations of the origin of the city’s name. Most agree that Kissimmee is a modern spelling of a tribal word. The book Florida Indians and the Invasion from Europe by Jerald T. Milanich, links “Kissimmee” to a village of the Jororo, one of Florida’s lesser-known tribes. Historian John Hann researched Spanish documents about missions estabilshed to convert the Jororo and other groups to Christianity in the late 1600’s. Spanish records indicate that a mission was built near the tribe’s main village, also called Jororo. Another mission was called Atissimi. Milanich writes, “Hann suggests that the name Atissimi, sometimes given as Jizimi and Tisimi, may be the source of the modern place name Kissimmee.” A 1752 Spanish map used the name “Cacema” which has evolved into today’s spelling, Kissimmee.”
YEEEEEHAAAAW!!!! Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides
December 6, 2007
YEEEEEHAAAAW!!!! Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides
by: Susanne Pacher
After my rather quaint and leisurely scenic boat ride through Winter Park, a rather different boating experience was in store for me: a high speed airboat ride through Lake Tohopekaliga, provided by Boggy Creek Airboat Rides.
We got started early in the morning and took the first tour out. The temperature must have been about 45 degrees Fahrenheit or so, and in wise anticpation we both wore our Canadian winter jackets. Good thing, because it gets pretty darn cold zooming along at high speed on the airboats.
We were the first ride out of the gate, and fortunately we were provided with white blankets which kept us reasonably warm. Off we went on our 6-passenger airboat, exploring the coastline of Lake Tohopekaliga, getting a glimpse at various types of wetland birds, including bald eagles, ospreys, egrets and cranes that live here in the Central Florida Everglades. The name of the lake means “sleeping tiger” and it extends over 11,968 acres.
Central Florida’s Parks and Gardens Offer an Abundance of Colours, Shapes, and Textures
December 5, 2007
Central Florida’s Parks and Gardens Offer an Abundance of Colours, Shapes, and Textures
by: Susanne Pacher
Florida has a great amount of biodiversity and nature lovers will enjoy the great variety of plants found in the Sunshine State. On our recent trip to Orlando we had a chance to visit several locations with a beautiful parks and gardens, such as the Harry P. Leu Gardens and the Historical Bok Sanctuary. Even my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour in Winter Park brought me up close to some of the fascinating flowers and plants found in the Orlando area.
Florida has a mix of subtropical and tropical climates and the area around Orlando are more subtropical. Central Florida has a hot, but often stormy climate and experiences many thunderstorms with a frequent risk of hurricanes.
Geographically, the Central Florida area encompasses Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard, and Volusia counties, and some consider Polk and Sumter counties also to be part of Central Florida. This low-lying area is dominated by hundreds of lakes surrounded by marshland. Historically predominant industries include cotton, citrus and cattle-raising. The climate favours a great deal of plant and animal species.
Presenting: Danielle Weiss Talks About Sustainable Tourism
December 4, 2007
Presenting: Danielle Weiss Talks About Sustainable Tourism
by: Susanne Pacher
Danielle Weiss is the Sustainable Travel Coordinator for G.A.P Adventures, Canada’s largest adventure travel company and winner of many distinguished entrepreneurial and travel industry awards. I am also happy to say that G.A.P is also the sponsor of our first travel story contest who has generously provided the top prize for our contest: an amazing adventure expedition cruise through the Amazon.
G.A.P Adventures is a very unique travel company that combines small group adventure tours with concepts of environmental sustainability and social conscience.
Danielle is also one of the main people behind the Planeterra Foundation, a non-profit organization that was developed by G.A.P Adventures as a way to give back to the people and places they visit on our tours. Danielle herself is an avid traveller and in her personal interview she shares her personal stories of how travel changed her life.
I had a chance to ask Danielle about “sustainable tourism” and what all of us can do to minimize our impact on the communities we come in touch with. Here are her insights:
1. Please tell us more about “Sustainable Tourism”, what is it?
An Orlando Jewel: The Wells Built Museum of African American History and Culture
December 3, 2007
An Orlando Jewel: The Wells Built Museum of African American History and Culture
by: Susanne Pacher
After I had received a general overview of the history of the Orlando area in the Orange County Regional History Center, I wanted to delve a little deeper into the social history of the Orlando area, and the Wells Built Museum of African American History and Culture was going to give me a more in-depth look into Orlando’s African American history.
To this day this area west of I-4 is primarily inhabited by African Americans and the difference in housing and facilities between this area and the downtown area is quite notable. As a matter of fact, the very name “Division Street” points to a distinct historical line of demarcation between black and white residential areas.
The origins of the Wells Built Museum date back to a prominent local African physician by the name of Dr. William Monroe Wells who started building the Well’s Built Hotel in 1926 to provide lodging to African Americans during an era of segregation when accommodations were not available to them in other areas of Central Florida.
Orlando - Off the Beaten Path: Discovering Central Florida Without Visiting Any Theme Parks… Can It Be Done?
December 2, 2007
Orlando - Off the Beaten Path: Discovering Central Florida Without Visiting Any Theme Parks… Can It Be Done?
by: Susanne Pacher
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.
Holidays On Horseback
December 1, 2007
Holidays On Horseback
by: Helen Hobbs
Whether you are a thrill-seeking daredevil or a committed “Happy Hacker”, there is sure to be a riding holiday to suit you .
The choice of country and terrain is enormous and you can opt for a blissful week of escape from the family in beautiful and unspoilt surroundings. Alternatively, make it a family treat - even if some of the clan are totally non-horsey.
The first thing to consider with any riding holiday is your true level of riding ability and stamina. A weekend-only novice will be neither safe nor happy on a mad three day gallop across Botswana. Similarly, a week trekking with beginners at walk will not appeal to experienced jockeys. The large number of riding holiday providers generally accept the following as sensible summaries of riding ability;-
Beginner: A rider with very limited experience, is unable to mount and dismount unassisted, and unable to post to the trot or canter.
Novice: A rider who has some riding experience, is able to mount and dismount unassisted, is in control of a well-behaved horse and confident for short periods of rising trot and canter.
Birmingham- A City Guide
December 1, 2007
Birmingham- A City Guide
by: Maria Williams
Introduction
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands. It is commonly considered to be England’s “second city” and is the largest of England’s core cities. The city’s reputation was forged as the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as “the workshop of the world”. To this day over a quarter of the UK’s exports originate in the greater Birmingham area.
History
Birmingham has a recorded history going back 1000 years. In this time, it has grown from a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village into a major industrial and commercial city.
The Birmingham area was occupied in Roman times, with several military roads and a large fort. Birmingham started life as a small Anglo-Saxon hamlet in the Early Middle Ages. It was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings. In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a charter to hold a market. By the 16th century, Birmingham’s access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established. In the 17th century, Birmingham became an important manufacturing town with a reputation for producing small arms. During the Industrial Revolution (from the mid 18th century onwards), Birmingham grew rapidly into a major industrial centre. Unlike many other English industrial cities such as Manchester, industry in Birmingham was based upon small workshops rather than large factories or mills.
