Be carefree at Coco Key

Coco Key is a fun place to be.  Ride down a waterslide, whee!  Your face with beam with glee.

This family destination in Orlando is the place to go to make every family member’s face aglow.

Slipping down a water slide is always a fun ride, and International Drive has attractions curbside.

Next door is putt-putt.  At breakfast buffet, have a donut.  So much to do, it’s hard to decide what.

Some have it made by simply playing in the arcade.  Others would rather splash around like a mermaid.

Hop the shuttle to Universal or Sea World.  Doesn’t matter if hair is curled.  Roller coasters twirled.

Get passes in the lobby.  Orlando theme parks could be a new hobby.  Try restaurants serving kohlrabi.

Go up in the sky on the Orlando Eye.  Try Sleuths, laugh until you cry while solving how one did die.

Explore Wonderworks. Ripley’s is full of berserks.  Coco Key’s central location has many perks.

Hop in the Jacuzzi to relax.  The two person slide is a climax.  Slide and feel the g-force impacts.

Hot tub has a waterfall.  Take a picture in front of it like a doll.  Jump in the pool with a cannonball.

Squirt friends with a water gun.  Decide which slide is the most fun.  Kick back and get some sun.

Grabs drink at the Tiki bar.  Poolside eats means you don’t have to go far.  Write this in your memoir.

Swim until you can’t bare it.  Maybe if you act with merit, you can get your picture with the parrot.

Play in the gingerbread house.  Spend quality time with your spouse.  Beware of the bucket douse.

Underneath the hanging shark, take cover from wetness under the arc.  Up the waterscape you embark.

If you’d rather be dry like a drought, go to the weight room to work out or simply meander about.

There’s computers to use, awesome greenery to cruise, and so much fun you won’t want to snooze.

Eventually, the bed will call your name, and that is anything but lame, as comfort is their aim.

Fluff the pillow and flop down.  There will not be a frown.  It is relaxation all the way around.

Walk amongst the palm.  Breathe in the fun and the calm.  Go to www.cocokeyresort.com.

Book your vacation today.  You’ll be glad you came to play, and you’ll want to extend your stay.

Escape from cold weather forecasters.  Avoid icy disasters.  Marisa Williams earned her Master’s

in Writing from Johns Hopkins.  She enjoys travels that promotes grins and taking along swim fins.

If her writing you do adore, then check out more; at www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz there is a galore.

Escapology is exciting, knuckle biting and uniting

Escapology is the place to go when visiting Orlando.  It will require logic and problem solving though.

If you’re one that likes to snoop, gather together a group, and see if you can get the scoop.

Pick a scenario.  Budapest Express or eenie meenie miney mo.  Get into character, “cheerio!”

Don’t think of being locked in a room.  Don’t let your heart fill with gloom.  It’s not impending doom.

Try to escape.  Don’t leave your mouth agape.  Look at the landscape.

Scour the locked room for a clue.  Have teammates help you.  Discover a breakthrough.

Be part of a Western shootout with a gun.  Find clues before the clock’s done.  Get help from everyone.

Put your heads together.  Look under the leather.  Pressure tightens like a tether.

The clock counts down.  Try not to frown.  It’s like playing hide and seek on the playground.

Look for hidden keys.  Wake up on a Chinese junk sailing the seas.  Feel out of your expertise.

Get Shangaied.  Swallow your pride.  Ask for help from your observing guide.

Solve a riddle and gloat.  Pressure wraps around your throat.  Time to find the Antidote.

Can you find the vaccine in time?  Are you thinking at your prime?  Can you solve the crime?

The clock continues to tock and tick.  You have to be quick.  Check the candlestick, or is it a card trick?

Bounce around the room like a pinball.  Search over it all.  Hunt and try to muster the wherewithal.

This is supposed to be fun.  You struggle to get it done.  Somehow you wind up back where you begun.

When were we booked?  Was something overlooked?  Escapology has you frustrated but hooked.

Brain starts to steam.  Anxiety hits the extreme.  There’s a new clue found by the team.

Do a happy dance.  This could be your chance.  Give the evidence a glance and search the expanse.

Go into beast mode.  Try to crack the code.  Clock keeps counting like a bomb will explode.

Try to stay calm for your friends.  Deep breaths to try to cleanse.  Momentary peace transcends.

Give your teammates an encouraging nuzzle.  Quiet you frustrations with a muzzle.  Solve the puzzle.

Your senses are spicous.  It’s the Cuban Missile Crisis.  It’s like fighting modern day Isis.

Try to prevent a World War.  Don’t want to risk losing the Corps.  Check inside that drawer.

The door is still locked.  Progress is blocked.  A friend finds the key, and you’re shocked.

Energy is restored.  You are floored.  This requires more thought than a move on a chess board.

Open the door to the next room.  Look inside an ancient tomb.  This must be the Lost City you assume.

There are more dilemmas to confront.  Continue on the hunt.  Logic turns into a challenging stunt.

Struggle to make sense.  Because of this, then hence.  The air is building with suspense.

The clock is almost done.  Rely upon a loved one.  Vow the team will not be outdone by anyone.

Don’t allow people to go berserk.  Double up the team work.  Ignore anyone acting a jerk with a smirk.

Has the team evolved?  Will you have it solved?   It’s amazing how everyone’s involved.

Visit Escapology for an experience in criminology mixed with the bonding of sociology.

Stalk Escapology.com like a peeping tom to have your mind blown like an exploding bomb.

Escapology is knuckle biting and uniting.  Johns Hopkins is where Marisa earned her Master’s in Writing.  For more that’s exciting, www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz can be delighting.

Go Wild at Gatorland in Orlando

Crikies!  You see that one there?  Let’s take a closer look…

Want to feel like the Crocodile Hunter?  Get up close and personal with crocks, gators, and other exotic animals at Gatorland in Orlando, FL.  Don’t poke any sticks at the wild animals though, as you may see their quick reactions with a friendly reminder that you may very well be on the food chain there.

Watch gators leap out of the water during the Jumping Show.  A couple of backwoods boys compete to see who can get the gators to jump the highest and even hand feed the gators.  Many exotic birds hang close by, hoping to get some of the free eats that are being handed out.

Get lost in the swamp.  Walk briskly along a bayou boardwalk.  Beware of snakes.

The more signs you see warning of poisonous snakes, the more uneasy you’ll become.  Though there are snakes on display within the park, on the swampy trail, it’s an active swamp with creatures that may very well venture onto the walkway.  Look around carefully, and don’t pick up any snakes crossing your path.

Climb on top of a gator.  Wrap your hands around its mouth.  Check out those sharp teeth up close.

My, what sharp teeth they have!  The better to chomp you with.  Be brave, and don’t let them smell your fear.

Get your picture taken while riding the gator like a cowboy.  Learn how to wrestle gators, and gasp at the inside of an alligator’s mouth.  Are you brave enough to stick your head by a gator’s mouth?

The show’s star goes chin to chin with the gator.  Holding up the gator’s chin with only his own chin, he pulls his hands back.  Look, mom, no hands!

Learn the difference between a gator and a crocodile, and get to see each of them for yourself.  Gaze into the eyes of the albino alligator, which is thought to bring good luck.  

Check out the colorful parrots and peacocks.  Is that a blonde raccoon?  Go for a train ride around the park.

Bobcats cuddle together, grooming each other, looking more like house cats that vicious killers.  They look cute and cuddly, but these are not your average house pet.  They, along with their panther friends on the other side of the park, may languish in the sun taking a cat nap, but they will perk up at the slightest unfamiliar noise, serving as a reminder that they are predators that know their surroundings.

In the petting zoo, pet and feed a goat.  Feed the flamingoes, and other birds will swoop by, hoping to catch a bite.  Wander over to see the emu, the big bodied bird will gladly be fed, but the squirrels will be scampering around, hoping to pick up the crumbs.

Hike up to a tower, feeling like a character in a fairytale, and catapult over to the next tower via a zipline that will make you feel like Batman whisking into action.  Dangle high above the trees, zipping over gators and other animals.  Feel the wind whipping through your hair as you hang and glide.

After you’ve worked up a sweat, splash into the water park.  Run through water hoops and have buckets of water splash on your head.  Climb on top of gator friends while splashing around in the sun.

Ride the train, pretending you are conducting Thomas through the wild.  Zoom from one side of the park to the other on an exotic train ride.  Take in all the wondrous creatures along the way.

Hoof along the breeding trail, and count the different types of birds.  From egrets and herons to turkey vultures and ducks, the scenery is ever changing.  Birds nest along the trail, so keep an eye out for eggs.

Yes, it is called the breeding trail for a reason.  At first, you might think, aww, look at the two birds in the nest, but when one hops on top of the other, and their wings start flapping, think quick.  Tell the kids the one is just trying to catch a ride on the other…

Is that a bird perched on an alligator’s back?  Indeed, the birds are known to eat any bugs that might try to hitch a ride on the gator.  Though gators can be vicious, they don’t seem to mind a bird friend helping to eat the bugs that venture into those hard to reach places, like on a gator’s back.

At the top of the watch tower, it is possible to take in the whole park.  Creatures below look small, not so menacing.  This is a great place to try to find any friends that may have ventured in a different direction.

A stride over to the boardwalk allows an up-close view of those alligator teeth.  Groups of gators sun themselves, seemingly undisturbed by the people staring at them.  Pokes of their bumpy back are barely visible in the water, along with their eyes, just breaking the surface of the water, the rest of their long body remaining hidden below the surface.

For anyone who is curious about alligators and Florida wildlife, take a trip to Gatorland.  There are up close and personal shows that are fun for the whole family.  Eat or be eaten, so don’t forget to try a bite of gator where they serve it up fresh.

For more information, visit www.gatorland.com.  Marisa Williams earned her Master’s in Writing from the Johns Hopkins University.  For more by Marisa, visit www.lulu.com/spotlight/thorisaz and www.twitter.com/booksnbling.