Pinkberry, the tart frozen yogurt brand made famous by celebrities in California, has opened its first store in Florida, just down the street from International Drive in The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips. A “Pinkberry Preview Party” was held last night and hundreds waited around an hour for a free cup of frozen yogurt with toppings [...]

Officials cut the ribbon to offically open the Via Napoli, a new casual pizzeria in the Italy pavilion at Epcot World Showcase. The new restaurant, operated by Patina Restaurant Group, features wood-burning ovens – and will use water from a source that most resembles the water in Naples, Italy. The 300-seat pizzeria features a menu [...]

A new Buffalo Wild Wings sports bar/restaurant opened today just off U.S. 192, near Walt Disney World. The new location is the largest in Central Florida, with a 7,500-square-foot building and a 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio/bar overlooking a lake. Tourist sports fans will be able to enjoy the facility’s approximately 50 video monitors (including 3D), 10 [...]

A new authentic Italian pizzeria will hold their grand opening on Aug. 5, 2010 in the Italy pavilion at Epcot. The Patina Restaurant Group will open the casual pizzeria called Via Napoli, adjacent to their Tutto Italia Ristorante. Restaurateur and longtime Patina Restaurant Group CEO Nick Valenti created the Via Napoli concept, based upon his [...]

Titanic the Experience, the 20,000 square foot exhibit on International Drive is adding a food element to their traditional tour. A dinner show will be held each Friday and Saturday night. The show will be branded as The Titanic Dinner Event and will include a minimum of 10 actors throughout each evening. The experience will [...]

By Audrey Brown This month’s Retro Orlando isn’t exactly about an attraction. It’s about a restaurant. A restaurant that once held a mythical status similar to that of an attraction, one created and tested in Orlando, and one that surely picked up attributes from the theme park town where its parent company decided to launch [...]

Five Buffalo Wild Wings sports restaurants/bars in Central Florida have entered into a partnership with California-based Be Media to offer 3D viewing for its customers. The new program will start with at least 25 live World Cup games beginning with the opening match between South Africa and Mexico, June 11. The 3D viewing is a [...]

The owners of the long-running, popular Pirate’s Dinner Adventure are branching out to bring Orlando what they feel has been lacking, an attraction that isn’t focused on the kids. Construction has started on a new 240-seat theater for Treasure Tavern, a dining experience for adults. When it opens in late June, the show will feature [...]

An International Drive hot spot in past years, the Friday’s Front Row Sports Bar near Sand Lake Road recently closed down. But if you’re a fan of the restaurant, or just a fan of good deals on used restaurant equipment, you have a chance to own a piece of the restaurant. Penny Worley Auctioneers is [...]

You may have noticed a couple of decorated constructions walls in Epcot. The Italy Pavillion will be getting a brand new pizza restaurant and Mexico has torn down its outdoor restaurant for a major replacement. Pizza in Italy The Patina Restaurant Group, which already runs the Tutto Italia Ristorante in Epcot, is building an authentic [...]

The Hard Rock Cafe in Universal CityWalk has a cool new high-tech way to check out their rock and roll memorabilia. The new interactive touch-screen Rock Wall not only lets you inspect some of the archives at the Hard Rock in Orlando, but you can view more than 1,300 pieces from the company’s 162 venues [...]

The Festival of Chocolate, the chocolate tasting, shopping, and interactive experience that began last year is back for an encore. This time they’ve partnered with the Orlando Science Center to bring you four floors of creamy, dreamy cocoa-flavored fun. The event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this weekend, March 6 and 7, …

Downtown Disney will welcome several additions in the coming months. Look for two new stores, a quick-service restaurant and 3D technology at the AMC Pleasure Island 24 movie theater. “We’re excited to build upon our existing portfolio of unique offerings and are committed to bringing guests even more interactive experiences,” said Downtown Disney Vice President [...]

A new frozen drink fun spot, Fat Tuesday, debuts at Universal CityWalk tonight, offering guests a party atmosphere along with some of the coolest concoctions east of the Mississippi. Channeling Bourbon Street, where the original concept began more than 20 years ago, the venue will offer a wide variety of colorful frozen daiquiri drinks. Situated [...]

Editor’s Note: We’re starting a new regular column today with PARKsaver. Writer Christopher Ollendorf will be bringing you regular news about many of the special offers for Central Florida attractions. By Christopher Ollendorf Looking for something special yet different for this Valentines Day? Well I found a few events that might just work out for [...]

Editor’s Note: We print Letters to the Editor in our print version, but that allows us only limited space. So from time to time, when we receive letters that are too long and have too much information to edit down, we’ll be posting them here as guest editorials. These letters are the opinions of the [...]

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the McDonald’s at Downtown Disney will be closing on April 30. From the Orlando Sentinel: Representatives for Disney World and McDonald’s said the exit stems from a 2004 decision to end a 10-year exclusive sponsorship agreement between McDonald’s Corp. and Walt Disney Co. The Downtown Disney restaurant was included [...]

Now that SeaWorld and Busch Gardens aren’t associated with Budweiser anymore, the former Bud & BBQ event for 2010 will be renamed Bands, Brew & BBQ. Bands, Brew & BBQ will be held each Saturday at SeaWorld and Sunday in Busch Gardens during February 2010. Just like the new name says, the parks will feature [...]

CityWalk movie-goers will soon have a new option with the addition of IMAX at AMC Universal Cineplex 20. The new theatre will open at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 18, with the James Cameron film, “Avatar” in 3D. In order to maximize the field of view in the new IMAX theater, the screen was replaced with [...]

Chef Emeril Lagasse met fans and signed copies of his latest cookbook at Universal Orlando CityWalk on Dec. 14, 2009. The book signing took place in front of Emeril’s Orlando (his restaurant) in CityWalk. Emeril’s new cookbook, called “20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast” includes simple techniques and quick tips to create healthy meals for the family on the go. [...]