Nick Hotel's Orlando Guide » Extreme Exploring

100,000 “Likes” Celebration Sweepstakes

Team Nick — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:26:32 +0000

To celebrate reaching 100,000 “likes” on Facebook, the Nick Hotel will begin 30 Days of Giveaways, including a Grand Prize 3-night VIP stay at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort. “Every day at the Nick Hotel is the Best Day Ever and we want to share the celebration with our Facebook fans”, said Tony Aslanian, director of sales and marketing for Nickelodeon Suites Resort. “Reaching the 100,000 “likes” milestone on Facebook could not have been achieved without our loyal Nickelodeon fans, so we are celebrating our fans with 30 days of giveaways to say, “thank you!”

10 places to cool off in Orlando

Team Nick — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:46:46 +0000

The Sunshine State lives up to its name, especially during the summer months. It can get hot in Central Florida, but there are plenty of ways to beat the heat at theme parks and other attractions. Here are our top 10 places to cool off in Orlando.

Nickelodeon Suites Resort Water Park
Splash and slide at two over-the-top water parks featuring 13 slides and flumes, kids’ play areas and poolside cabanas. Don’t miss the Mass SLIMING at the Lagoon Pool where you can get soaked in 400 gallons of the green stuff!
Wet ‘n Wild Orlando
Experience world-class, exciting rides and more multi-passenger tube rides than any other water park in Orlando.
Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark
Aquatica blends up-close animal experiences and relaxing surroundings with extreme aquatic fun. The waterpark boasts 36 water slides, six rivers, lagoons and more than 80,000 square-feet of beach area and live animals from all over the world.
LEGOLAND Florida Water Park
Create cool family memories at the Build-A-Raft River where you can construct LEGO inner tubes and float down a 1,000-foot lazy river. The LEGOLAND Water Park offers interactive fun specifically geared toward families with children ages two to 12.
Discovery Cove
At this all-inclusive day resort, swim with dolphins, snorkel among thousands of colorful fish and rays, hand-feed tropical birds and unwind on pristine, white sandy beaches.
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
Plunge into the snow-capped mountain world of Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. Slide through slalom courses, soar down bobsled runs and ride the chair lift – all in your bathing suit!
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
Soak up tropical fun at nine exciting waterslides and streams or triumph over one of the world’s largest artificially created waves.
Central Florida Springs
Take a dip in Florida’s natural cooling system – the Central Florida springs. With water temperatures in the low 70s, a swim in the crystal clear water of the springs is incredibly refreshing and inexpensive. Check out Blue Spring, Rainbow Springs, Wekiwa Springs, De Leon Springs or Rock Springs Run.
Orlando Watersports Complex
The Orlando Watersports Complex is a unique watersports park designed for wakeboarding, wake skating, knee boarding and waterskiing. Positioned on a huge body of water, the attraction offers cableways for unlimited riding time and towboats. Beginner lessons are available with professional coaches to help guide you through a lesson in a safe environment.
Cocoa Beach
Cocoa Beach is a fun day trip. It’s the closest beach to Orlando, only about an hour away, featuring attractions, restaurants, shopping and six miles of sandy shore.

Angry Birds Space Encounter Opens at Kennedy Space Center

Team Nick — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:50:45 +0000

ANGRY BIRDS FLY FROM THE DIGITAL SCREEN TO THE REAL WORLD

You’ve played the game on your phone, but now it’s time to experience Angry Birds™ hands-on in the real world. The internationally popular Angry Birds have landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for a new mission in space.

After entering the Angry Birds wormhole, experience these seven interactive exhibits:

Create Your Own Angry Bird
Eggsteroids Slingshot
Cold Cuts Tile Puzzle
Danger Zone
Red Planet Lazer Challenge
Angry Birds Game Zone

The new exhibit is included in regular admission to the Visitor Complex. It takes about an hour to drive to Kennedy Space Center from Nickelodeon Suites Resort.

Inexpensive things to do in Orlando

Team Nick — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:10:25 +0000

AFFORDABLE FAMILY FUN NEAR NICK HOTEL

There’s so much to do at Nickelodeon Suites Resort, you’ll never have to leave. But if you feel like venturing out for cheap family fun, there are many options surrounding our resort. Before you go, check hours of operation and miles to and from the Nick Hotel.

Free things to do

Disney’s Boardwalk features free, live street entertainment in the evenings, including comedians, jazz ensembles and fire shows.
LEGO Imagination Center at downtown Disney Marketplace is 4,400-square feet of fun. Guarded by friendly dinosaurs and a huge sea serpent made of LEGO bricks, this play area lets kids explore their creativity by building with colorful bricks, and it’s all free.
Black Hammock Adventures on Lake Jessup offers free live alligator and bird exhibits. At the Lazy Gator Bar, guests can join the deck party every Friday and Saturday night and listen to free, live music.
Harry P. Leu Gardens offers free admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first Monday of every month.
The Winter Park Farmer’s Market is held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday. Local vendors and farmers sell their homemade and homegrown specialties, including fruits, vegetables, organic produce, baked goods and more.
Lake Eola Park is a 43-acre recreational area in the heart of downtown Orlando. Visitors can picnic along the shore, enjoy one of the many free concerts at the ampitheater, feed the resident swans or stop by the farmer’s market on Sundays.
Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards, which sits on 80 breathtaking acres just north of Orlando, offers free tours, tastings and many free festivals and events.
Celebration, the picture-perfect town created by Disney, is the ideal place for a stroll through the streets. Visitors can admire the mixture of historic-themed architecture and modern technology or let little ones play in the interactive fountain.
Old Town in Kissimmee features 75 unique specialty shops, eight restaurants, 21 thrilling amusement rides and a sky coaster.

$5 or less per person

Blue Spring State Park is a popular winter home and important refuge for the West Indian manatee. Here, these gentle creatures can be viewed in their natural surroundings from December through February. The 7,000 acres of wild scenery is perfect for hiking, picnicking, canoeing, kayaking and boating.
Kelly Park, located in Apopka, features Rock Springs, which bubbles up and runs into a crystal clear free-flowing natural spring. For just $1, visitors can spend the day drifting along the mile-long stream in a tube or snorkeling. For more information, call (407) 889-4179.
Wekiwa Springs State Park features naturally refreshing springs. Canoeing is especially enjoyable at this park, with so many lakes and streams to paddle down. The park offers boating, fishing and swimming.

$10 or less per person

The Orange County Regional History Center offers a wide variety of creative exhibits and programs designed for children, including art stations and free family guides for exploring the museum.
Hawaiian Rumble Adventure Golf features two challenging Hawaiian-themed courses, ranging from beginner to advanced that take players through a variety of scenery. The venue also features a waterfall, volcano and musical fountain.
Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf offers two challenging 18-hole courses where visitors can test their putting skills in a fun-filled setting of natural wonders, lavish landscaping and delightful pirate themes that offer swashbuckling fun for the whole family.

$15 or less per person

Dinosaur World, located in Plant City, has more than 150 life-size dinosaurs located on its grounds. Visitors can examine fossils and learn why dinosaur remains are not found in Florida or shop for hard-to-find dinosaur toys and educational materials in the gift shop.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex offers spectators the chance to enjoy a number of annual sporting events like Atlanta Braves Spring Training, regular season Major League Baseball games, PGA Tournaments, college basketball tournaments and Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp.
Van’s Skatepark is Orlando’s premier skateboard park with varied riding areas and obstacles designed for beginner to advanced skaters. The park includes multiple ramps, bowls, street courses and an arcade.

Ultimate SLIME Experience at Nickelodeon Suites Resort

Team Nick — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 01:41:38 +0000

GET SLIMED – THE HIGHEST NICKELODEON HONOR!

Do you dream in green…SLIME? We’ve designed an exclusive event just for you – the Ultimate SLIME Experience.

Get SLIMED under the bright lights and on the famous Nickelodeon stage! Our team of slime experts will shower you in the highest honor – gallons and gallons of gooey green. It’s the perfect grand finale to your Orlando slime vacation.

Reservations are required and charges apply.

New SpongeBob SquarePants 4-D Film Premieres at Nickelodeon Suites Resort

Team Nick — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 01:14:48 +0000

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 4D: THE GREAT JELLY RESCUE

There’s a brand new 4-D adventure bubbling up at Nickelodeon Suites Resort. SpongeBob SquarePants 4D: The Great Jelly Rescue premieres Spring 2013 at the 4-D Experience Theater. Dive into a thrilling, multi-dimensional adventure through Bikini Bottom with SpongeBob SquarePants and friends.

The 4-D Experience Theater at Nickelodeon Suites Resort features a variety of films for guests to enjoy. Go on the ride of a lifetime with innovative entertainment technology in the state-of-the-art theater.

The Force is Strong with LEGOLAND’S New Star Wars Expansion

Team Nick — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:24:30 +0000

LEGOLAND® Florida recently announced a new expansion to the park, LEGO® Star Wars™ Miniland Cluster, which will include a scene from each of the six live-action Star Wars movies, as well as a scene from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars™. The addition, opening in November 2012, will be created from more than 1.5 million LEGO bricks and built in 1:20 scale. Following a chronological path through the Star Wars timeline, guests will retrace the major events of the beloved Saga. Some of the 2,000 LEGO models will be more than 6-feet-tall. Interactive buttons will allow children to activate animations throughout the scenes. For more information, visit legoland.com.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay & Discovery Cove in Orlando announce 2011 additions

Team Nick — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:05:10 +0000

Today, two of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s world class theme parks announced all-new attractions to open in 2011. For those planning a trip to Central Florida next year and beyond, the announcements mean new thrills and up-close encounters with exotic animals at both Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Discovery Cove in Orlando.

To learn about both new attractions, go to www.CheetahHunt.com and www.DiscoveryCove.com

BuschGardens Tampa Bay

For more than five decades, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has found inspiration in its animals. Animal care experts have turned that inspiration into adventure with immersive natural habitats like the Serengeti Plain and Myombe Reserve. Engineers have also turned it into adrenaline, capturing the spirit of the animals in wood and steel with coasters like Kumba, Gwazi and SheiKra.

Now, the next generation of thrills emerges from the crossroads where up-close animal encounters and awe-inspiring rides come together. Spring 2011, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay introduces a mega-attraction that invites guests to feel the spirit and feel the speed of the cheetah.

Cheetah Hunt

The centerpiece of the new attraction is Cheetah Hunt, a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Launch Coaster that uses the force of repelling magnets to launch riders from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds – not once, but three times.

The first launch propels the train out of its station and into the grasslands that surround the new area. Moments later, a second burst of speed accelerates riders to 60 mph and up into the ride’s signature tower element that climbs more than 10 stories above the African landscape before plunging 130 feet into a subterranean trench. At the far end of this three-quarter-mile path, a third burst of speed rockets the train back across the plain toward the station in a thrill-ride experience unlike anything Busch Gardens’ guests have ever experienced.

Cheetah Run

But this one-of-a-kind coaster experience is only a portion of the new realm. Building on Busch Gardens’ unrivaled ability to combine thrills with immersive animal encounters, Cheetah Run will set a new standard for bringing nature and humans together in a really unique way.

Located in the area that formerly housed the Budweiser Clydesdales, this expansive new habitat will give visitors the opportunity to get closer to cheetahs than ever before with elevated, glass-paneled viewing areas. Even more exciting will be the chance to witness the world’s fastest land animal in action. Busch Gardens’ trainers will conduct daily sprints with the cheetahs for an awesome opportunity to see one of nature’s true wonders in full form!

Families can also explore interactive touch screens to learn even more about these big cats and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s work on their behalf. Through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the adventure parks have been helping cheetahs in the wild since 2005.

Cheetah Hunt and the Cheetah Run open in spring 2011. Together, they form a unique experience – the kind you’ll only find at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Discovery Cove

In Orlando, Discovery Cove takes immersion to new depths when it opens an all-new area — The Grand Reef — in June 2011. The new reef features multiple levels of exploration, from shallow waters to deeper swimming adventures, from white sandy beaches and hammocks swaying in the breeze, to snorkeling among canyons inspired by reefs from around the world.

“The Grand Reef takes Discovery Cove’s world-class animal encounters to an all new level — several, actually,” said Stewart Clark, the park’s vice president. “It’s what our guests expect from us, unforgettable connections with the sea and making memories that will last forever. This could only be created by Discovery Cove.”

Visitors just need to get their feet wet to enjoy The Grand Reef, or they can choose to go deep. They can step into tranquil, shallow waters to discover a below-the-surface world teeming with sea life, or they can snorkel in deeper waters as thousands of exotic fish and graceful rays swim around them.

Surprises abound. Families can seek discoveries along the water’s edge or cross a bridge to see sharks swimming below. They’ll play hide-and-seek with thousands of beautiful fish, from small colorful wrasses to large spotted eagle rays. Further out in the reef, stunning habitats create the feeling of swimming right alongside venomous lionfish and sharp-toothed reef sharks, each safely behind glass. Guests can take paths and bridges to the reef’s islands and hidden grottos as they delve into the reef from above, around and below.

Those looking for an even more exhilarating adventure can take part in The Grand Reef’s innovative experience, SeaVenture, an underwater walking tour. Wearing dive helmets, guests find up-close excitement around every corner, each step yielding a new discovery.

They’ll come across lionfish and sharks (safely behind massive panoramic windows), one-on-one touches with unique animals and schools of fish and gentle rays swimming by. SeaVenture is a once-in-a-lifetime, undersea experience available for a nominal fee.

The Grand Reef is the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation, a fully immersive tropical escape, new to discover in Orlando in 2011. There’s more to learn at www.DiscoveryCove.com.

Third Annual Orlando Food & Wine Fest

Team Nick — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:58:23 +0000

Presented by 103.1 WLOQ and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, the event is located in the heart of Orlando and features mouth-watering dishes from 36 restaurants and more than 50 domestic and international wines.

For more information visit http://www.orlandofoodandwinefest.com/.

DORA THE EXPLORER CELEBRATES HER 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH BACKPACKS AND A VISIT TO ARNOLD PALMER HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN

Team Nick — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:49:10 +0000

Dora the Explorer delivered special backpacks and read a story to children at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in celebration of her 10^th anniversary on August 14th. The backpacks have been specially designed for Nickelodeon’s Beyond the Backpack Campaign, an initiative aimed at teaching parents all about the importance of preparing their children for kindergarten.

Dora the Explorer makes her Orlando home at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort, the only hotel of its kind in the world. To celebrate her 10^th Anniversary, Dora the Explorer will visit the children, sign autographs, read and deliver backpacks to children at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. In addition to the celebratory visit to the hospital, Dora will also receive a special gift from the City of Orlando. A proclamation will be given to Dora the Explorer declaring August 14^th Dora the Explorer Day in the City of Orlando.

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children is a sanctuary of hope and healing. The most advanced technology, coupled with compassion and dedication have made Arnold Palmer Hospital one of the most trusted names in children’s healthcare worldwide. Careful attention has been paid to creating a cheerful, comforting environment to minimize stress and generate smiles. Arnold Palmer Hospital is a 158-bed pediatric hospital facility located in Orlando, Florida, United States.