M. Timothy O'Keefe has been an Orlando resident since 3 B.D. (3 years Before Disney). He has published more than 1,000 magazine and newspaper travel articles, authored 15 books and co-authored 3 more and published over 15,000 photographs worldwide. His latest book is Photographer’s Guide to the Everglades. He also wrote Caribbean Hiking and has been a frequent contributor to Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine. His travel apps include Essential Orlando and Everglades Photo and Travel Guide. He is a past president of the Society of American Travel Writers and the Florida Outdoor Writers Association.
Christmas in Orlando begins early, with some holiday events starting the second week of November. Christmas vacation festivities often last into the first week of January. An extended season allows visitors to enjoy Christmas celebrations in Orlando whenever it is most convenient. Christmas in Orlando: Holiday Events Light Up UCF!, one of the best early season family holiday events, is held...
What’s new for Orlando attractions? Orlando theme parks lure new and returning visitors with fresh features annually. International Drive, already lined with smaller attractions, has also gotten some attention. Check out new Volcano Bay water park at Universal Orlando Resort and the long anticipated The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, two of Orlando’s top attractions. What’s New for Orlando Attractions...
Grenada‘s Grand Etang National Park and Forest Reserve is one of the best and most popular places to explore the island’s rain forest hiking trails. Located only 8 miles from the center of St. George’s, Grand Etang offers a series of scenic hikes, a good variety of birds and the always hungry mona monkeys seeking a handout. The drive to the park...
Is it really possible to experience the very best of Universal Orlando Resort in 72 hours? Yes, I’ve done it several times with family. That you can do it in such a short time does not mean most people would like the hectic schedule. For those with limited time, here’s how to see the best of Universal Orlando Resort in...
The 120-acre Orlando’s Disney Springs at Walt Disney World — open since mid-2016 — almost doubles the number of stores and significantly expands its dining, shopping and entertainment options formerly known as Downtown Disney. Why the name change? The theme park is always evolving. A Brief History of Disney Springs This area opened in 1975 as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village and catered to residents...
Orlando’s top rated water parks are known around the nation and much of the world. On hot summer days, many visitors like to cool off at a water park. Many families make a day of it, easy since all water parks offer snacks, drinks and lunch items. Don’t choose a water park just because it’s close to you. Orlando’s five water parks...
Orlando’s top International Drive bars and clubs include some of the city’s best. Lining I-Drive and accessible from the I-Drive trolley, they are easy and convenient to find. Top International Drive Bars and Clubs: Start in Pointe Orlando Start at Pointe Orlando near the Orange County Convention Center. It is a bar, dining and shopping complex with the area’s only...
Orlando on a rainy day? Yes it happens. While you can plan the perfect Orlando vacation, you can’t control weather. Summer afternoon showers are almost a given. Sometimes it may rain all day. Hiding inside isn’t an option. Nor is slogging through a theme park. Fortunately, you have numerous indoor attractions to choose from when it’s too wet to go...
Visiting Orlando the first-time can be overwhelming for families. There is so much to see and do. Taking it all in is impossible unless you spend 67 days visiting all the attractions. On a vacation of 5 to 7 days, you should concentrate on the theme park(s) that most interest you. First-time Orlando for Families: Practical Tips Apps: Before leaving home, download...
A day trip to LEGOLAND Florida, in Winter Haven, is a mere 45 miles from Orlando’s International Drive. The world’s largest LEGOLAND is THE theme park for families with young children. You may not even have to drive there. Depending on the season, morning shuttle buses depart from the I-Drive 360 attraction for a modest fee. Shuttle reservations are required...
Need a break from the Orlando theme parks? Take a day trip to Cocoa Beach. You are in Florida, after all, which has more coastline than any other state in the lower 48. Orlando’s closest beach, Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic coast, is about 60 minutes from I-Drive and the theme parks. It takes less time to get there than it does...
These top 9 things to do at Disney World after dark show off the theme parks in new ways — and at their best. After dark there are fewer people, it’s cooler and you’ll also see things daytime visitors never do. 1. Visit (or revisit) Animal Kingdom after dark for a totally different perspective of a park that always closed before...
Jamaican jerk — smoked, dried meat — is some of spiciest, most flavorful food on the planet. Any serious jerk lover will want to try more than one jerk stand, possibly even follow the jerk trail from location to location. These seven jerk pits are rated among Jamaica’s best. Most are open from 11 am to 10 or 11 pm. Before you go: Knowing...
Jamaica‘s size and ecological diversity means it has more natural attractions to see than most Caribbean islands. It’s not easy to pick and choose among Jamaica’s best natural attractions, but each of those listed here represents a different perspective of an outstanding natural feature. Jamaica, by the way, celebrates sunsets like nowhere other Caribbean island. That is a sight in...
In Jamaica, the best reason for going off the beaten path is to pay respects to Bob Marley. The reggae king, who died in 1981, is responsible for the dynamic sound that makes Jamaica so distinctive. Marley’s birthplace and mausoleum are located at the tiny village of Nine Mile, located inland between Claremont and Alexandria. Nine Mile is not the easiest place...
This guide helps first time visitors to Jamaica understand the nation and its people. Jamaicans typically are friendly, fun-loving people. Many are poor and not well schooled, yet they have something far more important than wealth, technological advances or book learning. They have their special attitude about living life, which is to have fun, whatever they are doing. Jamaicans are famous for their relaxed,...
If ever a city was designed for visiting golfers, it is Jamaica’s Montego Bay with its four world class golf courses located in and around the resort city. On a family vacation, by all means consider taking everyone. The White Witch allows children under 12 to play at special hours for cut-rate fees as long as a parent is present. Dress code for all area public golf...
Everglades wildlife viewing and photography go hand-in-hand. One of the easiest and best places to see Everglades National Park wildlife is from the Anhinga Trail at the Royal Palm Visitor Center located only four miles from the the park’s Homestead entrance. At Royal Palm, the Anhinga Trail borders a man-made deep-water canal paralleling an asphalt pathway that marks the beginning of the nature walk. When the...
The Everglades National Park driving tour begins shortly beyond the Coe Visitor Center. As soon as you leave the main park entrance, you begin the 38-mile long Main Park Road that leads to Flamingo. Along the way are a variety of park stops, all different and all must-sees. Expect animal action as you drive the Main Park Road. Anytime you spot something...
The Everglades is different from other large national parks and first-time family visitors understandably have questions about what there is to see and the best way to go about finding wildlife on their initial visit. What To Expect in Florida’s Everglades Thousands of years ago, Florida’s Everglades was literally at the bottom of the sea, which accounts for the region’s amazingly...
Spending New Year’s Eve in Red Square during the Cold War with three passing Russian college students who wanted to practice their English with a tourist who had a camera on a tripod. They took out a bottle of champagne hidden in a large briefcase and we four drank out of three old chipped coffee cups. Whatever their leadership, Soviet or Putin, Russians generally are friendly people.
Patience and endurance. And to be ready to try new things, such as eating termites in the Dominican Republic. Crunchy, not much taste.
Yes, Rio, in Brazil. Could not endorse it and risk someone’s safety because it was and is an unsafe destination.
As a travel writer and photographer who has been to every continent on assignment and done things now impossible such as climbing Egypt’s Great Pyramid without a guide, which was terrifying because I was afraid of heights and also of falling,which almost happened. I wish more Americans would test their comfort zone, stop being work slaves and venture to see what is happening elsewhere in the world. With new perspectives and knowledge, we would have a more tolerant and progressive country.