The Wandering Disciple

Tampa, Florida: Home to the newest attraction at Busch Gardens, SheiKra and site of two of the three water rides, Stanleyville is one of the busiest lands of the park. From diving on the country’s first dive coaster to getting soaked on one of the water rides, Stanleyville is the home of thrills for all ages. The area was added to the park in 1973 with the opening of the Stanley Falls Flume. The Stanley Falls Flume is a traditional log flume water ride in which riders experience a 43 foot drop into the lagoon. In 1977, Stanleyville added the Queen Africa Boat Ride, a boat ride that takes you through an African Village. By 1989 the park decided the ride needed a facelift and added a 55 foot splashdown drop and renamed the ride the Tanganyika Tidal Wave. Stanleyville remained mostly unchanged until 2005 when Busch Gardens introduced SheiKra, the first dive coaster in the United States. SheiKra takes its riders on a floorless, stadium seated coaster train on a 200 foot drop at a 90 ...

Boca Grande, Florida: The oldest building on Gasparilla Island, the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse has been guiding ships through the waters of Boca Grande. The lighthouse was almost lost to Mother Nature before an effort led by local citizens restored the lighthouse to its original splendor. Built on the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, the lighthouse marks the entrance to Charlotte Harbor via the Boca Grande Pass. The lighthouse was placed into service on December 31, 1890. The complex consisted of a two story wooden lighthouse on stilts with a three and a half order Fresnel lens at the peak of the roof along with a second building for the assistant keeper. The lighthouse keepers and their families lived on the complex until 1956 when the light became automated. Then in 1966 the United States Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse due to deterioration. A local effort began in the early 1970’s to help restore the lighthouse. The lighthouse was transferred to Lee County in 19...

Orlando, Florida: As you walk down the pathways lined with dense tropical foliage, you can here the distant sounds of dinosaurs. Overhead you can see a Pteranodon flying above you while you turn the corner to see another dinosaur in the bushes. You begin to wonder, did I go back in time or am I in the middle of Steven Spielberg’s next movie. Truth is, you are actually at the Jurassic Park island at Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park. Jurassic Park is directly across the lagoon for the Port of Entry and the midway point as you pass through the islands of the park. On the pathway through the park, it is sandwiched between Toon Lagoon and the Lost Continent. It is the largest island of the park at around 21 acres. Built to resemble the Jurassic Park found in the movie trilogy, the dense foliage of the island provides a great place of get out of the hot Florida sunshine. The island features many of the dinosaurs from the movie and even a replica of the Jurassic Park Visitor Cente...

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: When people think of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the first thing that comes to mind is the theme parks. But tucked away among the hustle and bustle of the parks is the shopping mecca known as Downtown Disney. Opened in 1975 to provide a shopping district for the planned residential community, Downtown Disney has grown into world class shopping destination hosting millions of tourists each year from around the globe. While much of the merchandise available for sale here is of the Disney variety, there are also some very unique items found within the shops of Downtown Disney. From the largest Disney store to a store dedicated to Lego building toys, there is something for everyone. There are over thirty stores to choose from. Here are the stores and a sample of items available for purchase: Arribas Brothers: crystal shop with glass blowing. Basin: homemade soaps, shampoos and more. Cirque du Soliel Boutique: items inspired from La Nouba. Curl by Sa...

Orlando, Florida: Only at Universal Studios Florida is it possible to walk from coast to coast in less then five minutes. Travel from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco to the sleepy tourist town on the water of Amity without the jetlag of a four hour flight. These two distinctly different towns are merged into one of the six themed lands of Universal Studios Florida. Part of the original plan of Universal Studios, San Francisco/Amity is home to two of the parks original attractions; Jaws and Earthquake. When Universal Studios opened, the original design incorporated some of the popular attractions from its Hollywood theme park. With that in mind, developers decided to take the Jaws portion of the Hollywood backlot tour and transform it into a full ride in the Florida park. Here riders board a tour boat operated by Captain Jack’s tours and embark on a tour of Amity Island. On the way, the boat encounters a rouge great white shark. Captain Jack does everything he can to keep his boat f...

Orlando, Florida: When the sun sets over Universal Orlando, the action heats up at City Walk. The entertainment hotspot comes to life when the lights come on with many choices in one place, making it one of the premier places to party in Central Florida. There are many bars and clubs as well as an AMC theater located within the thirty acre entertainment complex. Some of the clubs and bars located here are: Bob Marley’s Tribute to Freedom: reggae dance party in the courtyard each night. City Walk’s Rising Star: karaoke club. The Groove: dance club. Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville: three bars themed to Buffett songs. Latin Groove: Latin dance club Pat O’Brien’s: reproduction of the world famous New Orleans bar. Red Coconut Club: nightclub and lounge If dancing the night away is not for you, you can sit back and catch a film at the AMC Universal Cineplex 20. The cinema features 20 screens showing the hottest films in Hollywood as well as an Imax theater. Each theater has stadium seat...

Orlando, Florida: Crossing over the canal you can catch a glimpse of the Mediterranean style buildings across the lagoon. As you reach the piazza filled with Italian sports cars and Vespa scooters, the sound of Italian ballads fill the air. No you are not on the Italian coast but rather the luxurious Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. Opened in 1999, the Portofino Bay Hotel was the first of the Universal Orlando hotels. The hotel features over 750 guest rooms featuring Italian style furnishing, marble finishing and much more. It is the most luxurious of the three resort hotels with amenities the whole family will enjoy. The hotel features three pools to help cool off from the heat. The Beach Pool is the main pool featuring a waterslide, poolside activities and two Jacuzzis. There are three beach cabanas available for rental as well as a weekly dive-in movie. The Villa Pool is more laid back and designed for relaxation. It features sixteen cabanas and lounge chairs perfect for r...