#Floridatravelblog

Jan 18, 2020

Surf Expo

It was lovely being invited to the Surf Expo! It is a huge expo at the Orlando Convention Center featuring hundreds of brands in the surfing, wakeboarding, paddleboarding and skateboarding fields as well as beachwear and resort wear companies. It features many big name brands in the surf industry such as Roxy, Volcom, O'Neill, Hurley, Body Glove, and many others, and also many independent growing brands. The Surf Expo is a trade only event and is not open to the public, but y

Dec 30, 2019

Christmas in Sarasota

I spent the holidays with my mom, boyfriend and his family in lovely Sarasota, Florida. We had a cookout on the beach and it was still a beautiful day in the Florida winter and it was a great beach for finding shells. I have a glass covered coffee table filled with shells I and my family have collected over the years, it is truly unique and beautiful, and serves as a keepsake of all the family trips to the beach, and this year I added some new shells with my boyfriend. My boy

Oct 25, 2019

Taste of Nona: Diamonds and Denim

Had so much fun at Taste Of Nona! It’s an annual food event with live music, where you can sample food from a fantastic selection of local venues like Bolay, Jeremiah's Ice, Canvas Lake Nona and Chroma Lake Nona. It was amazing to walk around and have a selection of fresh local food! Drinks were by Boxi Park Lake Nona, and my boyfriend and I walked around there for a bit after the event. This is the seventh year of Taste of Nona, it is put together by the Lake Nona Regional C

Oct 15, 2019

Dine with an Astronaut

My boyfriend and I went to Kennedy Space Center's "Lunch with an Astronaut" and it was an enriching experience where you get to hear first hand accounts of space missions. It is in a group setting where the food is buffet style and the astronaut gives a presentation up on stage about their experiences. He had been on quite a few missions and was very insightful. The food menu includes arugula and carrot salad with lemon vinaigrette, chipotle roasted cod, southern fried chicke

Oct 5, 2019

Exploring Florida: Devil's Den Springs

Finally made it to @devilsdenspring! It’s a prehistoric natural spring inside a cave. The cave has a circular opening which the early pioneers thought was a portal to the underworld, and apparently when it’s cold outside steam rises through the hole, hence the name of the spring. However the water is a bit chilly but it gets comfier to swim in once you get your whole body in! We rented snorkeling equipment and it was a lot of fun, I didn’t dive down to the bottom but it’s abo

Sep 30, 2019

Magical Dining Month at SeaWorld's Shark Restaurant

Every year Orlando participates in Magical Dining Month, a charity event where many Orlando restaurants have a special menu featuring a 3-course, $35 prix-fixe meal. It is organized by Visit Orlando and the purpose is for charity. For this year's Magical Dining we went to the Shark's restaurant at SeaWorld. It is a very cool and unique experience getting to dine with sharks swimming by. Did you know that SeaWorld has rescued and released ovedr 35,000 animals? They do a lot to

Sep 2, 2019

Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld Orlando: Behind the Scenes Tour

I took a behind the scenes tour at SeaWorld Orlando to meet some penguins! The tour lasts about twenty to thirty minutes, one of the animal experts gives the tour group some info on penguins, and then it opens up for questions and photos. They handled the photo section very well by queuing everyone up and having people go one at a time, that way everyone got a photo and it was very orderly and convivial. The tour group meets near the back of the park and then you get to go to

Aug 10, 2019

Exploring Florida's Space Coast at Cocoa Beach

Finally made it out to @floridaspacecoast this weekend! I love going to Cocoa Beach, it’s a hidden gem and it’s only an hour and a half drive from Orlando! @kennedyspacecenter is a short drive from the beach, and I love going there and seeing all the amazing space history! Cocoa Beach is the perfect place to watch a @spacex rocket launch. The pier is a popular place, I love going to @coconutsotb! Great food and drinks with a beautiful ocean view. My favorite is the Coconut Cr

Jul 26, 2019

Carrabba’s on IDrive

Had a beautiful time at @carrabbas! A delicious family restaurant, they use the original recipes created by Carrabba himself. When I think about that evening it’s not just the amazing food, but the quality time spent with my boyfriend on an incredible night out. Something about the vibe there gave it that magic quality with the food, lighting, good service. Right now they’re running a special called Bring Homemade Home, where you can get an entree of equivalent value to your

Jul 23, 2019

CEO Gaming Convention in Daytona Beach Florida

From our trip to Daytona Beach for Ceo Gaming Inc. It was held inside the ginormous beautiful Ocean Center convention hall, there were so many people there! We stayed at the Hilton Daytona Beach which you can see behind me, they had the most amazing brunch! You could see the ocean from our room and the Daytona Bandshell where they host live music. Overall I’ve become a fan of Daytona! 📸 @gmsmith8490 🌴🌊🎮 The convention itself featured games such as Street Fighter 5, Tekken

Jul 1, 2019

The Shores Resort: A Classy Hotel Stay in Daytona Florida

I had the most amazing stay at the @shoresresort in Daytona. Can’t wait to post more on Instagram and my blog about my experience! They had an amazing dinner series featuring a Florida distillery and I had my first surf lesson! Thank you so much it was an incredible visit! 🏖🏝🏄‍♀️🌊🏊‍♀️🥘🥂 #Floridatravelblog #Travelblogger #Travel #Travelblog #Floridatravelblogger #Orlandotravelblog #Orlandotravelblogger #VisitFlorida #FloridaInstagrammer #Floridabeach #Floridainfluencer

Jun 25, 2019

First Time Surfing : Surf Lessons with Vast Oceans Surf and SUP School in Daytona

I had an amazing time in my first ever surf lesson with @ragansurfs! In the morning on the beach in front of the beautiful @shoresresort we went over safety, technique and style, and practiced the surfer pop-up technique to stand up on the board. When we went out into the water he helped me catch a lot of waves, and gave helpful feedback each time on how to improve even more. I even stood all the way up on the board a few times! He was dedicated to making me feel confident on

Jun 24, 2019

The Sip and Savor Dinner Series: The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach

This monthly event features the best of fine dining at Daytona’s oceanfront, and each dinner carefully cultivates each custom menu to pair fabulous food with flavorful drinks. This month’s focus was on Florida, featuring sustainable seafood, local produce and spirits from an award winning distillery in Jacksonville called Manifest. The theme for each month is centered around a locale such as the Pacific Northwest or South America. Before each course, the chefs and distillery

Jun 16, 2019

Activate Ice Cream by IDrive Orlando

Made a stop yesterday at ActivAte Acai Bowls & Smoothie Café. They have the most delicious açai vegan ice cream! 🍦😍 They source local, fresh and organic ingredients. It’s perfect for people who eat dairy free, are vegan or vegetarian, or who just want some delicious açai. They also have bowls, smoothies, juice and coffee. The decor is adorable with a cute happy vibe, and great service. Overall you would love it! I got an açai cone with activated charcoal which makes the con

Jun 7, 2019

Exploring Florida: Sarasota

Visiting the boyfriend’s family in Sarasota. Sarasota is a boujie Florida town that’s right by the ocean with a historic downtown district and lots of cute shops and places to eat. It’s about a two and a half hour drive from Orlando, and made a nice day trip. Wearing the Jess Wrap Dress by @freepeople. It’s a real wrap dress and was super comfy all day. You can find it on @renttherunway! 🏝🌊👗 📸 @gmsmith8490 #Floridatravelblog #Floridatravelblogger #Travel #Travelblogger #T

Jun 1, 2019

Chronic Tacos on Sand Lake Orlando

@chronictacos has amazing fresh and flavorful food! They are a Mexican grill that just opened up a new location on Sand Lake, so it’s super close to the IDrive area! You can customize each order and there are many different kinds of meats like carnitas, beef, shrimp, mahi mahi, and they also have vegetarian options including the Beyond beef. I got a carnitas and a beer battered mahi mahi taco, so delicious! They do a really good job of catering to different diets and food all

May 24, 2019

The Escape Game on IDrive Orlando

Had fun at @theescapegameorlando! Teams of up to eight people join forces for an hour of non stop puzzles, finding clues and solving them! There are a few different scenarios to choose from, such as the Gold Rush or a Mars Mission. Our scenario was the Heist, where we had to find a priceless Monet painting that had been stolen! We were down to the wire but we solved it and won the game! I don’t want to give too many spoilers away, but everyone contributed and it was a lot of

May 12, 2019

Metro Diner's Amazing Food at their New Florida Location

Had such a good time at @metrodiner yesterday!! I got the Pulled Pork Mac Stack, which is half a pound of pulled pork over homestyle mac and cheese on a cornbread batter waffle with maple butter. Best thing ever. They were also really good at catering to food allergies and my mom found something she could eat in the chicken and fries with some veggies. The salad was fresh and flavorful with plenty of dressing, and the onion rings were crispy without any grease. For drinks we

May 7, 2019

May the Fourth Be With You at Orlando Live Events MMA Combat Night

Had fun with the bf at @combatnightmma! Thank you @orlandoliveevents_ole for inviting me to May the Fourth Combat Night, a MMA event with a special Star Wars theme. Sitting up front on the comfy VIP couch seats puts you right up close to the action! The Orlando Live Events Center is right by Winter Park and Altamonte, and they host awesome events like carnivals, car shows, boxing, jiujitsu and MMA. Check out my Instagram Stories for clips of the evening’s matches! 🌟🎉🥊💫 #T

Apr 26, 2019

Boca's Amazing Latin Food in Dr. Phillips

Had a fun time at @bocasgrill! Located in the Dr. Phillips area of Orlando, it brings a taste of South America to the City Beautiful. The deep fried sweet corn with cheese and bacon and cachapa tower were phenomenal, and the towering Nutella churro milkshake was divinely good. They have many different kinds of arepas to choose from, and the Arepa burger, inspired by a cheeseburger, was a favorite dish made with beef, sausage and cheese, topped off with an aioli sauce. I tried