Tampa-Orlando Trip

Serene and Dad had a holiday on November 11th for Veterans Day, so we decided to go on a trip to Orlando, traveling through Tampa.

Day 1: From Tallahassee to Tampa on Nov 7, 2025.
We started our trip to Tampa around 4 p.m. It was about a four-and-a-half-hour drive. Serene packed a small bag with her favorite books, a journal, and a few toys, keeping herself busy along the way. Rachel brought her own toys and played happily during the ride. By night, we reached Tampa and stayed at the Uptown Extended Stay Hotel. For dinner, we enjoyed tasty butter chicken and soft wheat parathas that we had brought from home. It was a long but fun first day of our journey!

Day 2: From Tampa to Orlando on Nov 8, 2025.
Our morning began with attending Perunnal at the Mar Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Church in Tampa. It was a joyful time filled with prayers, smiles, and a delicious lunch shared with everyone. After that, we packed up and drove to Orlando for the next part of our trip.

In Orlando, we explored ICON Park, visiting SEA LIFE Aquarium and Madame Tussauds. At the SEA LIFE Aquarium, we even got a chance to gently touch and pet sea creatures like the octopus and starfish. Rachel was thrilled to see the big aquarium and her favorite baby shark.

 

At Madame Tussauds, we were amazed to see lifelike wax statues of famous people from around the world. We even got our own colorful wax hands — a couple’s hand and one of Serene’s little hands!

There, we met a kind American Black lady named Sanni, who absolutely loved Indian food and movies. When she heard us speaking, she recognized our language and asked where we were from. She told us about her favorite Indian sweets like jalebi and dishes like butter chicken. She spoke so excitedly about Bollywood and actors like Shah Rukh Khan, even mentioning films we had never heard of! She said her grandmother was also a big fan of Indian movies. Talking with her made us feel so happy and proud of our culture.

After a fun evening of indoor games , mirror maze fun and a tasty dinner, we drove to Margaritaville Resort, where a cozy cottage was waiting for us. It was the perfect end to a beautiful and exciting day!

Day 3: At Orlando on Nov 9, 2025.
The morning began with cheerful splashes as Serene and Dad enjoyed some pool time — the pool was right behind our cozy cottage! After a fun start to the day, we had breakfast at the cottage and then headed to our timeshare presentation at 11:30 a.m.

For lunch, we stopped at a Colombian restaurant and enjoyed a tasty beef steak meal. 

After that, we drove to the Chocolate Kingdom, but the tour slots were already full, so we decided to save that plan for another day.

Next, we visited the Crayola Experience, a bright and colorful world filled with creativity! Serene loved making her very own Crayola crayon with her name on it. Mom made one for little Rachel too. We also tried spin art, melted wax designs, selfie photo prints, clay modeling, comic-style pictures, and many other fun wax experiments. Everyone had an amazing time there until about 6 p.m.

After Crayola, we headed to WonderWorks, a place full of science, imagination, and excitement! Serene and Dad had lots of fun playing laser tag, while Serene and Mom enjoyed the thrilling 4D theater. Rachel had a great time playing with the glowing light tubes and exploring the exhibits.

To end the evening on a sweet note, we stopped by Melt n Dip for some delicious ice cream. We tried a few different flavors and shakes — all super yummy! Then we returned to the resort, happy and tired after a full day of fun, learning, and laughter.

Day 4: At Orlando on Nov 10, 2025.
The morning was cool and windy — a perfect day for an adventure! After having breakfast at the hotel, we set off for LEGOLAND Resort. We spent the entire day there, and it was full of fun and excitement!

Serene and Dad were thrilled to try the adventure rides, especially the scary roller coasters. Serene also loved riding the LEGO horse and had so much fun at the mini driving school. Rachel loved building with colorful LEGO bricks and enjoyed the smaller rides and play area slides made just for toddlers. Serene loved Mom had a great time too, especially on the Flight Master ride. We even went for boating, which was a wonderful experience for the whole family. LEGOLAND was truly a magical place for kids and parents alike!

In the evening, we visited the Outlet Mall for some shopping. We picked up cozy jackets and new shoes before enjoying a nice dinner there. After a long, happy day, we returned to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

Day 5: From Orlando to Tallahassee on Nov 11, 2025.
Today was the last day of our wonderful trip. In the morning, we packed our bags, got ready, and enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before heading to the Chocolate Kingdom. There, we took a fun and educational tour where we learned all about how chocolate is made and its sweet history. The best part was customizing our own chocolate bars with the kids’ names on them — a perfect souvenir to remember the trip!

After that, we started our drive back to Tallahassee. It was about a four-and-a-half-hour journey. We stopped at an Indian store in Ocala hoping to buy ada for making ada payasam, but we couldn’t find it. So we left the store and continued our journey and we reached home around 8 p.m. The trip was such a joyful and memorable experience for our family. Serene showed how grown-up and well-behaved she has become — our little six-year-old acted so mature throughout the journey. Rachel was a bit restless from sitting for so long, but she too added her own spark to our adventure. It was truly a wonderful trip filled with laughter, learning, and love!