1 Florida State Fair
With a history dating back to 1904, the Florida State Fair opens today for a 12-day stretch at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Experience ranching demonstrations, gardening shows and exhibits, thrill rides, food trucks, live music and all kinds of fantastic local entertainment.
2 Orlando Solar Bears Pro Basketball matches
If you are travelling to Orlando from outside the USA, you can’t beat attending a live sports fixture for a flavour of American life. The ice hockey season is well underway and the Solar Bears have a number of home fixtures at Orlando’s Amway Center coming up. Book tickets at the Amway centre box office or through Ellis Exclusive Villa’s own ticket services.
3 Clearwater Beach uncorked
A most mouth-watering of festivals in a beautiful beachfront location. I challenge you to watch this video without your taste buds tingling! And what more perfect excuse to browse the stalls or watch a demonstration than to stock up for your Valentine’s food and wine?
4 Daytona 500
Arguably the most famous motor sports event on the planet, with 58 years of NASCAR history under its belt, why would you not attend if you are in Florida this month? And there’s a new stadium from which to enjoy it too!
5 Seafood and Music Festival
I’m usually on a seafood diet – I see food and I eat it! But what better place to test the limits of my modus operandi than this fabulously priced live music event. Great value live music and the opportunity to sample a wonderful variety of fresh, local seafood.
6 Kissimmee Sunshine Regional Chilli Cook-Off and Beer Festival
Fabulous local breweries plying their wears on our Kissimmee doorstep is a very hard offer to turn down, especially when a chilli cook-off, a KUA Kids Power Zone and live music and street vendors are thrown in too. Scheduled for Feb 20, Noon – 5pm, check out the Kissimmee Main Street website for more details.
7 Monster Trucks and Cowboys
If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that the Green Meadows Petting Farm in Kissimmee is a firm family favourite in my house. Combine monster trucks and cowboys with it and both my boys will be in seventh heaven! The fact it is running Valentines weekend might be a slight conflict of interest in our house… but if it tickles your fancy you can find full details on the Green Meadows website.
8 Legoland Movie 4D weekends
Legoland is a family favourite too – and the prospect of meeting characters from the recent Lego Movie around the park is, quite simply, AWESOME.
9 Indie Folk Fest
Something a little more grown up, just for a change of pace. I cannot think of a better lead into Valentine’s day than a winter picnic and the Mennello Museum of American Art is inviting us all to spread out picnic blankets, make valentine cards and enjoy listening to local music played against the backdrop of Lake Formosa in the winter sunshine on February 13th.
10 Rocket Launch
We shared many people’s deep sadness at the death of the UK’s original star man, David Bowie last month. In the same month, the UK was gripped, watching the first spacewalk by a UK astronaut (well done Tim Peake). The resulting excitement seems to indicate that space travel seems to be capturing the imaginations of a whole new generation of British children. It’s probably still a long way off before us normal folk can jet off into space ourselves, so the next best thing has to be watching a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. There are two planned for this month, but they can be subject to change, so check the Kennedy Space Center website for up-to-date details.
This is a small sample of some of the exciting events happening in and around Orlando this month… that’s what makes Central Florida such a wonderful vacation destination! Plus the sunshine, the beaches, the fantastic theme parks… it’s an all-year-round kind of destination! Come see for yourself! Check out our vacation homes here…
