Though Central Florida and theme parks seem to go hand in hand, Florida’s vacation kingdom has more vacation variety than the average visitor might expect. Beyond the attractions that have made Greater Orlando a top leisure destination, Central Florida expands into a fascinating land of one-of-a-kind sights and diversions.
Rafting the Wekiva River, antique hunting in Lakeland, roping cattle in Kissimmee—they’re all part of the activity landscape in Central Florida. And so are top-notch meeting facilities. In addition to one of the nation’s largest convention centers, access to area attractions gives meeting planners a world of creative theming to explore, along with an incredible variety of recreation options that make the average convention experience anything but conventional.
Orlando
It’s a destination loved equally by toddlers and CEOs...and how many places can you say that about? True, one might be playing in a sandbox and the other avoiding a sand trap, but Orlando’s unique ability to be all things to all visitors only gets more effective as the years pass.
Not only is Orlando leading the state in terms of facility size, it’s leading most of the country. Offering more than 2.1 million square feet of exhibition space, the Orange County Convention Center is second in size only to Chicago’s McCormick Place. But it doesn’t end there; collectively, area properties offer a whopping 3.5 million square feet of meeting space that includes everything from expansive, stand-alone convention centers to intimate executive meeting rooms.
“What differentiates Orlando from other meetings destinations is the full scope and services we offer as a destination and our variety of accommodations, experiences, amenities, and facilities,” says Gary Sain, the new president of the Orlando/Orange County CVB. “Within the next few years, Orlando will have almost every major brand represented in the destination. And many of those are in the upscale market, which is very exciting for Orlando—to have that kind of widespread appeal.”
Already home to Ritz-Carlton, Omni, Rosen, Peabody, Marriott, and other premium brands, Orlando will welcome Waldorf-Astoria in 2009, and Sain says Four Seasons is eyeing the area as well.
Of course, in a region of 500 hotels, variety in price and style is a given, whether you’re staying next door to the convention center, on-property at the theme parks or at a self-contained resort where the nearest neighbor is several golf courses away.
From the film-inspired illusions of Universal Orlando and Disney-MGM Studios, to the magical kingdoms of Walt Disney World and Epcot, and the wild encounters waiting at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and SeaWorld, Orlando is never the same destination twice, as the theme parks constantly reinvent themselves, dreaming up new and exciting additions.
In fact, SeaWorld will open its third park in March 2008, including beaches, swimming areas and a new flume ride.
Meanwhile, the theme parks are available for group events after hours, with Disney and Universal offering separate meetings divisions to help planners coordinate their events. With restaurants, rides and incredible settings for receptions and other functions, the theming and fun are built right in at the parks.
But theme parks are only part of the story in this best-selling destination. In fact, even if you never set foot in the parks, you’ll have a great time off the beaten path in Orlando. The destination is minutes from wilderness adventures at nearly every compass point—including swamp buggy tours through natural wetlands to the south and canoeing on freshwater springs to the north—not to mention adventures in shopping and culture, and dinnertime entertainment options that include everything from stampeding buffalo to jousting knights.
Kissimmee
Its friendly, down-home charm, versatile variety of attractions and first-class accommodations would make Kissimmee a favored destination even if it weren’t right next door to Orlando’s famous theme parks. Offering a great combination of action and relaxation, the area invites tranquil pursuits such as strolling St. Cloud’s historic antiques district or fishing on Lake Tohopekaliga, before kicking up its heels in weekly rodeos.
A nod to the days when Kissimmee’s top industry was cattle—it’s still the state headquarters of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association—the city’s “cow town” heritage is celebrated in a variety of events throughout the year, including the Kissimmee Bluegrass Festival, and the Kissimmee Valley Livestock Show & Osceola County Fair.
Now, turn 180 degrees and you’ll see the other side of Kissimmee—high-end accommodations, family-friendly hotels and attractions, and acre after acre of rolling golf greens.
Mega-resorts like Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, Omni Resort at ChampionsGate, Radisson Worldgate Resort, and Ginn Reunion Resort are home to much of the meeting space in Kissimmee, though there are a host of smaller, national-flag properties, many close to the theme parks, and others, like the Clarion, that combine meeting space with tons of onsite fun—in this case, a water park.
Kissimmee’s meetings landscape also includes stand-alone facilities such as Osceola Heritage Park, a complex of facilities housing the Silver Spurs Arena and an 89,500-square-foot exhibition building, and the Kissimmee Civic Center, with 17,000 square feet of exhibit space and seating for 3,600.
Visitors can get a taste of the area’s “cow town” heritage at weekly rodeos held at the Kissimmee Sports Arena, along with the bi-annual Silver Spurs Rodeo—the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi—housed at the Silver Spurs Arena in Osceola Heritage Park, which also includes Osceola County Stadium, the spring-training home of the Houston Astros.
Or they can immerse themselves completely in “Cracker” culture at Forever Florida, a working cattle ranch set on 4,700 acres of pristine Central Florida wilderness. In addition to eco-safaris, horseback safaris and nature walks, groups can gather for training seminars and retreats in the Cypress Owl Room, Panther Pavilion or Cypress Restaurant and Visitor Center.
Gainesville
It’s the region of the Sunshine State known as “the Original Florida,” thanks to its many freshwater springs, pine forests, rivers, and cypress swamps, not to mention a settled landscape of Victorian homes, old-fashioned town squares and huge live oaks dripping with Spanish moss.
It’s also the land of Gators—that is, the popular football team that makes its home at the University of Florida. The other kind of gator is here, too, though a bit more elusive, living in the rivers and streams surrounding Alachua County.
Meeting space is housed in the attractive historic buildings of the University of Florida, including the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, a multipurpose venue featuring 50,000 square feet of exhibit space, and the Reitz Union building, where facilities include two ballrooms, two auditoriums and 28 meeting rooms.
In addition, there are a number of conference hotels in this city of sporting events, including the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center, the Holiday Inn University Center, the Paramount Plaza Hotel, and the Best Western Gateway Grand.
Ancestral home of Native Americans and adopted home of Spanish missionaries and cattle-driving cowboys, the area surrounding Gainesville is a favored spot for hikers, cave divers and other assorted ecotourists.
It’s also rich in Florida history, as visitors discover when they stop in at places like the Archer Historical Society Railroad Museum—thought to be the oldest train depot in North Central Florida—which served the rail line between Fernandina on the Atlantic and Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico between 1857 and 1861. Meticulously preserved, this landmark has not been updated past 1910, returning the visitor to the days of frontier Florida.
Meanwhile, the distant and more recent past of Alachua County are on display at the Matheson Museum, a complex of venues spotlighting one of Gainesville’s pioneering families, the Mathesons. Structures include the 1867 Matheson House, the second-oldest residence in Gainesville, while the museum itself features a 1,700-square-foot exhibit hall that can accommodate up to 200 reception style.
Ocala, Seminole and Lakeland
Billing itself as the “unexpected Orlando,” the areas surrounding Central Florida’s theme park and attractions hub offer everything from white-water rafting to hot-air ballooning.
North of the Orlando area, Marion County is a natural ecotourism destination, with more than 430,000 acres of national forests and more than 200 spring-fed lakes and rivers. Visitors canoe or tube down the Juniper, Rainbow or Oklawaha rivers or take in one the state’s oldest attractions, Silver Springs, where daily attractions include glass-bottom boat rides, jungle cruises and Jeep safaris.
In addition, fishing enthusiasts will find record-breaking largemouth bass in area lakes and rivers, while amateur archaeologists seek out Indian artifacts and bird watchers stay on the lookout for more than 200 species of birds.
Horses are big business in Marion County, one of the major Thoroughbred breeding and training centers in the world and proud hometown of several Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Triple Crown champs. With Ocala as its largest city, Marion County is home to more than 75 percent of Florida’s 600 Thoroughbred breeding and training facilities, plus another 200 farms and training centers devoted to breeding, training and showing other types of horses. A number of horse farms welcome visitors for tours; check with the chamber of commerce for a list.
Small groups visiting Ocala will find meeting space at the Ramada Conference Center Ocala, the Hilton Ocala and the Klein Conference Center on the campus of Central Florida Community College.
Southeast of Ocala and 45 minutes north of Orlando’s major attractions, Seminole County’s slow, lazy rivers, cool forests and spectacular lakes combine with lush wooded areas to create a genuine getaway experience. Accommodations are available in all ranges of prices, sizes and amenities, from all-suite hotels to charming bed-and-breakfast inns. Options include the Comfort Inn and Conference Center, the Embassy Suites Orlando North, the Orlando Marriott Lake Mary, and the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs.
The opportunities for team-building are plentiful in Seminole County, not just through kayaking and canoeing the area’s 2,000 spring-fed rivers and lakes, but at places like the Aiguille Rock Climbing Center in Longwood, which encourages cooperation as the climber and belayer work together to reach the “summit.”
Southwest of Greater Orlando, Lakeland has a small-town feel that delegates might find restful after a day spent in meetings. Anchored by a walkable downtown area, this scenic community offers a range of historic attractions, antique shops, golf courses, parks, and, of course, lakes.
The main convention venue here is the Lakeland Center, a multipurpose complex offering 100,000 square feet of exhibit space along with an adjacent 128-unit Amerisuites Hotel. There are more than 2,500 hotel rooms within five miles of the Lakeland Center, including the 118-room Best Western Diplomat Inn, featuring more than 3,500 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space.
Lakeland is part of Polk County, which is home to a handful of picturesque hamlets like Lake Wales and Winter Haven, as well as some of Florida’s original attractions, including Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, featuring botanical gardens and 38 exciting rides.
Groups can gather off the beaten path at the nearby Chain O’ Lakes Convention Center and Expo Dome, offering a variety of meeting and activity rooms, or at the Florida Citrus Building, which can host up to 1,000 theater style.
