Whenever the calendar turns to October, you’re sure to find an Octoberfest celebration. Such is the case at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL where the park is offering guests a daylong “Boktoberfest” with free admission on Oct. 15, 2011.

The festival will feature a biergarten with craft and seasonal beers, German food, tree climbing, face painting, prize drawings and live entertainment. You’ll also be able to purchase plants from 40 vendors. Boktoberfest is scheduled to run from 8 am til 6 pm.

A National Historic Landmark, Bok Tower Gardens is home to an iconic 60-bell Singing Tower carillon. Concerts from the Carillon occur daily at 1 and 3 pm. The carillon is a musical instrument consisting of carillon bells arranged in chromatic series and played from a keyboard made of long, thin batons. The Bok Tower carillon consists of 60 bells ranging in weight from 16 pounds to almost 24,000 pounds.

Live entertainment during Boktoberfest will feature Barely Metro, Gypsy Wind, Lagerheads, and Alpine Express - a group playing long Swiss alphorns, a wooden xylophone and a ”singing saw.”

The Bok Tower Gardens offer acres of ferns, palms, oaks and pines which create a year-round backdrop of greens with seasonal splashes of color from azaleas, camellias, magnolia and other blooms. Family friendly garden areas give children a chance to play in vine covered arbors or to observe a variety of butterflies. And the “Window by the Pond” lets guests observe myriad native birds, wildlife and wetland plants.

Bok Tower Gardens is a National Historic Landmark located approximately 55 miles southwest of Orlando. For more information, on the Garden’s Boktoberfest celebration, visit http://www.boktoberfest.com/. For details on central Florida vacations and discount Orlando area accommodations such as Westgate Resorts, go to http://www.westgatereservations.com/.

The Mardi Gras party keeps on rolling at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. The popular spring Mardi Gras celebration continues now through mid-April with a variety of rocking musical guests appearing each weekend. This week’s artist is the amazing Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

Her list of achievements goes on and on, including a dozen million-selling singles, 20 Number 1 R&B hits, a cover story in Time magazine, the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 15 Grammy Awards with a lifetime achievement award in 1995, and a roll in the movie, The Blues Brothers.

Now the legendary singer brings her smooth voice to the big stage at Universal Studios Florida starting at 8:30 pm on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

You can go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/ for additional details on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and the many other Orlando area theme parks and attractions. Or check out the list of discount theme park tickets and money-saving Orlando vacation packages. If you would like information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging, you can also visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

The party goes on and on at Universal Studios Florida as the popular Mardi Gras celebration continues through mid-April. This week’s musical guest stara is Akon, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter and one of the music industry’s fastest-rising stars.

Akon’s special mix of hip-hop, R&B and rap includes a number of chart-topping hits like Lonely, I Wanna Love You, Don’t Matter and Dangerous. He’s the first artist to accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.

A frequent guest on TV’s American Idol, Akon brings his act to Universal’s Mardi Gras at 8:30 pm on March 6, 2010.

Go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and other Orlando area theme parks and attractions, as well as details on discount theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages. Or visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm for information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging.

The Mardi Gras celebration is in full swing at Universal Studios Orlando Resort. With weekly parades and concerts, lots of great food and plenty of beads, there’s a definite taste of New Orleans in the air.The party amps up on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at Pat O’Brien’s within Universal CityWalk. The restaurant/club will be hosting a Fat Tuesday celebration to kick off the Lenten season.From 4pm til close, you can enjoy a live party band, special drink discounts, New Orleans style food specials, stilt walkers, bead girls and plenty of other fun and entertainment.Admission is free until 7 pm. After 7, admission is $8 per person or $20 for a VIP ticket offering private balcony access, light appetizers from 4-8 pm and free admission to select CityWalk clubs.For additional information on Mardi Gras events at Universal Orlando or discount Orlando vacation packages and theme park tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or to register for a free resort getaway sweepstakes, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Voyage through five islands of fun and adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, FL. Experience an amazing place where myths, legends and cartoons come alive. Encounter rides, shows, dining, shops and attractions featuring your favorite characters including The Cat In The Hat, Hulk, Spider-Man, Dr. Seuss, E.T., Jurassic Park and more. Meet your favorite super heroes on Marvel Super Hero Island and revisit your favorite cartoons and comic strips within Toon Lagoon. Let dinosaurs chase you in Jurassic Park, then explore The Lost Continent for an adventure of timeless myths and epic legends. Finally, visit Seuss Landing for some highly entertaining and whimsical tales. Purchase an Island’s of Adventure vacation package for affordable fun the whole family can enjoy.

Walt Disney World in Orlando is one of the most visited destinations in the country. It has a lot of fun activities for the entire family. Disney World in Orlando offers a variety of theme park options, including Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Each of these theme parks offer a different experience and each is big enough that you can spend a full day or more to cover it completely. So, it makes sense to buy your Disney vacation packages which covers multiple park options. You can get packages online to save a lot time that you would otherwise spend waiting in the long lines at the ticket counter.

Orlando offers a lot of attractions and activities designed for the entire family. In fact, there are so many things for you and your family to do, it can be overwhelming at times. With so many sites to see and so many theme parks to choose from, it’s virtually impossible to do it all. Therefore, it is recommended that you consider buying one of the popular Orlando vacation packages that are available online. These packages typically include hotels and tickets to the theme parks of your choice. You will also have an opportunity to talk to someone who knows the area well and can offer you advice on activities that best fit with your own family’s particular interests.