Am I in the Truman Show?

My third day in Orlando, I decided to check out the town of Celebration that I had heard so much about from locals and tourists alike.  It was a short drive from Windsor Hills Resort and I arrived around 11am, just in time for lunch. 

As I drove around Celebration, a town built by Disney, looking for a parking space I began thinking that I had somehow stepped into the Truman Show.  My immediate impression was that Celebration is the quintessential American town and is pretty close to perfection, very similar to the town Jim Carey grows up in the movie the Truman Show.  Celebration taps into the American frontier spirit and all the homes are designed in neo-traditionalist style.  It is a charming American town of the past, complete with an ice cream parlor and an AMC movie theatre in the town’s center. 

I found a parking space after circling many times and decided to try out the Columbia Restaurant, which had been strongly recommended to me by several locals.  Columbia is a quaint and elegant restaurant located in the center of town — and Russ was correct when he said “the 1905 salad is the bomb.”  It was my first experience trying Cuban food, and I must say I am all for trying it again.    

After lunch, I made a quick stop at Kilwins, a confectionery chocolate and ice cream shop, for some fudge.  I am a sucker for chocolate, especially fudge, and I couldn’t resist as I walked by Kilwins and saw (and smelled) all the delightful and tempting chocolate treats in the window. 

Once I got my chocolate fix, I began walking the brick-lined streets of Celebration bouncing in and out of the boutiques and specialty shops I discovered along the way.  I found there were only a handful of clothing stores which was disappointing to me as I was ready to shop!  There are a variety of specialty shops however, that embody the small town charm that the town of Celebration prides itself on.  From a new and used booked store to a dog bakery to a custom frame shop, Celebration has an eclectic mix of boutiques and shops that you could easily spend hours exploring. 

I returned to Windsor Hills empty handed other than a half eaten box of fudge.  It was late afternoon and I was already hungry again for dinner.  I was dying to check out Pleasure Island so I decided to get ready and head out for a night on the town!

Jordan

Celebration

When staying in one of our Orlando vacation homes, don’t forget to visit the quaint downtown of Celebration. Celebration is located just east of I-4 off of Highway 192.

For those of you who have not heard of Celebration, the town was originally designed by Disney and is an incredibly charming and scenic town. The downtown boasts many good places to eat, drink and to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you are in the mood for a mellow movie night, Celebration’s cinema has two screens and is never very busy. One of my favorite features of Celebration is the fountain located near the lake across from the movie theatre. At anytime you can hear kids giggling and screaming as they run through the many spouts. As I mentioned previously, there are several outstanding restaurants in Celebration; I’ll list my favorite restaurants in the order that I like them.

Seito:
Great place for sushi and other Japanese favorites and is usually never crowded. It is the best kept secret around. You can eat either inside or outside. If you are lucky, Celebration may be hosting a festival of some sort and you will hear a local artist on the stage downtown.

Columbia:
Great Cuban food and their 1905 salad is the bomb. They have a nice, quiet bar that often times features Cuban music. They offer the best mojitos in town with mint leaves and real sugar cane sticks. The sangria is a popular drink and made tableside with wine, juice and fresh fruit.

Market Street Café:
Definitely the best breakfast in town. Their pancakes are awesome and it has the old time diner feel.

Celebration hotel:
I suggest trying the Filet Mignon eggrolls (they are outstanding!) and ordering a martini as they have a large selection of fun martinis to choose from. The hotel has a very charming lobby where a piano player plays the classics on the weekends. You can also take your favorite beverage outside by the lake and relax.

Town Tavern:
The burgers, seafood and clam chowder are excellent and the bar is a place “where everybody knows your name.” It is a wonderful spot where the locals hang and is very welcoming.

Desserts:
If you’re looking for some place to satisfy your sweet tooth, make sure to stop by Sherlock’s. They have some very tempting and delicious desserts, wines and teas. On Friday and Saturday nights they feature live music and if you like English beer, this is definitely the right spot.

If you’re looking for ice cream, Kilwins is the place to go. They host many different flavors along with decadent chocolate and fudge that are made on sight.

So, when you need a break from the craziness of days spent at the amusement parks on your Orlando family vacation, be sure to check out the quaint and charming town of Celebration. You will not be disappointed…..

1st annual New Years Eve in Celebration, FL.

I live in Celebration and am looking forward to the 1st annual New Years Eve Celebration. It will be nice to indulge a little and not have to worry about driving home - I have never been a fan of driving on New Years Eve. If you don’t want to worry about driving, there is a great boutique hotel located right in Celebration.

This year’s event will include great food, fireworks and some live music. The food in Celebration is awesome and the vendors will be out offering some of their tastiest dishes. They are saying that the last snowfall of 2007 will take place. If you haven’t seen this it is kind of fun and a little cheesy. The snow (soap) machines are on top of the lampposts and shoot out a mixture that resembles snow. Mostly the kids love the soapy snow as they immerse themselves with it, throw it at their buddies and slide around.

Hey, the event is free and will feature music by The Reflections Band Live and JR Richards.

This link has some information on the bands:

Below are the times of the events – it should be a fun time.

7:00 PM Event Starts

7:00 PM DJ Tami Begins

7:00-10:30 PM The Reflections Band

11:00 PM JR Richards (Dishwalla)

Midnight Fireworks

12:25 The Reflections Band

1:30 Events End

Russ