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For Brandcation Attendees (#4)

17 Jul By

The info below is subject to change and I will keep adding to it, so please keep checking back. Iten will be up on this page soon as well.

Sponsors

Dollywood (free admission + lunch)

  • Extra Info: We will allow you to split up in groups to run through Dollywood at your leisure. We will meet for lunch, please do not be late. They will be giving us a presentation about the brand at that time. We will then be able to go out again into the park. Dollywood will be offering vans for those bloggers interested in visiting the Dolly cabins. This is a unique way to bring something extra to your blog posts. They will bring you over and back to the park in groups. Please note that Dolly brands have been very generous and are looking at hosting Brandcation in a dolly cabin in the future (free of charge) so we would love your opinion if you would stay there.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Cabin Fever Vacations (special rates for our group)

  • Extra Info: The cabins would love to have you blog on their site. This is a GREAT way to get some travel blogging exposure for future comped trips for your blog and a link back. I will help set up all interested parties.
  • Their Facebook
  • Their Twitter

Dixie Stampede (free admission to dinner show)

Titanic Museum (Free admission to sold out tour, usage of meeting rooms, and breakfast)

 

Wax Museum (free admission, gift. tickets to give away on your blog)

Country Tonight (free admission to concert show, optional event, tickets to giveaway on your blog)

  • Extra Info: This is not a planned event, but they have offered us tickets. Those interested I will pass tickets to you and your friends and you can go at will while exploring. The theater is a multimillion dollar theater.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Flashy Blinky Lights – sponsorship for special (surprise) event

(more info coming soon)

 

 

Info you may need:

Hosted by: Brandfluential
Hashtag: #brandcation

(it is also fine to tag your posts with additional hashtags like the location #pigeon forge , #smokeymountains , etc)

We are going to PIGEON FORGE, NOT GATLINBURG. These cities are very different, although only 5 miles apart. PF is hosting us, so please do not write that wrong in your articles.

Things you should know:

We would like to host a group rafflecopter giveaway with one of your posts. The city of Pigeon Forge has been very generous in offering up admissions, food, and information. Its been very Southern hospitality at its finest. We will send out the code in about a week after return and I will keep the tickets and fulfill the prizes. We will all be hosting the same rafflecopter and the prizes will consist of tickets from the locations we visited!

We fully expect you to blog about and include your opinion/pictures for all the comped events and any sponsors that paid for us to attend. You may include the Dolly brand events into one post if you prefer…sorta like a “Dolly Day” (dixie stampede, dollywood). Additionally, we have one sponsor picking up a special event, so we would like you to include “brought to you by ___________”. I will give you more info at that time since its a surprise. After all, the entire reason the companies want bloggers there are to BLOG. Brandcation #3 girls really did a great job (120 posts and over 1400 social media shoutouts) but we believe this group will do even better. When it comes to SWAG and GIVEAWAYS, the focus on this Brandcation will be less swag since we are all coming in from different locations. In any case, you do not have to do an individual post about swag sponsors (unless you would like to) but we do ask that you do one “thank you to” post at the culmination of the event. We will provide you with a digital cut and paste that are welcome to customize.

* Please tweet and facebook while you are live at some of the events. We will ask you/remind you and we do NOT want it to take over the event, but we may ask you during down times to give outs to the brands. Show them the POWER of what you can DO. Our presence at some of these places is a FIRST for them and its up to this group of bloggers to show how positive a strong group of professionals can be.

You will have some down time. Please bring money for some food on your own, snacks, and extras you want to buy. We have built in breaks between events and in the evenings.

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

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Because we realize that Brandcations are a special breed of event, we want to thank YOU for giving back to the sponsors in a timely fashion. Between now and 2 weeks after the event, every one of the following earns you an entry :

  • tweet/follow of a brand
  • facebook like/share/follow of brand
  • blog post about the events/brands/brandcation
  • pin of a brand
  • link to a brand, etc
  • stumble one of the attendees posts on brandcation/events
  • any other social media aspect you think of not listed but related to events
  • pre-event ideas: shout outs on twitter, encourage visitors to follow, ask people if they have been to those locations, ask fav rides at dollywood, etc.

One winner will be rewarded from an entry to win thier choice of one of the following three prizes:

“Moms Playtime, Surftime, Alonetime Prize”

which will be an iPad2

or

“Moms a Business Woman with a Blog Prize”

which will be a Canon T3 12.2 meg with 18-55mm lense

or

“Moms Relax, Get out of my room, I am reading Pack”

which includes Kindle fire + 1 year amazon prime + $100 amazon gift card

There will only be ONE winner, but its just out of 33 other bloggers, so your chances get higher the more you do. I will pull the winner by “as the winner is” plugin. Just please come back and put your link to your tweet/facebook/pin, etc. in the comments. Every comment for your posts/social stuff you make on this post is an entry.

In adddition to your comments, PLEASE PLEASE put your articles in this linky when you write them and make the title something for us to know what it is. For example, if you are doing a post on Dixie Stampede, please write (Dixie Stampede/Momdot) or (Pre-brandcation Shoutout/MomDot) etc in the title. We are going to turn over your articles to the brands at the end and its helps us collect them in an easy way.  This is absolutely the most important part of the end of the event for us as the staff for this. Your articles and thoughts on where we visited help us decide future locations.

linky below, please wait for it to load. You may start now!

 


124.
You are next… Click here to enter
This list will close in 157 days, 9 hrs, 6 min (7/25/2013 11:59 PM North America – Central Standard Time)

Filed Under: Brandcation Tagged With: ,

Brandcation Sponsorship Goes to…..

16 Jul By 32 Comments

I didn’t expect to have 36 entries in the Brandcation sponsorship contest. I really didn’t. I thought 5, maybe 10 bloggers, would enter and it would just be a matter of who was the most creative. I was SO wrong. There were not only 36 entries, but 36 fantastic and beautifully written entries, some that included video, some that were heartfelt and some that had fantastic reasons on why they wanted to attend our 4th Brandcation. I was just telling Lynsey we could almost run a whole new event based just on those entries, but unfortunately we only had the one spot to give away.

Or did we…

During the course of this contest, we unfortunately had a blogger have to give up her ticket due to a work situation. While we are VERY VERY sad to see her not be able to attend, we are going to gift out her ticket to a second winner and Lynsey from Moscato Mom offered to pick up the cabin tab.

So in the end, we have been able to pick TWO bloggers based on the generosity of our attending bloggers and their kindness in supporting the women on this event. Which goes to show you just what kind of event this is!

The judges on this sponsorship were Kim and Nicole (on the Brandcation staff) and Toni, Lynsey, and Jen, all whom donated towards the sponsorships. I asked them to send me their top 3 bloggers out of what they read, in order of their picks, and not to copy any other judge. There were two bloggers that were consistently in all the judges emails in spaces 1 and 2 back to me.

Without further ado, the winners are:

Melissa from Fun Saving Mom, whom put together a really authentic video on why she wanted to attend and what she does all day as a mom

and

Cyn from Daily Cynema, whom put up laugh out loud photoshopped photos of herself “attending”, while also adding her desire to bike to Brandcation for charity.

Let me make something super clear.

There was not one bad entry in the bunch. NOT ONE.

Every blogger that entered deserved to win and as bloggers ourselves, we understand the hearts that go into an entry and the hope to win in the end. The simple fact is there could only be 1 (and lucky for us 2) winners but it does not mean that we won’t have other tickets come up. If we do, we will revisit this list to see if we can offer them back out, so please let us know below if you would still like to attend if the ticket (but nothing else) was sponsored. You can read more about past Brandcation events here. If for any reason either of these two bloggers cannot attend, we will revisit the entries for a new winner.

We do BEG you to join the forum and get to know the bloggers (and soak up their knowledge) and hopefully be one of the first to grab a ticket on the next one we host.  I also will list there if we have a ticket open up for any reason. We have a major amount of fun, get to expose the bloggers to really fantastic content to share back on their blogs, and do a ton of bonding. At the end of the day blogging can be very lonely if you isolate yourself. We use Brandcations to connect to brands, bloggers, and to finally meet up with some “co-workers” in a healthy non-competitive environment.

Thank you for every blogger that took the time to enter. We are humbled by your time and thoughtfulness and talent.

~Trisha

Filed Under: Brandcation Tagged With: ,

Win a ticket and lodging to Brandcation!

3 Jul By 24 Comments

We sold out of Brandcation: Blog Lodge in a day and a half but have a surprise for interested in attending bloggers. We are sponsoring the last ticket, free of charge, and the lodging, free of charge courtesy of Minnesota blogger from Life with Levi, and $100 to help with your food and extra expenses/travel stipend courtesy of Toni from Just Stop Screaming to one lucky winner.

Information is below:

Three amazing and fun-filled nights with 33 of your favorite online bloggers building relationships based on memories, adventure, and blog talk.  Just like our last three Brandcations, there will be fantastic comps, lots of bonding, and as always lots of  local and national amazing brand introductions.

In the past we have done Blogggers on Bourbon (New Orleans), Bloggers Go Global (Orlando), and Bloggers Gone Coastal (Pensacola Beach). All the events were widely fun and have a solid reputation of providing a true bonding experience. Please note that while you may win your ticket and lodging, your transportation and  some meals are up to you. Please read all the details on our event page here and note the actual details and responsibilities of attending bloggers.

Here is a small sample of the weekend and is covered in your ticket:

 

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

To Enter To Win the LAST brandcation ticket (Worth $125) and the FREE Lodging (Worth $150) and a $100 travel/food stipend, we have a super easy entry!:

We want you to write a blog post and answer one of the two questions:

1) WHY you want to attend and what it would mean to you

or

2) WHY you want to go to Pigeon Forge and the place you are most excited to visit listed on our iten up there.

————————————-

NOTE: Please make sure link in your article per FTC rules that this giveaway is sponsored by MomDot (linking to this post is fine) , Minnesota Blogger Life with Levi  and Toni from Just Stop Screaming.

Once your article is done, please link the post on the linky tools below. Please note it may take a moment to load.

Details: Giveaway ends on July 13th. Winners will be selected by CREATIVITY and skill in the post, not random. We are looking for someone really excited to attend! Lodging and ticket is only useable for lodging and ticket and is paid directly to the event and has no cash value. Stipend for travel awarded to you after confirmation of attendance. Your ticket and lodging is not transferable if you choose not to attend will be awarded to a new winner chosen by our committee. Your travel stipend will be awarded at the event in cash (or up to 1 week prior in Paypal) to help you with food and related expenses.

Filed Under: Brandcation Tagged With: ,

Enhanching your camera for the blogger

15 Nov By 12 Comments

As a blogger, and as a mom, my camera is one thing that rarely leaves my side. In fact, it never leaves my side short of a trip to the store and sometimes even then I second guess throwing it around my neck. Recently I had a chance to work with two different companies, both that have improved my photos and my fashion.

LightScoop

I have to admit that I can take a great photo outdoors but when it comes to taking photos inside, I am severely lacking the equipment and skills to get the lighting just right. That can be a concern if you take a lot of photos of your kids or even taking pictures of products that you share online.

I had heard about LightScoop on other sites but hadn’t paid a lot of attention till I had an opportunity to test it out myself. When it arrived, it looked simple enough and I wasn’t 100% sure how it was going to make any difference whatsoever to my photography.

From the website:

[learn_more caption="About Light Scoop" state="open"]

Lightscoop® is a smart low-tech device that creates soft, flattering light by redirecting your camera’s pop-up flash to a ceiling or wall.

Don’t let your convenient little pop-up flash ruin your photos with evil red eye, ugly shadows, hot spots, bleached out faces, underexposed colors, and blurry movement that exist only in your photographs, not in the real world. Slip a Lightscoop® on your camera and never miss out on another fabulous picture!

Lightscoop creates soft, natural light and lets you capture the scene the way you see it. [/learn_more]

So I just put on, slides right into the same area as you would have in your flash, and tested it out. These are real, untouched photos.

At only $29.95, I have personally found that the lightscoop is a worthwhile , if not important, investment for your camera. You do sometimes have to position yourself to get the best photo so the light bounces correctly, but I have no problem stating that my photos have improved drastically and noticeably.

My only concern that I have noticed with Lightscoop is that the little plastic pieces that slide into the flash area on your camera appear to be weak. I have removed it a few times and slid back on and while it hasn’t broken, I have noticed that they do take some care and appear to be loosening.

They have two different light scoops as well…a warming and a standard. I only got use of the standard but am thinking of buying the warming to spruce up the photos I take indoors of my family.

Right now, because shipping time is 2-3 weeks, you can enter the Lightscoop coupon code PATIENCE to receive 15% off a purchase.

—————————————-

Capturing Couture

Another company I am really excited to share is Capturing Couture. To be honest, I had never heard of them, nor had I ever considered a fancy camera strap before, but as soon as they reached out I noticed how brilliant it was. I was still wearing a camera strap that said “CANON” up and down it and I never noticed, but when I received this strap

it instantly made me..well…happier.

I never thought of my camera as pretty, but there it was…wearable a show piece.

[learn_more caption="About Capturing Couture" state="open"]

For every fashionista trendsetter, we’ve got a unique & stylish camera strap for you! The time has come where fashion meets camera gear. No matter your style, we’ve got you covered with styles ranging from bohemian chic to girly glam, frilly rose organza flowers to modern and urban black and white graphic prints.

For anyone with a camera, wedding photographers, chic trendy moms or even the casual shutterbug.

Express yourself today with a funky camera strap and let your camera strap show a little bit of your inner personality![/learn_more]

Camera Couture carries a variety of camera straps in different patterns and colors. It never occurred to me that I was wearing my camera as an accessory quite often and I didn’t have to look like an advertisement for the brand, but rather find something that was uniquely me.

And cute.

I actually threw away my “canon” strap and my DH said…are you sure you don’t want to keep in case? Nope. Cause if something ever happens to this one, I’m going to get another one.

Here are some pictures from Brandcation that other people caught of me….you can see it totally compliments my hot pink jacket! I recieved so many wonderful comments about this strap! As a blogger on trips quite often during the year, even something as simple as changing the camera strap made me feel like I looked more professional, that I took my photography seriously, and that I was invested in what I was doing.

The camera straps and wristlets start at $25 and go up to $49 and would make a perfect gift for the camera enthusiast (and yourself!) this holiday season.

On top of Capturing Couture being a totally clever idea, it was founded by two…who else…moms.

Head over to Capturing Couture to see all the designs available and purchase yours today.

~Trisha

Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Boggy Creek Airboats and Gatorland

13 Nov By 4 Comments

On the second day of our event, it was a Gator filled day, starting out at the light of the dawn and packing up to Boggy Creek to enjoy a brisk, if not freezing cold, day out on the water wading through the natural habitat of the alligator.

When we first arrived at Boggy Creek my car was high fiving and giggling like 5 year olds that we were the first car to arrive. We had stopped at the gas station and picked up coffees, because Orlando was experiencing a freak 30 degree cold spell that morning, before heading over so we were quite surprised when we got there to find no one else. It wasn’t long before we all realized that our car was separated from the other cars and we were at separate locations, both for Boggy Creek Airboats, but on completely opposite sides of the town 45 minutes away.

Because our boat trip was only to be 30 minutes as it was, we knew that we didn’t want everyone to wait nearly an hour for us four to get to the other side, so we told them to go ahead and go on and we would meet them at Gatorland. As we were getting ready to go, we decided to take a few photos to prove we were actually at the right place, wrong location, and would sneak into the boats for some pictures since no one was in the office.

Of course four women hanging out on a boat dock is ultra suspicious and before we even got a leg in on the boats, someone had pulled up and gone into the office. We decided to go in and explain ourselves and the manager at Boggy Creek got a good laugh and said she thought maybe we were tourists enamored with the airboats.

It wasn’t long before she had gotten on the phone to verify us and offered us our own tour through the location we were at. We were so grateful! After our driver had arrived, we hoped in the boat, along with four people from Great Britain – in shorts and no coats- and took a cruise.

Our boat operator was knowledgeable and took us right through the weeds and lily pads to all the favorite alligator hide out spots in hopes to see some sunning on the edge. Because of the freak colder than cold lows however, we didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of any gators.

That doesn’t mean the trip was devoid of wildlife! With the wind whipping in our hair, we saw two bald eagles, a variety of water birds like egrets and crane, and even a bird that our boat captain said was so rare that there are only 50 left in the world. We were also greeted by some beautiful plants and flowers, and I could really see what an enjoyable day this would be had it been slightly warmer.

If you are looking for a real authentic Florida Experience, make sure you put Boggy Creek Airboats on your list of a fun family adventure for your upcoming Florida trip!

[box type="info"]

Discover territory that remains unaltered by man in the wilderness of the Central Florida Everglades. Let our experienced Master Captains take you into the breathtaking beauty of natural wonders, including wetlands, cypress trees, and wildlife. Ride with a certified U.S. Coast Guard Captain and see Florida Alligators, turtles, birds and more in their natural environment. This safe, exciting and educational airboat ride is filled with surprises and fascination. View wildlife on a U.S. Coast Guard Inspected 17 passenger airboat.

Each airboat tour is a unique experience and never the same. You will enjoy whisking across the surface of the water at speeds up to 45 mph while shooting between walls of tall grass. NOTE: The best time to see alligators is early in the morning (before 10:00 AM) during hot weather and later in the day in the cold.[/box]

*Tip: Bring your telephoto lens to capture of the wildlife and some chapstick to fight the wind

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After our adventure on water, we headed off over to Gatorland, a complete guarantee that we were going to experience some gators and right out the gate had a chance to hold and look a baby gator eye to eye. Don’t be fooled, these gators, even small, could remove a fingers so dont attempt in the wild!

Meeting up with us was our tour guide Donny, a local commercial celebrity, and he gave us some information about Gatorland and even told us about a fire they had a few years ago.

About Gatorland

[box type="info"]

For over half a century, Gatorland has been creating fond vacation memories for millions of visitors who have entered through its gaping gator mouth entrance. Families, friends and employees alike have ventured through the glass double doors on their way to a journey through this natural, low-tech adventure. Located between Orlando and Kissimmee on the South Orange Blossom Trail, Gatorland is one of Central Florida’s oldest attractions, and provides a unique and natural alternative to the larger theme parks of today.

Founded by the late Owen Godwin in 1949, and still privately owned by his family today, Gatorland is a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve, combining “Old Florida” charm with exciting, new exhibits and entertainment. Known internationally as the “Alligator Capital of the World,” Gatorland today provides affordably priced family-fun with thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh with boardwalk and observation tower, one-of-a-kind reptilian shows, aviary, petting zoo, swamp walk, educational programs and much, much more.[/box]

The first thing we did was head over the alligator feeding area. While there is a fence initially to separate you, if you have signed up for their experience to feed an alligator, you go right in. Safety first at Gatorland and our tour guide went in first, made sure there were no hiding alligators out of the water, and let us in 10 at a time to throw food to the gators and take pictures a little too close for my comfort.

It was clear that the gators were used to eating well. They were massive beasts. That being said, dont let their size be an estimate of how fast or slow they are. Just by looking at them I was concerned in one leap I would have lost 4 mom bloggers.

I did manage to throw my portion of the meat out, but I didnt get much closer than that.

Donny, quite a funny guy, pretty much scared the pee out of Maggie and Blondie by shaking the bushes while they were taking a picture not 2 feet in front of the largest gator. Good stuff.

After that, we went over and saw four unique white alligators. They are not albino, but actually white gators with blue eyes. Our tour guide told us that someone was in the swamp and saw gators coming out of eggs and when they hatched I believe he said there were 12 white alligators, the only ones in the world. Currently there are only the 4 left  in the world and they are housed at Gatorland.

Off to lunch, where they serve, surprise surprise, Gator. I didn’t try it so I don’t have any comment on it. HA! Then our group split up and toured through Gatorland. I wandered around to capture some photos and was surprised to see birds that sat on the backs of gators all day. It didn’t think to ask, but am unsure if that is a captivity situation where they are fed so often a bird doesn’t matter, or if its some way that nature works itself out.

I don’t think you would ever catch me on the back of a gator in the water!

Gatorland also has an alligator “wrestling” show where they demonstrate turning an alligator on its back and the weirdest thing is it falls asleep. It goes dormant.

I have never seen anything like it! You can purchase tickets discounted right on their website.

Gatorland was a fun place and I heard from many of the bloggers its one of the places they are most likely to bring their kids back to in the area we were visiting.

Just make sure they dont set on the ledges…

~Trisha

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tickets were complimentary as part of Brandcation

Check out the +smallest towns in America

Filed Under: Brandcation, Family Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Running Brandcation

13 Nov By 14 Comments

I wanted to share some of the chaos of what it looked liked before everyone got there…running a meetup out of the town you live in is relatively complicated requiring lots of people who love you enough to host the boxes, drop them off, help you unload them. I think that we were totally unprepared for the positive sponsorships we received and all the staging we had to do when we arrived to our destination.

Boxes. Boxes. Boxes. If I never have to break down a box again for as long as I live, Ill be happy. Also, if you are thinking of running an event like this, make sure you have a full arsenal of tape, garbage bags, screwdriver and flashlight on hand.

Trust me.

We are incredibly grateful to all the sponsors who directly contributed to the success of the event by making it a ton of fun and easing the attending cost.

The ULTIMATE Sponsor:

Global Resort Homes

Event Sponsors:

Brandcation Swag Bag Sponsors:


Snack Sponsors:
Giveaway Sponsors:
Filed Under: Brandcation, Family Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dinner and a Show…literally.

13 Nov By 7 Comments

While in Orlando you will have a chance to visit just about any type of food that you want to wet your appetite. That being said, Orlando and Kissimmee are home to some extremely fun dinner opportunities that will delight and amaze your family while on your vacation in the area. I dont know about you, but my local city has very little night life attractions, so when the choices are aplenty on vacation, I choose the fabulous over the doldrum.

On Brandcation our group had the opportunity to check out two such area attractions on two of our evenings touring the area.

Sleuths:

Officially on the Sleuths website they say:

Join us in one of our three intimate and climate-controlled theatres as you mingle with outrageous characters. Watch out, you might be chosen for a cameo role in the show!

All shows are 2-1/2 hours of scripted mystery, improvisation and audience participation. Watch for anything suspicious, interrogate the suspects and help us solve the crime!

Bring your investigative skills, your appetite, and be prepared to laugh your way through the evening at Sleuths Mystery Dinner Shows, Orlando, Florida.

Upon arrival to Sleuths, the check in was easy as pie as we let them know our group of 33 were in. We had pre-chosen our meal, choices of chicken or lasagna, and within 10 minutes were seated with salad and drinks, including nonstop beer and wine, while the show began its preparations.

Already in character, the actors and actresses were buzzing through the crowds, light heartily picking on guests as they took their seats, and allowing us a chance to giggle at the extreme costumes and personalities they were portraying. Once the show began, we found out as the crowd, we were part of the town there on a celebration and watched as a story unfolded on the stage in front of us that subsequently ended in a murder.

The show included a police officer that then walked around to each table and took interrogation questions from each table, some of the most obvious questions like an alibi alluding most of us, and the characters improved their answers. The show, friendly for children and families, kept it clean but also included some adult humor that kept our table cracking up until the end.

One thing about this show, is its very interactive and the small atmosphere gives it a down home feeling in the room. You will catch yourself laughing with your table and cracking up as they continuously pick on and put people on the spot in the audience. What was great, was the audience was playing along and some of the best lines of the night came straight from someone there just for dinner.

There are quite a few shows appearing at Sleuths and even if you are local, you have a chance to attend a few times a month to see, and be involved in, new shows.

Regular Prices

  • Adult: $52.95
  • Children 3-11: $23.95

*Prices include: Dinner, Show, Unlimited Beer, Wine, and Soft Drinks.

You can hire this fun and cheerful cast anywhere in the world and they will travel to you for corporate, business, or personal fun filled dinner theater.

Visit on Facebook Here

*Tip: No flash photography allowed

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Arabian Nights

At the exciting Arabian Nights Dinner Attraction, guests enter the magical world of Scheherazade, a young girl with a bigger-than-life dream of becoming a beautiful Princess. Two magical Genies take Scheherazade and her guests on a thrilling and romantic adventure filled with music, lights and daring acts where anything can happen, from a square dance on horseback to chariots racing and Gypsies leaping, flipping and dancing on moving horses’ backs!

The large-scale theatrical production at Arabian Nights features riders and acrobats performing with more than 60 horses, including Walter Farley’s Black Stallion. The nightly performances, featuring delicious menu options, give guests the most incredible experience among Central Florida’s dinner shows.

Arabian Nights, the Most Honored Dinner Show in the World, is located in Orlando’s tourist heartland and close to Walt Disney World® Resort, Universal Studios® Resort and the Sea World Adventure Park.

Saturday night during Brandcation our group of 33 headed over to the well know Arabian Nights to watch a true family dinner show experience. When we first pulled up, the lines were incredible long, which were reminiscence of my family vacation, but luckily we had a group ticket line and walked right up. If you have a large group, I highly suggest prebooking to save your self quite a bit of time.

10 minutes after checking in, we were greeted at the door and took a large group photo, where the photographers was patient with this group of women and created a beautiful memory that I did choose to buy (cost $10). At Arabian Nights they have a store that you can wander through { I picked up a few goodies for my family}, full of many horse toys, swords, and breakables and then went into a larger area for a pre-show that included a belly dancer, some audience dance competitions, and a bar if you needed or wanted a drink. Bring cash!

Arabian Nights also offers a VIP experience where at this time, should you choose to opt for that, you can go in ahead of the crowd and do a meet and greet with the riders and horses close up. I can remember doing that with Charlotte and she was completely enamored. As a 5 year old, her eyes just lit up at the group of horses, dressed in beautiful garb, that were on display.

Adults: $15 upgrade fee
Children: $12 upgrade fee

As a group we didn’t do that, but it wasn’t long before we were brought in and seated in three long rows side by side.

Once seated the servers begin almost immediately in filling drinks and while tea wasn’t on the initial menu, she went and brought me a pitcher of it quite quickly. Like most dinner shows, there were concessionaires walking around selling tiaras and light up swords to make the kids happy…or the kids at heart considering many in our group of mom bloggers had no problem shelling over cash to feel like a pretty pretty princess.

After drinks were served and salads came out, the show began. Because its on stadium seating, there really wasn’t a bad seat in the house and there were not any problems with adults in front of you being too tall for the little ones. The story was simple, easy to follow for the 10 and under crowd, and had constant motion of horse tricks, acrobats, and performers.

Dinner:
Individually plated three-course dinners feature several entree choices.  All meals (excluding vegetarian lasagna and children’s meal) are served with steakhouse mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

  • * Sirloin steak
  • * Grilled chicken breast
  • * Certified Black Angus chopped steak with brown gravy
  • * Vegetarian lasagna
  • * Pork Tenderloin with Marsala Sauce
  • * Children’s chicken tenders with macaroni & cheese

All meals are served with a house salad, dinner rolls and unlimited Bud Light beer and Pepsi-Cola products. Dessert is a choice of Oreo fudge brownie or New York style cheesecake with strawberry sauce.

You can follow Arabian Nights on Facebook here.

*Tip: Flash photography allowed, but no video. Keep your fancy DSLR camera lenses at home……the lights were often not big enough to get rid of the camera shake and your extension flash wont make much of a difference.

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~Trisha

tickets were complimentary as part of brandcation

Filed Under: Family Travel, Sidebar News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Florida Ecosafaris; Ziplining & Conservation

13 Nov By 3 Comments

Off the beaten path in the Florida wildlife sits a conservation park where the cows are plenty, the horses are ridden by real cowboys, and the faint sound of people zipping through the air can be heard in the natures wild. Or maybe thats just squeals of laughter.

Florida Ecosafaris recently was an event sponsor for Brandcation Global Getaway and hosted 33 bloggers that were on an adventure of a lifetime to find what else there was to do in the Orlando and Kissimmee area.

Just an hour away from the major theme parks, we took a ride out that brought us further and further into the nothingness and started to wonder exactly where we were going and what we were doing. Pulling into the parking lot we stood in a group debating the usage of our bags, cameras, and even if we were in the right place, as Florida Ecosafaries is devoid of any real commercial buildings and instead had a few outer lying farms and one wooden building with signs leading to a restaurant.

After enough stalling and question asking, we headed off to the building to find a friendly cat waiting for a little pit pat and a quaint set up to take a load off and become part of the wilderness from the moment you left your car. Florida Ecosafaries, a 4700 acre ranch and wildlife conservatory, boasts an unforgettable journey that does not disappoint.

After being weighed for safety reasons {no worries, they keep those numbers private} our group split up into three tour groups which allowed for 12 zipliners at once.

I was in the last group that went out at 11:15, which meant I had a few hours to explore and wonder if my gravestone would include a Mommies Gone Wild adventure gone wrong. While waiting we had a chance to explore the property, feeding and petting on horses, wandering around a real life working ranch, and searching for alligators in some of the outlying ponds. Just the mere act of walking around a place of untouched wild will ultimately change how you feel about life. The smell of the sweet air, the slight brisk that St. Cloud was that morning, and the ability to take pictures and interact with nature is something that often goes idly missing in this world of technology.

With an early lunch home style spread of beans, coleslaw, pork sandwiches and apple crumble dessert to keep our bellies full, we were given a brief synopsis of the importance of this eco-friendly area and how it came about.

Then we hitched on our walking boots and headed the 25 feet out to a truck that took us on a trip to the launching area. Once in the staging area that would begin our tour, we had a chance to meet some animals that were on property, and head over to receive important instructions on how to latch up and get dressed for our zipline.

Initially the hooks, cables, and cords can look scary, but our instructor had it together in an easy to follow instruction and doubled checked everyone before we were released to our tour guides. I can tell you that the nerves were setting in, but the mere act of keeping my hands busy before the actual walk over to the ziplining was an excellent distraction. Once hitched up, quite tightly I might add, we took a walk through the wilderness and marveled at 3 inch long grasshoppers and how the trees went on for miles. As we approached our launch point, my heart sank.

I guess I assumed that we would walk up a hill and zipline down, or maybe an elevator would take us up and we would jump off, but what I found was a tall, shaky, metal staircase that appeared, in my brain, to go for miles. After not volunteering to be the first one up, I eventually stepped forward on my trek. It was shaky, the wind wasn’t exactly 6 miles an hour that day, but I made it without incident and huddled at the top where they assured me that 30 people could stand safely.

The tour guides were nothing but funny, encouraging, and literally held our hands through the process and beginning of the first jump. The last person up the stairs is the first to jump and the first person up the stiars is the last person to jump because of how you are clipped in. Looking down, straight down, once standing up there, made my stomach leap in itself but the irony being that going down the stairs posed a great risk and fear than just ziplining down, so ultimately my mind was made up.

Regardless It wasn’t like I was going to chicken out with 11 other bloggers staring at me. After a bit it came to my turn and as most had safely made it across, my chances were as good as any. Our tour guide hooked me in, gave instructions once again, endured my never ending questions on each platform if she had done it right, and I did my own send off.

Stepping off that first platform was the hardest thing I have done in a long time. Its not exactly nature to force yourself to go 50 feet in the air and then purposely jump off. But after the first 3 seconds of flying, and that’s what it felt like..flying, the fear turns into solid joy and I was questioning myself on where the fear came from initially to begin with.

Through a two hour tour, 7 ziplines, each one longer than the rest, and 2 shaky planked bridges, we encouraged each other, sought refuge in the wind, and learned we could do whatever our minds set forth to do. I have never felt so free, so in tune with being outside, and so willing to return to an adventure in my life.

Aside from the conservatory aspect and the amazing feat that 30% of all monies made from Florida Ecosafaris goes right back into acquiring additional lands to continue to preserve Florida, the sheer aspect of flying through the air uninhibited will be a memory that I will keep locked safe for a long time.

Forever will my vacations to Orlando with my family and friends be changed by this experience, because now instead of just thinking of what time I have to be somewhere to watch fireworks and get Mickey Mouse to sign my autograph book, I’ll also be planning on what time I have to get up to go horseback riding, ziplining, and creating a memory with my family that will last for years to come.

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Visiting Florida EcoSafaris:

  • Zipline Safari
    Prepare yourself for a brand new tree-top nature tour like none other. The thrilling Zipline Safari allows you the perfect aerial vantage point to experience Florida’s diverse ecosystems on a one-of-a-kind adventure. You’ll soar through the tree tops 55 feet off the ground along runs spanning up to 750′ in length and make your way across two sky-bridges all the while enjoying Florida’s natural flora and fauna under the watchful eye of your expert guides.
  • Brace yourself for the sensation of flight as you Zipline smoothly through Pine Flatwoods and over wetlands, home to native Florida wildlife including alligators, black bears, white tail deer and the endangered Florida Panther, all at speeds up to 25 miles per hour! Are you ready to Zip Florida™?
  • Coach Safari
    On this two-hour eco-safari, you’ll journey deep into the 4700 acre Forever Florida wildlife conservation area. Your expert guide will get you up-close to everything as you make your way over land and water onboard our special open-air safari coaches, elevated 5 feet off the ground for a fantastic view of everything. Midway through your adventure, you’ll get a chance to stretch your legs along a boardwalk that winds through 500 year old cypress trees and takes you over the Bull Creek floodplain.
  • Hold onto your seat and get your cameras ready for a relaxing Florida photo-safari.
  • Horseback Safari
    Experience natural Florida just as the founding settlers did – on horseback. Forever Florida boasts some of the best riding in Central Florida featuring historic trails first used for horseback riding by Native Americans back in the 1500′s. Enjoy a one, two or three-hour adventure through the wildlife conservation area which covers nine distinct Florida ecosystems. Your journey is fully-guided to make sure you don’t miss a single opportunity to spot wildlife. Horses are individually matched to each rider’s personality and experience level so first-timers are welcome.
  • Preserving Natural Florida
    Florida EcoSafaris follows one of the prime directives of eco-tourism, the concept of giving back. A full 30% of revenues from the Zipline Safari, Coach Safari and Horseback Safaris are donated to the conservation effort with the goal of acquiring additional lands to be preserved at Forever Florida. For more information about the inspiration behind our conservation efforts, please visit the Allen Broussard Conservancy page of this site. Thank you for helping us save wild Florida!

Reserve your Tickets Today!

Pricing packages for all types of adventures available.

To read more about the bloggers and how they felt about this adventure, please head over to the Brandcation Roundup page and click on the links at the bottom.

~Trisha

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*tickets were complimentary as part of brandcation. Check out our Adventures Unlimited Zip Line Tour in Milton Florida

Filed Under: Brandcation, Family Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,