Take A Sporting Chance On Orlando For Your Next Vacation

Orlando, Florida is more and more becoming around of golf? Or if you are really a golf
mecca for vacationers. There are many reasonsenthusiast, you can play a round each day at a
for this, and one I want to explore now is thedifferent course for, oh, say about 5 straight
sporting or active side of the Orlando holiday.months, since Orlando has about 150 golf courses
Now, talking to a friend recently about sportingwith all of them reputed to be essentially world
holidays I almost didn't bring up Orlando'sclass facilities.
numerous sporting attractions. He was talkingSome resorts are just for golf. ChampionsGate
about going hiking in the Rockies for a week orGolf Club, for example, provides two 18-hole
two. And he also mentioned distance bicyclingchampionship golf courses, said to be among the
holidays as a great way to spend the summerbest in the US. The resort hosts several
(and he meant the whole summer, not just atournaments including the popular World Points
short holiday!). Marathon running? Sure, why not.Father/Son Challenge.
(Although even he agreed that running aBut if you're not up to championship play yet,
marathon is not exactly a holiday. But he did insistmost courses have professional coaches to help
that when you travel to a city to run a marathonyou improve your game. The city even has six
you get to visit great cities that you may havegolf instruction academies that use personalized
never otherwise seen.)teaching methods and state of the art equipment.
Orlando's active side can include such intenseAnd if you want a change of pace from big time
activities, but for the family, or for anyone who(and big course) golf, many resorts here also
wants activity but doesn't want to feel they're infeature miniature golf courses.
training for the Olympics, it can be ideal.For example, one new adventure style miniature
One famous active attraction is Boggy Creekgolf course is designed as a Hawaiian oasis. Fire
Airboat Rides. Started by a couple in 1994, it'sand lava pour from a fifty-foot volcano. Hawaiian
blossomed into one of Orlando's top 10Rumble Adventure Golf attracts people with their
attractions, according to the Orlando Businessrhythmic music and sophisticated design. Holes
Journal.range from beginner to advanced, and are
They offer high speed airboat rides on Lakethematically designed.
Tohopekaliga (or "Sleeping Tiger Lake") a 12,000There's also the Congo River Adventure Golf
acre lake where you can board a 6-passenger orcourse where you can take the whole family high
18-passenger boat and really take off on thatatop giant waterfalls and rocky summits or deep
lake. Like up to 65 mph. That may not seem sodown to mysterious caves.
fast on the highway, but in an airboat it can thrillYou mean you've never golfed your way through
you or chill you (both, actually, if you go out earlytropical rainforests, jumping over river rapids, and
in the morning).thoroughly enjoying yourself regardless of how
Speeding along on the lake you can glimpse ahigh your score is?
wide variety of its wetland birds, such as baldWell, maybe then Orlando is the place to golf (or
eagles, cranes, egrets and ospreys. Which bringsmini-golf) like you've never dreamt of.
up an important point: the airboats virtually floatThere's much more to the sporty side of Orlando
on the water so they are less invasive to thethan this, but for golf enthusiasts, maybe I've said
lakes plant and wildlife inhabitants than regularenough and I should just let you make your
propeller driven boats.reservations for this grand, beautiful city.
For something a bit more mundane, how about a