Things To Do In SW Florida

Sure, Orlando is the theme park capital of the world. But we may also be the holiday parade center of the universe with three processionals in three attractions running multiple times during the season.

While each parade is festive, they each have distinguishing features ranging from stilt walkers to horse-drawn carriages to Big Bird shaking his tailfeathers.

Sesame Street party

What and where: Sesame Street Christmas Parade, SeaWorld Orlando

What you see: An array of Muppet characters on floats from the park’s daily parade outfitted with holiday decor and costumes, right down to Oscar the Grouch, who remains moody. The units move into place, halt for choreography-heavy performances and then head backstage.

What you hear: Upbeat seasonal songs framed by “Meet Me Right Here on Sesame Street” coming and going.

When you get the feels: There’s a somber section featuring “One Candle” that gives even grounches pause. But the dancing picks up again right afterward.

When: Most days, the parade, held in Sesame Street Land, naturally, steps off at 2:30 p.m. But some days, it’s 4:15 p.m., and other days, it’s both times. Check the listings on the park app upon arrival. SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration runs through Jan. 4. read more

A local developer wants to transform 1,800 acres just east of Celebration into a multibillion-dollar luxury residential community and resort that will “set new benchmarks in elevated lifestyle experiences” with mansion-style homes that could sell for tens of millions of dollars each.

On Monday night, Windermere-based CIG Companies held a splashy launch event at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando for Magnifica, which is planned for the parcel known as Brown Ranch Six on Poinciana Boulevard, about 1.7 miles south of U.S. 192, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

It is part of a larger area long owned by the late cattleman Oren Brown, who famously refused to sell his ranch to Walt Disney over 50 years ago. Now the ranch may become Central Florida’s most exclusive residential community.

During the event, CIG co-founders Charles and Stacey Carey announced plans to build a 1,720-acre golf community with 250 mansions, 50 condos and high-end amenities directly next to a 72-acre resort with a mix of suites and resort residences. read more

They’re scattered across Tampa Bay — dispensarylike stores lined by glass shelves containing a colorful assortment of intoxicating products. Gummies, joints and vape cartridges promise consumers an unforgettable high.

These shops aren’t marijuana dispensaries. But they sure look like them.

After Amendment 3′s failure, small hemp retailers, which thrive in a legal gray area, may profit from a continued ban on recreational marijuana. Local vendors St. Pete 420, The Hemp Spot and Chillum Mushroom & Hemp Dispensary all expanded in the last year.

More than 9,500 Florida shops, from gas station convenience stores to smoke shops, are licensed to sell marijuana-like products derived from hemp plants. Around 1,500 are in Tampa Bay.

Some hemp products, which consumers 21 and older can buy, meet the state’s definition of marijuana, but escape detection by regulators, a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald investigation found. Others purchased by reporters were revealed to contain harmful levels of mold and pesticides. Since June 2023, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Safety has uncovered more than a million hemp products on store shelves that violated state law. read more

Walt Disney World has released a photo of singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves during her recent visit to the Magic Kingdom, which was her first time at the resort, she said.

Musgraves, who posed with Minnie Mouse near Cinderella Castle, was in Central Florida for a concert at the Kia Center in downtown Orlando last week.  She talked about her Disney World visit during the show, saying that her favorite attraction was Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a roller coaster in Fantasyland.

Disney also posted a video interview with Musgraves on social media, in which she was posted several rapid-fire questions, including “which bear are you trading outfits with?” in reference to this year’s Country Bear Musical Jamboree makeover. She opted for the look of the trio Bunny, Bubbles and Beulah. “They’re kind of fierce,” she said.

Asked for her favorite things about Disney parks, she replied “The joy, the merch, the snacks, the cleanliness. … So clean.”

She also was asked about her favorite Disney snacks. read more

Long gone are the days where impulse buying meant grabbing an unplanned candy bar or magazine in the checkout line. Now, social media makes it quick and easy for us to purchase just about anything with the click of a button, whether or not it’s in the budget. And for some Americans, it’s hurting them financially.

According to a new NerdWallet survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll, more than 1 in 5 Americans (22%) have made impulse purchases that have significantly impacted their finances in the past 12 months. Here are three strategies to combat the urge to shop hastily.

1. Save first, spend after

Around 1 in 6 Americans (16%) say they spent more on impulse purchases than they put into their retirement accounts most months in the past 12 months, according to the survey. A good way to avoid this is automating savings first and then spending what’s left over.