Excellent fireworks display in Sanford tonight!…read more We've been going to Gemini Springs for the last three years, so it was nice spending the evening in our home town for the evening. I have to say it was packed tonight, but nothing that our town couldn't handle. Parking it's a PITA for most, but when you have the option of coming down on a bicycle or golf cart it's a piece of cake. There was a LOT more food and merchandise vendors here when compared to our last Independence Day celebration here three years ago. All of the food and drink looked good but boy those food truck prices can be a bit steep. One Truck was selling sandwiches for $18, and several others selling light beer for $8 a pop, crazy! It was super muggy in Sanford today, so if you do decide to come here for this event, Irecommend bringing a personal battery powered fan and some handy wipes to stay fresh and clean the duration of the event. There are plenty of porto potties but not enough areas to wash your hands, another reason why the handy wipes are so important. Fireworks started at 9:15 pm and lasted about 20 minutes, they were good but nowhere in comparison to Red Hot & Boom in Altamonte Springs the night previous. Regardless, this was a great time and overall the city of Sanford does a amazing job putting this event together. All and all if you are looking for a great place to spend Independence Day with your friends and family than put Sanford on your list for next year!

Great night in Sanford. Lots of vendors selling all kinds…read moreof stuff. Kids area had face painters, henna, game area and Still Walker twisting balloons! Large food truck area I think there may have been 15 trucks. Small stage with a band, with music speakers placed all down the road. Fireworks were good, lasted about 20 min. Downtown Sanford was jamming after the Fireworks lots of bands playing. Our Friends band played at the Alley Out On Bail. Good band! Great night.

Super awesome courts! They have real sand, covered benches and trash cans. Super convenient! Four…read morecourts so shouldn't be too crowded... Unless an event or tournament is going on. These courts are right next to the skate park, and after a certain time the bathrooms are closed so just be aware! Don't drink too much before or while your there!

Great courts. I play here once a week in a volleyball league. They are mostly maintained by the…read moreOrlando Sport and Social club so they can have their leagues here. There was a problem with court flooding in the rain but recently new sand was brought in to help alleviate the flooding. The city won't really put in money to maintain them so I hope that Orlando Sport and Social club continues to hold the leagues there and keep the courts maintained. There are no public court lights so if you are not with the club you will not be able to play after dark. Most weekdays the courts are empty. When it warms up expect the "pros" to dominate the courts on the weekends.

The Seminole County South Rotary Club hosts a two-day Art, Craft & Wine Festival event at the…read moreCranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs and it serves as a fundraiser for them with events like a Wine Stroll (For 2016, Tickets: $25 in advanced, $30 day of ) and a Chili Cook-off It's a free event, and while I didn't participate in either the Wine Stroll or the Chili Cook-off, I did have a lovely leisurely 2.5+ hr stroll checking out the over 150+ artists and crafters who were showcasing unique items, crafts, decorative products and arts. Some stalls were standouts - there was a local woodworker with really lovely and affordable furniture pieces, a stall which had antique spoons turned into functional jewelry pieces like rings, etc and another stall with artworks made from flip-flops. For the last one, it was so artfully done, I didn't realize the material used for the artworks were flip-flops at first! The amphitheater had live music, and it was a nice variety and lovely to hear in the background while wandering thru the stalls. Food vendor wise, there were only a couple of option and I couldn't help thinking they should have partnered with the Daily City Food Trucks events so a better variety of options could have been available. Also at night, not all vendors had access to electricity and so some of them were open, but I couldn't really check out what they were selling all that well. I had tons of fun browsing thru the stalls and so would definitely come and check this festival again next year, if in the area. Note: #377 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016

Smart park that is on a concrete walkway jutting out into the lake. At the end, you'll find…read morefishermen and maybe a beggar. It's a nice view of the lake and off in the distance, you can see the I-4 bridge and cars going by to Orlando and Daytona. Nice remembrance of those who gave their lives, going back to "The Great War" and since. Lots of benches. Very peaceful. The plaques that denote each of the major conflicts was interesting.

Hueys howitzers and…read moreheroes Veteran's Memorial Park in Deltona is a small park with a whole lot of interesting and poignant things to looks at and reflect on. Perhaps the first things that catches the eye is the AH-1 Huey/Cobra helicopter. Menacing and insect like, it still looks like it means business. An hundred and five millimeter howitzer as well as some huge artillery shells also are present in the park. If you look at the "street" names you will see that they are all named after famous battles from American history. However the real purpose is the park are all the plaques and monuments scattered about with the names of fallen heroes from past conflicts. A sobering reminder that the cost of freedom is not free.

Interlachen Country Club is truly as good as it gets. The whole facility is immaculate…read more Everything from the dining to the tennis courts, it's all really nice. The golf course is the highlight. It's very challenging and it's always in great shape. All the members are quality and the staff is top notch as well. This is one of the finest private clubs in the area.

I'm not a member of this club, but was invited to dinner last night and got to enjoy their lobster…read morebuffet. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the food is great (though I can't comment on what their usual meals are like). There was a wonderful spread of salad, different fish dishes, a huge tray of raw oysters and jumbo shrimp cocktail (and I really liked the cocktail sauce, which seemed homemade), pasta, grilled veggies, a carving station with BBQ brisket (not 4 Rivers good, but still pretty tasty) and assorted appetizers, fruit, cheese, and crackers. At the lobster station, someone will pull out a whole lobster from the pot and expertly remove the shell for you right there, giving you just the meat from the claws and tail with a little cup of drawn butter. (Of course, being Chinese, my husband asked for the brains too!) It wasn't the best lobster I've ever had because it was slightly rubbery, but it was very good for a buffet, and I think I ate at least 2 lobsters! The dessert area is always the highlight for me and I really had to limit myself to only three items. The apricot cheese cake, key lime pie, and apple cobbler were all delish! I have no clue how much the meal cost per person, but you get the chance to go, I highly recommend it! =)

In my opinion this is one of the best food and wine events in Central Florida! I've been three…read moretimes I think and each year I'm blown away. Are tickets expensive? Yes. But you'll definitely eat and drink your way through some of the best food you'll ever get at an event of this type. I ate tomahawk steak and caviar within minutes of each other. One of the vendors (maybe Jack Daniels?) was custom fitting cowboy hats, for free! Aside from the food and the drinks there were two stages this year and of course this event is a fundraiser so you know your money is going to a good cause. If you are on the fence about attending this event I urge you to just do it! You won't regret it!

Welcome back to arguably the biggest charitable/foodie event in Winter Park, or maybe all of the…read moreOrlando area. It is a one-night-only event for the purpose of raising funds for a couple of charities, chosen every year by co-founders John Rivers (he of 4 Rivers fame) and David LaRue, who's with ABC Fine Wines and Liquors. Their charities of choice this year are 4Roots and After School All Stars. Tix were $240 for VIP, $140 for general admission. It is western-themed, held under a big tent in the center of WP, with over 30 restaurants participating and contributing their time and treasures. That's right: the food and time are donated by each participating restaurant, and the drinks, by the fine wine / beer / spirit distributor. It is quite the show! Covid caused a reluctant cancellation in 2020 - a date had been set, but alas, with the surge, it had to bite the dust. Absence clearly made the heart (and palate) grow fonder - this year's resurgent event was sold out, with the VIP ones gone a week before the event. This year, VIPs are allowed an extra 30 minutes early check-in (in addition to the 60 minutes that's part of the VIP treatment: they get to go in when it's still light out, at 5:30, while general admission starts at 7 pm. You'd also get to ogle at the silent auction items (many wines/liquors donated by the same liquor distributors), and sample early foods before the crowd hits. The 'big hitters this year are a couple of champagnes from Taittinger, and two offerings from Caymus (one a Suison-Caymus Petit Sirah that's not easily available here, being so much in the shadow of its better-known siblings), along with quite a few big Napa Cabs. For us, the winners in the food area are Luke's 'duck ham', a Reel Fish snapper canape, a very smokey paella from 4 Rivers, the j'ne-sais-quoi taste in the Morimoto ramen, and a surprisingly good congee-thing from Hawkers. Just how many oysters the folks from 1921 served I can't tell. As in past years, we did not get to sample everything - you just run out of time and room in the tummy. I do think it'd be very helpful if they can provide some sort of map as to where everyone is: down to where the wines/spirits they tout can be found. I couldn't find where Norman Van Aken was at all night long... a big miss on my part. If you do go next year, and I'd highly recommend it, get your tix early or risk being disappointed. Also, consider either a ride-share option or park yourself: valet gets pretty crazy coming AND going. I know the price of admission is high, but it is a great event, and it's for a good cause.

I finally made it to Maitland Social for happy hour with friends, and I really enjoyed the…read moreexperience. I love the concept because everyone can order from different restaurants and bars without having to split up. It makes planning a group outing so much easier since everyone can get exactly what they're craving. The atmosphere was lively, the space was clean, and there was plenty of room to relax and catch up. Whether you're planning a girls' night, date night, or after work happy hour, this is a great spot to keep in mind. I still have a lot more to try, but my first visit definitely won't be my last.

Nice little food hall in Maitland off Horatiao ave and Maitland Ave (the Maitland end of mills)…read more They have the only other Wave sushi location in Central Florida outside of Mount Dora (their flagship location). This food hall also has a Foxtail coffee shop, with a donut spot (I think it's Shaka donuts), Pizza Bruno, and fitness and wellness shops. It's a cute spot in walking distance of a larger shopping strip with a Starbucks and other spots. I like coming here to get a bite with Wave, then go to the farmers market. Glad to have a food hall so close to home!

The City of Altamonte Springs puts on their Independence Day Celebration and fireworks show every…read moreyear on the 3rd of July and the call it Red Hot & Boom. We love that they pick the 3rd because it opens an opportunity to see another show on the 4th, thanks for that! After last years celebration, we were very saddened to hear that 2023 was going to be their last year putting this event on. I guess the public outcry was so great that they decided Red Hot & Boom must go on, and we are so glad it did. In my opinion, it's the best fireworks display in the central Florida region, I can say that because I've been to all the big events several times over the course of my 24 years living in the area. Who else has two identical displays going off simultaneously,with and extended finale, one on the west side and the other on the east side of Cranes Roost Park. Nobody else does this but The City of Altamonte Springs, so Thank You for continuing this tradition!!! As always, there is plenty of food, beer, and merchant vendors on site. There was at least 65 Porto John's available with hand sanitizer stations. There was five bands who kept us entertained all the way up to the moment before the fireworks were launched. Great job City of Altamonte Springs and a big Thank You to all of the sponsors for keeping this show going, us little people truly appreciate it!

Red Hot & Boom in Altamonte Springs on July 3rd, 2022 was seriously the best fireworks celebration…read morein a long time. This was super organized. It is free to get in and free to park. There is tons of space to sit all around Cranes Roost Park. Bring your chairs and blankets. I'd say bring those chairs so you are most comfortable. The sponsors really did a good job including the local radio station bringing some great entertainment and pop singers. It was very fun filled. The fireworks were in so many directions and they were huge and eye popping and had some energetic music with it. This was a blast and really made for a perfect independence celebration. This will definitely be a must do every year now. After seeing these fireworks, other fireworks are very difficult to beat.