Presidential Villas Blog

Hard Rock Live is one of Orlando’s most fantastic live venues, with an imposing and impressive decor of towering columns, archways, and a huge VIP-style entrance! Part of the famous Hard Rock Cafe brand, Hard Rock Live puts on great live acts all year round for music lovers with a taste for all kinds of music. The venue’s spellbinding lighting effects and perfectly pitched sound experiences create the perfect atmosphere for a live music extravaganza.

Upcoming bands at Hard Rock Live, Orlando:

March

Over March 2009, Hard Rock Live will be home to acts such as Morrissey, Jesse McCartney, and George Lopez to just name a few, with a new act on every few nights, so you can guarantee there will be a great live set for you to enjoy whatever dates your holiday covers.

Into May and June, acts such as Stephen Lynch and Wanda Sykes will be gracing the stage, so check out the venue’s website for further updates as they come in.

There’re always new and exciting additions being added to what’s available at Disney World, and we have the scoop on what’s coming up later this year. Our Kissimmee villas are all within minutes of Disney so take advantage of your position and ensure that you’re first in line!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is set to launch it’s new American Idol attraction this year, based on the popular reality TV series.

Are you a sports fan? The Champion Stadium at Disney’s Wide World of Sports becomes home to the Atlanta Braves’ spring training this year, before hosting games for fans to enjoy. Book your tickets well in advance. Between 27th February and 1st March, you can take in non-stop sports action at ESPN The Weekend at Hollywood Studios park, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Epcot, Disney’s informational technological and cultural theme park, hosts the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival from the 18th to 31st March, a chance to get closer to some beautiful flora and fauna. This park also hosts annual food and wine festivals, so check dates before you travel to avoid disappointment.

Disney constantly adds and updates its rides, so stay tuned for further information throughout the year.

Orlando’s Amway Arena (previously named the Orlando Arena), is an impressive sporting venue with many additional facilities under the umbrella name of “The Orlando Venues,” including the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, the Mennello Museum and The Harry P. Leu Gardens. This huge entertainment complex covers space for basketball, arena football, ice shows, hockey and even circus spectaculars. There are also plenty of restaurants, so take the opportunity to take in the atmosphere with other fans, spectators and tourists before you watch a game or catch a show.

Upcoming events in 2009 across The Orlando Venues include:

Concerts - New Kids on the Block, Celtic Woman, Disturbed, Yanni Voices and Fleetwood Mac will all be gracing the concert hall to kickstart 2009, with countless other acts performing throughout the year. This part of the complex also hosts stand up comedy acts, so check out their website to check out what’s on when you’re in the area.

Arts and Theatre - Throughout February, the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center theatre will be showing various ballets performed by the Orlando Ballet, and also the Broadway extravaganza Chorus Line, performed by Suntrust Broadway Across America. To close February, Orlando Opera takes over, bringing you singing into March with the stage production of Legally Blonde and Brahms performed by the Orlando Philharmonic. In April Chitty Chitty Bang Bang bursts onto the stage, followed by a ballet take on the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet into the start of May. Check Amway’s website for continuing news for what’s on at the theatre when you’re in Orlando.

The Bob Carr Performing Arts Center will also host the World Ballet Competition from June 22-27, featuring the Central Florida Ballet. Special appearances will be made by entertainment celebrities who have particular ties to the dance form.

Basketball - Home to the team Orlando Magic, basketball is a huge deal at Amway with exemplary spectator seating. Orlando Magic play their home games here throughout the season. In February you can support them as they take on the Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons to just name a few, with further home games against teams such as Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks - famously the favorite team of the characters of US sitcom ‘Friends’.

The venue is also home to the Orlando Predators American football team, and the Orlando Sharks Soccer team, with many sporting events covered at this venue all year round including the Champs Sports Bowl and Capitol One Bowl. Baseball is also represented on the floodlit Tinker Field outdoor stadium, and well worth experiencing on a nice sunny afternoon. Check up on the Arena’s website today to see when your favorite sport is represented, and get in on the action!

Another part of The Orlando Venues, Harry P. Leu Gardens is a wonderful collection of Southern-styled gardens spanning fifty acres, with three miles of paved walkways, and including tropical stream gardens, butterfly gardens, and much more, so if the action of the stadium gets too exhausting, why not break up your trip a little with a quiet stroll around this peaceful paradise. Alternatively, visit the Mennello Museum: This collection of American art is currently host to the John Sloan exhibition until 22nd March 2009, and has a fascinating permanent exhibition all year round.

Forever Florida is one of Florida’s largest nature parks with over 4700 acres of wetlands, woodlands, and cypress forest, all completely untamed and a prime example of the beautifully unspoilt natural surroundings to be enjoyed in Florida. Shared coach trips or horseback safari-style adventures are already available at this amazing park, but new for 2009 is something very different: a Zipline Safari. This is the only experience of its kind in Florida, and takes guests on a nature tour above the tree-tops, reaching thrillingly high heights and speeds as you experience a near-flight sensation.

This site is purported to be the home to nine ecosystems, so there is a bounty of natural beauty to enjoy, and if you’re lucky you might just spot some white-tail deer, black bears, or even the now endangered Florida Panther!

Orlando is home to the huge Orange County Convention Center, and Presidential Villas is proud to offer some great convention villas just around the corner! The Convention Center is a key destination for business conferences, networking events, lectures and training, and prides itself on business hospitality.

However, there is so much more to the Convention Center than just business meetings, with hundreds of gatherings, expositions and retail events throughout the year. For example, in March you can enjoy looking around the Electronic House Exposition – the future is closer than you think! There are many different events on, just check before you go that it’s open to the public! Some require pre-booking but many are open to the public, and free. There are talks and expositions covering a hugely diverse range of subjects, from championship sports, to wedding fairs, diamond auctions, church events, and many more.

There is nothing more relaxing than laying back, closing your eyes and letting someone else ease all the strain and tension from your body through luxurious massage and relaxation treatments. Orlando has an abundance of day spas, perfect for a pampering session, especially if your hectic lifestyle doesn’t usually lend itself to such comforts. You could opt for a soothing facial to help regenerate your skin after exposing it to the Floridian sunshine, or a soothing foot rub after running about shopping all day! This blog entry offers a look at just a few of Orlando’s finest spas – you may want to ask the locals where they would recommend!

Pierre Day Spa
Located in Edgewater Drive, this serene space offers a variety of therapies, mainly Swedish in origin, intended to re-energize your body as well as relax your muscles. Seaweed-wrap facials and sea-salt skin exfoliation treatments feature in their oceanic-themed packages; however there are many other types of treatments available, including a strangely guilty chocolate cream pedicure! Prices here vary depending on the packages, so it’s worth having a look at if you want to sample a little luxury on a small budget.

Gary Lambert Salon & Spa
Okay, so you need to drive out to Winter Park for this one, but if you’ve got the money it’s well worth looking into. This larger salon includes hair and skin care as well as massage and facial packages, so if you need your hair cut you can do it all in one place! Prices can be a little steep here, but the place has some great reviews and focuses on personal attention.

Acqua Day Spa
This spa is Exclusive with a capital ‘E’, but it’s worth it! Only available on Mondays and Tuesdays, booking is essential, however this difficulty of getting into the spa is its man exclusive feature… because the prices are very reasonable. A very private spa, they are committed to promoting healthy living to their clients, offering body treatments, massages and facials. Located in the Windermere Business Center, they also offer waxing, eyelash tinting, and various skincare packages.

Blush Day Spa
Located in Altamonte Springs (just outside Orlando), Blush Day Spa is a luxurious yet peaceful spa, with packages for just an hour, up to the entire day, claiming to “rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit” with their professional treatments and cheery staff. With customized packages to fit in with whatever you want from the treatment, this spa offers a very personal approach, and can also accommodate birthday parties and wedding groups.

Sanctuary Salon & Day Spa
Right in the heart of Orlando, this up-market spa focuses itself on spoiling its guests rotten, and provides a few treatments not offered by its competitors – including Botox and facial fillers, and makeovers.

Buena Vista Palace
Part of Disney World, this spa is ideal for mums who want to escape from the theme park but still be near the rest of the family. Modern and stylish, this spa offers over 60 different treatments, and also has a swimming pool and fitness center, so you can get a sweat on and then have your muscles massaged for ultimate relaxation.

There is so much to do in Florida beyond riding rollercoasters and flopping on the beach. For a chance to stimulate your grey cells, why not take the opportunity to explore new cultures and immerse yourself in stage, screen, arts and aliens as you discover the wealth of cultural offerings around Orlando and Miami. Our following guide to what’s new in 2009 is just a small taste of what you could find to immerse yourself in this year:

Art Exhibitions

Crealde School of Art will start off 2009 with three new exhibitions, kicking off with “The Art of Fellowship,” featuring the works of emerging artists, from April 18, 2009. In March, you can catch a retrospective of Aroutiunian’s strange and interesting sculpture work under the title “Displacement: Sculpture and Installation by Gagik Aroutiunian,” starting from the 14th, or later on in the month, you can immerse yourself in “A Decade of Zora! Festival Posters,” which celebrates the 20th year of the area’s Zora Festival, starting from the 28th.

Maitland Art Center opens “The Art of Ganesh,” from 9th January to 22nd February, “The Seminoles, The Reeves Collection,” from 13th March to 26th April, “Florida Craftsmen,” from 15th May to 13th July, “Recent Acquisitions & Gifts,” from 20th July to 28th August, and “30/30, A Compact Juried Competition,” from 11th September to 25th October, so there is always an interesting exhibition running all through 2009, and well worth a look.

The Orlando Museum of Art has several new exhibits opening in 2009 including: “American Portraits and Landscapes,” which runs as a permanent exhibition throughout 2009; “Therman Statom: Stories of the New World,” from 10th January to 10th May, and “Jerry Pinkney: Aesop’s Fables and Other Tails,” from 9th May to 16th August, an engaging look at the morals and meanings behind some of Aesops most beloved children’s tales.

A new art space, The Gallery at Avalon Island, has also newly opened, featuring monthly art exhibits held on the third Thursday of each month. The gallery will also stage the Global Peace Film Festival and the Florida Film Festival in 2009 in its 80-seat movie theatre.

There are plenty of art exhibitions to see, and most of Orlando’s main galleries also house some fantastic permanent exhibitions.

Theatrical Productions

You may feel far from Broadway in Orlando, but you needn’t be, as the talented theatre group Broadway Across America’s Orlando contingent will be putting on some amazing performances in the spring, from March to June, including musical versions of Legally Blonde and Jersey Boys, the epic musical Stomp, and family favorite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Mad Cow Theatre is an independent theatre company showing more contemporary performances, and will kick off its run in 2009 with “Eurydice,” from 23rd January to 22nd  February, followed by “The Year of Magical Thinking,” and carrying on throughout the year with modern theatre and musicals such as “Amadeus,” “Fully Committed,”; “Forbidden Broadway: Greatest Hits Volume 1,” “I am My Own Wife,” and “Harvey,” taking you up to the end of August. Check before you go to see what’s on, or simply turn up and trust to chance, these will all be great plays performed by strong, independent casts with a fresh style of acting. “The Orlando Cabaret Festival,” will also be held here from 30th April to 10th May.

There are many stage theatres in Orlando and the surrounding area, including many small, independent production houses, so have a look around and find out what’s on near you.

Science and Technology

Bringing you and your family closer to the strange wonders of the underwater world, The Orlando Science Center’s new film, “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” will be playing through Spring 2009. Taking in life-forms too odd to even be featured on the Discovery Channel, some of the oddest ocean-dwelling specimens found in our world, from the frightening, vicious, and remarkable, to the downright peculiar!

We may have caught a peek at a few images on the News, but now you can you’re your extra-terrestrial eye opened to so many more incredible images of worlds beyond our own humble blue planet, with the launch of the Kennedy Space Center’s “Eye on the Universe: The Hubble Space Telescope” exhibit, showing some powerful Hubble images of other planetary terrain, and exploring the science of deep space. Visitors can step into the universe and immerse themselves in the examination of ancient stars, nebulas and galaxies beyond our own…the truth is out there!

There are so many great festivals and events to get involved with in Florida, mainly centered in Orlando, and are a great source of alternative entertainment if you’re looking for something extraordinary. There’s so much fun to be had in eclectic ways, some geared nicely towards different budgets.

The Florida Film Festival runs from the 27th March to 5th April and features short films, documentaries, independent offerings, and even film-making lectures for those who think they have the director’s stamina or a cameraman’s eye. It takes place across various locations in Orlando and central Florida, and is well worth looking up if you’re visiting at this time. It’s an annual event, so if you miss it this time round, try again next year.

In May, the Florida Music Festival offers a huge range of different types of music, from acoustic to hardcore, making this a great opportunity to sample some genres you might not usually listen to, and watch live bands both popular and unknown. If you’re in the music biz, here’s where you should come to get in some networking with industry professionals and other bands. There are also two extra mini-festivals added onto this, with the Indie film Jam, a competition for music video makers, and the Rock Walk Art Exhibition, which shows interesting arts and crafts inspired by music. There’s a lot to pack in with this event but there are usually multi-day passes for sale.

Maybe musical theatre is more to your aural tastes? If so, you could pop into the Mad Cow Theatre for a few performances as part of the Orlando Cabaret Festival, also in May.

Start training, because in September you could take part in the Downtown Orlando Triathlon, where competitors take part in relays, group races, swimming, cycling and running. This is a huge event and attracts sportsmen from all over the world, however if just the mere thought of this makes you sweat, being a spectator is great fun too and won’t cost you a penny. Alternatively, get involved in a very different sport by taking a trip to the United States Dance Championships, an exciting and exhilarating dance event with contestants from all over the world and individual and group entries to enjoy.

If you’re visiting in November, head to the Silver Springs area to take in some real American culture and history by attending the Native American Festival. You can enjoy traditional dances and foods, and watch live entertainment. This is not only a great day out but also a great opportunity to learn more about America’s origins.