Gaylord Palms is giving away $10, 000
Summer treasure hunt is underway
by Phyllis Steinberg
 If you are thinking about taking a family vacation to
Orlando this summer, you may be able to win the cost of your vacation back
in the $10,000 summer treasure hunt challenge at the Gaylord Palms Resort in
Orlando.
I recently visited the Resort with my daughter and
grandsons and had a splendid time searching for clues in the expansive 4.5
acre glass-topped atrium hotel and convention center.
The Gaylord Palms Summer Treasure Hunt Challenge
continues through August, 2008 and is a fun activity for the whole family.
In addition to the grand prize, the second place winner team will get a
$3,500 cash prize and the third-place team will be awarded a three-night
stay at a Gaylord Hotel. I’d opt for a stay at the Gaylord Palms in
Nashville. I stayed there a few years ago and loved it. They have a Country
Music radio station on the premises and a chance to visit the Grand Ole Opry
and much more.
But back to the contest. The competition, complete with
clever clues and challenging puzzles, is the Gaylord Palm’s version of
reality television with guests at the hotel trying to win the grand prize.
The team that acquires the most points will win the Summer Treasure Hunt
Challenge.
 My family worked as a team. We had our pirate map in
hand and our book of clues and explored the resort which is divided into
different Florida locales. There is Key West, St. Augustine, the Emerald
Coast, Miami’s South Beach and the Everglades, all clearly designed like the
locations they represent.
 My grandchildren, ages 6 and 8, were too young, for the
sophisticated adult clues, so we opted for the Little Pirates Treasure Hunt,
for children ages 10 and under and they loved it. The kids visited the five
animal habitats found inside the resort’s St. Augustine, Key West and
Everlades themed atriums. They discovered more than a dozen juvenile
alligators and several native species of turtles. In the Everglades atrium,
there were Florida snakes, securely displayed within swamp themed habitats.
The atrium waterways were another interesting diversion for the children as
they were filled with colorful varieties of fish found throughout the state
of Florida.
 The Gaylord Palms caters to kids. My grandchildren
spent endless hours at the La Petite Academy Kids Station, a 4,000
square-foot professionally staffed child-care center. They made cookies,
played pirate games and had a visit from a trainer from nearby Gatorland who
taught the children about animal safety precautions and also brought among
exotic creatures for the children to handle in a safe and secure manner.
The Resort has three signature restaurants. There is a
children’s menu at each of them and plenty of fun for the kids to accompany
the food. One night while we were dining at Sunset Sam’s Fish Camp, the
children were entertained by a costumed character on stilts who made
balloons for them and by a pirate who balanced bottles on the end of a
sword.
 The swimming pool was another highlight for the
children with its curly alligator slide and many waterfalls.
Adults have fun at the resort while the children are
being entertained at the La Petite Academy Kids Station at the Canyon Ranch
Spa, where I noticed a group of girls attending a boot camp for brides The
girls were working out, having massages and facials and taking in the
beautiful surroundings.
We did manage a day at Disneyworld, which was a five
minute ride from the Resort, but we were happy that we spent a few days in
the serene and beautiful surroundings of the Gaylord Palms Resort.
Photos by Phyllis Steinberg
For more information about the Gaylord Palms Summer
Treasure Hunt, call 407-586-HUNT or log on to
www.gaylordpalms.com | 