Summer Events: Orlando/Jacksonville

Sunny days and mild nights make summers in Orlando and Jacksonville most enjoyable. With temperatures reaching the low 90s in the afternoon and descending into the low 70s by the early evening, you will be able to participate in tons of Central Florida events all day and night. Here are a few stand-out activities we think you might enjoy:

• SUMMER EVENTS near the Atlantic Coast of Florida attract many visitors from around the globe. Here are some of the best events taking place this season:

• Sounds Like Summer Concert Series at Epcot
  This annual event at Epcot, the worldly Disney theme park, invites many different tribute bands to come out to the park each summer to recreate the top hits of legendary music icons. The series runs through August 9, with tributes to Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, The Supremes, U2 and Tom Petty taking place throughout the month of July and into the first week of August. Shows are in the evening at 5:45, 7:00 and 8:15. Special showtimes on July 4 include 5:15, 6:30, 7:15 and 9:00. For more info, visit DisneyWorld.Disney.Go.com.
• Anime Festival Orlando
  Florida’s favorite anime convention is at the Wyndham Orlando Resort from July 30 to August 2. As three-day online registration ended June 30, single day registration is still available at the door each of the three days. There will be lots of music/video/gameshow-related events, several special guest panelists and tons of merch booths at the convention. For more info, visit AnimeFestivalOrlando.com.
• North Florida Fishing with Captain Ron Schurr
  Have you ever sat on a row boat for hours just waiting for one little nip at your fishing pole? Let a Jacksonville native (and fishing expert) help you catch a heaping helping of fish. Captain Ron Schurr offers fishing tours along the Intracoastal Waterway, where it is very likely you will catch a 40-pound Redfish, some speckled trout or even flounder. For more info, visit FishingNorthFlorida.com or call Captain Ron at 904-707-8328/904-346-3868.

• ORLANDO SPORTING EVENTS take a break for most of the summer, as basketball ends in the spring and football doesn’t start up until early August.

• If you are looking to see something really amusing, you should definitely check out the 17th Annual Celebrity Mascot Games! This is the only event of its kind—in the world—where 30 mascots from various professional and college sports teams come to Central Florida to raise money for a non-profit organization called New Hope for Kids. It all starts the weekend of July 16 at Stetson University. The event then moves to the Amway Arena on Saturday and Sunday. Since its inception in 1992, the Mascot Games has raised over $250,000 for children under the age of 18 who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses. For more info, visit MascotGames.org.
• The NFL Jacksonville Jaguars begin Training Camp on August 3 at the practice fields near Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Twenty practices are open to the public through August 13 with FREE ADMISSION. Brand-new seating allows for 1400 fans to get a much closer view of the players during the practices. For more info, visit Jaguars.com or call the training camp hotline at 904-633-6525.