Dancing on the Beach

By Cade Beach

Clearwater Marine Aquarium, located about three-quarters of a mile east from dynamic Clearwater Beach (FL), is a point of interest for many visitors on a Florida beach vacation. Established in 1978 as a marine biology learning center, it evolved into a well-known marine rescue and bio-rehabilitation facility for whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. Since the 1990′s, it has expanded its community outreach to include more public and education areas to go along with its care and rescue efforts..

The CMA offers a variety of presentations enjoyable to both children and adults. Dolphin feeding, stingray feeding, and shark feeding are of high interest. The animal interaction, theater presentations and behind-the-scenes tour are also well-attended. For those wishing for a bit more physical involvement, a two-hour guided kayak tour is available.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium, however, is probably best known for its desperate 2005 rescue and subsequent rehabilitation of “Winter” a two-month old baby dolphin, hopelessly entangled in crap trap lines, who has now become the CMA’s star attraction

Winter the dolphin

The extraordinary rescue and successful rehabilitation of Winter, the baby dolphin abandoned by her family when she became snarled in the lines of a crab trap, is one of the most inspirational animal stories of all time. Found barely breathing and under extreme distress in Mosquito Lagoon off the Atlantic Ocean’s Canaveral National Seashore by courageous and acutely observant fisherman, Jim Savage, Winter was transported across the entire state of Florida.

Circulation to her tail had been so restricted by the rope that it was damaged beyond repair. Little Winter, herself, was not much better off. She was barely hanging on. Heroic efforts by skilled veterinarian, Dr. Janine Cianciolo saved her, but Winter lost her tail…as well as three vertebrae.

Her rehabilitation was taken on by Clearwater Marine Aquarium head trainer, Abby Stone. With Ms. Stone’s vigilant care, little Winter began to thrive…but due to the loss of her tail she learned to swim like a shark instead of a dolphin…which initiated new damage to her spinal column.

Once more, fate intervened. Kevin Carroll, vice president of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics and his friend, Dan Strzempka, created a prosthetic tail for Winter. The first of its kind, ever.

With Abby Stone’s continuing care and training, Winter learned to again swim like a dolphin. In addition to her performances at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, her resilience and tenacity have become an inspiration, and she has been made available privately to children with life-threatening diseases, individuals with severe handicaps, and wounded fighting men back from the wars in the Middle East.

Location and Times for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

The Aquarium is located on the north side of FL State Road 60 (Memorial Highway) at 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767 which is just off Island Way Drive as you head west toward Clearwater Beach. It is open 9am – 5pm Monday through Thursday, 9am – 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10am – 5pm on Sunday.

A visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will add lasting memories to your Florida beach vacation.

Learn more about Clearwater Marine Aquarium at their official website.

Cade Beach retired early to Florida. Learn more about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Winter the Dolphin as well as other attrractions of the Florida Gulf Beaches at his website, FloridaBeachLifeStyle.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cade_Beach
http://EzineArticles.com/?Clearwater-Marine-Aquarium—Dont-Miss-it&id=3821621

What is the one tiring and annoying thing about Disney Vacations to either Disney Land or Disney World? Long Lines! Here are some ways to avoid them.

One source of frustration and annoyance for many visitors at Disney Land or Disney World are the long lines for the rides. You can literally spend several hours of the day standing in line to ride popular attractions. These lines can be avoided in one of three ways.

1. Get to Disneyland early. The lines are shorter in the morning when the park first opens. Instead of jumping in line for the first ride you see, head for the rides that you really want to ride the most popular rides. Make a plan or itinerary on what rides are most popular that you want to visit and schedule them. This has worked like a charm for my family.

2. Another option is to purchase Fast Pass tickets for the rides that offer them. Again, do this early to ensure that you get to ride those rides earlier in the day. You can also order tickets online or by phone. Call Disney and request a Fast Pass ticket or tickets for specific rides. A little planning and forethought go a long way to making your Disney Vacation an extra special one.

Side Note:

FastPass can be obtained from machines located near the rides that accept FastPass. This doesn’t mean that you get to immediately move to the front of the line. It is more like scheduling an appointment for the ride later in the day at which time you actually will move to the front of the line. In the meantime, you are free to go enjoy other sites and rides around the park.

When you obtain a FastPass ticket, you will be given a one hour time in which to enjoy the ride. For instance, your FastPass ticket may say 11am to 12pm. This means that you can show up and move to the front of the line between the hours of 11am and 12pm. You must have your Disneyland ticket in order to obtain a FastPass ticket.

At Disneyland, FastPasses are available for Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin, Autopia, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear.

3. The third option to avoid long lines at Disneyland is to ride many of the popular rides later in the evening, while the majority of people are enjoying the entertainment. Disneyland or Disney World has nightly entertainment, and this is a good time to find shorter lines.

Of course, it will mean that you probably miss the entertainment, so if you can use one of the other options for shorter lines at Disneyland, you should probably do so.

Most visitors just wander around aimlessly but those with a specific plan on what rides they definitely want to visit and in the order of popularity will enhance the overall Disney Vacation.

Article Source: http://www.searchfreearticles.com/

About the Author For more inside information and tips on Disney Land Or Disney World Vacations, Go To: http://www.yourdisneyland.com

By Justin Weinmann

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in general the food here is quite bland. In fact, as you might guess, the only type of food that is pretty good here is the Seafood. Now for the most part I can’t rightly claim that fried seafood is not good because to me all fried food is neither good nor bad. There is simply just no skill in cooking it that way. So, if you really like fried seafood then you are in great luck. We have a ton of it here in Panama City.

So, excluding the fried stuff, the fast food, the franchises, and the huge collection of other garbage that the beach is riddled with, I will try to give you a rundown of the places that you should visit during your vacation here. Also, I’m going to try to avoid the typical tourist traps of the area too, so if you see one on here then the food there is actually good.

Number: 10 — Captain Anderson’s — To many people’s surprise I’m going to start the list off with what a lot of people around here would call number 1. It simply isn’t. The food is really good, some of the time. Most of the time it just a good place to eat, nothing spectacular and certainly not for the price. It is probably the most expensive place in town, by far. You will hear people give this rave reviews when in town. I recommend going there, of course, but it isn’t a place that you should feel bad about not making it to during your trip.

Number: 9 – Andy’s Flour Power — This place is spectacular and the only reason it’s not higher on the list is because it simply doesn’t serve dinner. That’s right only Breakfast and Lunch here. But that’s okay because it is awesome. It also has a bakery full of some of the best stuff you can imagine and you can take home. If my memory serves there really isn’t anything over 10 bucks in here, so it is quite reasonable. Definitely a better alternative for breakfast over the innumerable Waffle House’s here.

Number: 8 – Captain’s Table — Unlike the other Captain above this one continually serves Grade-A quality and is never hit or miss. Reason its low on the list? It’s across the bridge in town and not directly on the beach. That counts a lot for me as I do not like to drive for my food, and who’s kidding, no one wants to do that while on vacation.

Number: 7 – Black Angus — Like the Captain’s Table it’s across the bridge so it gets bumped up the list a bit. However, If I were offered to go to the Captain’s Table or this I’d always choose Black Angus just because I love the Steak. No more stuff across the bridge I promise.

Number: 6 — Triple J’s — This place is pretty comparable to the Black Angus, in fact the Black Angus is probably better more often, mainly because the portions at Triple J’s are relatively small. The main reason this beats out Black Angus is because of its location on the beach. It’s closer to most of the things I do here and will shave off a trip across the bridge. If your trying to drive across that thing at dinner time you could be looking at some bad traffic getting to Black Angus. So, save yourself a possible headache and eat at Triple J’s.

Number: 5 – Coconuts — This place is really new on Thomas drive, but it has a pretty awesome bar inside it and the food has been on target every time I’ve gone, especially for the price. The location its in has had many restaurants come and go over the years so I was afraid they’d go too. However, I talked to the people that run the place and they’ve told me that the owner has decided to run his own restaurant there now so it should be around for quite some time.

Number: 4 – Scampy’s — This place is awesome! Hands down. It has never inflated its prices to rip you off and it consistently delivers the best dinners in my immediate area. Out of all the places on this list I probably eat here most often, other than Andy’s. I like the steak and shrimp dinner here a lot. Last time I had that I believe it was like 13 bucks. The same dinner at Applebee’s: $15. Needless to say the franchise quality is sub-par.

Number: 3 – Boar’s Head — This place is awesome. It’s all the way on the west end so if you’re not already staying down that way prepare for a drive. It’s worth it. If you plan to stay out on the west end then you probably will hear about no other restaurants but this one and you will most certainly eat here and love it.

Number: 2 – Angelo’s — Angelo’s has been a staple of Panama City Beach FOREVER! and its always awesome. When your not inside enjoying the awesomely delicious dinner you can be outside taking pictures of the kids on the 20 foot tall bull statue next to the road. I can’t tell you how many pics I’ve seen from years and years ago with kids on it that are now here as adults taking pictures of their own kids.

Number: 1 – Saltwater Grill — I’ve heard many people claim that Saltwater Grill and Captain Anderson’s are the best place in town hands down. For the most part they are right. I’ve already given you the reason’s why I believe the Captain fell from the top. Now let me tell you why I think this one will rock your socks off. First of all the food quality is awesome. From the steak to the fish to the oysters it’s all spectacular. Beyond that the prices are half of that of the Captains, most of the time. Secondly, be lazy and get your car valet parked so you don’t have to be fat and full searching for your car later. And most importantly they have a 25,000 gallon aquarium in the center of the restaurant full of the most magnificent fish you’ve ever seen along side a pianist to serenade everyone all night. Sounds classy huh? Dress is casual though. Walk inside in your flip flops and shorts and no one will say a thing. A definite must visit if you’re coming to Panama City Beach.

Well, that’s my list. I’m sure over time some of these may fluctuate or even cease to exist, cross your fingers for Coconuts, but I stand by this list and glad to hear any all comments or suggestions as to your opinions. By the way, the winter time is so horrendously boring here that there is nothing to do here but eat, so I know my food!

You can read more about the restaurants in Panama City Beach, Florida by reading this page. If you’re looking for a place to stay while dining at these fine places, RatesMate can help you find a good deal on Panama City Vacation Rentals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Justin_Weinmann
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-10-Restaurants-in-Panama-City-Beach,-Florida&id=3711575

By Cade Beach

Clearwater Marine Aquarium, located about three-quarters of a mile east from dynamic Clearwater Beach (FL), is a point of interest for many visitors on a Florida beach vacation. Established in 1978 as a marine biology learning center, it evolved into a well-known marine rescue and bio-rehabilitation facility for whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. Since the 1990′s, it has expanded its community outreach to include more public and education areas to go along with its care and rescue efforts..

The CMA offers a variety of presentations enjoyable to both children and adults. Dolphin feeding, stingray feeding, and shark feeding are of high interest. The animal interaction, theater presentations and behind-the-scenes tour are also well-attended. For those wishing for a bit more physical involvement, a two-hour guided kayak tour is available.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium, however, is probably best known for its desperate 2005 rescue and subsequent rehabilitation of “Winter” a two-month old baby dolphin, hopelessly entangled in crap trap lines, who has now become the CMA’s star attraction

Winter the dolphin

The extraordinary rescue and successful rehabilitation of Winter, the baby dolphin abandoned by her family when she became snarled in the lines of a crab trap, is one of the most inspirational animal stories of all time. Found barely breathing and under extreme distress in Mosquito Lagoon off the Atlantic Ocean’s Canaveral National Seashore by courageous and acutely observant fisherman, Jim Savage, Winter was transported across the entire state of Florida.

Circulation to her tail had been so restricted by the rope that it was damaged beyond repair. Little Winter, herself, was not much better off. She was barely hanging on. Heroic efforts by skilled veterinarian, Dr. Janine Cianciolo saved her, but Winter lost her tail…as well as three vertebrae.

Her rehabilitation was taken on by Clearwater Marine Aquarium head trainer, Abby Stone. With Ms. Stone’s vigilant care, little Winter began to thrive…but due to the loss of her tail she learned to swim like a shark instead of a dolphin…which initiated new damage to her spinal column.

Once more, fate intervened. Kevin Carroll, vice president of Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics and his friend, Dan Strzempka, created a prosthetic tail for Winter. The first of its kind, ever.

With Abby Stone’s continuing care and training, Winter learned to again swim like a dolphin. In addition to her performances at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, her resilience and tenacity have become an inspiration, and she has been made available privately to children with life-threatening diseases, individuals with severe handicaps, and wounded fighting men back from the wars in the Middle East.

Location and Times for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

The Aquarium is located on the north side of FL State Road 60 (Memorial Highway) at 249 Windward Passage, Clearwater, FL 33767 which is just off Island Way Drive as you head west toward Clearwater Beach. It is open 9am – 5pm Monday through Thursday, 9am – 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10am – 5pm on Sunday.

A visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium will add lasting memories to your Florida beach vacation.

Learn more about Clearwater Marine Aquarium at their official website.

Cade Beach retired early to Florida. Learn more about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Winter the Dolphin as well as other attrractions of the Florida Gulf Beaches at his website, FloridaBeachLifeStyle.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cade_Beach
http://EzineArticles.com/?Clearwater-Marine-Aquarium—Dont-Miss-it&id=3821621