Orlando Weekend Preview: April 20th - 22th, 2012

Some events going on this weekend:

• Celebrate Spring
• This Saturday starting at 2:00pm is the annual Spring Fest, put on by the German-American Society of Central Florida.  Come for German beer, food, music, and other activities.  Entry is $5 at the door, but well worth it for this fun event.
• Celebrate Movies

• This is the last weekend of the 2012 Florida Film Festival, taking place primarily at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, but also theaters around the area.  For more information, click here.
• Celebrate the Earth
• Sunday is Earth Day, and there are different events around Central Florida to recognize it.  Central Florida Earth Day is Saturday from 10:00am to 6:00pm on the east side of Lake Eola Park.  Also on Saturday, but from 9:00am to 2:00pm, Winter Park is partnering with Rollins College and the Winter Park Forestry Division to bring you Earth Day at Central Park.  There will also be Earth Day events in Polk County and in counties along the coast.
• Celebrate Music

• Friday and Saturday are the last days of the Florida Music Festival 2012.  Over 200 bands will be performing in and around Downtown, with many other industry-related events going on as well.  Click here for the complete schedule.
• Celebrate Heritage
• Come to west Winter Park this Saturday for the 3rd Annual Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk Art and Craft Festival.  From 10:00am to 4:00pm, visit the Heritage Center for new and permanent exhibits, demonstrations, art sales, and soul food.
• Celebrate Food

• This weekend's Food Truck Bazaar will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at the Winter Springs High School, north of Orlando.  Come taste over a dozen different food trucks -- and don't forget to bring chairs, tables, and whatever else to have a good time!
• Celebrate Celebrations
• From the team that brought you Calle Orange comes the 25th annual Fiesta Medina this Sunday from 11:00am to 7:00pm at Orlando Festival Park.  Musical acts include Tito Nieves, Pochy Y Su Coco Band, and Charlie Cruz.  Also featured are activities, stands, and plenty of Latin foods.  Tickets are $10

Orlando in two Magazines this Month

New York Magazine 

Last week, New York Magazine featured the City Beautiful in their article Orlando for Trendsters, part of The Upside-Down Travel Planner.  Featuring the usual culprits - Winter Park, Milk District, Mills, and co. - the article doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know, or read in the (much better) 2007 and 2011 New York Times articles about Orlando.

Mini-rant: Winter Park is not a "budding exurb" -- it's a city in Orange County that's older than most of Orlando.

Men's Health

Orlando made the list of Men's Health The Capitals of Crash, which calculated cities' driving skills based on fatal accidents, speeding, crashes, and seat belt use.  Of 100 cities (1 being the best drivers -- St. Paul, MN), Orlando ranks 94, or F.  Also on the list are Tampa (84), Miami (80), Jacksonville (76), and St. Pete (50).  Oddly enough, New York City, whose residents we like to blame for the crazy driving in Orlando, ranked number 3 with an A+...

Orange County Online Resources

Whether you just moved here or have been living in OC for a while, here are some online resources you might not have seen before:

Google Maps for Public Transit and Bike Paths


The next time you're searching for driving directions, take a second to try out the bike and public transit options.  There are quite a few designated bike paths around the city; downtown is especially well connected with its expending network of bike paths.  Recently, the Lynx bus system partnered with Google Maps to show you how you can take the bus to different parts of the city.  This will be even more interesting after 2014, when the Lymmo expansion and SunRail are up and running.

Also: did you know you can use Google Maps to tour inside buildings?  See inside Stardust and Pom Pom's in Orlando to international museums.

Orange County Property Appraiser


Need to find out what your property is worth?  Need to look at property plans or zoning regulations?  Buying a house and want to know the history of it?  Check out the Orange County Property Appraiser for a slew of information about any parcel of land in OC.

Orange County Public Library


I've always been a huge proponent of public libraries.  That you can borrow books at a library is obvious.  But have you checked out their huge selection of DVDs, CDs, and courses (including Office programs, Photoshop, web design, languages, writing, and online classes)?  Now, you can also download content from the OCLS's Virtual Library, or check out audio books, music, videos, and ebooks in the Downloadable Media section.

Orlando Weekend Preview: April 13th - 15th, 2012

Weekend?  Check.  Beautiful weather?  Check.  Lots of cool events?  Obvsly.

• Film Festival
• Today is the first day of the annual Florida Film Festival.  Come out for local and international movies, food, and events.  
• Cultural Festival
• Friday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm is the Maitland Art Center's monthly Culture & Cocktails.  For more culture, check out readings from Burrow Press's book 15 View of Orlando, happening at the downtown Orlando library, Saturday from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.  For the Sunday culture-lover, visit the Morse Museum in Winter Park at 2:00pm for UCF's classical guitar ensemble ($5).
• Dark Sky Festival
• Saturday from 6:00pm to 11:00pm is the Dark Sky Festival in Harmony.  Enjoy live music, food, kids activities, and presentations about topics ranging from astronomy to ecological conservation.
• Avalon Park Festival

• Also this Saturday, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, is the kid friendly Absolutely Avalon festival in East Orlando's Avalon Park neighborhood.  The free event includes a bounce park, arts and crafts booths, live music, a laser light show, and cultural performances.
• Wakeboarding Festival
• Think water sports are only for coastal cities?  Think again: Friday and Saturday are the 2012 Nautique Wake Games, showcasing Central Florida's best wakeboarding talents.  Tickets are $13 at the door, $7 if bought online.
• Skate Festival
• OK, it's not technically a festival, but you can definitely turn it into a spectacle: Saturday from 7:00pm to 9:45pm, come to the RDV Sportsplex in Maitland and disco-skate to your favorite '70s hits.  The price is $9.53, but you can save $1 if you come in appropriate dress.

  

2012 Florida Film Festival

Tomorrow is the start of the 2012 Florida Film Festival.  From Friday, April 13th to Sunday, April 22nd, be part of one of Central Florida's most exciting events.  Movies generally cost $10 each, but you can buy packages of 5, 10, or 20 tickets and save.  In addition to celebrating local, national, and international cinema, a major part of the FFF is food, served at different events throughout the festival.

For more information, take a look at the schedule and be sure to follow them @FloridaFilmFest.

Dark Sky Festival in Harmony

This Saturday, April 14th, is the 9th Annual Dark Sky Festival in Harmony, Florida (about 40 minutes southeast of Orlando).  From 6:00pm to 11:00pm, come to this free, public event at the Harmony town square and learn about astronomy, nocturnal wildlife, and environmental protection through presentations and exhibits by local astronomers and NASA scientists.  Additionally, come out and enjoy live music, entertainment, food, drinks, and plenty of kids' activities.

Orlando Weekend Preview: April 6th - 8th, 2012

Events in and around Orlando are brought to you this week by the letter S:

• Search

• This Saturday and Sunday, welcome Spring by taking your kids to one of Central Florida's many Easter egg hunts.  Participating communities include College Park, Winter Park, and Sanford.  Also check out Hippity Hop Adventure at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens (Sat & Sun) or The Morse Museum's free open house (Sat & Sun).  
• Surf
• Friday through Sunday is the 48th Ron Jon Easter Surfing Festival at the Cocoa Beach Pier.  A mild weekend with highs in the upper 70s brings the ideal weather to watch the surfing competitions, learn to surf, play in the water, and check out the selection of food and entertainment.
• See

• This Friday at 6:00pm is Date Night outdoor movie night at Leu Gardens.  Bring a blanket, a snack, and maybe some wine and for $5 ($2 for kids, free for members) you can sit out and enjoy a movie.  This month's feature is Twilight.  On the same night, at 8:00pm, you can see a free outdoor showing of Hop at The Florida Mall.
• Style
• Friday night from 7:00 to 9:00pm, Rollins College radio station WPRK is hosting a free Screen Printing T-Shirt Party.  
• Sip
• Orlando Pub Crawl is putting on their themed Wild, Wild West Pub Crawl this Friday starting Downtown at 8:00pm.  Get your tickets today for $12, or buy them at the door for $15 -- tickets let you tag along, get a free drink, and $2 Miler Lites or $3 Bacardi cocktails all night.  
• Show

• Saturday, noon to 5:00pm, is the free monthly classic car show on Church Street.  Come for the cars, stay for a walk around Downtown, food and drink specials, and vendors.