 Averi's Mane Treats can make large pies and mini pies! Happy Pi Day! Our next local business to be featured in the Support Local Businesses section of The Orlando Millennial is a SWEET one! This business is actually ran by a middle school student in the Horizon West area of Central Florida, and readers - you must try her treats! I think the interview below speaks for itself, so I won't give too much away. Enjoy learning more about Averi's Mane Treats!  Averi was featured in the Southwest Orange Observer for her small business! What is the name of your business? Averi's Mane Treats What type of business is it - what do you offer? I'm a baker and I offer different pastries or treats. I also make treats for horses/dogs.  What made you decide to create a business at such a young age? I wanted to help raise money to help pay for horses, lessons, showing, and all the items needed for horse riding is very expensive. Since starting Averi’s Mane Treats, what have you been able to accomplish? Have you reached many of your goals? I have been able to accomplish raising money, but I have not yet reached my goal for my saddle or shows. I have paid for many items such as riding boots, bags, clothes, and more.  Averi’s Mane Treats has been around for a while now, what is your favorite part about this business of yours? My favorite part of my business is baking and learning how to accomplish anything I dream up. I know horses are very expensive, so I turned my favorite hobby (baking) into a business.  Do you think you will continue this business past the pandemic? Do you ever think about opening up a shop in the future? I will continue this after the pandemic to continue horses, but I don't want to open a shop, I just want to stay small. I would, however, love to partner with a local coffee shop or restaurant, or even farm market. It would be great if they could place an order or two a week and I could deliver it then they can serve it by the slice!  What else would you like to share with us? I can also do custom orders for parties or small events. Where can we find out more on how to order or what you are offering for the week? My St. Patrick's Day menu will be up tomorrow, and I'm offering rainbow cupcakes and Guinness cheesecake brownies. You can visit Averi's Mane Treats by visiting Facebook or Instagram!  Personal message from The Orlando Millennial: Michelle here! I personally have purchased many delectable sweet treats from Averi's Mane Treats since the beginning of the pandemic and I can highly recommend! I have ordered both off her weekly menus and ordered custom treats. Averi is great to work with and can even make items according to dietary restrictions - like Keto or sugar-free friendly! With it being Pi day and St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, be sure to check out Averi's Mane Treats and please be sure to tell them that The Orlando Millennial sent you!
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 The next local business that I am featuring does not have a brick and mortar location. I love how many people have started to go out on their own and start their own small businesses with all of their personal creations! What is the name of your business? Kreations by Kelz  What type of business is it - what do you offer? It is a t-shirt business, but I make tote bags and masks as well. I specialize in sports mom shirts, but I do make others as well.  What made you get into this? Whenever my family has a party or get together we get shirts made. It started to get pricey so I learned how to do it and I absolutely love it, now I make all our shirts.
What else would you like to share with us? I am very passionate about my products and each one is made with love.  Where can we find out more, purchase, or see your product? You can find my products on: IG: @kreationsby_kelz Facebook: Kreations by Kelz  Personal message from The Orlando Millennial: Michelle here! Thank you for reading this installment of Support Local section! I am very happy to be bringing these businesses to the forefront and making others aware of them. Please note that although I have not personally purchased from Kreations by Kelz as of yet, I still recommend checking out her pages listed above and supporting local businesses such as hers. Thank you!
 The Orlando Millennial was invited to attend Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Food & Wine Festival this year and it sure did not disappoint. Just like the past few festivals, this one required a park reservation, social distancing, and masks. Y’all, the food at each festival just keeps getting better. I have been to Food & Wine at Busch Gardens before, but hands down, this one was THE BEST. I thought Mardi Gras had the best food and drink- NOPE - this one did! Never have we at The Orlando Millennial eaten or drank so much while at one of the events - but we used THREE sampler cards. Two 5 stamps, and one 12 stamp. Yes… it’s true. The drinks were wonderful and honestly, the festival area was empty as everyone was on the rides, which made it even better.  FAVORITE DRINKS: Hungry Elephant [Frozen] (Giraffe Bar), The Posh Puffin (Giraffe Bar), Chandon Sparkling Brut (Napa Nook), Main & Vine Blood Orange Mango (Vino, Vidi, Vici), Bud Light Seltzer Lemon Lime (#CorksandCoasters Draft House), and the grape Jell-O Shots (XCursions) .  You MUST stop at the Giraffe Bar!  Every festival there are different flavor Jell-O shots. This event: Grape & Titos- So YUM! FAVORITE FOODS: Fried Chicken & Biscuit Slider (Southern Kitchen), Lobster, White Cheddar KRAFT Mac ‘N’ Cheese (All American Eats by KraftHeinz), Drunken Shrimp Tostada *This is listed as beer battered but it is actually not fried* (West Coast Catch), Baileys Bliss Cupcake (XCursions), Hand Carved Espresso-Rubbed Tenderloin (Yuengling Butchery)  Hand Carved Espresso-Rubbed Tenderloin (Yuengling Butchery)  Lobster, White Cheddar KRAFT Mac ‘N’ Cheese (All American Eats by KraftHeinz)  Drunken Shrimp Tostada (West Coast Catch)  Fried Chicken & Biscuit Slider (Southern Kitchen) As always, I highly recommend getting the sampler card. This is a GREAT way to save some money. The drinks will be smaller, but if you want to try a bunch, it's also a great way to do that while saving room in your belly and saving a penny - plus once you know what you love, you can then go back and grab a big one! The food portions stay the same size, which is great. There was tons of seating and tables for eating for this festival. My absolute favorite spot for sure though, was the #CorksandCoasters Draft House area. It is a little hidden gem. We sat there for about an hour or more. Very peaceful in that area and close to drinks if needed. Starting this weekend bands will be playing, so I’m sure it will change, but in the evening a live musician was playing, which also made it nice.
Busch Garden’s Food & Wine Festival will be taking place on weekends until April 25th. It is included with park admission, but food and drinks are sold separately. Park reservations are required, as are masks and social distancing. I am a Busch Gardens blogger ambassador. In exchange for sharing upcoming information sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events. As always, all opinions are my own.
 I'm very excited to announce our first ever "Support Small" blog post for our new section on the blog, Support Small Businesses! Just like supporting local businesses has been important to me, supporting small has been important as well, and even now more than ever I have been trying to support small - whether it is local, or all over the United States. Many people are being hit hard because of COVID - whether they lost their job, took on extra bills, or are just trying something new, there are so many ways we can support small businesses these days from the comfort of our homes! To start off our very FIRST post in this series, we have Enchanted Etc. Enchanted Etc. is a small business located in Florida. What is the name of your business? Enchanted Etc. What type of business is it - what do you offer? Floral Inspired Mouse Ears What made you get into this? In June 2016, Tina (owner, designer, and creator of Enchanted Etc.) and her mom spent an afternoon enjoying the topiaries and blooms at Epcot’s International Flower and Garden Festival. Excited to participate in the magic, Tina searched the park for a pair of floral mouse ears but unfortunately found nothing that matched what she envisioned. After some thought, Tina decided to design her own pair, posted them on social media, and received a ton of compliments. That’s when Enchanted Etc. blossomed! Tina uses her creativity and imagination (sprinkled with a little magic), to design her beautiful and unique inspired floral mouse ears.  What is your favorite part of doing what you do? I love seeing all the cute pictures our customers post of their floral inspired mouse ears at the parks. I also enjoy hearing how much people love them; it makes me happy to hear all of the positive feedback.   What else would you like to share with us? Enchanted Etc.’s mouse ears are handmade for special occasions, holidays, sports teams, characters, etc ... the list is endless. You can find Enchanted Etc. on Facebook and Instagram.
 Personal message from The Orlando Millennial: Michelle here! I personally used to be a product ambassador for Enchanted Etc. a few years back and have continued to wear these gorgeous ears! I get SO many compliments when I do as they are unique and beautiful! There are so many different styles and the band does not give me a headache. Be sure to follow Enchanted Etc. on social media and check out the Etsy page!
 I'm very excited to announce our first ever "Support Local" blog post for our new section on the blog, Support Local Businesses! Supporting local businesses has always been important to me, but during this last year I think it has really opened my eyes even more so. I have been trying as much as possible to support as many local businesses, local entrepreneurs, furloughed and laid off cast members, and more rather than the larger companies. Central Florida has SO much to offer, and my hope with these posts is to show you just that! And to start off our very FIRST post in this series, we have Yoga instructor Ashley McNairy and local Yoga Studio, Elevate Yoga Center.  What type of business do you offer? Elevate Yoga Center is a yoga studio that offers a wide variety of classes and services so there is truly something for everyone. Our studio offers traditional mat classes as well as aerial yoga and fitness. Both styles of classes are available in the studio or online.  What made you interested in Yoga? How long have you been practicing? Years ago when I first got into fitness programs I found that yoga day was always my favorite. I began watching videos, following instagrams and reading blogs that all revolved around yoga. I loved feeling that natural physical progression as I was slowly able to hold my balance in poses and achieve harder variations. Eventually, I started attending Elevate and began to learn the philosophy and roots of yoga. Before I knew it I had a regular yoga and meditation practice of my own which has truly helped me find balance and peace in my own life. What made you choose to take the leap and become a Yoga instructor? I’ve always had an interest in becoming a yoga instructor, and finally last year the timing seemed right. My studio was starting a yoga teacher training that was led by my favorite instructors and I felt I had to take that leap. COVID hit which was a rude awakening for all of us, but this training honestly saved me. It really helped keep me active (physically and mentally) as well as maintain my inner peace throughout the experience. The training was hybrid due to COVID, we started off virtually at home and eventually moved back to the studio. I learned so much more from this training than I ever expected to, it was one of the best experiences of my life.  Many who have not practiced yoga before have this idea that it will be too hard for them - too many difficult poses. Do you think this is true? Do you feel yoga is only for one type of person? As someone considered “overweight” I would definitely say NO! Yoga is for every body! Not to say that every single human would enjoy a yoga practice, but every single human body is capable. Yoga is more about connecting to your truest self than it is about handstands. There is no pre-requisite for a yoga class. In fact, when I first started I couldn’t even touch my toes (and I still can’t do a hand stand). Part of being a good yoga instructor is making sure to offer enough options so that every student in class can participate and feel comfortable. There is also many different styles of yoga. One of my favorites, Yin and Restorative, incorporates the use of pillows and blankets to reach maximum comfort. What made you choose to be an instructor at Elevate Yoga Center? I’ve attended this studio for years and really fell in love with the community there is here. All the teachers are wonderful and I’m honored to be teaching among them. I continue to learn from them every day and enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with my own students. What types of classes does Elevate Yoga Center offer? With COVID, are there any special classes that they offer or any changes that have been made? Most classes are offered with the option to attend from home and there is a large variety. From all-levels flow, yin, restorative, yin-yang, aerial, aerial fitness, aerial yin, BUTI and more. Check out our website to read the details of each style to determine which would fit your needs the best!  Is there anything else we should know? Any upcoming events, promotions, or more happening at Elevate Yoga Center? How can we help support YOU and Elevate Yoga Center? Yes! Elevate has events every month, sometimes every weekend! Whether you are looking for a glow in the dark yoga dance party or some quiet time to spend in reflection with guided meditation there is an event for you! Sound healing, nutritional education, manifestation and even astrology are some of the topics that are covered in the events.  Starting in April I will be hosting monthly workshop series titled “Yoga with the Stars” where you will learn the impact of the zodiac season on you as an individual, and enjoy a zodiac themed yoga practice for each sign. It is going to be so much fun, I can’t wait! As far as trainings, there is teacher trainings offered year around for both mat and aerial. I encourage you to join us for the next teacher training that begins in March, even if you are a yoga newbie it would be a great way to learn all the foundations of yoga and the philosophy behind it. You don’t have to become a teacher to enjoy or benefit from the program.  Where can we find out more and visit your classes? (include:website, phone, social, etc.) You should definitely check out our website: elevateyogacenter.com as well as follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more info! Download our app on your mobile device, searching for “elevate yoga center” to sign up for classes. Have questions? Feel free to follow me and reach out on Instagram as well. I’m always happy to answer and share the tools I’ve learned in my own self-healing journey. @lunar.yogini Elevate Yoga Center is located at: 3150 S Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32806 Personal message from The Orlando Millennial: Michelle here! I personally have attended some of Ashley's (as well as some of the other instructors') classes via Zoom since the start of COVID and I can highly recommend this for those that are new to Yoga, as I was. I have not attended in person, but I have also recommended these classes to others that have since gone in person and even tried the aerial classes and they are in LOVE with them! I have done both yoga and meditation classes from home and its just a great way to feel connected to an actual local business while being in your home. I hope that you will give Elevate Yoga Center a chance and please be sure to tell them Orlando Millennial sent you!
 ampa Bay’s largest food festival returns this spring with limited capacity, enhanced health and safety measures, live music and 22 NEW dishes. This spring, flavors are in bloom at Busch Gardens with the return of the park’s fan-favorite Food & Wine Festival. Guests are invited to take their taste buds on an adventure as they sample more than 110 tasty treats, including 22 NEW dishes. Serving guests every weekend from February 20 to April 25 with limited capacity, this year’s menu features festival favorites and fresh twists on classic cuisines from around the country that pair perfectly with more than 80 wines, brews, and cocktails. In addition to the park’s already strict health and safety measures, which include increased cleaning and sanitation, temperature checks, and face covering requirements, capacity will also be significantly limited to create more open space for guests to maintain physical distancing in a safe environment and enjoy their experience. Here are a few of the more than 110 tasty reasons to come back week after week:
 BRAND-NEW Giraffe Bar! Featuring 2 NEW Cocktails and 2 NEW Wines! Return to Live Music with Physically-Distant Concerts—Coming Soon to the Festival Field From nationally recognized bands to local favorites, safely eat to the beat with plenty of open space across the expansive Festival Field. All concerts are included with theme park admission and will take place on select dates in March and April. Concert acts will be announced soon, including upgrade opportunities for premium seating. For the first course of the Food & Wine Festival, guests can enjoy a taste of local acts at the Coke Canopy stage starting February 20 and running throughout the duration of the festival. Physically distant seating will be available in the open-air pavilion. Best Way to Play – Busch Gardens Fun Card and Annual Passes With a Busch Gardens Fun Card, you pay for a day and play all year!* For a limited time, guests who purchase the Busch Gardens Fun Card for $113.99 will receive an Adventure Island Fun Card, plus a bonus single-day ticket to Adventure Island so you can bring a guest for FREE! For the price of a single-day ticket to Busch Gardens, the Fun Card allows access throughout the year, so you can visit again and again, and access great events like the Food & Wine Festival, Summer Nights, Christmas Town and more! Offer ends February 14, 2021. For more park benefits, guests can upgrade to a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Annual Pass to enjoy the perks they want most throughout 2021. Annual Pass Members* receive 12 months of visits with the best benefits ever, including FREE parking, up to 6 free guest tickets, and up to 50-percent savings on merchandise, Quick Queue, and more! Enjoy the Best of the Food & Wine Festival with a Sampler Lanyard The best way for guests to savor and save on their favorite dishes and drinks at this year’s Food & Wine Festival is with a sampler lanyard. Guests can purchase a 5, 10 or 12-item sampler lanyard to use at each festival cabin to explore sample-sized dishes and drink offerings with ease, starting at just $34.99 for a 5-punch lanyard. Pass Members can purchase an exclusive 15-item sampler for the same price as a 12-item sampler to enjoy three FREE samples! Visit buschgardens.com/tampa/events/food-and-wine-festival/ to view the full festival menu. Guests can visit www.BuschGardensTampa.com for more information and reservations—and to purchase tickets, Fun Cards, or Annual Passes. Fans can stay up to date with park events, attractions and more by following Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Expanded Health and Safety Measures: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and the animals in our care. The park has worked diligently with state and local health experts, outside consultants and attraction industry leaders to enhance our already strict health, safety, and cleanliness standards. These protocols and guidelines will be modified based on evolving industry standards and methodologies, public health, and governmental directives, and advancing scientific knowledge on the transmissibility of COVID-19. For detailed information about the measures that guests can expect when visiting the park, including key operational changes, visit buschgardens.com/tampa/safety  I am a Busch Gardens blogger ambassador. In exchange for sharing upcoming information sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events. As always, all opinions are my own.  This year Orlando Millennial was invited to experience Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the first time ever! Although we imagine things are different than years past due to enhanced safety measures with COVID, we have to say - Mardi Gras is definitely a MUST this season! Unlike some of the other festivals at Busch Gardens, where food and drink is more the bottom tier of the festival and the holiday is the main attraction (such as Halloween or Christmas) this festival is A LOT about the food and drink! Now, Mardi Gras may be a religious celebration, but at Busch Gardens, it can be celebrated by all - it really is just a FUN event full of bright colors, New Orleans must, delicious food, strong drinks, and a good time! I personally do not celebrate Mardi Gras, but I will celebrate Mardi Gras any day if it’s at Busch Gardens again- we had a blast! I recommend arriving early, since this festival starts at noon, so you can enjoy the park all day long. As I have said in some of my other posts, with COVID, I rarely leave the house and only will do outdoors things if I do, so I also do not ride rides right now, but they definitely had the rides going, so if you are currently riding rides - be sure to arrive early to enjoy it all! For me, it was about also getting to see all the animals and get in some of the great walking that you can get in while at this huge park. We got to see all the animals - it was truly the perfect day.   There's a baby in the pouch! Now, Mardi Gras - as previously mentioned, the food and drink is the main attraction, and I mean it. The food was REALLY good! Some of the items we tried were: the shrimp po’boy and chicken po’boy which both come with their own full bag of Zapps voodoo chips (yes! Full bag!), jambalaya, impossible jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, braised brisket, beignets with rum glazed bananas foster, Hurricanes - punch and traditional, smoked bloody mary, French Quarter salted caramel thrill shake, gold coin mojito, Tampa Vice, Cinnamon spiked dark roast coffee, and jello shooters. Personal Favorites: Shrimp po’boy and chips, impossible jambalaya, braised brisket, beignets, punch hurricane and the beignets. Honestly though, there wasn’t anything that wasn’t good. We all kept raving at how good all the food was during this festival. We got full, walked around the park, and then ate some more. I recommend getting the Sampler card so that you can try many of the foods and drinks to see what you like. If you are a passholder, you can actually get a 12 punch sampler for the price of a 10 punch; something that isn’t offered to anyone else! There is a small little pop-up parade that comes by periodically and two different bands that play. We did not explore the bead garden, but it is right near the kangaroos if you are interested. 
All in all, we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We used this as a pretty relaxing girls day of eating and drinking. This festival only lasts until February 16th, so be sure to catch it before it’s gone! After that - it’s Food and Wine Festival - and who doesn’t like a good Food & Wine Festival?
I am a Busch Gardens blogger ambassador. In exchange for sharing upcoming information sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events. As always, all opinions are my own.  Families can experience safe thrills, incredible animal encounters, seasonal events and more with the 2021 Preschool Card, offering FREE UNLIMITED admission to children age five and younger to both Busch Gardens and Adventure Island through December 31, 2021. Florida preschool children receive FREE admission for a year full of fun and safe park experiences in a spacious outdoor environment with limited capacity and enhanced health and safety protocols, including special events like Sesame Street Kids’ Weekends. Offered in spring, fall, and winter, this weekend series is perfect for pint-sized explorers and kicks off this year on Saturday, January 30 through Monday, February 15. Throughout 2021, Busch Gardens offers many opportunities for families to make safe new memories together such as enjoying the kid-friendly options at the Food & Wine Festival, trick-or-treating and participating in Halloween hijinks with fan-favorite Sesame Street Characters at Howl-O-Scream, and celebrating holiday moments with Santa during Christmas Town, and more. In addition to enhancing the park’s already strict health and safety measures including increased cleaning and sanitation, temperature checks, and face covering requirements, capacity will be significantly limited to create more open space for guests to enjoy their experience, while maintaining physical distancing in a safe environment. Register Now for the FREE Preschool Card! Busch Gardens and Adventure Island will offer kids ages 5 and younger a FREE Preschool Card, now available exclusively to Florida residents, and valid for visits through December 31, 2021 for unlimited admission to both Busch Gardens and Adventure Island. Advance registration must be completed online and is only valid for children ages 5 or younger at the time of redemption at the park. Please note registration is required by February 3, 2021 and first visit ticket redemption must occur by February 28, 2021. To learn more about the Preschool Card, Florida residents can visit BuschGardensTampa.com/Preschoolcard to register today.  Safely Celebrate All-NEW Themes for Sesame Street Kids’ Weekends From partying for Elmo’s birthday to a very fuzzy Valentine celebration, limited-time festivities at the Sesame Street Safari of Fun play area offer more special moments for families to safely make incredible memories together with physical distancing measures in place. Elmo’s Birthday Celebration: Jan. 30 – 31 and Feb. 6-7 Kids can celebrate Elmo’s birthday with meet and greets, special treats, physically distanced photo opportunities with Sesame Street friends and much more! NEW Birthday Dance Party Guests can get moving to the birthday beat with Elmo! Join in for a fun-filled dance, physically distanced party, including a special song for the guest of honor. Giant birthday cards will be available for families to send well wishes to their favorite red monster. Be sure to boogie over to the Sesame Street Pavilion early, as space is limited for everyone’s health and safety. NEW Elmo’s Birthday Storytime Elmo has a very special story to tell for his birthday, and he wants his friends to be there! Families can take a physically distant seat at the Sunny Day Theater to celebrate safely. Physically Distant Photo Opportunities It’s Elmo’s birthday celebration, and the best present would be a special (and physically distanced) photo with you! Guests can meet Elmo and his Sesame Street friends in a safe way throughout the day at the Sunny Day Theater. Limited-time Birthday Treat! What’s a party without cake? Be sure to stop by Snack-N-Geti for a delicious celebration cupcake in honor of Elmo, available for purchase for a limited time. NEW My Fuzzy Valentine Weekend: Feb. 13-15 Sesame Street fans will find more to love this season at Busch Gardens including special moments with their favorite furry friends especially for Valentine’s Day! NEW Valentine’s Storytime Families can learn what love means to each of their favorite characters during a heart-warming reading of “Love from Sesame Street” at the outdoor Sunny Day Theater with plenty of physically distant seating available for everyone. NEW Find the Valentines Scavenger Hunt Everyone’s favorite Sesame Street friends have lost their valentines, and they need help from you to find them throughout the Sesame Street Safari of Fun play area. Once families have found all the valentines, they can pick up their appreciation sticker at Abby Cadabby’s Treasure Hut gift shop. NEW Valentine’s Art with Sidewalk Chalk Guests are invited to take their imagination to the streets as they learn to draw Sesame Street friends in a physically distant sidewalk chalk activity near Air Grover. NEW Make-Your-Own Valentine Families can get crafty together and embrace their artistic abilities with special messages at the Sesame Street Pavilion throughout the day. Physically Distant Photo Opportunities Guests can share their love for their favorite furry friends -with physically distant photo opportunities just for Valentine’s Day at the Sunny Day Theater. NEW Cookie Decorating To-Go! Guests can unleash their inner culinary creativity as they create a heart-shaped version of Cookie Monster’s favorite treat. Cookie Monster will even make special guest appearances at the Sesame Street Pavilion to wave hello! Specialty cookie decorating kits available for purchase at Snack-N-Geti for a limited time. Best Way to Play -Including Great Offers for Parents! With a Busch Gardens Fun Card, you pay for a day and play all year! For a limited time, guests who purchase the Busch Gardens Fun Card for $113.99 will receive an Adventure Island Fun Card and a bonus one-time parking voucher for FREE! For the price of a single day ticket to Busch Gardens, the Fun Card allows access throughout the year to visit again and again, including access to great events like Mardi Gras and the upcoming Food & Wine Festival. Offer ends January 31. For more park benefits, guests can upgrade to a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Annual Pass to enjoy the perks they want most throughout 2021. Annual Pass Members* receive 12 months of visits with the best benefits ever, including FREE parking, up to 6 free guest tickets, Pass Member-exclusive ride events for the NEW Iron Gwazi opening in spring and up to 50% savings on merchandise, photo prints, Quick Queue, and more! Guests can visit www.BuschGardensTampa.com for more information and reservations—and to purchase tickets, Fun Cards, or Annual Passes. Fans can stay up to date with park events, attractions and more by following Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Expanded Health and Safety Measures: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and the animals in our care. The park has worked diligently with state and local health experts, outside consultants and attraction industry leaders to enhance our already strict health, safety, and cleanliness standards. These protocols and guidelines will be modified based on evolving industry standards and methodologies, public health, and governmental directives, and advancing scientific knowledge on the transmissibility of COVID-19. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is excited to continue to provide our guests with fun, inspiring and memorable experiences, while addressing important health and safety needs during this time. For detailed information about the measures that guests can expect when visiting the park, including key operational changes, visit buschgardens.com/tampa/safety I am a Busch Gardens blogger ambassador. In exchange for sharing upcoming information sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events. As always, all opinions are my own.  Modified with enhanced health and safety measures and limited capacity, guests are in for a treat with new chef- and mixologist-crafted menus, live performances, and debut of the Seven Seas beer garden! SeaWorld is kicking off 2021 with a food festival that’s bigger, better and packed with more flavor than ever before! This year at Orlando’s largest theme park food festival, foodies and families alike can discover the widest variety of chef- and mixologist-curated tastes inspired by cultures from across the Seven Seas. After a year of limits on international travel, guests can plan a safe, limited-capacity visit to the park where they can roam the expansive open-air grounds and embark on an international flavor journey inspired by the tastes and smells of the Caribbean, Italy, Brazil, Asia and beyond. The event, which happens every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, February 5 through May 9 (and President’s Day on February 15!), will feature the park’s enhanced health and safety measures including increased cleaning and sanitation, temperature checks, and face covering requirements. With more than 50 fresh global cuisine tastings from around the globe, guests can taste everything from the most indulgent fare to the park’s all-new savory Vegan bites. In addition to the amazing food, this year’s festival includes SeaWorld’s most expansive beverage menu ever with more than 75 specially curated cocktails and wines, and more than 75 craft beers from Florida and beyond. Guests can discover the flavors of the globe at more than 26 festival marketplaces:
A complete menu of the Seven Seas Food Festival dishes and drinks can be found online at seaworld.com/orlando/events/seven-seas-food-festival/menus/  New this year! Seven Seas Beer Garden: Guests can relax and unwind as they sip on new favorite craft beverages in a lively setting. With physical distancing and limited capacity, the Seven Seas Beer Garden is an open-air, shaded space—the perfect place to sit back and enjoy the festival.  Move and groove to exclusive live performances: Along with the delicious eats, Seven Seas will once again feature an amazing line-up of top concerts so guests can enjoy a taste of rock, country, Latin or 90s throwback sounds—all included with theme park admission.
 Best Way to Savor and Sip: Discover boundless combinations of food and drink selections with a Seven Seas Food Festival Tasting Lanyard. Guests can embark on their culinary journey with a 10-sample lanyard starting at only $60 or take it up a notch and save over 30% with the fan favorite 15-sample lanyard for the best savings. SeaWorld Orlando pass members also get the VIP treatment with even more flavor and savings with their 3 free samples with the purchase of a 15-sample lanyard. https://seaworld.com/orlando/events/seven-seas-food-festival/ Best Way to Play: Guests can pay for a day and play all year with the new 2021 Fun Card! That means for the price of a single day’s admission, SeaWorld Fun Card holders can visit again and again throughout 2021. This offer is available only for a limited time as prices increase on February 1. For guests who enjoy additional discounts on like parking, guest tickets, and access to special VIP events, and more, upgrade to an Annual Pass and make memories with SeaWorld all year. Annual Passes start as low as $11.75/month with no down payment. Restrictions apply. For more information, park hours and to purchase tickets, visit SeaWorldOrlando.com. Follow SeaWorld on Facebook, Instagram and the SeaWorld Orlando Blog for the latest Seven Seas Food Festival details and information. I am a Seaworld blogger ambassador. In exchange for sharing upcoming information sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events. As always, all opinions are my own.  Last weekend I was invited to visit Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the third year in a row. This year was very different than the last few years due to COVID-19. I have to say, I think I enjoyed it even more! Just like in previous years, there was the Christmas Village which was full of food and beverage vendors with tons of holiday treats. Plus there was still meet and greets, Santa, the ice skating show, and more just in a more social distanced and masked-up way! Honestly, I love that the park requires reservations and is at limited capacity because it means a much more enjoyable experience (IMO). We felt like we had SO much room and we rarely waited in line for food or drinks. We felt very safe, especially since we mainly stay in our homes during this time, so this was a huge thing for us. We did not have a chance to catch the ice skating show, but I loved that they held it outdoors this year, because in the past going inside made me a little claustrophobic plus a little warm. The weather was beautiful, so it was perfect to have it outdoors so that people could enjoy the weather and have their holiday food and beverage. The show took place 3x that evening as well. There are things to do ALL day as part of the "Christmas Town" experience, but the food/drink vendors don't open until 4pm. Just like many of the other festivals, you will find this area by taking a LEFT once you start getting into the park. I LOVED that the first thing you saw this year was Frosty! Last year he was a bit hidden, but this year he was your first friendly holiday face to greet you!  After Frosty, once you get to the Christmas Village, this is where the yummy food and beverage vendors begin!  Let's talk holiday food and beverages - let's be real, this IMO is the best part of holiday fun at the parks other than - FIREWORKS, but we'll get to that.  There are SO many different foods and treats, but for sure an emphasis on TREATS. If you have a sweet tooth, you are going to LOVE this! I mean, look at those cookies and donuts! Is your mouth watering yet? Just wait...  Apple Cobbler Cake Cone from North Pole Bakery  Chicken & Waffles, Bison Beef Sliders, and Beer Cheese Soup from Winter Waffles & Bites Those were just a few, there's plenty more to be had, but let's talk about some of the drinks!  Frozen Hot Cocoa with Baileys added in from Jack Frosty Cocktails (not sampler lanyard size)  Frozen Kahlua Eggnog from Jack Frosty Cocktails (sampler lanyard size) Above: Cinnamon cranberry mimosa - all the holiday feels in a delish mimosa! Perfect for a holiday cheers! Below: Peppermint Hot Cocoa with Baileys added in a refillable mug - yum! Nothing says "it's the holidays!" like some hot cocoa! How did we eat and drink so much? Well, the best deal is to purchase the Christmas Town Sampler Lanyard. The 5-item lanyard is $34.99 and the 10-item is $49.99 (this makes everything $5!) Now, the drinks WILL be a smaller size, but that just means you get to try more! Honestly, I love the sampler lanyard because I never have to worry about how much I am spending nor do I have to worry about taking out my wallet - easy peasy! PLUS, if you love the hot cocoa, there is a souvenir refillable mug - super cute and highly recommend! To learn more about the other food and drink offered during Christmas Town, GO HERE.  During COVID, I do not go on rides or really go inside places, it still makes me pretty uncomfortable, so I love that Busch Gardens has tons of things to do outside while being socially distanced. There were a few meet and greets with some Princesses and also Santa (we did not meet Santa). We did decide to ride the Christmas Train as they were offering social distancing (skipping a row between parties) and it was only one way. This was a nice little break as you get to see different parts of the park while also hearing holiday music. I loved that they kept parties separated, so we felt very safe.  As previously stated, I did not visit with Santa, but I did see this GIANT Coke Santa that the had on display, which was pretty amazing:  Now, for the part that really made the evening SUPER special - FIREWORKS! This does not happen every night during Christmas Town, so be sure to check out their schedule online before booking your reservation if this is something you want to see - which I recommend! I live in Central Florida and I have been seriously missing fireworks, so this was something really special right now. I was so happy to see fireworks again! Most people watch them from the field where they had the ice skating show, but we watched from the Christmas Town Village - this was awesome because we were able to sit down and were almost all by ourselves. We could see and hear the music just fine.  Christmas Town was a wonderful this year, even with social distancing, masks, etc. If you are looking for a fun holiday experience, I recommend going. Christmas Town is included with daily admission, so you can start your day with rides and animals, and end your day with Holiday Cheer!  I am a Busch Gardens blogger ambassador. In exchange for sharing upcoming information sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Hey Ya'll!
Hi all! I'm Michelle and I have been a lifestyle blogger since 2017. I used to host fun networking events around Orlando and now I've decided to take a step back and continue to focus on my favorite part - bringing you all the fun happenings around Central Florida, plus filling you in on my travels, life, and more! I'm a foodie, selfie-taking Millennial that loves spending time at the theme parks, traveling, and spending time with her dog, and trying new wine. I hope you enjoy reading my blog!
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