ORLANDO, Fla. — A person would have a hard time visiting Key West, the Everglades and St. Augustine all in the same day.
Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee allows you to do just that, but with a lot less driving. Well, you can’t actually visit those places, but you can enjoy the resort’s 4.5 acres of indoor atrium space, which is modeled after those three environments.
At Gaylord Palms’ Key West, you can watch saltwater fish swim around while dining on a sailboat. The best part — you can do all of this in one place while beating the heat outside.
In the central St. Augustine atrium, you can visit a replica of the Castillo de San Marcos and see 13 juvenile alligators (and some turtles) sunbathing.
Over in the resort’s Everglades environment, you can hear the ambient noises of frogs and crickets chirping and see a few of Florida’s snakes.
Don’t worry, they’re behind glass.
“One of the really great things about being under the glass at Gaylord Palms is the air conditioning,” said Chris Brumbaugh, director of public relations and marketing at the resort. “Seventy-two degrees is our target temperature. If it’s raining outside or if it’s 95 degrees outside, you can be fairly comfortable as you wander through the gardens here.”
It’s also free for visitors to come in and dine, shop or wander the gardens after they pay for parking. A paid night in the hotel isn’t necessary to enjoy most of the resort’s features.
If you do stay the night, you can also enjoy outdoor pools, water slides and a “FlowRider” surfing wave.
For locals, Gaylord Palms would make a great staycation, or even just a nice date night. Travelers from out of town can stay in one of 1,400 hotel rooms while escaping the hustle and bustle of International Drive and the theme parks. The resort has a little something for everyone.
