Win a 5-Day, 4-Night Stay at Caribe Cove Resort in Orlando

07Sep11

One lucky winner will get a 5-day, 4-night stay at Caribe Cove Resort in Kissimmee, FL. PlacesAroundFlorida.com and Caribe Cove Resort are pleased to announce this sweepstakes for our readers.

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Tags: contest, sweepstakes

Florida Keys Tourism Council Fight to Correct Gulf Oil Spill Misperceptions

14Jun10

Florida Keys – The Florida Keys & Key West tourism council launched a new Web and social media-based feature Monday designed to communicate an accurate status of Keys tourism offerings during the BP oil spill disaster.

Each weekend, videographers are to tape visitors enjoying water-related and other vacation offerings in the Keys. The one-minute-long video is to be edited and posted to the official Keys tourism council’s website at www.fla-keys.com well as social media venues by about 4 p.m. on Mondays. The videos are to be date stamped with no archival footage used in their production.

The debut video is now webcasting at www.fla-keys.com as the tourism council’s Video of the Week, as well as in a special Gulf oil spill section at www.fla-keys.com/oilspill. It has also been uploaded to the tourism council’s You Tube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAdM56LP5bY.

With the BP Oil Spill disaster continuing, the oil affecting Florida beaches are worrying local tourism officials. “The Keys have received so much news coverage during the past month and many travel consumers mistakenly think our islands are suffering the same horrific and tragic impacts being seen on some northern Gulf coast shorelines,” said tourism council director Harold Wheeler. “We fortunately are not and need to make the travel consumer understand that.”

The tourism council is also adding live webcams throughout the region. The latest is a webcam installed at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach in Key West.

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Tags: bp oil spill, Florida Keys, gulf oil spill, Key West

Glenwood Canyon Resort Builds New Zipline Across Colorado River

25Apr10

Glenwood Springs, CO – The new Glenwood Canyon Zipline Adventures course that will traverse the Colorado River is currently under construction at Glenwood Canyon Resort, just 1.5 miles east of Glenwood Springs. The adventure attraction is a sister company of Rock Gardens Rafting and will feature three ziplines and a high ropes challenge course. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of April and the course will open to the public near Memorial Day.

Soon kids of all ages will be able to zipline across the Colorado River at Glenwood Canyon Resort

“We are in the process of placing 50-foot tall poles in the ground – that’s the height equivalent of a 3-story tall building – which will enable us to build the jumping platforms for the ziplines,” said Kevin Schneider, owner of Glenwood Canyon Resort.

Ziplines are becoming an increasingly popular vacation and team building activity. Soon adventure seekers will be able to experience the thrill of flying across Glenwood Canyon, thirty five feet above the Colorado River. Visitors will ‘gear up’ in a climbing harness, helmet and gloves, climb the launch tower, clip into a double wheel pulley and step off! The force of gravity will zip guests down the cable, high above the river, to the landing platform on the other side. A zip back across the canyon on a second set of cables completes the exciting round-trip zip.

Glenwood Canyon Zipline Adventures is the new sister company of Rock Gardens Rafting which has over 35 years experience in providing thrilling outdoor recreation and whitewater activities in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The new zipline will enable visitors to pump up the adrenaline by zipping on one of three 350 foot long ziplines across the Colorado River and back. Guests will also be able to extend the action with additional adventures on a high ropes course that will open simultaneously with the zipline on Memorial Day. The High Adventure Ropes Course will challenge guests with a rock climbing wall, leap of faith challenge jump and more. Both the zipline and high ropes course are designed for heart pumping thrills, but built with safety as the foremost priority.

Glenwood Canyon Zipline Adventures is based at the Glenwood Canyon Resort at the No Name exit 119 off of I-70, just 1½ miles east of Glenwood Springs. For more information about Glenwood Canyon Zipline Adventures, visit http://www.glenwoodcanyonzipline.com/

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Tags: adventure, Outdoors, zipline

The Sea Pines Golf Resort in Hilton Head Island

31Mar10

Hilton Head Island, SC – As a vast, 5,000-acre oceanfront retreat, The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, SC, has enthralled generations of travelers and guests for more than 50 years and is one of the most notable and popular resorts along the eastern seaboard.

There’s even free golf for children on one of our championship courses, two hours of court time at our Sea Pines Racquet Club, and a list of other amenities that go a long way toward enhancing a family’s vacation experience. The Sea Pines Resort’s Director of Marketing, John Munro, stated, “This special offering has already been well received based on an increase in online bookings on our Sea Pines Resort website, www.SeaPines.com. Our guests enjoy receiving not only the 15% discount on accommodations, but they also really like the package’s benefits such as a $100 credit toward food, golf or activities, free dining for children – there’s even free golf for children on one of our championship courses, two hours of court time at our Sea Pines Racquet Club, and a list of other amenities that go a long way toward enhancing a family’s vacation experience.”

Now, this lush South Carolina vacation destination has even more to offer. The Sea Pines Resort has enhanced its vacationing value through its currently offered “Escape Vacation” package. The package offers both a discounted price, as well as added amenities that make vacationing simply more fun and more rewarding.

The Sea Pines Resort is a top-rated, 5,000-acre family destination located at the southern tip of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The resort encompasses three award-winning golf courses including the famed Harbour Town Golf Links, home to the annual PGA Tour’s Verizon Heritage tournament.

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Tags: Hilton Head

Fourth Dimension to Perform at Lower Keys Reggae Fest April 3

25Feb10

Internationally acclaimed reggae sensation Fourth Dimension is to roll out its pulsing rhythms during the second annual Lower Keys Reggae Fest, scheduled for noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 3.

The Florida Keys festival presents the sounds of the islands set against the swaying palms of Camp Sawyer, a Boy Scout enclave overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at mile marker (MM) 34 on West Summerland Key.

Highlights include a performance by Fourth Dimension, masterful reggae musicians known for their dynamic harmonies, Spanish-English edge, orchestrated arrangements and guitar riffs. Specializing in innovative reggae with uplifting power, the four-piece band has shared the stage with such musical luminaries as Bob Dylan, Mos Def, UB40, Maxi Priest and Steel Pulse.

Also scheduled to strut their stuff on the festival’s waterfront stage are the Code Red Reggae Band, hailed for its award-winning roots reggae sound, and the powerful rhythm-driven band Mixed Culture.

While rocking to the reggae beat, attendees can enjoy attractions including food and libations. In addition, vendors are to be on hand offering crafts and island items.

Music lovers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, or sit beside the ocean to listen to the masterful musical offerings. At the festival’s close, attendees can view a dramatic orange-red sunset over the water.

Tickets for the event are $20 per person in advance or $25 per person at the door. Admission is free for children under age 10. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.keystix.com or at the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce visitor center, MM 31 oceanside in Big Pine.

For information about the reggae fest and accommodations in the Lower Florida Keys, call the chamber at 305-872-2411 or 800-872-3722, or visit the Florida Keys Web site at www.fla-keys.com.

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Tags: Florida Keys, Fourth Dimension, Reggae