Hello everyone and welcome to stop #2 on our Theme Park Christmas tour! After enjoying SeaWorld San Antonio's Christmas event first, we decided to check out Six Flags Fiesta Texas' Holiday in the Park event next! It's hard to compare the two since they both really focused on different aspects and each made their event special for their own park. But, we'll take you through a photo journey of our time spent there, give you some recommendations, and let you make up your own mind! The entryway into the park could do with a little more decoration to really get people excited as they're walking in. But, hey, one strand of garland is cool, too? We had to grab a map so we wouldn't miss any of the new areas! The first area of the park didn't look like much during the day, but just wait until you see the photos at night!! We decided to ride a few coasters before grabbing a seat for the nightly Christmas Tree Lighting. And grab a souvenir hot chocolate mug. Six Flags offered unlimited refills of cocoa on the day of purchase, which is something that SeaWorld did not. *Ahem* The Tinseltones performed a fun a cappella pre-show before the lighting of the tree! And they were joined by the Looney Tunes Characters! *Plus another secret guest, but we don't want to give away the surprise! ;) This was our favorite part of the entire event! The tree lighting was magical, and the show was complete with fireworks and snow! It was a must-see! After the show we walked around the corner to find the cutest S'mores roasting station! There are a few set up in the park, but this was the first one we'd passed. $7 will get you one s'mores box kit, but you can make two from each box. They give you roasting sticks and the rest is up to you! We really liked this idea! You don't only get a tasty treat out of it, you also get to do an activity! ...and gets lots of cute pictures, of course. "Holiday Illuminations" continued throughout the night. The tree lights changed colors along to the music of several popular Christmas songs. The entire Rockville area of the park looked so pretty all lit up. And of course we had to check out how the construction is coming along for the new Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth roller coaster! It looks SO good! It's scheduled to open March 2018 and we can't wait! We wandered over to Crackaxle Canyon next. This area of the park also looked great. Actually, we think the lights here should be a permanent addition. Just minus the garland, of course. I really wanted to ride the holiday express train, but, sadly it was closed for maintenance. :( So, we decided to catch the next show on the schedule: The Majesty of Christmas. The show was AWESOME! It's the retelling of the Nativity, which we admittedly thought would be kind of boring. Oops. But, it actually wasn't at all! The show featured AMAZING vocals, flying angels, and LIVE animals. These are the kind of shows that lead Fiesta Texas to all of their Entertainment Award victories. Back outside after the show. Told you the entrance area looked WAY better at night! And ONE more hot chocolate refill..I think this was number 4 but who's counting? The coolest part..this stand offered PEEPS in the hot chocolate. No extra charge, just extra yum :) So, overall, we enjoyed our time at Fiesta Texas' Holiday in the Park. There was less focus on holiday treats and specialty foods, but more focus on entertainment, so it evened out with our trip to SeaWorld. We've still got a couple of stops left on our Christmas Theme Park Tour, so stay tuned for updates on our next adventures! Until next time, Happy Holidays!
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Today is December 1st which means we are officially in full-blown Christmas mode for the rest of the year! We LOVE the holiday season for the obvious reasons, but, we also love the holiday season for theme park reasons!! Seeing our favorite parks transformed for the holidays is one of the best parts of Christmas for us! There are new holiday shows, seasonal food and beverage offerings, and beautiful decorations spread throughout the parks and we can't help but be filled with cheer when visiting! To kick off our Christmas theme park tour, we decided to visit SeaWorld San Antonio first. We definitely have a soft spot in our hearts for SeaWorld (hence the frequent posts about it) so it just made sense to start off here. SeaWorld San Antonio features the largest light display in Texas this year with over 8 million lights! The park was absolutely gorgeous and such a joy to just walk through and enjoy the views. As soon as we walked through the gates we were greeted by a Santa mariachi group! Nothing screams "San Antonio!" like mariachis We decided to grab a map and make our way into the celebration! We had to be sure to study the map so we wouldn't miss a single food stand! The first area we hit was " Coca-Cola Lane." The food stand offered themed Coke products as well as classics like hot chocolate and holiday cookies. The stand was, unfortunately, out of the deep fried bacon and Coca-Cola cupcakes (the voice in my head screamed 'nooooo' while I politely said 'no big deal' to the employee.) We decided to just get the souvenir hot chocolate cup because we had big plans for refills all night! The next area was "Land of the Sweets" Who wouldn't love an entire section of a park dedicated to candies, cookies, and all things DESSERT?! It was the best part of night, hands down! This cute stand offered some sweet treats and cocktails! We tried the "Chocolate Candy Cane" and the "Chicken and Waffles" The cocktail was STRONG! Be warned. They use a peppermint vodka (which they make themselves) and hot chocolate to create this delightful adult-themed beverage. At first sip we were a little worried we wouldn't be able to finish it since it's pretty large and it was heavy on the vodka, but we added a little more hot chocolate to it later and it was perfect! We recommend it! And the Chicken and Waffles were a huge surprise to us, as well! We didn't have very high hopes, but honestly, they ended up being our favorite snack of the night!! They use a chicken strip and cook it into a home-made waffle pressed right in front of you. Very cool! If you're looking for a fun sit-down dinner you can check out "Dine with Rudolph and Friends." Make sure you book your dining reservation ahead of time, though! Such a cute Rudolph-themed area! Next we stopped by Shamu's coffee shop and picked up a hot chocolate refill and a holiday cookie. The shop is located right next to the new beer garden that overlooks the lake. It was a gorgeous spot to stop and take a break to enjoy our snacks. Isn't this seating area gorgeous?? We walked through the Shamu stadium area-equally gorgeous. So. Many. Lights. These cute trees said "Merry Christmas" in several different languages. We walked through to SeaWorld's Christmas Market area. This is where you can see real reindeer, meet Santa, and do some great shopping! Another sit-down dining option in the park is to have dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Claus. If you prefer this cheerful couple as dinner companions over the Rudolph gang, here is the menu for the all-you-can eat buffet at "Home for the Holidays." Once again, we recommend booking this in advance if you plan to enjoy this dining option! We decided to check out the food stand next door to the restaurant and load up on some more sugary options. Who needs a balanced meal?? It's Christmas!! So many delicious options here! But, we finally settled on the Cinnamon Sugar Apple Nachos. SUCH a good decision! By now it had gotten dark enough to fully enjoy all of the park's lights! We walked through Christmas Cove, grabbed a hot chocolate refill and enjoyed the light show! And, of course, we had to stop by the Beer Garden Patio to listen to the live Christmas music. SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration was everything we hoped it would be and more! It offered so many new and exciting food and beverage options, updated shows and entertainment, and of course the most lights in Texas! How could you not love it here? We have a few more stops on our Christmas Theme Park Tour (as I've just officially dubbed it),
but we're going to try to make it back to SeaWorld San Antonio one more time before the end of the season! Let us know if you've attended or plan to attend any Holiday Theme Park Events this year! We love hearing from you. Until next time, Merry (almost) Christmas! We decided to roll with the Disney theme again this week and highlight one of our favorite spots from our most recent trip to Disney World! Baseline Tap House at Disney's Hollywood Studios is one of the newest additions to the park, and we've got to say, we were impressed. We recognize this place may not be everyone's cup of tea since it is pretty specific. But, if you're a beer fan and want a cool place to stop and take a much-needed break while exploring the parks, then this is the place for you! This California-themed pub is located right next to Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre Restaurant (also one of our favorite places, so we'll have to blog on that later) in the Grand Avenue area of the park. Like all things Disney does, this place is extremely well themed! The pub pays homage to the Figueroa Printing Company (a family-run print shop that used to have a partnership with Disney Studios) and is overflowing with charm. We loved the look of this Industrial Age-themed bar! The exposed brick walls are perfect! Alright, so here's the part we were talking about earlier when we said that this place is "pretty specific." Baseline doesn't offer a huge menu, there are no light-up Disney cocktails, or typical bar snacks here. However, they still try to make sure there's something for everyone. Yes, it is primarily a beer place. But, if beer isn't your thing, they still offer a a few wine and cocktail options. They also offer some non-alcoholic options as well -that wild strawberry lemonade sounds amazing! The Create-Your-Own Beer Flight lets you pick 4 different California Craft beers or ciders so that you can try several and figure out which you like most. We also tried the Ace Space Bloody Orange Cider in large form because Parker knew he'd like it. For food we went with the California Cheese and Charcuterie Plate and we LOVED it. We do tend to love all meat and cheese boards, though, so not sure if our opinion is biased or not haha! The best part of Baseline Tap House for me was probably just the overall atmosphere. For a few minutes, I honestly forgot we were in WDW. Even sitting on the patio, with park guests walking by you, it's easy to get transported somewhere else. Thank God for huge fans on that outdoor patio, because seating inside is extremely limited and Lord knows I was dying in that Florida heat. Those string lights! I'd love to sit on this patio and enjoy an evening drink and snack. Well, there you have it! An introduction to one of the newest and hippest spots in all of Walt Disney World. We really loved Baseline and are so excited for all of the changes coming to Hollywood Studios. Although Studios already had some great dining options, this was a much-needed addition and we hope for more things like it in the future.
Let us know if you've been to Baseline Tap House yet, or if it's on your list to check out on your next trip! It's finally here! Our official blog post about the largest and most epic food and wine festival in the industry! The mother of all theme park food events! The biggest reason we decided to start a theme park food blog! And one of our favorite times of the year! The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival! After a year of patiently waiting, we finally made it to Orlando a few weeks ago for our annual Food and Wine trip! This year's event features the largest number of booths that the festival has ever seen! To help EPCOT celebrate it's 35th year, the park is featuring 35 booths which include everyone's favorites, plus some great new additions as well! As always, the festival includes celebrity chefs, food and beverage seminars, and exclusive merchandise. But, in this post we'll be focusing solely on the marketplace booths and all the delicious food and drink options within them. Let's get started! EPCOT Legacy Showplace and Craft Beer Plenty of selection on the craft beer side! Parker really enjoyed the Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese Handwich and the Chilled Scotch Eggs. We were really excited for the food at this booth since it featured some of our favorite things. It wasn't really as great as we were hoping, but we liked it overall. Flavors from Fire This stand featured two of Brittany's favorite picks from the whole festival! The Orlando Brewery Smokin' Blackwater Porter and the Piggy Wings! The Porter was really good, especially if you're a fan of darker beers! Light Lab The Light Lab was SUCH a cool pop-up bar added to the festival this year! Not only was it all blacklight with glowing cocktails and treats, but it was INDOORS! A/C for the win! Glownut (glorified Joffrey's donut) and Bleu Spectrum (Champagne with rainbow boba pearls!) This place was so cute, we just wish it photographed better! Active Eats Loaded Mac and Cheese- another dish that screams "PARKER!" Needless to say, he loved it. We also tried the M.I.A Beer Company Hard Cucumber and Lime water. It was hands down one of the strangest things we've ever tasted. It was essentially alcoholic cucumber water. It didn't have a very defined taste, but the smell let you know there was alcohol in it. Messed with the senses for sure! Coastal Eats A seafood lover's dream! This was one of our most anticipated booths as well (especially Brittany) because we love seafood! All three food options were great, but the standout was definitely the baked shrimp scampi dip! Refreshment Port Dole Whip all day every day. You can get regular pineapple dole whip or the adult version AKA dole whip with Bacardi coconut rum (highly recommended!!) Yum! The Almond Orchard The Almond Orchard features our favorite desserts of the festival! The Banana Almond Soft-serve Sundae. It was so light and refreshing, yet still sweet enough to calm that craving for sugar. We loved it! Farm Fresh Farm Fresh was another booth we were pretty excited for. Parker is the Cider King (refer to previous food and wine post from BGW) so naturally we got the cider flight here. We also tried the crispy chicken with griddled cornbread and red eye gravy. It was good, but very heavy and not ideal for the extreme heat that we were facing that day. Greece We tried the Spanakopita and the Loaded Greek Nachos. This is a popular booth amongst the festival goers, but we've got to be honest: we aren't the biggest fans. Bring back the gyro!! Thailand In Thailand we tried the Chicken in Peanut Sauce. Parker liked it a lot! Mexico Mexico is always a favorite booth Ribeye Taco with Roasted Chipotle Sauce & Tequila Chipotle Shrimp on a Black Bean Huarache For Margaritas we always prefer to go inside the pyramid to La Cava del Tequila. They have a better selection and it's just a neat hidden place. We can't wait for Choza de Margarita to open in the Mexico pavilion soon! Plenty of new and exciting Margaritas will be joining the EPCOT lineup! China We, unfortunately, didn't get any pictures in China because it started monsooning on us for about 20 minutes while we were finishing up in line. However, we got the failsafe chicken pot stickers and we tried the black pepper shrimp. Both were very good! We also tried both the Kung Fu Punch and BaiJoe Punch. At first sip, the BaiJoe was INTENSE, but after stirring it around for a while it was actually pretty good. The Kung Fu punch was also a thumbs up! Italy Italy's also another favorite! Crispy Calamari with Spicy Pomodoro Sauce Block and Hans / Hops and Barley We put these together because they're both in the American pavilion. Block and Hans just features beer while Hops and Barley features both drinks and food. We have quite the list of things tried in America because there was just so much that sounded good! - Hanson Brother Mmmhops Pale Ale (Because come on with that clever title how could we not??) - McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider (To reiterate, Parker=Cider King) - JDubs Bell Cow Porter (Because Brittany can never pass up a new Porter) - Killer Whale Cream Ale (For you, Shamu!) - New England Lobster Roll (A Festival classic!) - Smoked Beef Brisket with Pimento Cheese (yuuuuuummm) France La Passion Martini Slush , Bouchard Aine & Fils Chardonnay, and Croissant aux Escargots The escargot was not as good as it was a few years ago in 2012. They were baked into individual brioche buns and were far less chewy. But either way, we're glad we tried it! Ireland Ireland ended up being a pretty good booth as well. We had a Guinness Blonde Lager to drink. Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip and Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy. The sausage and potatoes were the clear winner this round! Scotland The Fresh Potato Pancake with Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream. Hands down one of the best food options in the entire festival. It was top 3 for Parker and he doesn't even like salmon, so that's saying something. Canada It's so appropriate that we end on Canada. We definitely saved the best for last! Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup (a long-time favorite) and "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Filet Mignon. Drink- Neige Premiere "Apple Ice Wine" The filet was so good, it was the only item in the entire festival that we ordered more than once. It's a 2-3 oz piece of filet for only $8, so not only is it delicious it's a great deal, too! It is a returning champ from last year's festival, and we hope it stays for a very long time! In Conclusion The food and Wine festival was everything we hoped for and more. 35 booths was ridiculously overwhelming, but, we tried everything we wanted to and we left content. Until next year, Food and Wine! EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival runs through November 13th, 2017.
Please share with us some of your favorite festival items in the comments! |
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