Here's an interesting one. looks like the event has already happened, but the video is good, and worth seeing.

Check out this video: The 2007 Orlando Puppet Festival!



Add to My Profile | More Videos

Tags: orlando, video, events

It's no surprise that red-light runners cause a large portion of Orlando's accidents. Let's face it, we're a tourist town, so we often have to deal with drivers not familiar with the area. Well, the Orange County commissioners have decided to do something about the red-light runners, and will be meeting today to discuss placing cameras at two local intersections, according to Wesh.com. To me, the surprising part about this is the location of the cameras. The cameras will be located at the intersections of West Colonial Drive, and Hiawassee Road, and the other will be at South Orange Blossom Trail, and Holden. I've included a map for you to see the exact locations.



These two intersections account for nearly 4,000 drivers running red-lights a day. No final decision has been made regarding the results of being caught running a light on camera, but it could lead to warning letters, or code enforcement.

Consider this your warning. These are the only cameras that I know of, but I'm sure there will be more to follow.

Tags: traffic, orlando

International Drive has always been a hodgepodge of interesting places. Some are great (Wet-n-Wild), and some are....well, they're just there (Discount Discount Shop). One of the staples of I-Drive for the past decade was Skull Kingdom, located near Kirkman Road. If you just moved to Orlando, you're out of luck as Skull Kingdom is no longer - I have video to prove it:



Sometime in the 90s, haunted houses started popping up all over the place, no doubt influenced by the success of Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights. Terror on Church Street ran throughout the year, and was hugely successful, so it only made sense that having the same concept on I-Drive (tourist capital of Orlando) couldn't fail. Skull Kingdom never had the same following as ToCS and many locals attribute it to the fact that its location made it an obvious tourist attraction, and that brought too much competition from the big hitters like Disney and Universal. Many locals tend to stay away from International Drive, so it never really had the fan base and repeat business that kept Terror on Church Street going.

Well, the little haunted house that could, can't anymore. It was recently demolished, and will be replaced by yet another discount t-shirt shop (yawn). So how many t-shirt stores does one town really need? What do you think? Are you glad to see it gone?

Tags: International Drive, orlando, attractions

As the weather starts to cool, Orlando comes alive. There are so many Fall events, that we've decided to try to post a few here to keep you up-to-date. Watch for updates weekly, and bring your calendar - we'll try to help you fill it with Orlando goodness.

This week:

Thursday September 13th

• Bill Cosby
  UCF Arena
  407-849-2020 or 407-839-3900
  8:00pm
  Tickets: $45.00, $55.00 & $65.00

Friday, September 14th

• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
  Magic Kingdom theme park
  2007 Sep: 14,21,28,30
  2007 Oct: 4-5, 8,11-12, 14,16,18,21,23,25-26, 28,30-31
  2007 Nov: 2
  407-934-7639
  7:00pm until Midnight
  $45.95 (ages 10 and up), $39.95 (ages 3-9)
• 
  
• Comedian Louis C.K.
  Universal CityWalk
  407-351-5483 or 407-839-3900
  7:00pm (doors), 8:00pm (show)
  $34.50

Saturday, September 15th

• Oktoberfest Orlando
  Location: Orlando Brewing
  407-872-1117
  6:00pm, 7:00pm (music starts)
  No Cover (food and drink available for purchase) $10.00 Commemorative Mug Available

Now get out there and have some fun!

Tags: Calendar, orlando, events

I tried to publish this yesterday, but ran into some problems, so instead of retyping the entire post, I'll just give you a quick explanation. Central Florida's beloved Cypress Gardens is going up for auction. Yep, it was beat up pretty bad from the hurricanes of 2004, and even though it was purchased for $7M by Georiga-based Adventure Parks Group, they can't seem to get their insurance issues handled.

If you'd like to pick up this 1939 theme park, mark your calendars for September 25th. Owner, Kent Buescher, said the park will remain open, that no employees will lose their jobs and annual passes will be honored. I have fond memories of this little theme park that could, and think everything will work out well in the end. Stay tuned for updates.

Related Items:

Cypress Gardens on Auction Block - Orlando Business Journal
Cypress Gardens Going to Auction - WESH2
Cypress Gardens Official Site

Tags: Cypress Gardens, Auction

A few people have asked me if I could include the high school football schedule for a few of the local schools. I decided the best way to handle this is with the entire list of Orlando area high schools. I'll update these each week. These are the games for this weekend, with two games tonight!

Tags: high schools, sports, football

Bo Outlaw, the Orlando Magic's power forward, is helping out the Sanford community by donating $50,000 to convert an old Castle Brewer building into a library.

Bo says he knows and loves kids, and wants to help keep them out of trouble, WESH 2 News reported.

Bo's Place of Learning has 18 computers, tons of books, areas for recreation and tutoring, and will serve snacks.

This type of community service reminds me of the days Shaq was in Orlando. He would visit the local basketball court to play a few games with the neighborhood kids, and we loved it. We would plan our week around meeting up with Shaq. Bo's been in the league for 15 years, but it's pretty clear from his actions, he's still a kid at heart.

Here's a map of the location of Bo's Place of Learning. They had their grand opening on Thursday, August 30th.

View Larger Map

Tags: orlando Magic, community, sports

Mark your calendar for September 9th, as the University of Central Florida will be opening the doors of its new $52M arena. Arena General Manager Rodney Reese says the public will be able to tour all parts of the facility, including the luxury suites, club level and box office.

Looks like this will be a family event, with a carnival and outdoor displays in the plaza outside the arena, as well as a performance by the defending national champion UCF cheerleading team.

I'm happy to see the Knights finally having a place to call home. As UCF grows, and their football team gets more recognition, the Citrus Bowl was becoming far too crowded, and almost seemed to be an embarrassment when rival teams came to town. I plan on being at this event, so if you go and see a tall guy in an Ekday hat, feel free to come up and say hello!

UCF Knights 2007 Football Schedule

September 1 at North Carolina State, 6:00 PM ET
September 15 No. 4 Texas, 3:30 PM ET
September 22 Memphis 3:30 PM ET
September 29 Louisiana-Lafayette 6:00 PM ET
October 6 at East Carolina, 7:30 PM ET
October 13 at South Florida, TBA
October 20 Tulsa, 4:00 PM ET
October 28 at Southern Miss, 8:00 PM ET
November 3 Marshall, 3:30 PM ET
November 10 at UAB, 7:30 PM ET
November 17 at Southern Methodist, 3:00 PM ET
November 24 UTEP

Location

View Larger Map

Source: Orlando Business Journal

Tags: UCF, sports

No, this isn't a throwback to the original boy band from Orlando. This is a warm welcome to a new blog hitting the Orlando webosphere, started by our good friend Erik Hersman of Realty Thoughts and White African fame.

Roofable fits nicely into the Orlando blog scene, and offers topics such as: Fall Sports Begin, Quick Hits Around Orlando, and my favorite, What in the World is Firkin and Kegler?





From Roofable's About section:

Orlando is a great city and we’re proud to call it home. Here at Roofable we like to discuss what’s going on in our neighborhood(s), what’s going on in the local real estate market and interesting community events.
Since the city is so spread out, we’ve tried our best to break it down into sub-regions that make sense. You can find the news, listings and events in your area by selecting that part of the city.

I know you've already subscribed to our RSS feed, so make sure you add Roofable's Feed to your reader. Now you should have plenty to keep you abreast with the Orlando happenings.

Tags: new, orlando, news, blog

Who doesn't love Orlando? Who doesn't love lists? Orlando, The City's Magazine put together a "Best Of" list for Orlando, and the list was compiled from locals - not the magazine editors. Take a look at the Best our city beautiful has to offer:

EAT AND DRINK

Best Atmosphere

1. Seasons 52
   436 East Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   770 West Sand Lake Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. The Beacon
   The Sanctuary
   100 South Eola Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. K Restaurant
   2401 Edgewater Drive, Orlando [MAP]

Best Bakery

1. Charlie's Gourmet Pastries
   3213 Curry Ford Rd, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Panera Bread
   Locations Throughout Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Publix
   Locations Throughout Orlando [MAP]

Best Bar

1. Monkey Bar
   26 Wall Street, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Blue Martini
   4200 Conroy Road, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Bosendorfer Lounge
   Grand Bohemian Hotel
   325 South Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]

Best Brunch

1. The Beacon
   The Sanctuary
   100 South Eola Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Dexter's
   With three locations in Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Boheme
   Grand Bohemian Hotel
   325 South Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]

Best Burger

1. Back Yard Burger
   With three area locations [MAP]
   
2. Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
   With three area locations [MAP]
   
3. Fuddruckers
   5250 International Drive, Orlando [MAP]

Best Caterer

1. Puff "N Stuff
   158 Lake Avenue, Maitland [MAP]
   
2. Absolute Catering
   12000 International Drive, Kissimmee
   
3. Arthur's Catering
   860 Sunshine Lane, Altamonte Springs [MAP]

Best Health Food Store

1. Whole Foods Market
   1989 Aloma avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   
2. Fresh Market
   5000 Dr. Phillips Boulevard, Orlando [MAP]
   995 North State Road 434, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   
3. Chamberlin's Market and Cafe
   With six locations in Orlando [MAP]

Best Hotel Bar/Lounge

1. Bosendorfer Lounge
   Grand Bohemian Hotel
   325 South Orange Ave, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Velvet Lounge
   Hard Rock Hotel
   5800 Universal Boulevard, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Bar American
   Portofino Bay Hotel, Universal Orlando
   5601 Universal Boulevard, Orlando [MAP]

Best Ice Cream

1. Marble Slab Creamery
   With six locations in Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Twistee Treat
   With locations throughout Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Cold Stone Creamery
   With four area locations [MAP]

Best Lunch To Go

1. Pita Pit
   With three area locations [MAP]
   
2. (tie) Crispers
   With six area locations [MAP]
   Panera Bread
   With locations throughout Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Room 3-Nine
   39 North Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]

Best Outdoor Dining

1. The Beacon
   The Sanctuary
   100 South Eola Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. HUE
   629 East Central Avenue, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. (tie) Park Plaza Gardens
   319 South Park Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   Seasons 52
   463 East Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   7700 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando [MAP]

Best Pizza

1. Antonio's Cafe and Deli
   611 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland [MAP]
   
2. Pisa Italian Pizza
   7058 West Colonial Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Anthony's Pizza Cafe
   100 North Summerlin Avenue, Orlando [MAP]

Best Restaurant in Winter Park

1. Luma on Park
   290 South Park Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   
2. Houston's
   215 South Orlando Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   
3. Park Plaza Gardens
   319 South Park Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]

Best Restaurant Downtown

1. Kres Chophouse and Lounge
   17 West Church Street, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. (tie) The Beacon
   The Sanctuary
   100 South Eola Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   HUE
   629 East Central Avenue, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Manuel's on the 28th
   390 North Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]

Best Restaurant on I-Drive

1. The Capital Grill
   Pointe Orlando
   9101 International Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Texas de Brazil
   5259 International Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Cafe Tu Tu Tango
   8625 International Drive, Orlando [MAP]

Best Restaurant on Restaurant Row

1. Roy's
   7760 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Seasons 52
   7700 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Christini's Ristorante Italiano
   7600 Dr. Phillips Boulevard, Orlando [MAP]

Best Restaurant in Seminole County

1. Bonefish Grill
   1761 West State Road 434, Longwood [MAP]
   
2. Seasons 52
   436 East Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   
3. Enzo's on the Lake
   1130 South Highway 17-92, Longwood [MAP]

Best Restaurant to Seal the Deal

1. Del Frisco's
   729 Lee Road, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Manuel's on the 28th
   Bank of America
   390 North Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. The Beacon
   The Sanctuary
   100 South Eola Drive, Orlando [MAP]

Best Sports Bar

1. Tap Room at Dubsdread
   549 West Par Street, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Orlando Ale House
   With nine locations in Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Gator's Dockside
   With six locations in Orlando [MAP]

Best Specialty Foods Store

1. Fresh Market
   5000 Dr. Phillips Boulevard, Orlando [MAP]
   995 North State Road 434, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   
2. Whole Foods Market
   1989 Aloma Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   
3. (tie) Harmoni Market
   2305 Edgewater Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   Petty's Meats
   2141 West State Road 434, Longwood [MAP]

Best Supermarket

1. Publix
   With locations throughout Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Fresh Market
   5000 Dr. Phillips Boulevard, Orlando [MAP]
   995 North State Road 434, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   
3. Whole Foods Market
   1989 Aloma Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]

Best Wine List

1. Seasons 52
   436 East Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs [MAP]
   770 West Sand Lake Road, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. The Venetian Room
   8101 World Center Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Old Vines Wine Merchants
   709 North Alafaya Trail, Orlando [MAP]

PERSONALITIES

Best Corporate Citizen

1. Harris Rosen
   
2. Clarence Otis
   
3. (tie) Dick Batchelor
   Tico Perez

Best Local Entertainer

1. Carrot Top
   
2. Jeff Howell
   
3. Michael Andrews

Best Local Politician

1. Teresa Jacobs
   
2. Buddy Dyer
   
3. Rich Crotty

Favorite Local Golfer

1. Tiger Woods
   
2. Lee Janzen
   
3. Arnold Palmer

Favorite Magic Player

1. Dwight Howard
   
2. Grant Hill
   
3. Bo Outlaw

Local Person You'd Like to Trade Jobs With

1. Buddy Dyer
   
2. Marla Weech
   
3. Tiger Woods

Person Who Best Exemplifies Orlando

1. Jim Phillips
   
2. Dennis Salvagio (The Fat Guy)
   
3. Toni Jennings

GOODS / SERVICES

Best Art Gallery

1. Q Gallery
   CityArts Factory
   29 South Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Millenia Fine Arts
   555 South Lake Destiny Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Grand Bohemian Gallery
   Grand Bohemian Hotel
   325 South Orange Avenue, Orlando [MAP]

Best Audio Store

1. Absolute Sound
   862 South Orlando Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   360 Minnesota Avenue, Winter Park [MAP]
   
2. Sound Advice
   4835 East Colonial Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   1431 Sand Lake Road, Orlando [MAP]
   
3. Best Buy
   With locations throughout Orlando [MAP]

Best Bicycle Store

1. Orange Cycle
   2204 Edgewater Drive, Orlando [MAP]
   
2. Locomotion
   125 West Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park [