Things To Do In SW Florida

Orlando-based Escapology has opened its second Central Florida location – its 72nd overall – with the grand opening of escape rooms at the Promenade at Sunset Walk in Kissimmee. The company’s first location stands on Orlando’s International Drive, and in the coming months, company-owned Escapology locations will open in Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The brain-teasing attractions provide clues to visitors who try to solve hands-on puzzles within certain time limits. Themes range from the “Scooby-Doo” franchise to Seven Deadly Sins to Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Escapology develops new high-tech games, and it had a licensing deal with Warner Bros. that brings Batman: The Dark Knight Challenge to Orlando and other venues this year.

Burton Heiss, Escapology’s CEO, chatted with the Orlando Sentinel before the Kissimmee location opened to the public Wednesday.

QUESTION: What are we going to see here?

ANSWER: It’s our second location in Orlando, which is sort of a big deal. We don’t have a lot of markets where we have two locations. … I think it says a lot about Orlando and already how much entertainment there is here but also sort of the insatiable appetite for new experiences that all of the tourists and locals that are attracted to here are looking for. read more

Osceola County’s Westside Boulevard corridor has long been a magnet for vacation home resorts, and the new Eden Gardens Resort community has now closed its first home sale at $1.19 million, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The 255-home community is the brainchild of homebuilder Eli Steinhardt, who relocated from Illinois to Florida to pursue his dream of building a vacation home resort that could be a second home to Orthodox Jews.

Steinhardt said the house on Lady Alice Drive was a model home for Eden Gardens. At nearly 6,000 square feet, the Iris model is the largest floorplan, with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The buyers, according to public records, are Salem and Judith Saka.

All homes in Eden Gardens come with a private, screened swimming pool and plenty of gathering space. The community will have tennis courts, a community center and spa.

What sets Eden Gardens apart are the features installed specifically to appeal to Orthodox Jews.

Each kitchen has two separate sinks so it can function as a Kosher kitchen. read more