*****UPDATE*****

To advocate crowd control, they are requiring everyone to have a ticket to get in. I guess demand is extremely high. Link to buy tickets is here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/orlando-balloon-glow-tickets-5…

Also, VIP parking is sold out. I believe one of our group did buy into it. But, for the rest of us, there are shuttles! Options are to park in Baldwin Park Village Center and walk, or take the shuttle from CVS (81 seats every 15 mins), or take the the shuttle from Fashion Square (81 seats every 15 mins).

I’ve always wanted to see a hot air balloon festival, but I don’t think I’ll be visiting New Mexico any time soon. So, next best thing… Orlando! Orlando Balloon Glow is located at Blue Jacket Park, near Lake Baldwin.

*****UPDATE The sunrise flights of these balloons are not going to be where this event is being held. It is at an undisclosed location. They wont tell me, they say they don’t even know because it’s being run by a different vendor. Still working on that.***** I thought a nice sunrise shoot from here with the balloons in the back ground would be fun. Then we can wander around a bit. There’s a lot of neat things nearby. Or you can go off on your own, visit Mickey or whatever.

I booked a room at the Best Western Orlando East Inn & Suites, located at 8750 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32817. Phone 407-282-3900. I got a rate of $110/nt with AAA. But pick whichever hotel/motel you like. No obligation to stay where I do. If you do, it’s located about half way between the balloon festival and UCF campus. I’m just cheap so I don’t want to spend a whole lot on lodging. :)

Also, if you are a member of the Fairchild Tropical Gardens here in Coral Gables, they have a reciprocity deal with other parks and gardens all over the country. Two of them are really close to this Blue Jacket Park where the balloon festival is being held. So after we’ve had enough of the balloons, maybe we can venture off to another park and see what it has to offer.

The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens is located at 633 Osceola Avenue
Winter Park, FL. Open 10am till 4pm Friday and Saturday, 1 till 4 on Sunday’s. $10 entry fee or get in with your Fairchild membership.

The Leu Gardens has a really cute frog art exhibit going on during our stay. It’s located at 1920 N Forest Ave, Orlando, FL and costs $10 or free with Fairchild membership.

UCF also has an arboretum, which admission is free (they do ask for a small donation), and is open from sunrise to sunset. Click the link above for more info on that. That looks like a neat place to go. Maybe a sunset shoot or optional 2nd day sunrise shoot.

The area between the balloon festival and UCF has many natural areas if you’re willing to stick with me. I’ll be researching these all in detail so I’ll have more info by our November meeting. And by the time we meet in Orlando on Fri. Nov. 16th, I’ll have a tentative itinerary that you can follow along, or you can go off on your own. It’s totally up to you. At least you’ll know where I’ll be in case you want to join me.

Please, RSVP to us at info@sfnpcc.org and let me know if you’re interested in attending.