Orlando Pride
If you've been in Orlando long enough, you've probably seen Kaká more than a few times around town. The Orlando City Soccer Club bug seems to have hit everybody in the City Beautiful (you can tell by the purple paint left on faces after game day), but there's another team in the city that's working just as hard and doesn't get enough props. The Orlando Pride women's team has some of the best players in the league, including the Brazilian legend Marta Vieira da Silva and Alex Morgan, a star forward who also plays on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. If you're a soccer fan and you haven't come out to see a game, there's still time to redeem yourself – the 2017 season is not over.
Sports and Recreation
Double Mason jar cocktails at Orlando City Stadium
655 W. Church St. orlandocitysc.com
You're no longer confined to imbibing Bud Light or Heineken when taking in a game. At Orlando City Stadium, your drinking dollars are best spent on a plastic Mason jar filled with one of two signature soccer cocktails. If you're sitting in the Supporters Section, security will make you dump it into a plastic cup and ditch the jar once you enter the stands, so best to slurp one down at halftime at your leisure.
Universal's Volcano Bay Universal Studios 407-363-8000
Chunky glass and steel towers rising oh-so-architecturally from the street? Bo-ring! Craggy Polynesian volcano bulging with yellow and green tubes, gushing with water and festooned with tiki heads?? Now that's more like it. There's another skyline besides Orlando's rather yawny downtown, and it's our theme-park skyline. The 20-story tall Volcano Bay, art-directed with authentic scenic painting, is uniquely Orlando and fun: Wave pools and water coasters replace parking garages and cubicle farms.
1. Orlando Roller Derby, orlandorollerderby.com
2. Orlando Sport and Social Club, 407-896-9510, orlandosportandsocialclub.com
3. Central Florida Soccer League, 407-869-1070, centralfloridasoccer.com
1. Orlando Science Center, 777 E. Princeton St., 407-514-2000, osc.org
2. Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave., 407-246-2620, leugardens.org
3. Gatorland, 14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail, 407-855-5496, gatorland.com
1. New Smyrna Beach, cityofnsb.com
2. Clearwater Beach, visitclearwaterflorida.com
3. Siesta Key, siestakeychamber.com
1. Colonial Lanes, 400 Primrose Drive, 407-894-0361, coloniallanes.net
2. Splitsville, 1494 Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, 407-938-7467, splitsvillelanes.com
3. Kings Bowl, 8255 International Drive, 407-363-0200, kingsbowlamerica.com
1. Wekiwa Springs State Park, 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, 407-884-2009, floridastateparks.org
2. Wekiva island, 1014 Miami Springs Drive, Longwood, 407-862-1500, wekivaisland.com
3. Blue Springs, 2100 W. French Ave., Orange City, 386-775-3663, floridastateparks.org
1. Lake Eola Park, 512 E. Washington St., 407-246-4484, cityoforlando.net
2. Cranes Roost, 274 Cranes Roost Blvd., Altamonte Springs, 407-571-8180, altamonte.org
3. Mead Botanical Garden, 1500 S. Denning Drive, Winter Park, 407-599-2800, meadgarden.org
