OFTIG 2013 - (Page 32)

Family ZOOMING IN ON FLORIDA'S FILM FESTIVALS no matter the visitor’s age. The aforementioned MOSI, incidentally, is not only huge at 300,000 sq. ft., but is also home to the only IMAX Dome Theatre in Florida and its Kids in Charge! The Children’s Science Center at MOSI is the largest children’s center in the nation. Sleeptime: One of the area’s best resorts for families is the 20-acre beachfront TradeWinds Island Grand Resort Papparazzi, bright lights, glittery parties, movie stars... There are a dizzying number of ﬁlm festivals to choose from for visiting ﬁlm buﬀs interested in getting out from under the Florida sun, even if just for a little while. South Florida oﬀers some of the most celebrated, including the internationally acclaimed Miami International Film Festival, celebrating its 30th year in 2013 (March 1-13, 2013) and which during its three decades has introduced ﬁlmmakers from more than 0 countries to audiences in South Florida. A bit farther north, The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, taking place in the fall, is not only in the uinness World ecords book as the longest ﬁlm festival in the world (it’s almost a month long), but is, according to Variety, one of the top hot festivals in the nation. For travelers heading to alm Beach April 4-11, 2013, it’ll be easy to get lured to the cinema during the Palm Beach International Film Festival, which has hosted more than 150 world premieres and more than 1,100 ﬁlms from 55 countries. What’s great about the ﬁlm festival circuit in Florida, however, is that it’s not ust about celebrating movies with Academy Awards written all over them. ere, ﬁlmophiles can head to Key argo to check out the Humphrey Bogart Film Festival from May 2-5, 2013, which will screen Bogart movies and other iconic ﬁlms from the ﬁlm noir genre. Or delve into the horror genre at the Freakshow Horror Film Festival, taking place in the Fall in Orlando and claiming to be one of the largest horror genre ﬁlm festivals in the country. Also in Orlando, the Global Peace Film Festival, taking place Sept. 17-22, 2013, was established to utilize the power of the motion picture to further the goal of peace on earth. The BT movement is well represented with a variety of ﬁlm festivals, including the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Fall); Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Spring); and The Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Fall). 32 Ofﬁcial Florida Travel Industry Guide | 2013 24-39_2013_Family.indd 32 (tradewindsresort.com), located on St. Pete Beach and just off a fresh $20 million renovation project. The resort is located about 45 minutes from Busch Gardens, but the drive is worth it for families who want to complement a theme park vacation with a beach resort stay. While on site, kids will be entertained with the resort’s water park, located right on the Gulf of Mexico, just off the white sandy shore behind TradeWinds Island Grand Resort. It features Summit Express, a tall slide straight into the water, along with a climbing wall and a bounce cave; Super Tramp & The Rebound, large trampolines in the middle of the sea; Jungle Joey, with mini-slide, climbing apex and ladder log; Rockit, a huge inflatable island with seating for four and other goodies. There’s also KONK (Kids Only, No Kidding!), the resort’s kids’ club; the 3-story, beachfront High Tide Water Slide; bungee trampoline; and paddleboats for cruising along the resort’s waterways, among a bevy of other kid-focused activities. Another good option is Saddlebrook Resort (saddlebrook. com), with 800 rooms and suites, four restaurants, golf, tennis and a spa, offering teen spa amenities for kids ages 12 to 17. One of the resort’s top amenities is its Superpool, a half-million gallon freeform pool with two volleyball nets, basketball hoops, and training lanes. FLORIDA S SPACE COAST Visitors to Florida should not step foot out of the state without taking a detour to the Space Coast, 35 miles east of Orlando. In fact, this is Orlando’s closest beach, but it’s the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex that will dazzle every member VIVA FLORIDA Florida was admitted as the 27th state of the U.S. on March 3, 1845 VISITFLORIDA.COM 1/18/13 10:38 AM http://www.tradewindsresort.com http://saddlebrook.com http://www.VISITFLORIDA.COM

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