“There it is. Can you see it?” asks the lady sitting next to me animatedly. I look in anticipation in the direction that she is gesturing and spot a huge alligator camouflaged among the tall grass of the headwaters of the Florida Everglades. We are on an airboat tour inside Wild Florida Adventure Park in Kissimmee, Florida, USA. Our US Coast Guard-certified airboat skims the water, heading to another part of the Everglades.
Strapped with life jackets and given ear protection, we are thrilled to be exploring the wetlands. Among the 'River of Grass,' we spot more alligators, a moorhen, great egrets, and the great blue heron. But it is the USA's national bird and national symbol – the bald eagle flying overhead – who steals the spotlight.
Wild Florida Adventure Park also offers a drive-thru safari and a gator park, which houses over 200 endemic and exotic wildlife. It is the only facility that has successfully hatched albino alligator eggs. The park has had about eight albinos come from the breeding pair named Snowflake and Blizzard.
Post-wild adventure, I am famished and head to the town of Celebration to eat at Columbia Restaurant, an iconic restaurant serving Spanish/Cuban cuisine since 1905. The lively atmosphere, happy patrons, and tables flowing with sangria set the mood for a charming meal that starts with Cuban black bean soup, a vegan grandmother recipe that is served with white rice and sliced raw Spanish onions.
The award-winning, signature Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad is a meal in itself. The highly coveted original Cuban sandwiches complement paella that comes in a white glass plate monogrammed in blue with a Spanish ship and the restaurant’s name. Post-lunch, I take a short stroll around Celebration but realize that a bicycle tour will give me a better understanding of the town. We bicycle around the scenic lake, past quaint homes while learning about its famous residents.
Kissimmee is known as the vacation home capital of the world. Catering to any budget, I am curious to see these homes that Indians can rent for vacations, group getaways, destination weddings, and special-occasion travel. While the affordable homes are equipped with required amenities, it is the luxurious vacation homes that are jaw-dropping. Some of these opulent, sprawling homes that resemble mansions have themed bedrooms straight out of Hollywood sets – imagine sleeping in a Harry Potter or Moana room. They have state-of-the-art home theaters, and inside one such home, I happily play the arcade machines in the game room but skip the basketball court and private pool with Jacuzzi.
For lunch, a reservation is made at Salt & The Cellar restaurant by Michelin-starred Chef Akira Back. Housed in Ette Hotel, which is a Michelin Key hotel, the restaurant impresses with the taste and presentation of its food, beverages, and aesthetics. The Ette bento box is washed down with a signature mocktail of Moonchild created with watermelon shrub and lavender. The signature cocktail is prepared with tequila.
Since it is the gifting season, I head to The Mall at Millenia for some festive shopping. The mall features 150 premier shopping and dining options ranging from Tiffany & Co. to Hermès. With Macy’s at one end and Bloomingdale’s at the other, The Mall at Millenia also offers a personal stylist. The chocoholic in me delights at See’s Candies, a chocolate and candy shop that has been making delicious American candy since 1921.
This time of the year is when Kissimmee turns into an icy wonderland. The Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center runs ICE!, its signature Christmas event where 36 ice artisans including builders, carvers, and electricians, shape ice into sculptures that narrate 10 epic scenes from the Christmas story. Bundled up, smiling, I walk from room to room, admiring these masterpieces of ice. It took the artisans almost 12,000 hours to curate this icy, immersive spectacle that even has ice slides. My absolute favorite is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
I confess I am not a theme park person but am pleasantly surprised at Epcot, which is one of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. The remaining three are Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. I scream while riding the exciting roller coaster rides, relish a variety of international cuisine including Mickey Mouse-shaped bar ice cream, which is drizzled with sprinkles before settling down to watch Luminous: The Symphony of Us. This is a remarkable nighttime display of fireworks, with fountains, music, and light adding their own sparkling appeal to the dazzling show.
The message of the show is clear: we may be different but are more similar than we think. This beautiful message of humanity is a good way to end my memorable time in Kissimmee.
