A magical experience, a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit. The Festival of Trees, the Orlando Museum of Art's nine day holiday celebration begins on November 14, 2009. Partake in the glittering wonderland of decorated trees, wreaths and gingerbread houses. Each day a presents a special activity or theme. General admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children. More on the Orlando Museum of Art.

• Friday, Nov. 13: Patron's Gala
• Wednesday, Nov. 18: Reindeer Romp Wednesday
• Friday, Nov. 20: Jazz Stroll Friday

How do you get into the holiday spirit? Share your ideas in the comments below.

Welcome Santa to the Orlando area with one of the grandest arrivals around. The Mall at Millenia marks the kick-off to the holiday season with a free spectacular celebration that begins at 6p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2009 with a dance party for children of all ages. Whimsical characters from Hollyville, Millenia's winter wonderland, mingle, perform and dance with the crowd. At 6:45p.m, Santa, magically descends from the night sky in a haze of Orlando snow. Families can enjoy hot dogs and beverages throughout the event by making a small donation to the Salvation Army.

The Mall at Millenia continues to offer support of local families in need by hosting The Salvation Army's Angel Tree. The spirit of gift-giving begins at Noon on Friday, November 13 with an exclusive live broadcast by WKMG Local 6, located in the Orangerie Cafes. Guests are invited to adopt an 'angel' from a decorated holiday Angel Tree and give clothing, shoes and unwrapped toys. All donations brighten the holidays for many local deserving children. The Salvation Army Angel Tree program will conclude on Saturday, December 13.

The Morse Museum of American Art contains the most comprehensive collection of the works by Louis Comfort Tiffany. If you have never had the opportunity to visit this famed museum, now is the perfect time. From November through April, visit the museum for free on Friday evenings. This year the museum is offering an eclectic mix of live music in the galleries on Friday evenings.

• November 13: Joshua Englert (classical guitar)
• November 27: Harpist Bizarre Quartet (bass, flute, guitar, and harp)
• December 4: Beautiful Music Holiday Flute Trio
• December 11: Beautiful Music Chamber Quartet (cello, flute, viola, and violin)
• December 18: Raintree Chamber Players (cello, flute, and viola)

^{Photo © Charles Hosmer Morse Foundation}

Villains, Vixens and Vampires the 2009 Fantasy Fest Celebration ended on October 31.  Readers are starting to post about this year's event.  First-time visitors are a little surprised at what they encountered on the streets of Key West this year.

Started in 1978 as a way to bring visitors to Key West to stimulate the non-existent October tourism, Fantasy Fest has grown in size to close to 100,000 visitors.  Party-goers from all over the world now visit Key West on the last full week before Halloween for a 10 day party.  Hotel prices are close to triple, restaurants are booked and parking is at a premium.

Have Fantasy Fest visitors gone overboard?  Have creative costumes been replaced with bawdy nudity?  Readers are posting their opinions on what they thought of this year's (2009) Fantasy Fest in Key West (and it doesn't sound pretty!)  Read the blog comments here.

^{Photo © M.Mcleskey, FF 2006}

The 2nd annual Orlando Food & Wine Fest returns to downtown Orlando on November 14th & 15th. Tickets are now available. Buy a weekend pass for only $15 and experience two days of live music from artists including Average White Band, Nick Colionne and Maysa, Warren Hill, Oli Silk and many more.

Over 35 of Orlando's best restaurants will be participating in this year's festival. There will also be a wide variety of wine, beer and microbrews.

Don't want to miss the big game? Football games will be shown on three plasma TV's at the Sports Bar. Stop by and get tips from the pros at the Chef's Stage, where local chefs will be preparing their favorite dishes.

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Their time with us is coming to an end. Orlando's Smile Ambassadors Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos will complete their mission on November 2, 2009. The task - as difficult as it sounds - was to experience everything Orlando has to offer within 67 days and keep the world posted on their activities via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flicker and their very own Blog. The fun loving, adventurous duo from New York applied for the position over the summer, and was selected by the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Some of their stops included:

• University of Central Florida, including a concert with The Killers at the UCF Arena.
• The Orlando Brewing Company - the only certified fully organic brewery in the State.
• Downtown Disney's Cirque du Soleil performance of La Nouba.
• ZoomAir at the Central Florida Zoo.
• Kouzzina at Disney's Boardwalk owned by Iron Chef Cat Cora.
• Fantasy of Flight - one of the largest collections of vintage aircraft in the world.
• Boggy Creek Airboat Rides
• Green Meadows Farm petting zoo complete with a hayride and milking a cow.
• Cuba Libre with their authentic Cuban cuisine and Latin dancing.
• The Enzian Theater and Eden Bar with signature drinks.

Orlando has so much to offer. Going through their 67 days did you come across any venues that you would like to try out? Post your comments below.

Get to know the Orlando area a little better by taking one of the many local walking tours. Tours are always free - some are self-guided others require a reservation.

Discover the 8 square block downtown historic district or see examples of diverse architectural styles and building materials used throughout historic Sanford.

Historical Orlando:

• Orlando Area Walking Tours
• Orange County Regional History Center
• Historic Photos of Downtown Orlando

^{Photo courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida}

Special Discounts:
Orlando Improv at it's finest! Take in a show at the SAK Comedy Club for a discounted price. From now until the end of the year, tickets to the 10pm shows are only $10. Enjoy their signature improv comedy show "Duel of Fools" for just $10. This special price will also include the Halloween Torture Show on October 31st. Physical (?) and mental abuse are on tap for their annual Halloween performance.

See more discounts and specials for October and November.

Czech Independence Day is October 28, 2009 and the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens is celebrating the day with free admission. Museum founder Albin Polasek was born and raised in the province of Moravia, in what is now the Czech Republic.

In addition to free admission, refreshments will also be served starting at 11:00 am: Traditional Czech kolache (fruit-tilled bread rolls), apple strudel and Viennese coffee. Tours of the Polasek Residence and Chapel will be offered by Museum docents hourly, from 10:30 am until 3:30 pm.

If you visit the museum, be sure to check out the special exhibition, My Camera Speaks For Me that is on display until November 15, 2009.

^{Man Carving His Own Destiny - Photo © T.Johnston}

Looking for something different to do this year for Halloween? I remember when my children were small, Halloween was one of their favorite times of the year. The dressing up, an abundance of candy and the festive atmosphere. It was always fun to find one more opportunity to dress up in their cute little costumes.

• Halloween Theme Park Events - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Shamu's Halloween Spooktacular are the hot ticket items at the attractions.
• Low Cost Family Fun - A few ideas for families and older kids - teenagers that won't break the budget.
• City and Park Halloween Celebrations - Minimal to no-cost events in a safe, friendly environment.
• Area Malls - Find out where the local malls are and which ones are offering free trick-or-treating.

Do you know of another Halloween Party in Orlando? Post it in the comments below.