Once again Florida Spirit has a great offer for our guest staying in one of our vacation homes; let your imagination fly with a free admission to Fantasy of Flight. Starting in August guest staying in a Florida Spirit Vacation Home can enjoy one free admission to Fantasy of Flight, tour hangars containing the world’s largest private aircraft collection and discover rare pieces of aviation history.

Fantasy of Flight is open daily* from 10am to 5pm with free parking. To receive your complimentary admission voucher just stop by Florida Spirit’s office located at Champions Gate Blvd., the admissions voucher is good for one person per home. Just present your voucher from Florida Spirit at the Fantasy of Flight admissions counter to receive this special offer. Visit www.fantasyofflight.com for additional information and the daily activities that Fantasy of Flight has to offer.
*Hours may vary due to special events

Still in the mood of airplanes, we left Fantasy of Flight and headed to Florida Air Museum, another great display full of history – Besides Howard Hughes archives and great collection, the museum is a tribute to others who created and built their own experimental prototypes and an incentive for kids to use their creativity and skills… “The sky is the limit!”

Another great experience for kids is Explorations V Children’s Museum, where kids are encouraged to use their 5 senses to learn through experience. The museum created small environments, where kids can play pretend and learn from shopping or working on a mini supermarket to being an astronaut.

Still in Lakeland, we went to Polk Museum of Arts, which has a great variety of exhibitions and offers art classes and summer camp activities for children!

From the art museum we drove through “Spook Hill” on Lake Wales on our Way to Bok Gardens.

Simply amazing…It is always good to see nature as it is intended to be: simple and preserved. The flowers… the trees…the birds… the Tower and the music of the 60-bell carillon… So peaceful and so beautiful, it is hard to describe. On top of all that you can enjoy a nice “Café” and ice cream shop, trails, tracks, picnic areas and visit the Pinewood Estate, a 20-room Mediterranean-style mansion built in the early 1930s, which gets fully decorated during Christmas and is open to the public.

We only had 1 day, so we left Bok Gardens after a quick tour and moved on to our last visit of the day: Cypress Gardens.

To be continued…

By Florida Spirit Vacation Homes

As a member of the vacation rental industry in Polk County and being the marketing coordinator for Florida Spirit Vacation Homes, I was invited to join a group of other vacation homes and property management companies to visit some of Polk County local attractions, parks and museums.

The trip started at Outpost 27, a great information center on Hwy 27 created a year ago by the Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau. Loaded with information, the center includes a media room where visitors can watch a short video presentation, a small gift shop with items either made in Polk County or that represents Polk county, you can find all kinds of brochures and enjoy a great landscape with Florida native plants.

Guiding the group was Rachel Roberson from Fantasy of Flight, Don Rousseau from Cypress Gardens and John, one of the many volunteers at the outpost.

Our first stop was the Water Ski Museum with the international Water Ski Hall of Fame and a great display of water ski history. They have a lake that is being remodeled to improve its depth, once the project is completed they will be able to host events, competitions and classes.

Second stop was at Fantasy of Flight, which holds the largest collection of aircrafts that can still fly. It was amazing to see how well the planes are maintained; to be able to enter a B-17 Bomber plane from World War II and to learn how the “whole 9 yards” expression was created. Without mentioning the gift shop – with a brand new book for kids, the café and the flying programs…

To be continued

Over 40 rare and vintage aircrafts are housed in the beautiful art deco facility, located in Polk City, FL (Polk County). Some of the aircraft found at Fantasy of Flights have been restored to flyable condition. An assortment of guided tours is offered daily including a visit to their restoration and maintenance areas. Daily activities include Biplane and Balloon rides, passengers can experience the feeling of flying in an open cockpit or enjoy the view in a balloon ride, a 3 hours experience including 1 hour in flight. Special rates apply to the Biplane and Air Balloon rides. Other activities included in general admission are: Immersion, Environments Experience, Fightertown, Sheet Metal and Aircraft Assembly Tour, Engine Bay and Machine shop tour, Tram Tour, Video Presentations and Aircraft of the Day.

For meals, you can go to the Compass Rose diner, a “short-order menu served up with an aviation spin” restaurant where the environment replicates the characteristics of diners associated with airports during the 1930’s and early 40’s: High-ceilinged windows, multi-colored floors and the inescapable curved architectural lines. Stop by the gift shop for a wide selection of aviation memorabilia and gifts. Fantasy of Flight also offers a wide variety of books and videos documenting many of the most notable moments in aviation history and aviation themed clothing for both adults and children.

Don’t forget that with your Central Florida play pass, you can visit Fantasy of Flight as many times as you would like and other great local attractions and Museums.

Polk county attractions have joined forces and are offering Florida residents a Play Pass. You receive seven consecutive days of unlimited visits to all Polk County Attractions and Museums. This is great opportunity to “enjoy shorter lines, less stress and more time to connect with family and friends.” The participating attractions include Cypress Gardens, Fantasy of Flight, Bok Tower Gardens, Explorations V Children’s Museum, Florida Air Museum, Polk Museum of Art and Water Ski Museum; pass holders can also enjoy 50% off admission at Westgate River Ranch Rodeo for their Saturday night Rodeo.

The Florida residents’ special is active through September 30, 2008 for one low price of $69.95 + tax for adults and $39.95 + tax for children ages 3 to 9. The pass is valid for 7 consecutive days from the day of first use and can be used all day and any day at participating attractions. For more information about the attractions and to purchase tickets online, visit www.visitcentralflorida.org. Tickets can also be purchased at Central Florida’s Polk County Visitors Information Center on Hwy 27, ½ mile South of Interstate 4 at exit 55 and at any AAA travel office; tickets are not available at Attractions or Museums.