My husband , Anthony , is a massive chicken connoisseur and his favourite food to eat in Orlando is chicken wings . He had plenty of choice with Buffalo Wild Wings , Wing House and the famous Hooters ( I ’ m sure this isn ’ t the only reason he likes Hooters ….) all within a 20 minute walk . On International Drive and in the theme parks , you will find Freak Shakes . Freak shakes are monster milkshakes and can include muffins , brownies , cream , sprinkles and sweets , all piled on top of each other … and I wonder how I gain so much weight when I ’ m there !
At the furthest ends of International Drive you ’ ll find shoppers heaven , the Outlets ! Last year we went whilst it was Thanksgiving and Black Friday and it really is just like what you see on TV . There were hundreds of people queued outside of shops and there were police everywhere , keeping everyone ’ s excitement under control . People were turning up with suitcases and cramming them full of trainers , clothes and handbags . There was a Michael Kors bag that I had my eye on , and the week before it was priced at $ 280.00 , I managed to get it in the sales for $ 70.00 ! I couldn ’ t believe my luck . The range of shops is extensive so I would advise bringing an extra suitcase or you ’ ll end up wearing about 3 layers of clothes on the journey home just like I
did and having to jump on the suitcase to get it shut !
You can ’ t talk about Orlando and not mention Disney . I love the Disney brand , I think it ’ s magical and like so many others , I have adored the films ever since I was young . As soon as you step into Magic Kingdom , you are transported back to the 8 year old you , sat in front of the TV , watching Beauty and the Beast , Snow White and Aladdin , singing along to all the old classics and the longing you had to be a real life princess . Here you can meet all these beautiful princesses you used to dress up as and step into their world .
As I entered Magic Kingdom , the scent of popcorn hits your nose and this is to help play into Walt Disney ’ s vision of the entrance to the Magic Kingdom being like the entrance to a movie theatre . As you slowly make your way down Main Street , you can smell freshly baked cookies and they ’ re saying “ Charlotte , we know you can ’ t resist us , come this way ”, and I always do !
Main Street is lined with shops selling all sorts of Disney merchandise and no matter how many times you go , you always end up spending much more than you had originally planned , I mean you can never have too many Minnie Mouse t-shirts or pens , though
my Husband would disagree ! We don ’ t go to Disney for the rides . We love the adrenaline from the big scary rides , but Disney doesn ’ t really offer that . We go for the unique atmosphere , because it ’ s a magical place . We go to satisfy the 8 year olds in us who still want to say hi to Mickey and who would wait all day just to get a picture with Belle . However , Hollywood Studios does hold my favourite ride of all time , the Hollywood Tower of Terror ! The whole story is based in 1939 so all the décor is from that period and as you queue , 1930 ’ s jazz music is playing . Once you ’ re seated , you hurtle up and down a haunted elevator and enter the twilight zone . Last year I was sat next to a big burly man , and as we reached the top , right before you plummet down , he let out a little scream and grabbed hold of my hand ! He continued to hold my hand for the remainder of the ride and his young son couldn ’ t stop laughing at him when we left the ride .
Orlando has a lot more to offer than just the parks though . We enjoyed a half day at Wild Florida , which is a mini zoo that also offers airboat rides around the Everglades . The park itself is lovely and you can feed the baby goats and the birds . The airboat ride was exhilarating and one of the best parts of the trip ! They zip along and as you dart in between the swamp plants ,
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