I had a awesome first day with Hilton HHonors during our Great Getaway adventures. Read about my visit to SeaWorld, the Shamu flight and more in my Day One post!
Now on to Saturday!
Our early morning began with a light breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant that was located right outside of the pool. What a relaxing place for a bite to eat in the morning!
The Coral Reef Bar and Grill menu included a full selection of breakfast items. We all ordered something different and sipped on coffee as we chatted and got to know each other a little more.
Once our plates were cleared we gathered our things and set off on a day full of adventures! I must mention that driving to and from our adventures was in class! We had a chauffer named Dave who was very attentive and friendly. He drove us around for almost 12 hours that day in his luxurious black suburban! Yes 12 hours!
First stop was Horse World located about 30 minutes away. When I think of Orlando, I think SeaWorld, Disney World, but never Horse World. Well, I am glad this was on the agenda, because it made me think outside the box about the activities offered in Orlando!
While I didn’t ride a horse, everyone else did. They had a blast! The horses were beautiful and I was so jealous that they were exploring on a walking/trotting tour with them! I’ve only been on a horse at walking pace, so I would have loved to trot with one!
While they were out on an enjoyable 1-hour nature journey, I walked around the grounds and checked out the farm’s horses, pigs, cats, and even a goat.
And while bugs might not be considered farm animals, they were sure plentiful on the farm! While I was walking around the area giant grasshoppers were hopping around my legs. I mean, seriously giant. Like rodent size. I knew the bugs were huge in Florida, but DANG I found out that was very true!
After Horse World, we prepared ourselves for some amazing food at Fat Boy’s BAR-B-Q. They had a huge selection of options that left us very satisfied. In fact, I think we felt a lot like that pig above after we left!
We all were very impressed with Fat Boy’s BAR-B-Q, we found the service was speedy, our waitress was delightful and the atmosphere was fun. Oh and the food, what more can you say about a place that offers fried okra and meat covered in secret basting sauces? No complaints from our table!
Leaving practically holding our guts in, we set off for Gatorland! I had been once before as a little kid, must’ve been over 20 years ago – and boy have things changed!
Still the same, is the gator’s mouth – a picture perfect opportunity not to be missed! We took a few group shots in the gator’s jaws, and had a fun time posing in the unique photo setting!
Alligators, alligators, alligators everywhere! Just like Horse World, the name of the park says it all! There were no shortages of alligators at Gatorland! If you’ve never seen one, this is a unique place to see hundreds!
Once inside the park, we took advantage of a good viewing spot for the gator show, we patiently waited to see what was in store. The show was a bit cheesy, but really showed off the alligators quick ability to get what they want – as they sharply snapped for some raw chicken!
After the show we explored a little. We got to know some alligator facts, learned about the various alligators at the park, and just like a good blogger would, took pictures of everything in-between. Did you know alligators are less aggressive than crocodiles?
For me, the main event of the day was zip lining at Gatorland. This extremely unique experience meant that for 2 hours we would zip line across 6 different lines, as alligators spied us from below.
Of all the adventures at Gatorland, this one was the scariest! They don’t call it the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line for nothing! The tallest of the zip lines was 65 feet off the ground… so don’t worry, we were nowhere near getting our toes chewed off by the gators below! As a first time zipliner, I was a bit nervous, but excited for the new experience!
The experience was thrilling, and while the first initial jump had your heart racing, there were no fears on the next lines…until the suspension bridge! I don’t even want to think about how nerve racking that was!
It was a fascinating experience soaring among the trees, looking down at the giant alligators! The Screamin’ Gator Zip Line program was well done and I would recommend it to any adventurous visitor!
The heat and the thrill worked up some appetites, and we had time to spare before dinner, so instead of a proper snack we chose to stop by a quaint ice cream shop called Private Island that happened to be directly across from Gatorland. Because who says ice cream needs to come AFTER dinner?
This ice cream shop was so different than a typical shop! The ice cream is literally made right in front of you with liquid nitrogen! The owner of the shop, was friendly and talked about how he started the business and how the entire process worked!
My favorite part about this place was that you get to add whatever mix-ins you want – all for the reasonable price of $5! That’s right, look at all these options! The candied bacon caramel sea salt blend is not to be missed!
Our day was sadly ending quickly as we all loaded into the Chevy for dinner. We were off to Johnnie’s Hideaway and our journey was soon to be over!
We enjoyed a lovely dinner that included some delicious fine cuisine! Just look at the appetizers – oysters, fried mushrooms with truffle sauce and more! I ordered the 20 oz. porterhouse medium rare and it was fantastic! It came with a house salad or your choice of upgrade to a cesar or wedge salad. I am a sucker for a wedge salad, and couldn’t resist!
The food was impressive, even the next day – that’s because most of the steaks and the seafood that covered our table got packed up in doggie bags, there was just so much of it!
Dinner concluded with a impressive presentation of desserts, in fact ours was lit on fire – a very exciting end to our very exciting day!
After dinner we designated a time in the morning to say our goodbyes. *tear*
A little bit from Day 3:
Sunday morning came quickly, after being quite exhausted from the day before! Meghann, Lisa, the PR crew (Al & Meg) and I briefly met by the pool for some last minute photos before we said our goodbyes and caught our planes and cars home!
I had such a lovely trip with my new blogging friends, Lisa (@ Life With Lisa) and Meghann(@ Meals and Miles). They are both awesome ladies! I am going to be blog-stalking them for years to come!
The trip was full of adventures from dining with sharks, to zip lining over gators. I got in touch with my adventurous side, and now you can too!
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Do you want to partake in an adventure too?
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(1) The first is by offering incredible deals on hotel stays all around the world! You can find inexpensive hotel rooms on their Great Getaway page!
Check out the hotel discounts!
(2) The second way Hilton HHonors is helping people have an adventure is by offering a sweepstakes for the Great Getaway! While the getaway that I went on was about adventure, you can choose to win one based on your interests – you can enter daily, vote to win a trip based on adventure, food and wine or …
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Disclosure: Hilton HHonors sponsored my press trip. All opinions are my own.