Things To Do In SW Florida

A new wax figure of entertainer Lady Gaga has been added to the lineup of Madame Tussauds Orlando, the star-studded attraction on International Drive.

The new Gaga is outfitted in an emerald green velvet dress that harkens to a gown she wore to the BAFTA ceremony in 2022. It has platform boots and silver accessories. Faux Gaga strikes a “paws up” pose, a shout-out to her “Little Monsters” fan base.

“We aim for Gaga’s Little Monsters and music fans alike to feel as though they’re stepping into the spotlight alongside Gaga with her newest wax figure,” Paul Gould, general manager of Madame Tussauds Orlando, said in a news release.

Orlando Science Center: Exhibit features ‘World Records’ pace

Lady Gaga’s most recent album is “Chromatica,” which was released in 2020. She will appear in the “Joker: Folie a Deux” film alongside Joaquin Phoenix in October, where she will play Harley Quinn.

The recent Lady Gaga addition is installed in the A-List Party room of the Icon Park attraction. It replaces a Gaga replica that was in the music room.  Other A-Listers seen in Madame Tussauds Orlando include Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie and others.  More recent additions in the attraction include Chris Pratt (a la “Avengers: Endgame” red carpet), Dua Lipa (fuchsia catsuit), Rihanna (Super Bowl baby bump) and Harry Styles (pearl necklace). read more

Legoland Florida has added a tribute to the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers hockey team. Miniature versions of the players can be found in the theme park’s Miniland near the Miami-themed section of the attraction in Winter Haven.

The team won its first NHL championship Monday night with a Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Legoland’s builders put together 29 little hockey players, 20 fans, 18 dance-team members and six four-legged panthers. Several figures hold signs that say “I’m going to Legoland Florida Resort!,” a twist on the enduring “I’m going to Disney World” promotion after big games.

Some of the fan figures are holding rats, another tradition of Panther fans, who have tossed toy rodents onto the ice in celebration for decades. There’s a Lego-ized big-screen monitor, and one player is holding a trophy.

It took 20 hours for four master model builders to complete the Legoland project.

Other scenes in Legoland Florida’s Miniland include the Daytona International Speedway, Kennedy Space Center, Bok Tower, Key West and other U.S. locations such as New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Southern California and Washington, D.C. Miniland is included with regular admission to Legoland Florida. read more

Royal Caribbean’s newest ship Utopia of the Seas is making its way across the Atlantic for its new home in Port Canaveral.

The second largest cruise ship in the world left the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France on Sunday and will arrive to Florida on July 11.

“The ship is coming straight to Port Canaveral from the shipyard so I think the first time we’ve had a ship come into the port, at least since I’ve been here,  that’s brand new straight from the yard,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray during the port commission meeting Wednesday. “So we’re really excited.”

The port has welcomed ships in their first year of service before, but usually after they make their debuts sailing Europe. The port is planning a community celebration for the ship’s arrival letting the public into Jetty Park to wave as it sails in along with a naming ceremony before the ship’s first revenue sailing on July 19.

“Royal Caribbean selected us for that honor of having the ship first, so we’re really excited and we want to do a good job with it,” Murray said. read more

You won’t go home as the world’s tallest human or the fastest cat alive, but you probably will glean some extreme knowledge from “The Science of Guinness World Records,” a traveling exhibit currently installed at Orlando Science Center.

The space is crammed with hands-on challenges for kids and adults, the competition continues from station to station on various topics and record holders are profiled through text panels and videos.

“Our record holders are simply the most incredible people you’re ever going to meet,” John Corcoran, director of traveling shows and Guinness World Records attraction development, said in a news release.

“They defy belief, and they often seem to defy physics and the nature of spacetime itself,” he said. “But of course, what they’re really defying is our limited sense of what a person can do with enough time, enough practice and enough dedication.”

There are building tasks, memory challenges, speed obstacles and endurance quests such as keeping your balance. There’s also a big-screen version of a Pac-Man video game. read more

The first SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch of the year managed to lift off from Kennedy Space Center carrying the GOES-U weather satellite for the NOAA.

The powerhouse rocket took off from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A at 5:26 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, 2024 carrying the fourth in a series of satellites that look at the Earth from 22,000 miles altitude tracking the tropics and other severe weather in the Western Hemisphere.

The launch was the 10th ever for Falcon Heavy, which first flew in 2018. The three boosters combine to produce 5.1 million pounds of thrust on liftoff, the most powerful commercial active rocket available.