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Trivia is Here!

Parrotheads Chat Room

Welcome to the Beach!

Welcome to the new Florida Forum!

 

Join Tuesday Trivia and encounter Mr. Peabody's WayBack Machine! Trivia Host Richard Cauldwell has discovered the secret of Disney time travel! Stop in any Tuesday night at 9pm eastern and test your knowledge of not only all things Disney but all things "old" Disney. There's fun and fellowship to be had and a look back at the "good old days." Do you remember your first visit to WDW? How about Disneyland or even one of the more distant Euro-Disney parks? Toko? Who knows where "Mr. Peabody" Richard might take us?

Friends, I need your help. For more than two years now, I've managed to keep this service up and running for all of you at no chage. It is no longer free to me and I'm in a bind. If you want to keep the service running and trivia alive on Tuesdays, please consider making a donation to help us defray the $100 per month it is costing me to keep the server on the internet. As little as $5 per month would be a huge help! The simplest way to handle a donation is to use Paypal. You can do that by clicking this button:


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New chatroom software has been installed. It requires an up-to-date version of the Java runtime for your computer.

Check www.java.com for details about getting the latest version. The program has about a million configurable options, so you may wish to spend a little time checking out all the buttons, bells and whistles (literally!). The links in the Navigation bar take you directly to the chat room pages. If you encounter any problems, please don't wait even a minute! Let us know!

Thanks!

David


Fun Links:
Walt Disney World

Sea World Orlando
Universal Orlando
Busch Gardens - Tampa Bay

In Memorium:
Larry W. Wood 1944 - 2009

Founder of "Destination Orlando," the first-ever online travel-information forum for Florida tourism (1981). Founder of The Florida Forum. Founder of The Go Graphics Forums on the CompuServe Information Service. Larry and I worked together for 13 years and I will surely miss his deep, gravelly laugh and engaging smile.
Requisate im Pacem dear friend.

Cypress Gardens acquired by Merlin Entertainment div. of Blackstone


Merlin Enterinment, a division of Blackstone, has purchased the closed-down Cypress Gardens. The sale was completed on January 7, from its current owners, Land South LLC. There's a massive construction project under way at Cypress Gardens. In addition, Merlin is talking about bringing a Madam Tassaud's Wax Museum location to International Drive. I'm betting few of you know that this would be central Florida's SECOND wax museum attraction. That's right. 'Way back in 1974 when I made my first visit, there was a Six Flags attraction next door to Sea World called "Stars' Hall of Fame. It was closed years ago although the building still exists as offices for Sea World.

 Best of Luck to you Merlin. There's always room for a little more magic!

Quiet Florida


Pam and I took two carloads of kids to the The Florida Aquarium this summer. This remains one of my favorite non-Disney attractions in the state. We are truly blessed in Central Florida to have three top-flight ocean attractions: Sea World, which focuses on the ocean mammals; Disney's Living Seas, which focuses on the coral reef environment and the science of oceanography and The Florida Aquarium, which focuses on the springs, lakes, rivers, beaches, estuaries and the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. This place is on my "don't miss" list. Enjoy!

Here's a new discovery this summer! If you like cold, crystal-clear water. If you like tubing down a lazy river, then you have to seek out Kelly Park northwestern Orange County near Apopka. Take 441 north into Apopka and turn on to Kelly Park Road (hard directions, huh?) and follow the road to Baptist Camp Road. The entrance is just down from the corner. There are a number of tube rental places nearby if you don't bring your own flotation. The tubing run begins at the spring which gushes 26,000 gallons of water per minute from a limestone cavern deep in a shaded hillside. There are several massive, flat limestone rock outcroppings to use as a launching point. The county provides lifeguards all along the run which is about a mile and a half in length. The water is 68 degrees year round and feels GREAT on a hundred-degree day! There are picnic areas, a playground, a sometimes-open museum and a snack bar that sells burgers, hot dogs, fries, etc. It is a GREAT fun day for the whole family. During our second visit, we floated alongside river otters playing in the stream and saw deer near the water's edge. Don't miss this out-of-way water gem!

In Memorium:
Roy E. Disney 1930 - 2009