Did you know that one of Orlando's best outdoor recreational areas was once a thriving orange…read moregrove? Today, Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is a 183 acre park where families, fishermen, campers, bird watchers, and nature lovers can enjoy a break outdoors that makes you feel a world away from the nearby tourist attractions. This property once contained more than 2,000 citrus trees before the City of Orlando purchased the land in the 1970s under Mayor Carl Langford. It officially opened as Turkey Lake Park in 1978 with the mission of conserving land in its natural state for residents as Orlando's tourism industry rapidly expanded. In 1981, many of the remaining orange trees were relocated to make room for a campground featuring RV sites and cabins. The park was renamed Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake in 2004 to honor former Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick for his commitment to preserving Orlando's natural spaces. Along with former Mayor Glenda E. Hood, he helped ensure the beauty of this park would be preserved for future generations. Today, the park is the City of Orlando's largest community park. Turkey Lake is considered one of Florida's top rated fishing lakes, making it a popular destination for anglers. Beyond the lake, there are miles of walking and biking trails, shaded picnic areas, playgrounds, fitness stations, sand volleyball courts, a seasonal swimming pool, boat rentals, a dedicated drone flying area, disc golf, and numerous pavilions for gatherings. The campground offers RV sites and cabins for overnight excursions surrounded by nature. Admission is a nominal $5 per vehicle or $2 for a single occupant, making it one of the best recreational values in Orlando. Come for a picnic, to swim, cast a line, visit the rescue animals, or hike the trails as I enjoyed doing. Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake is a reminder that Orlando offers more than just theme parks. I am so glad that the former mayors of Orlando had he foresight to preserve this slice of Florida's natural landscape where you never know what you might discover.

This is a really nice park and would be actually a great place if it wasn't right next to the…read moreturnpike. It is a large multi-functional, family-friendly park. There are several facilities available including pavilions, grills, disc golf volleyball, playgrounds, swimming, fishing, and even a drone course. There's a bike path, a nature path and a small animal farm where you can see a turkey, chickens, and maybe a variety of other animals. There are cabins (assuming for rent) and a spot for small RVs and trailers. The park includes several restrooms which are very clean. The disc golf course is extensive and likely a bit difficult as it meanders through several wooded areas and even one hole across the water. The park has several pavilions varying in size. Most have parking nearby, however several will require you to hoof your goods a little distance. This is a great place for a family or larger gathering. Two dollar entry fee. Dogs allowed on leash and there are several pet sanitary stations.

This was an okay facility. The gym was really large and the locker rooms were large and clean, but…read morethe sauna and steam room was closed the week when I tried to go- so that didn't really make me want to join as a member. The facilities are decent, but not necessarily that nice. Locker rooms are okay, not sure I'd feel comfortable walking around without shoes. Overall I'm glad this exists and happy to see places like this - but not sure it's something I'd personally pay money for. The buildings themselves are beautiful and staff is extremely friendly.

The AdventHealth Wellness Center & Spa is not only a place to workout and release endorphins but…read morealso a place to wind down and relax. It was a resort-like experience from the massages and facials offered by friendly staff but also the towel service offered at front desk just before heading to a Zumba class in their newly renovated group fitness studio.

What: About three hours of surfing instruction, which will include 1/2 hour of land-side…read moreinstruction Where: Typhoon Lagoon Water Park Who: WDW Resort Guests, age 8 years and older. Participants must be strong swimmers. When: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings from 6:45 to 10 a.m., unless park opens one hour early for Extra Magic Hour, in which case the surf school starts and ends an hour earlier. (There is also occasionally evening surfing. after park hours, for pre-formed groups in which the surfers have their own boards. There are between 100 and 150 waves and each wave is between $13.00 and $15.00 depending on the size. Total cost can vary between $1,300 and $2,250 depending on the contract. Groups can be as small as six people.) Class Size: up to 13 people. Two instructors will be present. Spectators welcome. Cost: $150 per person (tax included). Price does not include general admission to Typhoon Lagoon once lesson is finished. Payment: Pay when you arrive at Typhoon Lagoon. Cash, credit card, travelers checks, and room charge will be accepted. Surfboards: Guests must use the soft-side surfboards provided. Waiver: Each guest will be asked to sign a waiver. Transportation: Guests will need to provide transportation to Typhoon Lagoon. Disney Buses will be operating after the class to take guests back to their WDW Resort Hotel or to other locations at Walt Disney World. Reservations: Call WDW-PLAY (939-7529) up to 90 days in advance.

I have always wanted to try surfing at Typhoon Lagoon. For $190 you get 3 hours worth of…read moreinstruction while the park is closed. They spend quite a bit of time going over basic stuff and a waiver. This was my first time at the park but I have surfed in the ocean. I am not a beginner but I am not exactly advanced either. I just wanted constant predictable waves so I can get better. I wish they would separate out those who have been before and know how to surf and we can get started while beginners do their thing. The advanced people can tweak their techniques with the help of the pros while the beginners learn the basics. The wave pool is fresh water so already it is different. Salt water makes the board more buoyant and the bigger waves have more energy. It seems counterintuitive, but is actually easier to surf in the ocean's bigger waves. At Typhoon Lagoon, I fell my first couple times. The instructors said it just takes a couple of tries to get used to the fresh water and they were right. Before you know it, I was easy riding. They provide water, juice, fruit, pastries and coffee. I wish the food included breakfast burritos because for some reason, it is the breakfast of choice for surfers. They provide only a small towel, so I recommend bringing your own. Photos are also included with the price so you get lots of cool looking pro pics, which unfortunately also include wipeouts. The pros from Coco Beach Surf School were great and lots of fun. If I were staying longer at WDW, I would take advantage of this and do it everyday it is offered or get a good group together and have an evening private event.

This is one of my favorite pools. I love a well themed resort pool, and this one is so adorable. I…read morehave spent many, many hours here just relaxing. Another thing I love about the pool area is the amount of fun games they offer during the daytime hours. The kids love spending time doing all of the activities, and they even offer little tiny prizes. I also love the movies at night and like to spend a bit of time watching them here. The food court is very close by. I like getting a pizza and eating near the pool or just having some good snacks and our refillable mug. They also have some nice restrooms around the pool so you do not need to run back to the room. I often shop hotels around their pools, and this once is well worth it.

I liked the size of the pool here. There was plenty of room - not too crowded. There's a zero entry…read moreat the kid's end near the splash pad. This made it easy to let the kids roam. The splash pad area was fun for the kids, but I did take note that many of the water sprayers seemed to be non-functional. We were very impressed with the lifeguards here. I watched one guy pace the same 10-second loop in an almost militaristic fashion. They seem to really take their job seriously, which is a big plus. None of them were sitting around or neglecting paying attention to the pool area. I think some service work on the non-functioning water features would go a long way to making this a 5 star spot.

Ibiza Pool attempted a resurface of our pool but the finish was not done in a professional manner…read more Some specific problems: 1. significant defects and divots; 2. corners were not well formed; 3. there are clumps of white concrete left on the blue finish; 4. the quartz was not properly finished up to the tile; 5. diamond step spotters were partially covered with quartz/cement (so they appear misshapen/not square); 6. finish on the steps is very rough; 7. tiles were installed with cut/sharp edges facing out. In addition, Ibiza's work crew was careless - they mixed chemicals on a corded off new driveway, broke sprinkler heads, left cement foot prints all over the pool deck and only cleaned up when we called them back to do so. An Ibiza rep subsequently inspected the work and indicated that they would completely redo the finish properly at no cost to us, but that was more than 2 months ago and despite a subsequent discussion, Ibiza hasn't made any good-faith effort to replace the finish as promised. Finally, despite our multiple, significant concerns, we haven't heard a single word during this process from Ibiza's CEO & Florida Licensed Pool Contractor, Mr. Attila Adam. We have been hoping that he would want to make this right, but have been disappointed thus far by his lack of involvement with our concerns.

I'm a vacation home owner which decided to reline out private pool. After shopping around and…read moregetting 3 quotes I stopped at Ibiza quote. This one want the highest but neither the lowest for the same job I requested. They came over as soon as I called ,even was Sunday afternoon. I didn't expect someone to answer the phone, the plan was to leave a message along with others calls I had made. Balazs Csuthy show up to the door in couple of hours. For me time was important because I need it to take a decision before to return home. the next day I had all others offers on the table was easy to eliminate others and stop at them offer. He return to the house as soon as I called and he already knew that I needed at one visit all information that he can provide and samples to choose from. He had all ready for me ,making my life easier. We had set time for the job. I return to Florida for the time of the renovation. We had kind of trouble ,because he was behind with the previous job so starting my job need it to delay, not much but time was important for me because we need it to return home to our job and our life and the delay was jeopardise the plan. I entered in a panic mode even when he told me not to worry the pool will be done in time to my departure. Do you think I could sleep till I had the team start working on the pool? Noooo. They start almost 3 days later and as soon as they started ,they keep working till the pool was done. Of course was done way before my departure, but been first time reline the pool I didn't knew how long it will take. It was lots of stress ,I can say that. BUT not because of them it was because of me that's how I am...for sure next time things will be better. Now looking back 3 months since the pool was done ,I'm so proud of my pool and will pick them again with out shopping around. The pool is amazing, my guests love it ,we love it ,the price was fair the job is amazing done. If you are a local resident you will be okay with timing in case of delays, if you are owner of vacation home just don't book tide time for this just in case unexpected happened. Even with that he manage to finish in time with out compromising the job. WELL DONE Csuthy, keep up the good job and you have gain my business for next time renovation. Job completed February 11 .2017 Thank you , Gabriela