Leu House Museum

The Leu House Museum is located inside Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, FL. Overlooking Lake Rowena, this stately residence is on the National Register of Historic Places. Although we’ve been to the botanical gardens many times, this was our first tour of the house.

 

The original owners were the Mizell family who claimed the land in 1858. There they grew sugar cane, cotton and corn. David Mizell was the sheriff of Orange County. He got killed in an ambush in 1870. Duncan Pell, the next owner, hired David’s son to add two more wings to the house. He made this a weekend getaway for him and his second wife, silent screen star Helen Gardner.

The Woodward family came next in 1906, adding on to the house to make it the present size. They used the house for a winter retreat.

Finally, Harry P. Leu and his wife Mary Jane bought the property in 1936. They traveled widely and brought back seedlings and plants for their garden. They donated the acreage and house to the City of Orlando in 1961.

Inside, the rooms have been restored with a mixture of original furnishings and donations. The lifestyle reflects turn-of-the-century living. The first families lived without plumbing and electricity, which were later additions.

       

Through the front door, we entered the living room. There’s a pleasant parlor to the left and a dining room straight ahead, with a staircase next to a bookshelf I’d like in my home. Most of these rooms had fireplaces.

       

              

    

The kitchen has been modernized in some ways but still has a wood-burning stove and an old-fashioned refrigeration unit. Originally, it was a warming room while the food was cooking in an outbuilding accessible from a breezeway. But then the kitchen moved indoors.

   

The upstairs held several bedrooms that looked bright and airy. They appear easily habitable.

     

 

A screened porch out back would have been a pleasant place to relax during temperate weather.

  

On the paths back to the garden entrance, we viewed some of the glass and steel sculptures by Alex Heveri for a special exhibit. Otherwise, try to time your visit to include a tour of the house. Go to https://leugardens.org for more information.

 

Leu House Museum is worth a trip to Leu Gardens in Orlando #Florida #history Click To Tweet

We enjoy touring botanical gardens and historic homes. Are there any near you?

Chocolate Emporium

For my birthday this year, I wanted to go somewhere new and different. When I read about the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium in City Walk at Universal Studios, I thought it sounded like fun. I enjoy themed restaurants and my mouth drooled for a chocolate sundae.

 

We arrived at City Walk after paying the $30 parking fee and traveling through the extensive parking garage. City Walk leads to the two Universal theme parks so it’s a busy place. A series of restaurants and shops circle around a lake and offer plenty of choices for everyone. There’s also a movie theater and an escape room for entertainment. As you can see, our grandson enjoyed Voodoo Doughnuts.

 

    

 

 

At the appointed hour, we got seated at the restaurant that has a cool steampunk theme. There’s even a costumed guy in a robot outfit that roams around greeting children. Milkshakes are a popular item here, but I passed. Getting dessert was more important to me.

  

 

 

We ordered a chocolate almond bread as an appetizer. It tasted like chocolate cake. Then Richard and I split the Monte Cristo sandwich with chips so we’d have room for dessert.

 

Dessert was a brownie sundae that came with a lit candle for my birthday. With two scoops of chocolate ice cream, it was enough to share.

  

I loved my gifts, like this figure of a woman reading a book, cookies with my book covers, and a cruise companion book, among other items. The best gift of all was the company of loved ones and merely being here to celebrate this birthday.

  

After our meal, we entered the gift shop filled with souvenir mugs, tee shirts and hats along with cotton candy and unique jars of colored sugar and other sweets.

    

An array of artisan chocolates and macarons tempts visitors in display cases.

 

Outside, we walked around the lake until we made it to the exit.

 

It was a wonderful day spent with family in a memorable setting. Put this restaurant on your list if you want a fun experience while in Orlando.

 

Stetson Mansion Christmas Tour

We enjoyed our self-guided tour through the Stetson Mansion in Deland, FL. The place is known for its massive Christmas decoration display that is amazing and unique. Built in 1886 for hat manufacturer John B. Stetson, the house deployed Edison electricity, steam heat, a call bell system, and running water for all three floors. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Each room inside the house has a theme in terms of the decorations, and the creativity of the designer stuns the senses. But beyond you can see the intricate woodwork, stained glass windows, parquet floors, crystal chandeliers, impressive fireplaces, and other hidden details. I really wish they’d reestablish the guided history tour including the third floor and the garage as that would interest me more. Here we are with Ann Meier and Pat Babcock.

     

You’re not allowed to take photos inside the mansion, but outdoors is fine. There’s a lovely covered porch to one side and a pool at the opposite end of the house. A meditation garden graces the rear past the garage and schoolhouse. The latter, converted into a guest cottage, serves as a tiny gift shop (cash only) where you can buy a guidebook on the mansion’s history along with Christmas ornaments and Stetson belts. It would be great if this shop expanded to take credit cards and included some Stetson hats!

 

All in all, this is a fascinating glimpse into history and Victorian architecture. From here, it’s a five-minute drive to historic downtown Deland with numerous shops and restaurants.  https://www.stetsonmansion.com/

 

 

 

Journey of Water

This past weekend, we attended a passholder preview of a new attraction inspired by Moana at Disney World’s Epcot theme park. Journey of Water is located in World Nature, which is to the right past Spaceship Earth. It’s an educational and interactive exhibit that relates the cycle of water on our planet.

  

In a garden-like setting, you walk through various sections. You’ll see dancing waters, can move your arms under a falling stream to make music, or raise your arms and make water jump. It’s fun for kids as well as adults and is a very pleasant path surrounded by trees and plants.

  

  

Flowers provide splashes of color along the easy-walking trail. Toward the end is a topiary representation of Moana in a peaceful setting.

 

  

I felt the entire exhibit was well done and was sad when it came to an end. I like nature trails anyway, and this one is a delight to explore and to learn about our water cycles at the same time.

Epcot Food & Wine Festival

All this scenic wonder roused our appetites, so we headed to World Showcase to sample the dishes at Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. Our first stop was Australia for the lamb chops. The meat was very tender and tasty, but I found the seasoning too salty for my palate.

We enjoyed the food at Kenya. Richard and I shared the coffee barbecued beef with mashed potatoes while Sue & Mark Bernstein, our companions, said the shrimp skewers were very good. Those are definitely on my list for next time.

     

I tried the mimosa flight at Shimmering Sips. I liked the berry one in the middle, but the other two choices didn’t have much taste.

The crab cake at Coastal Eats was delicious. Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, it had mostly crab meat with no shells and I didn’t taste any filler. Very good and so was the slaw that accompanied it.

All in all, we had a great day except for the heat. It’s time for Fall already!

 

Celebrity Apex Review – The Ship Part Two

Each day, our newsletter listed tons of activities that you could do on board Celebrity Apex. But some were lacking that you could find on other ships. There wasn’t any bingo, which is a big draw elsewhere. No cooking classes that we would have enjoyed. You could do arts and crafts, take dance classes, go to the art auctions, or attend various seminars but nothing to do with culture or history. Even the Destination Talk was lacking. It showed the highlights of each port and gave important information but there wasn’t any colorful display of what you could buy with giveaways, shopping recommendations, maps or coupons.

ENTERTAINMENT

The evening entertainment was excellent. We enjoyed the production shows the best. The Tree of Life reminded us of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The theme appeared to be changing seasons. The singers and dancers wore street clothes, which didn’t impress us as much as the spectacular special effects and the huge movie screen with changing scenery in the background.

 

We liked the Crystallize show better with its superb aerialists. The theater itself is in the round, a new concept on a cruise ship. You have a good view from nearly anywhere with no columns obstructing the line of site. However, seating was limited, and you had to arrive at least twenty minutes early to guarantee a space. The second-floor seating, so I was told, was for higher tier guests. Showtimes were 7pm and 9 pm. Being early risers, we never made the additional late-night shows.

   

We particularly enjoyed the pianist who gave a concert one night. Accompanied by the ship’s orchestra, he played variations of popular movie themes. He ended with The Mandalorian, a Star Wars TV show that we watch. There were also a violinist and a guitarist on board, both of them talented professionals.

CAPTAIN’S CLUB

As repeat cruisers at Elite level, we enjoyed certain benefits. Aside from the free bag of laundry and Internet minutes, these included free drinks from 5 to 7 every evening except embarkation.  We could get them at any lounge but not in the restaurants. We shared the same status as our friends, Ann Meier and Pat Babcock, so it was fun to meet them at each event.

The Welcome party at Eden included an aerialist performing a sample of their show. We didn’t sign up in time for the Backstage Tour, so we missed that one. We did attend the Senior Officer’s Party where servers brought around drinks and appetizers. Below is the ship’s captain.

    

The Music & Mixology event was fun and unusual. A talented bartender juggled his wares as he mixed three drinks. If I recall, they were a Manhattan, Mai Tai, and Spiced Pimms.

      

A Wine Tasting was held in the Tuscan Restaurant. I took a photo of the bottles since we were not given printouts of the wines with room for notes as in the past.

In the mornings from 8 to 10am in the Bistro lounge, we could get a free Mimosa, Bloody Mary or Bellini along with a choice of light menu items. I liked the fruit and chocolate croissants.

We appreciated our benefits and felt as though our loyalty was properly recognized. This was a fun part of the trip.

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Coming Next: The Food and the Ports of Call

Celebrity Apex Review – The Ship Part One

Celebrity Apex has an ultra-modern design with eclectic art works scattered throughout the ship. It has sweeping upward ramps and a movable bar on the side of the ship and potted plants in areas such as the Rooftop Garden and the Eden Lounge. One modern technology I appreciated was the lack of handles on restroom doors that opened with a wave of your hand. Here are random scenes throughout the ship:

 

 

Pools 

Deck 14 holds the main pool and the solarium, which was my favorite since it’s covered. In between the two is a grill where you can get hot dogs, burgers including a turkey burger, and fries. The grill also has a soft ice cream dispenser. The spa café is at the rear of the solarium. Here you can get light snacks and cold drinks or coffee.

    

Shops

If you like expensive brand-name merchandise such as Coach, Cartier, and Mont Blanc, you’ll be happy. Effy Jewelers are on board but there’s no fun selection of fashion jewelry like on other ships or dressy tops or sweaters. The resort clothing is bland and so are the logo souvenirs including tee shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, mugs, etc. We’ve had better shops on other ships. Even the liquor store had big bottles, nothing small, no gift packs of little bottles or even gift boxes or bars of chocolate. There were the usual rum cakes at 2 boxes for $35 and no Caribbean rum balls. So while there were a number of shops to browse in, not many held our interest. There were also no blow-out sales like on other ships.

Bars

We missed having a selection of lounges midship compared to our past cruises. No wine bar, bellini or champagne bar. The martini bar on Deck 3 of the grand plaza had a band or guitarist and was always lively, although the side walls are painted black and there’s no view of the ocean from there. Here’s the sweeping grand chandelier.

 

Midship on Deck 4 is a coffee bar where I believe you could order drinks in the evening. Specialty coffees here cost money, but the pastries are free. This large area has seating with a view. Opposite on Decks 4 and 5 were the Bistro and the Steakhouse, respectively. These specialty (meaning additional cost) restaurants took up space that could have been nice lounges. We missed having a piano bar, a quiet spot where you could sit and get drinks and chat with soft background music.

The Club is on Deck 4 next to the theater. No windows here so you feel closed in. This is the spot for game shows and other special events. The Casino is midship so again you lose space there that could have been a nice lounge. The Craft Social bar is adjacent, between the casino and bistro, but it’s relatively small and more like a sports bar.

Then there’s the bar that goes up and down the ship’s side. This was parked in place for most of the cruise. We were told it would only move twice during the week and you needed a reservation. Otherwise, it served as a lounge with a view if you could find a seat but wasn’t as cozy as other settings.

Celebrity Apex Review - The Ship Part One #cruising #CelebrityCruises Click To Tweet

Coming Next: The Ship Part Two, then Food and Ports of Call

Kraft Azalea Garden

We visited Kraft Azalea Garden in Winter Park the other day. It’s a lovely, tranquil nature park bordering Lake Maitland.

     

The 5.22 acres are shaded by tall cypress trees where white great egrets flock in the branches.

     

Of course, in spring the blooming azaleas are an attraction themselves.

 

Over on the lake, we saw tourist boats plying the waters and huge mansions on the water’s edge. If you want to take the Scenic Boat Tour, go here for details.

    

This site is a pleasant detour from the city. If you’re into secret gardens away from the normal path of traffic, check it out.

 

 

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Epcot Festival of the Arts 2023

The Festival of the Arts during the winter months at Epcot is always fun to attend. You can view art works on display and sample dishes at food booths around World Showcase.

      

Here are some of the items we tried:

Duck and Dumplings at the Artist’s Table by the American Adventure. Smoked Duck Breast, Ricotto Dumplings, Petite Vegetables, and Duck Jus. I liked the smoked duck flavor, and the meat was easy to cut. I’ve had better at higher end restaurants, though. The ricotto dumplings were interesting, almost like a potato texture.

Three-Meat Meatloaf with “Peas and Carrots” came with Green Pea Pudding, Carrot Ketchup, Shaved Carrot salad, and Snap Peas. This was a dish that appealed to my husband. He said it was “average,” meaning it wasn’t anything special to his palate. Same location as above.

Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Rib with Parsnip Puree, Broccolini, Baby Tomatoes, and Aged Balsamic at the Pastoral Palate by Germany was by far the best of the batch. The boneless meat was supremely tender and tasty as well. This one would be on my repeat list.

General Tso’s Chicken Shumai at The Painted Panda by China came with three pieces of shumai. These were tasty and enough to share. I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s frozen chicken shumai and so I knew I’d like this version.

On a second visit, our friend Ann Meier had the Napoleon with Beets, Cashew-Herb Filling, Pepper-Pine Nut Sauce, and Balsamic Vinegar Caviar from the France pavilion.

Then Ann tried the Carrots Three Ways from Morocco while I had their Chicken Skewer.

 

Next, we’ll look forward to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. A whole new tasting experience begins March 1st with a fresh set of “outdoor kitchen” choices.

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Wekiva Island

If you’re looking for a weekend spot north of Orlando where you can kayak, canoe, and hang out by the river or in a tiki bar, Wekiva Island is the place for you. It was not the place for us old fogies. The structures had a dilapidated look about them, except for the bar that appeared much more appealing.

 

The café, while offering an interesting menu, looked no bigger than a food truck and had outdoor seating. Even the view wasn’t as expansive as I’d expected. It was more like a canal.

 

I could see the appeal for young adults but not seniors like us who prefer more atmosphere for a lunch venue. We came on a quiet weekday but I understand they can get lines of cars waiting to get in on weekends. Artists had set up their easels along the waterfront on the day we visited. A sign warned of gators and snakes so swim at your own risk if at all and don’t fall out of your boat.

 

We walked around the perimeter in about ten minutes. For a scene in a mystery, however, this place could serve as a model. The various buildings, including one set up as a classroom, harbored intriguing nooks and crannies.

For lunch, we drove to The Southern Deli in Apopka since I’d been wanting to try it. The food was tasty if you enjoy southern fare, but next time I’d rather go to a deli with traditional favorites like grilled cheese, tuna melt, and nova on a bagel. My meal here was chicken in BBQ sauce over cheese grits and my husband had a burger.

It’s fun to go out exploring and trying new places even if it’s a One and Done experience.

Nancy J. Cohen explores Wekiva Island. #Florida #Orlando Click To Tweet

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Blue Spring State Park

The 72-degree waters at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida attract hundreds of manatees, also called “sea cows.” Situated by the St. Johns River, this park offers canoe and kayak rentals, a walking trail, a river boat cruise, food concessions, and more.

       

We’d heard about the manatees but hadn’t gone to this park before as it’s a forty-minute drive north from where we live. But when our daughter said she’d like to take our grandson there since he was off school for Martin Luther King Day, we jumped on the wagon – or rather, in her SUV.

Orange City seemed interesting as we passed through a historic section. My gaze was drawn to the 1876 Heritage Inn. However, the Alling House Bed & Breakfast has better reviews if you’re looking for a place to stay.

We turned down a two-lane road to head into Blue Spring State Park. Capacity was full by the time we arrived at 10:30, and they were only letting vehicles into the parking area as people left. We got into a snaking line from down the road, where you are stuck until you reach the park entrance. In other words, use the potty before you start on this excursion. You might want to bring snacks and water bottles, too.

We finally got in after a long wait, parked, and strode past the playground to the boardwalk where you can see the manatees. The large creatures glided past in the water, which was surrounded by woods. They were fascinating to watch. It’s a peaceful setting where you can picnic, hike, or just relax.

    

Can you spot the alligator on the log?

We walked along the waterside path and passed a historical house but didn’t go in. The Thursby House was built by Louis Thursby in the 1800s and hosted steamboat passengers as they made their way up and down the St. Johns River. Today it serves as a museum.

 

Ready for lunch, we bought burgers and hot dogs at the concession hut and ate under cover at a picnic table. The burger was bland. I’ve had better at other parks. Our grandson enjoyed the playground on the way back. Then we were done, got in the car, and left. However, someone had been injured in the park, and the exit was blocked while the attendants waited for the ambulance. I couldn’t imagine how it would get past the clogged traffic on the two-lane road.

After twenty minutes or so, the emergency vehicle arrived and cars were permitted to exit. Then once we got on I-4, there was another blockage due to a crash and we had to take an alternate route. At last, we made it home safely despite these delays, and it was worth the trip to see the manatees and the park. I’d suggest going earlier in the morning and on a weekday.

For more details, visit https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park

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