Wekiva Island Winter Wonderland Celebration
Wekiva Island Winter Wonderland Celebration!
Hello fellow travelers,
As the holiday season approaches, we start to become inundated with imagery of sleigh rides and snow flurries, hot chocolate and sledding. Maybe we long to feel the warming glow of a fireplace under the stars while we sip our hot drinks or catch snowflakes on our tongue with our family. All of this can seem like a movie fantasy, too far away to easily reach for we who still experience 80 degree days in December so when we were contacted about a Winter Wonderland preview on Wekiva Island, we were excited to see what they had in store.
A True Hidden Gem
Wekiva Island is just another one of those well-hidden Florida gems that we keep discovering as time passes. Tucked away on a dead-end road in northern Altamonte Springs, you are quickly thrown from a suburban neighborhood to the middle of a beautiful nature reserve featuring a slow-flowing river surrounded by miles and miles of untouched wilderness. Wekiva Island offers visitors the chance to experience the real Florida. The natural attraction features more than 2,000 square feet of entertainment along the riverfront, including activities from canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding to volleyball and cornhole. Parking at the facility is ample and we quickly found a spot and headed over to the main event area to see what was offered.
A passion for conservation
Once you walk into Wekiva Island you realize that their staff is truly passionate about the environment. They value educating their guests about the importance of taking care of our ecosystem for future generations. Sustainability and a passion for the environment are truly at the heart of Wekiva Island’s mission.
"It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together..."
Our preview started out with a beautiful “sleigh” ride down the river with our amazing guide Tyler. The full tour will be about 45 minutes down the river, but our sample tour ran about 30 which was very peaceful and full of great photo opportunities. The river winds through the forest and is chock full of flora and fauna. We saw herons, king fishers, osprey, and even a couple of gators. Since we were on the last ride of the day, the sun was setting over the trees which made for some very nice pictures and a unique view of the landscape.
Bringing the Holiday Cheer
With the sleigh ride behind us, we were given free reign to explore the property and the activities offered! We found out that Santa and Mrs. Clause will come visit this incredible Winter Wonderland every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Christmas. They will be happy Monday night ornament decorating and special character appearances from The Grinch and Buddy the Elf! They will also offer holiday stilt walkers and face painters will also make appearances on select Saturdays and Sundays. Wekiva Island even offers FREE gift wrapping on ALL gifts, allowing guests to grab a drink and relax while they wait.
Additionally, Winter Wonderland features several special events:
- Corona Holiday Mariachi Band & Ugly Sweater Party
- Breakfast with Santa
- Reindeer feed kit workshop
- VIP Winter Wonderland Party
- New Year’s Day Brunch
If your interested in any of these fun-filled holiday activities click here to get the details on all of the activities as well as dates and times. Trust us, you won’t want to miss out!
Childhood nostalgia at its best..
Growing up, sledding was one of my favorite winter activities so imagine my delight upon finding a small sledding hill, complete with a choice of tubes or sleds, in a climate-controlled tent on the property. We, of course, enjoyed going down a few times and found that our son loves it too!
After such a chilly experience though, it was time to warm up a bit. We made our way over to the fire and enjoyed some delicious hot chocolate and freshly made popcorn. If the fire isn’t your thing, there are chairs lining the river that offer a peaceful view and a nice quiet place to spend some time. The riverside seating is also a wonderful place to experience the snow flurries from! The owners of the property ship in real snow and use industrial fans to create a magical winter experience, even on a warm Florida evening.
Over the next few weeks, Wekiva Island will be spreading alot of holiday cheer! There is plenty to keep the whole family entertained and get you feeling the holiday spirit.
Be sure to stop by Wekiva Island and check out this wonderful Winter Wonderland!
For more information, visit wekivaisland.com or call 407-862-1500 and one of Wekiva Island friendly staff will be happy to help you.
