Sunshine State Of Mind

We just hit our 100th episode!  And now for Episode 101 we're going to revisit the same topic of Episode 1: the best roller coasters in Florida.  Only this time, we asked our listeners and the internet to decide.   In this Episode:  We opened an online t-shirt shop!   http://www.SunshineStateShirts.com Florida's Top Ten Best Rollercoasters discussion. The poll is still active if you want to cast your vote https://www.ranker.com/list/best-roller-coasters-in-florida/sunshinestate Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com Blog: http://www.SunshineStateInsider.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron

This week we review Scream-a-Geddon, Florida's premier horror park that's considered one of the best Halloween haunted attractions in the country.  Also a visit to the John's Pass Seafood & Music Festival in Madiera Beach, and we learn about a free and unlikely thing to do in Florida; watch college ice hockey. In this Episode: Free Things to Do: College Ice Hockey games We visit the John's Pass Seafood & Music Festival https://www.johnspassseafoodfest.com The Bourne Stuntacular coming soon to Universal Studios A review of Scream-a-Geddon, Florida's premier horror park https://www.screamageddon.com Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com Blog: http://www.SunshineStateInsider.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron

It's getting closer to Halloween so it's time to get a little scary.  This week we round up 10 scary experiences that are uniquely Florida.  We're not talking about haunted houses or ghosts this time either, but 10 real places to visit and things to do if you dare!   In this Episode: Kayak fishing at Weedon Island Preserve http://www.weedonislandpreserve.org/ The Disney Skyliner is running again. Ten fearful Florida experiences Ziplining over Alligators - Orlando, FL https://www.gatorland.com/experiences/screamin-gator-zip-line/ Gator Nights - Weston, FL https://www.evergladestours.com/airboat-rides/gator-night/ A nighttime boat tour of Lake Jessup - Oviedo, FL https://www.theblackhammock.com/airboat-rides/individual-packages/index The Eagles Nest - Weeki Wachee, FL Video: Eagles Nest Cave Diving Hudson Grotto - Hudson, FL Video: Hudson Grotto Deep Dive Spook Hill - Lake Wales, FL Swimming with Sharks - Tampa & Orlando, FL https://www.flaquarium.org/swimanddive https://disney

This weekend we went back to the Pickin' Patch in Dunnellon, one of our favorite places to have some Fall in Florida fun. And we took a couple rides on the Disney Skyliner this weekend, just narrowly becoming one of those unlucky passengers who were stuck on it for hours. In this Episode: A trip to the Pickin' Patch in Dunnellon, Florida Stopping by Swampy's, a fun riverside restaurant with a great Florida vibe. Rainbow River tubing info Our review of the Disney Skyliner the day it broke down. Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com Blog: http://www.SunshineStateInsider.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

After a short break, we are finally back!  Recently Wallethub did a study to find out which American cities are the most fun, and today we're going to countdown which Florida cities made the cut and talk a little bit about what makes each of these fun Florida cities.   We have some new roller coaster news, the Disney Skyliner is open, a wild new restaurant opens in Boca Raton, and we talk about five fun Florida events to look forward to in October. In this Episode: New roller coasters for Busch Gardens & Sea World https://buschgardens.com/tampa/roller-coasters/iron-gwazi/ https://seaworld.com/orlando/roller-coasters/ice-breaker Disney Skyliner is open Post-apocalyptic themed restaurant, Rex Baron, coming to Boca Raton http://therexbaron.com/ The most fun cities in Florida http://sunshinestateinsider.com/most-fun-cities-in-florida Wallethub's most fun cities in the US. https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-cities-in-the-us/23455 Five Hot October Events: The Roar Offshore www.roaroffshore

Just a quick little episode here to let everybody know what's going on with the podcast, and where we've been for the last couple of weeks.   We're also in the middle of updating our recording set-up, and plan to be back to our regular release schedule ASAP! Thanks for understanding and for listening to the show.  

The big day has finally arrived!  Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge has opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  We stopped in for a couple of visits this weekend, took a few spins on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and we can't wait to tell you all about it. In this Episode: Look for our podcasts soon on YouTube.  Search "Sunshine State of Mind" and subscribe! We visit and review opening weekend at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride review On ride video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFUbO79QebA Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

Disney made some major announcements regarding the future of Epcot, and everything that's in store for the park in the next couple of years.  And researchers at one of our favorite places, The Florida Aquarium, make a major discovery that could help our coral reefs. In this Episode: Researchers at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa make a major discovery. https://cbs12.com/news/local/a-scientific-breakthrough-at-a-florida-aquarium-could-save-americas-great-barrier-reef Disney announces major changes coming to Epcot New Epcot concept art and new Epcot logo http://sunshinestatepodcast.com/new-epcot-concept-art-and-logo/ Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

Florida will be getting it's first snow park this winter (???) and it's only the middle of August but Halloween events are already getting underway at Florida theme parks.  We run down the entire list of haunted houses and scare zones at Universals Halloween Horror Nights.  And finally, we discuss and breakdown an unhinged rant that recently went viral from a woman who thinks "Childless millenials should be banned from Disney World" In this Episode: Florida's first snow park to open in Dade City http://sunshinestateinsider.com/floridas-first-snow-park/ The full list of Universal's Halloween Horror Nights haunts and scare zones http://sunshinestateinsider.com/universals-halloween-horror-nights-2019s-final-list-of-haunts-and-scare-zones/ A mom's rant against childless millennials at Disney World goes viral. http://sunshinestatepodcast.com/unhinged-rant-against-childless-millenials-at-disney-world Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshine

Universal Studios just dropped a giant announcement last week; the official announcement of their upcoming theme park "Epic Universe".  We were on vacation when the news broke, but better late than never!  This week talk about everything we know (so far) about the park, and tell you about what we did and where we went on our summer vacation.  Spoiler alert: It wasn't Florida.   In this Episode: Our summer trip to Los Cabos, Mexico. Universal announces "Universal's Epic Universe". We look at the concept art and discuss some of the rumors, leaks, and speculation of the things that we might see when this park opens. Link to Concept Art http://sunshinestatepodcast.com/universals-epic-universe-concept-art-rumors-leaks Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of M

Central Florida is pretty much the tourism capital of the world, and that means lots of smaller attractions mixed in with the world class destinations.  Are any of these little "tourist traps" worth checking out?  We think so, and in this episode we're going to talk about our favorites. In this Episode: We discuss some of our favorite Central Florida tourist traps that are worth checking out. https://www.gatorland.com https://wildfloridairboats.com https://iconparkorlando.com https://dinosaurworld.com https://myoldtownusa.com https://www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc http://thepiratemuseum.com Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

The Hollywood Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios just turned 25 years old this week!  To celebrate one of our very favorite rides we play a game of Hollywood Tower of Terror Trivia.  Play along and see how much you know about this iconic Florida attraction. In this Episode: Disney worker punched in face by angry Tower of Terror rider https://www.yahoo.com/news/disney-worker-punched-face-angry-105925052.html Tower of Terror Trivia Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

On Saturday we headed out to Clearwater Beach to volunteer for a beach cleanup with 4Ocean.  Then popped into Frenchy's, one of our favorite beachside restaurants. Also this week; a father & son visit every Legoland in a whirlwind adventure, a new Gulf Coast scuba diving location becomes reality, and updates on Halloween Horror Nights and the gondola system at Walt Disney World. In this Episode: Cleaning up Clearwater Beach with 4Ocean http://sunshinestatepodcast.com/our-day-at-the-clearwater-beach-4ocean-cleanup/ https://4ocean.com Lunch at Frenchy's  (Wow). http://www.frenchysonline.com Father & son visit every Legoland in 13 days. https://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article232643557.html Disney Announces Opening Date for Skyliner Gondolas https://ziggyknowsdisney.com/new-disney-skyliner-details-air-conditioning-and-expansion-to-animal-kingdom-coming/ Ghostbusters themed house coming to Halloween Horror Nights https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/attractions/2019/07/17/ghostb

This week we took a free kayak tour through one of our favorite Florida state parks, and let you know how you can too!  And more news about Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, Hagrid's Motorbike Coaster, and that new Florida based horror movie "Crawl" opens to good reviews (but a bad box office).   In this Episode: Florida based horror movie "Crawl" opened this week. Hagrid's Motorbike Coaster at IoA continues to have issues. Lot's of details emerge on the new "Rise of the Resistance" attraction at Galaxy's Edge Free kayak tours at Hillsborough River State Park http://sunshinestatepodcast.com/free-kayak-tours-at-hillsborough-river-state-park/ More info on how to sign up for this, and other Florida State Park events.  https://www.floridastateparks.org/index.php/events/second-saturday-paddle  https://www.floridastateparks.org/events Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.c

Summer is in full swing, and those of you who are parents of little ones might be running out of things to entertain your kids with.  This episode we run through some ideas for some cheap, and some free things to do to keep your kids entertained until school starts again. In this Episode: Fourth of July at Siesta Key Beach The most boring tourist trap in Florida? https://www.farandwide.com/s/worst-tourist-trap-every-state-39268cbfe16f44b4 Cheap & Free Florida Summer Activities for Kids https://kidsskatefree.com https://www.kidsbowlfree.com http://www.floridasprings.org https://www.milb.com/florida-state Instagram pic of our Sea Turtle Sand Sculpture https://www.instagram.com/p/BvX79ppAoLG/ Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

This week checked out a Florida vineyard, Keel and Curley Winery in Plant City for their annual Watermelon Festival.   Wild Florida in Kenansville may be the first place in the world to breed albino alligators.  And we talk about our plans for 4th of July in Florida. In this Episode: Wild Florida produces world's first albino alligator eggs http://www.fox35orlando.com/entertainment/attractions/-snowflake-and-blizzard-at-wild-florida-produce-world-s-first-albino-alligator-eggs A visit to Keel and Curley Winery https://keelfarms.com/winery/ Fourth of July in Florida & link to last years Fourth of July rundown episode http://sunshinestatepodcast.com/jellyfish-fireworks-fourth-of-july-in-florida/ Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

This week Florida's newest water park, Island H20 Live, opened in Orlando.  We stopped by for a visit and to explore the recently opened Margaritaville Orlando Resort.   Also, a visit to St. Pete Pride, a tasty local burger joint, and Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure has had a less than smooth opening week.   In this Episode: Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opens to long lines and technical difficulties https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/attractions/2019/06/21/universal-hagrid-coaster-technical-issues Orlando's newest major water park, Island H20 Live, officially opens https://attractionsmagazine.com/island-h2o-live-now-open/ A visit to Margaritaville Orlando Resort https://www.margaritavilleresortorlando.com Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the s

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened this week at Universal's Islands of Adventure, and a new Wallethub study says that Florida is the 2nd most fun state in the country.  Let's discuss! In this Episode: The new Harry Potter themed roller coaster opens at Islands of Adventure. POV Ride Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMtR5_TinqE Ten hour wait: https://www.clickorlando.com/theme-parks/universal-s-new-harry-potter-ride-attracts-10-hour-wait Wallethub study says Florida is the 2nd Most Fun State in the country. https://wallethub.com/edu/most-fun-states/34665/ Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How to support the show Become a Sunshine State of Mind Patron 

Last weekend we played "out of town tourist" in Orlando, spending two full days at Disney World, and then visiting one of our favorite beaches in Florida near St. Petersburg.  We also have a couple of restaurant reviews, and a recommendation on a great resort at a great price in Orlando. In this Episode: New Brazil pavilion may be coming to Epcot's World Showcase in 2022. https://wdwnt.com/2019/06/breaking-brazil-pavilion-will-open-with-no-attraction-in-2022-at-epcot Two long, full days at Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom A visit to the Sugar Factory Orlando https://sugarfactory.com/location/orlando/ Grand Beach Orlando resort https://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-grand-beach-3 Fort Desoto Beach Engine No. 9 restaurant review http://www.no9burgers.com Contact Us! We want to hear your own reviews and Florida trip reports! Website: http://www.sunshinestatepodcast.com Twitter: @FloridaPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/floridapodcast Email: Contact@sunshinestatepodcast.com How

The weather in Florida is heating up, so let's go to a water park!  This week we rundown just about every water park in the state and see what's new for 2019.   In this Episode: Circle of Heroes at Veterans Reef underwater memorialhttps://brighterfutureflorida.org Florida Water Park Rundown PanhandleBig Kahuna's - Destinhttps://bigkahunas.com Shipwreck Island - Panama City Beachhttps://www.shipwreckisland.com Sam’s Surf City - Pensacolahttps://www.samsfuncity.com NortheastShipwreck Island - Jacksonville Beachhttps://jacksonville-beach.adventurelanding.com CentralIsland H20 Live - Orlandohttps://www.islandh2olive.com/ Volcano Bay - Orlando Typhoon Lagoon - Orlando Blizzard Beach - Orlando Legoland - Winter Haven East CoastDaytona Lagoon - Daytona Beachhttps://daytonalagoon.com Sailfish Splash - Stuarthttps://www.martin.fl.us/SailfishSplashWaterpark West CoastAdventure Island - Tampa Buccaneer Bay/Weeki Wachee - Spring Hillhttps://weekiwachee.com/buccaneer-bay Southw