LEGOLAND Florida will be a 145-acre family theme park geared specifically for children ages 2 to 12. There will be more than 50 interactive rides, shows and attractions including LEGO models.

The parts of the new Legoland include:

• City – featuring a Driving School where children earn their first “driver’s license” and families compete on Fun Town Fire Academy – a competitive ride that challenges families to get a fire truck from one side to another and put out a faux fire;
• Imagination Zone – where children can build on their imaginations and race cars against each other;
• DUPLO® Play Area – ideal for toddlers and their growing minds;
• Factory Tour – a first hand look at how LEGO® bricks are made from factory to finish; Castle Hill – a medieval area featuring an indoor/outdoor rollercoaster taking guests on a ride in and out of a castle where a dragon defends his treasure and Dino Island – where guests take a trip to prehistoric times and experience their first “thrill” ride.
• Retail and dining areas were also introduced including The Big Shop, one of the largest LEGO retail stores in the country and the Garden Restaurant where tasty homemade soups and sandwiches are served.

In addition, most of the historic parts of Cypress Gardens will remain. The British manager of the park, Adrian Jones, quoted in Tampa Bay Online, says the park’s unique water ski show, botanical gardens and some rides will remain.

“Cypress Gardens was beautiful,” Jones said to TBO. “Why would we not integrate that into our site? We’re discussing how to create a Lego water show.”

Keep up with the details of the new park at florida.legoland.com/

More Florida stories you might like …

• Religion at Cypress Gardens; Bring Back Day of Discovery
• Cypress Gardens Belles Are Back!
• Fantasy of Flight Honors Black Aviation History
• Cypress Gardens Becomes LegoLand?
• Florida Frank Lloyd Wright Campus Featured in NY Show
• New Universal Coaster, SeaWorld Manta
• While Visiting Florida, Get Some Religion

SARASOTA – On St Armands check out the leisure togs at Taffy’s menswear. Always something dashing going down on the Circle.

More Florida stories you might like …

• Catch Owen’s Fish Camp in Sarasota
• 80th Year for Sarasota Tarpon Tournament
• Sarasota’s Hob Nob, Classic Florida Drive-In
• Sarasota Open Volleys May 8-15
• Great Time For Sarasota Real Estate
• Find a Retro House in Sarasota
• Fend Off Some Sharks at Mote
• Take a Psychadelic Trip in the Beatles’ Bentley

It’s great 1980s funk, with a smither of 70s and quite a broad reach. Those who were at University of Virginia in the 1980s will be reminded of The Party Authority on WUVA (or was it TJU?)

But back to the Tampa show. It is hosted by DJ CenFlo, and its described as a “funkafied trip back to the music of yesterday.” On their website, they listed some recent artists. (Just FYI, DJ CenFlo does Sugar Hill Gang.)

We particularly like the D-Train.

You can listen online as well, and send out shoutouts while the show is live. Or put some cash into their tip jar. It’s public radio, after all.

See WMNF.

More Florida stories you might like …

• Florida Wins Republican Convention
• Tampa Mall Hopping at WestShore, International Plaza
• Lowry Park Valentine’s Day
• Eleven Reasons To Move The Family to Florida Now
• IKEA Opens In Tampa
• Tampa Bay Business News
• Hungry for Maas Brothers Cinnamon Rolls
• Four Country Clubs for One Price

The restaurant will be a relaxed European bistro serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and featuring great sandwiches, wines, savory desserts, cappuccino and more.  Owner Avi Sekerel has been delightingBoca Raton with Saquella Café and now looks forward to serving Palm Beach Gardens. Avi received his education at the prestigious HotelConsult Cèsar Ritz in Switzerland, went on to open numerous restaurants, write a cook book on guiltless gourmet, and even hosted his own cooking show in Israel from 2003-2005.

Avi takes pride in his restaurants being a no-fry-zone offering fresh delicious meals at an approachable price point. Diners will enjoy gelato made fresh in front of them, artful salads, and at least three fish dishes in addition to a full diverse menu offered each day. A treat that is sure to become a favorite is “afugatto” the one calorie Italian favorite of espresso whipped with fresh made fat free gelato.

Also at the center:

• Top Drawer is expanding from 1300 to 1600 square feet.  Owner Joyce Weiss opened the unique shop in 2007 featuring “fashions for the sophisticated woman” and in the last few years has found success through excellent customer service and featuring all European hand selected fashions that you simply cannot find anywhere else.  In the boutique you will find designers such as: Le Painty, Zanella, Newman, Dismero, VotreNom, Missoni, Gran Sasso, Gossip, Vera Wang, GF Ferre and of course Elegantissimo, just to name a few. They also offer custom professional tailoring.  Grand opening at the new location is scheduled for mid summer.
• Furry Paws opening later this week, will feature pet beds, leashes, food, treats and more in PGA Commons East.   Well behaved pets are always welcome to shop with their parents to help pick out a treat!  Owner Melissa Ayers looks forward to meeting you and the furry paws!
• Coldwell Banker Real Estate is opening a branch in PGA Commons East late summer.  The brand was founded in 1906 on a commitment to professionalism and customer service that remains the core of their business philosophy today. They are the nation’s oldest real estate organization and their experience has helped make the dream of homeownership a reality for millions of families.

PGA Commons offers three distinct centers spanning one mile along PGA Boulevard between I95 and the Florida Turnpike.

See www.PGACommons.com.

More Florida stories you might like …

• About the PGA National in Palm Beach
• Lilly Store Opens In P.B. Gardens

Owen’s, which opened in early 2010, is named for early Sarasota pioneer Owen Burns. The stand manages to be deliberately nostalgic without being affected. It’s the quality of the experience. On a packed Friday night, everyone seemed to have time and attention for everyone else. Patrons included families with grandchildren, couples on dates, retired folk, and young singles. No group so ruled the roost that they turned the place into their own territory. Instead, it was all about everyone.

Located on a back street under a banyan, it’s owned by the Caragiulo brothers, who run the successful Caragiulos on Palm Avenue. It’s a basic seafood menu, all reasonably priced, with some inexpensive sandwich items. Fish come three ways, with a few basic sauces, all well prepared. With a fish dinner, I got corn on the cob, served with mismatched corn-cob holders. Now that’s authentic Florida.

Menu items run to the retro, but not annoyingly so. Including menu items such as greens and rhubarb strawberry pie can quickly turn cliche, as if these items could be seen as somehow gimmicky. But they both were obviously on the menu for a sensible serious reason; they taste good, and give patrons something different.

My former co-worker and Florida food connoisseur Silly Goose loves the place.

Creating a hit restaurant that captures a moment and place is always a difficult thing; it’s even more difficult at the height of a desperate recession, but the reasonable prices and restrained atmosphere suit the times.

See Owen’s Fish Camp, 516 Burns Ct., Sarasota Fl 34236, call (941) 951-6936 or owensfishcamp.com

More Florida stories you might like …

• Take a Psychadelic Trip in the Beatles’ Bentley
• Funky Cool Florida Grandad Duds
• 80th Year for Sarasota Tarpon Tournament
• Weeki Wachee Mermaids Go To London
• Sarasota’s Hob Nob, Classic Florida Drive-In
• Sarasota Open Volleys May 8-15
• Great Time For Sarasota Real Estate
• Great Video of Moonport Mercury

One of the best of the Florida British goods companies is 4 & 20 Pasty Company in Sarasota County. Located on Swift Road just a few stoplights past Siesta Key, the Pasty Company has all the great British bakery items including pork pies, desert pasties, Cornish pasties, steak kidney and mushroom pie, shepherd’s pie and other assorted baked goods. Owners Richard and Barbara Posner, who started the business in 1990, hail from London.

They are not just a shop, but a USDA-inspected manufacturer and wholesaler, and sell across the nation. Particularly worthwhile are their apple pies, made with fresh Russet apples and baked to that crispy spot just before the crust turns bitter. Have a White’s Lemonade with it, and it is heaven.

See 4and20PastyCompany.com or call 941-927-1421. 5638 Swift Road, Sarasota, FL 34231

Random Posts

The FWC encourages all boaters to operate at slow speed within 300 feet of all authorized booms.  Boaters operating near any oil-containment booms or cleanup equipment should exercise extreme caution and comply with all applicable navigational rules.  Oil-skimming equipment is large and cumbersome, and it is restricted in its ability to maneuver.  As a result, boaters should be prepared to stay clear of these vessels when operating near them.

Failure to operate at slow speed in these areas could result in injury, damage to vessels and damage to the containment booms.  Additionally, the wake that results from a vessel operating above slow speed in areas where a boom has been deployed can reduce the effectiveness of the boom, resulting in further environmental damage.

FWC officers and local marine units will be on the water encouraging boaters to operate at slow speed in those areas where cleanup efforts are under way.

For more information, go to MyFWC.com/Boating.

More Florida stories you might like …

• Whidden’s, Boca Grande

Anglers may take two red snapper daily from Gulf waters during the open season; however, the captain and crew of for-hire vessels in the Gulf may not keep the recreational bag limit.  The minimum-size limit for recreational red snapper in the Gulf is 16 inches total length.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is increasing its efforts to collect and analyze information on the number of red snapper caught in the Gulf during the open season.  By surveying fishing activity on a weekly basis, fisheries managers will have the information they need to possibly adjust or extend the Gulf red snapper sport fishing season, if it is warranted.

For more information about red snapper management and regulations, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing.

More Florida stories you might like …

• 80th Year for Sarasota Tarpon Tournament
• Grouper Season Reopens May 1
• Tarpon DNA Sought From Sport Fisherman
• New Online Boating and Angling Guide to Tampa Bay
• Snook Season Closes May 1
• Red Snapper Season Opens June 1

So far, the oil has not hit Florida beaches.

• The live webcam link of the spill, brought to you by BP. You can actually see how much oil is spilling out.
• BP’s corporate site.
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Random Posts

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has left the Steinhatchee area unaffected thus far and Steinhatchee Landing Resort, a family-style, riverfront vacation retreat, welcomes scallop seekers for a busy 2010 scallop season, July 1 through September 10. One- to four-bedroom individual cottages start from just $212* per night, allowing multiple families and multiple generations to share accommodations and travel together for a budget-friendly summer vacation.  And located just three miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico and along the Steinhatchee River, Steinhatchee Landing is just minutes from Dead Man’s Bay, a unique ecosystem and breeding ground for some of the best bay scalloping in the United States.

“The Gulf waters surrounding the Steinhatchee area are currently open to fishing and scalloping for the summer season,” said Dean Fowler, developer of Steinhatchee Landing Resort.  ”Our local guides are experiencing some of the best nearshore fishing with Trout and Reds in recent months and the same goes for offshore angling for Grouper.  We haven’t seen any oil along our shorelines from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and aren’t expected to in the coming weeks.”

A popular activity for families, scalloping best resembles snorkeling, but with the simple addition of a mesh bag for storing the harvest.  Most scallops can be found in the shallow, grass flats of the Gulf of Mexico that range anywhere from three to six feet deep.  Only two to three inches in length and located inside a fan-shaped shell, the scallops can be easy to spot with their 30-40 bright blue eyes, but provide a good chase as these eyes help them detect predators.

Steinhatchee Landing Resort provides several boat slips for a nominal fee and will also arrange guided trips with local charter Captains who can guarantee a daily limit of the bay bivalves.  Several locals are available at the marina docks to shuck scallops for a small fee as well and the Landing’s cottages provide full kitchens for cooking up a fresh day’s harvest.

After a full day of wading and scooping scallops, guests of the resort can rest, relax and enjoy the Landing’s extensive amenities, including the 55-foot swimming pool and pavilion area with playground, table tennis, fitness center, an indoor swim spa and three-person sauna.  The resort also offers canoe and kayak rentals, croquet, tennis and archery.

A peaceful drive from any direction, Steinhatchee Landing Resort is just 75 miles west of Gainesville, and a two-and-a-half hour drive from Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa Bay.  To book your stay, call toll-free (800) 584-1709 or (352) 498-3513 or visit www.SteinhatcheeLanding.com.

More Florida stories you might like …

• Culinary Tours of Florida’s Panhandle