Kissimmee has fun and entertainment outside the theme park gates

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Central Florida is home to many, many theme parks, but you don’t need to enter them to be entertained should you make a visit to the sunny south.

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As a perfect example, consider a trip to Kissimmee, part of the Orlando area.

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Then, learn how to pronounce it correctly — kuh-SIM-ee, not KISS-a-me.

(Anticipating that many people would not pronounce the name correctly, Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros chose not to name their former minor-league team in the city as the “Kissimmee Astros.” You figure out why … )

GOLF AND GATHERINGS

Although my wife, Ruth, and I had been to Kissimmee many times, a visit to Reunion Resort and Golf Club (reunionresort.com) was an eye-opener.

Inside the facility’s 2,300 acres, there are three golf courses. One was designed by Jack Nicklaus, one by Tom Watson, and one by Arnold Palmer. If your golfing habits are of the miniature variety, they have a mini-golf course as well, plus five tennis courts and six pickleball courts.

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If you’re looking for aquatic activities, the resort’s star attraction is a five-acre water park, with a lazy river and a slide, basketball, ping pong, a bar for grown-ups, and cabanas for rent. There are eight other pools around the facility, including one with two hot tubs and a bocce court.

Our highlight was a tapas-style meal at Eleven, the outdoor rooftop restaurant at the Grande Tower, the resort’s main building. We timed our meal perfectly to enjoy the food (especially the wagyu sliders), the live music, and a display of fireworks from Walt Disney World (WDW), about 15 km to the north. After our meal, I peeked inside 7593 Chophouse, an upscale steakhouse, which was filled with golf buddies engaged in cheerful conversations.

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Another dining option at Reunion Resort is Traditions, located at the Nicklaus course. Between bites, you can look out at the 18th green, watch sports on one of the many televisions, or enjoy live music.

Accommodations are in villas of one to three bedrooms (including at the Grande Tower), and vacation homes (which range from three to 14 bedrooms).

“Once folks get here, they shouldn’t have to leave,” said Suzanne Troutt, the resort’s director of sales and marketing.

Troutt mentioned that Reunion Resort is also popular for weddings and family reunions.

Located at the resort is a Leadbetter Golf Academy, where instructor Sean Hogan showed off the latest technological advances to help aspiring golfers of all levels improve their game, such as a swing lab and a putting lab (where lasers on the floor are used in the teaching process).

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If Christine Chang, who is headed to Columbia University, makes it big on the LPGA Tour, we can say we knew her when she was practising there.

ON THE LAKE

Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures (bcairboats.com) provided us with a first-time experience: Zipping across a shallow Florida lake.

Their location is at the southern tip of Lake Tohopekaliga (and everyone just calls it Lake Toho). If you choose accommodations near WDW (and there are many choices — Kissimmee refers to itself as the Vacation Home Capital of the World), it’s a significant drive to get to Boggy Creek, but it’s worth the trip.

At Boggy Creek, Ruth and I were able to take a 30-minute ride on the “Gator Bite” airboat, with Cap’n Justin as our pilot and educator. Cap’n Justin was able to answer all our questions.

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During our ride over the shallow (2-3 metres) lake, we saw an alligator, and many birds, including a bald eagle, a purple gallinule, a common gallinule, and ducks. We also gained a new appreciation of the area’s ecosystem.

The airboat dips only about 8-10 cm into Lake Toho, so it does not disrupt the grasses and shrubs below.

It is able to travel up to 65 km/h, but the maximum speed during our ride was 58 km/h. “This is an eco-tour, not a roller-coaster,” Cap’n Justin said.

Some final words from Cap’n Justin: “Tourism builds our industry … Just be respectful of (nature) while you’re here.”

After the ride, we were able to visit the complementary exhibits at Boggy Creek. There is an alligator enclosure, where young alligators “visiting us from Gatorland” relaxed in the Florida warmth. There also is a small butterfly enclosure, an artificial creek where children can pan for gems and fossils, and a restaurant and gift shop. There’s also a covered picnic area.

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‘YEAR-ROUND CNE’

If you like the atmosphere of the Canadian National Exhibition midway when the sun goes down, an evening at Old Town Kissimmee (myoldtownusa.com) will be a thrill.

Old Town Kissimmee is 18 acres of rides, attractions, restaurants and shopping — and no admission charge.

The night we visited, there was a live cover band performing, watched by hundreds of fans who brought folding chairs on which to sit while they enjoyed the songs of their youth.

There also was a “Muscle Car Show & Cruise,” with 111 vehicles parading through the streets of Old Town Kissimmee. A highlight: Watching a little red Corvette cruise by as Prince’s Little Red Corvette played on a nearby loudspeaker.

Anyone who thinks he or she is an athlete might consider the “Hangman Challenge” — for a US$10 entrance fee, anyone who can hang from a suspended bar for two minutes wins $200. However, the site of the challenge is next to an actual bar (Sun on the Beach), and spending too much time in there might cloud one’s opinion of oneself as an athlete!

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Next door is the Kissimmee location of Fun Spot America (fun-spot.com), where racers young and old lined up to drive on one of two vertical go-kart courses.

KISSIMMEE SOUND MACHINE

A relatively new addition to Kissimmee is Sunset Walk (sunsetwalk.com), a collection of restaurants and shops just north of Margarita Resort Orlando.

For us, the best reason to go to Sunset Walk is Estefan Kitchen (estefankitchenorlando.com), owned and operated by Gloria and Emilio Estefan of Miami Sound Machine fame.

They serve a menu of Latin dishes, including a tasty stew of hot comfort food known as “Miriam’s Special Chicken & Rice Asopao.” The mini-Cuban sandwiches are held together by toothpicks with a Cuban flag on top.

We enjoyed an authentic and energetic Cuban band, which performed during our meal.

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Sunset Walk also has free outdoor music events at its Promenade Plaza stage.

MAGICAL MOMENTS

It’s not a theme park, and it’s not officially in Kissimmee, but Disney Springs (disneysprings.com) is a great place to relax, eat and be entertained.

Many Canadians are aware of Disney Springs as “that place where the Cirque du Soleil show is,” and yes, we remain proud of this Canadian institution.

The current Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs is called Drawn to Life. If you attend, the less you know about what you’re going to see, the better, but make sure to be in your seats early for the intriguing pre-show.

Drawn to Life is a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Disney, and while there are a lot of Disney elements to the show, they do not seem forced.

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In other parts of Disney Springs there are scheduled free concerts. We were fortunate to attend two sets of “Motown and More” at the Waterside Stage. In a nice coincidence, the opening song of the first set was Proud Mary, with an authentic steamboat (now housing Paddlefish restaurant) in the lake behind the stage.

A new (for us) restaurant at Disney Springs is Jaleo by Jose Andres, which serves Spanish cuisine (tapas and meals), and if you’re there at the right time, you might get to watch flamenco dancers perform.

Note that if you haven’t been to Disney Springs recently, be aware that now there is a security check at each entrance. Prepare as if you are going to a sporting event — bring only a clear small bag or a small clutch.

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GET AWAY FROM IT ALL

When you’re on vacation, there are times when you just want to chill out away from the rest of the world.

In Kissimmee, a place to do that is Brownie Wise Park, which is on the northern edge of Lake Toho.

Bring a lunch (there are picnic tables under a shelter) and as you are eating, look out onto the stillness of Lake Toho as the sunlight reflects off the water. The only sound you hear might be the flapping of birds’ wings as they fly by.

Sometimes, the best entertainment is the simplest.

IF YOU GO

Find out more at experiencekissimmee.com.

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