GAYLORD PALMS RESORT HOSTS
THANKSGIVING ACTIVITIES FOR ORLANDO VISITORS
Was America’s First Thanksgiving In Florida?

KISSIMMEE, FL  – While New Englanders boast about their ancestor’s role in the America's first Thanksgiving, visitors to Gaylord Palms Resort in Florida are tossing out this traditional story in favor of a new version of history.

“The history books don’t agree on the location or date of America’s first Thanksgiving,” said Keith Salwoski, public relations manager.  “In 1565, settlers of the Spanish colony of St. Augustine, Fla. shared a meal with the Timucuan Indians.  In the eyes of many, Thanksgiving was born.”

This revised version of history is shared by some historians who point out that St. Augustine had a thriving city for three generations before the Pilgrims ever arrived in The New World.   One such historian is Dr. Michael Gannon, a history professor at the University of Florida, who detailed the first Thanksgiving in his book “The Cross in the Sand.” Other historians contend that another "Thanksgiving" was held one year earlier in 1564, when French Huguenot colonists celebrated in a settlement near Jacksonville, Florida. 

Regardless of the historic location, visitors who choose to make a “pilgrimage” to the state of the first Thanksgiving feast will find a place to celebrate in Orlando.  As part of the Gaylord Palms Resort “Best of Florida LIVE!” program, visitors at the resort will be able to commemorate the Floridian Thanksgiving celebration.

Thanksgiving Brunch at Villa de Flora

Just like a meal at grandma’s house, Chef Edwin Martinez and his staff at Villa de Flora make Thanksgiving Brunch a day-long feast.  

This "European market" will feature chefs stationed at six kitchens, featuring a seasonal market-inspired menu of more than 100 items.   No matter what you would like, you’ll find a kitchen ready to meet your need:  Antipastos, Mediterranean salads, Brunch entrees, carved meats, “kiddie korner,” and even the dolceria, featuring hand-made holiday desserts.

Morning highlights include traditional Eggs Benedict; fresh Belgian waffles and omelets and crepes made to order; as well as a frittata kitchen bar, smoked bacon and Italian breafkast sausage. 

Afternoon menu additions include banana-crusted salmon with fresh herbs, feta cheese and saffron fish veloute; veal and vegetable stew with fresh green beans; pasta bar, rotisserie chicken and gnocchi a la Romana.  

Traditional Thanksgiving favorites include a sage-rubbed roasted turkey breast, traditional herb and apple stuffing, roasted shallots mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, Mediterranean rubbed prime rib of beef, honey glazed ham, and oven-hot cornbread.

The dolceria will include a chocolate fondue with fresh fruit,  traditional pumpkin and pecan pies, house-made tiramisu, baklava, caramel flan, tres leches, warm rice pudding, and Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

See the entire menu here.

Orlando's Thanksgiving Brunch at Villa de Flora requires advance reservations (and is nearly sold out). It will be served from noon until 10 p.m.  Prices are $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity) for adults, and $19.94 (plus tax and gratuity) for children ages 3-12. 

Brunch at Villa de Flora, named top in the state by readers of Florida Monthly, is also available Thanksgiving weekend, with visits by Mrs. Claus.  For reservation, call 407-586-1114.

Thanksgiving Events in Orlando

Other Thanksgiving weekend activities at Gaylord Palms Resort include:

• Best of Florida Christmas: A holiday wonderland with fun-filled Christmas activities and entertainment for the family, including special attractions, live stage shows, and holiday decor!
  
• ICE! at Gaylord Palms:  A walk-through attraction hand carved from nearly two million pounds of ice (presented by Coca-Cola and Papa John's Pizza).  Special ticket required.
  
• Hidden Holiday Gnome Hunt: Families can hunt throughout the Gaylord Palms atriums to spot cleverly hidden gnomes.
  
• Visits with Santa Claus: Kids can take an opportunity to share their special Christmas wishes with Santa Claus…in person, or via email.
  

For more information about Best of Florida Christmas or ICE!, visit www.gaylordpalms.com/ice.  

A new website, ChristmasInOrlando.com, offers a “one-stop shop” for information about special events, theme park activities, shopping, and worship.  The site is presented by Gaylord Palms Resort, the “headquarters” of the holiday season in Central Florida.

About Gaylord Palms Resort

Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center has gained the attention of the meeting and convention industry by providing world-class convention and leisure-focused amenities – all in one place. The award-winning Gaylord Palms is a Gaylord Hotels-branded property owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, visit www.gaylordpalms.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com.

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Proposal Ideas:
Gaylord Palms Resort Introduces Program for ICE! Proposals 

Cold feet indeed...

Need marriage proposal ideas?  Leave it to the staff at Orlando’s Gaylord Palms Resort and they’ll practically guarantee “cold feet,” when the proposal is made inside the resort’s amazing holiday ICE! attraction, hand carved from two million pounds of ice.

The proposal, which will be caught by a staff photographer, will take place inside the attraction’s dramatic new “winter wonderland” scene. 

The ring presentation will be held on the scene's picturesque ice bridge, hand-carved from nearly 61,000 pounds of crystal-clear ice. 

After the memorable proposal, the newly engaged couple can “take the plunge” down one of the attraction’s ice slides, also constructed from blocks of ice.

The ICE! Proposal Package, which retails for $199, includes priority entrance for two to ICE!, a souvenir photograph, and a 2009 ICE! Christmas ornament.

The ICE! Deluxe Proposal Package, retailing for $450, also includes a special ICE! carving placed inside the attraction with the message “Will you marry me?” In addition, the couple will receive a CD with pictures of the proposal.

Package add-ons include carvings with a custom message, or private “exclusive” proposals.

[Note:  Image to the left is from the 2008 ICE! season.  The 2009 scene is dramatically different.]

Gaylord Palms Resort, the “headquarters hotel” for the Christmas season in Orlando, features Best of Florida Christmas celebration, featuring live entertainment, unique attractions and holiday activities for the Christmas season.   The event’s marquee attraction, ICE!, is in its seventh year in sunny Orlando. 

The 9-degree award-winning attraction is hand carved by a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China.  Since its inception, ICE! has garnered national recognition from the Today show, HGTV, USA Today, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Southern Living,  and Travel + Leisure.   In 2003, the attraction was featured in a fantasy wedding on TLC’s “A Wedding Story.”

Overnight accommodations start at $129 per night plus tax.  Restrictions apply, see website for details.  Special Best of Florida Christmas Packages include a Florida-view guest room, 2 tickets to ICE!, a souvenir photo, self parking, and a host of exclusive resort guest benefits. 

For more information or reservations for the Marriage Proposal Package, call (407) 586-2000.  To learn more about ICE! or Best of Florida Christmas, guests can visit http://www.gaylordhotels.com/ice. 

As part of Gaylord Palms’ existing wedding program, the ICE! bridge can be rented for vow renewals and wedding ceremonies.

ICE! is open daily during the 2009 holiday season, Nov. 14 through Jan. 3, and is accessible on the Exhibit Hall level at Gaylord Palms, located at 6000 W. Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee. 

Walt Disney World Candlelight Processional
Celebrity Narrators

Candlelight Processional at Epcot is one of the most popular holiday shows for Walt Disney World visitors.  The holiday tradition actually began in 1958 as a special event for California VIPs at Disneyland.  It continued in 1971 when the popular Christmas tradition was first held at Florida's Magic Kingdom.  Still a VIP event, it was attended by the "who's who" of Orange and Osceola counties, and other Central Florida communities.  Local residents who didn't receive a ticket to be seated quickly caught on, and flocked to the theme park to catch a glimpse of the show's celebrity narrator while listening to the amazing spectacle that filled Town Square.

It is rare to see a exhaustive list of celebrity narrators who have performed during the show in Florida.  According to the research we have done at ChristmasInOrlando.com, here is what we have found:

1971
Rock Hudson

1972
Cary Grant

1973
Rock Hudson

1974
Rock Hudson

1975
Dean Jones

1976
Joseph Campanella

1977
Rock Hudson

1978
Ross Martin

1979
Perry Como

1980
Rock Hudson

1982
Pat and Shirley Boone

1983
Joseph Campanella

1985
Howard Keel

1987
Dean Jones

1989
McLean Stevenson

1990
Joseph Campanella

In 1994, the show was moved to Epcot's America Gardens Theatre, as part of the park's new "Holidays Around the World" program.  For the first time, the show was open to the general public (as opposed to invited VIPs) and it was offered on multiple nights.

1994
Phylicia Rashad, Robert Guillaume and Robert Urich

1995
E.G. Marshall, Peter Graves and Phylicia Rashad

1996
Buzz Aldrin, Barbara Eden, Ed Asner, Louis Gossett Jr., Miss America Tara Dawn Holland and Sandi Patty

1998
Phylicia Rashad, Charles Kimbrough, Brian Dennehy, George Hamilton, James McDaniel, Joseph Marcell, Louis Gossett Jr., Deidre Hall, George Kennedy, Miss America Nicole Johnson, Art Garfunkel.

1999
Alfre Woodward, Charles Kimbrough, Angela Bassett, Brian Dennehy, Robby Benson, James Avery, Edward James Olmos, James McDaniel, Andy Garcia, Sandi Patty, David Ogden Stiers, LeVar Burton

2000
Jodi Benson, Angela Bassett, Ben Vereen, Robert Urich, Phylicia Rashad, Robby Benson and Gary Sinise

2001
James Avery, Marlee Matlin, Robby Benson, Wayne Brady, Phylicia Rashad, Story Musgrave, Alfre Woodard, Blair Underwood, Gary Sinise, LeVar Burton

2002
Edward James Olmos, John Tesh, Marlee Matlin, James Avery, Yolanda Adams, David Hartman, Collin Raye, Blair Underwood, Gary Sinise, Jodi Benson

2003
Gary Sinise, Miss America Ericka Dunlap, Sandi Patti, Ben Vereen, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno, David Ogden Stiers, Steven Curtis Chapman, Edward James Olmos, Robby Benson

2004
Rita Moreno, Heather Headley, Kirk Franklin, Jim Caviezel, Marlee Matlin, Joshua Morrow, Eartha Kitt, Steven Curtis Chapman, Edward James Olmos, Gary Sinise, Levar Burton

2005
Rita Moreno, Phil Donahue, Haley Joel Osment, Cicely Tyson, Jaci Velasquez, Eartha Kitt, Lou Diamond Phillips, Harry Hamlin, Marlee Matlin, Jim Caviezel, John Stamos, Stephen Curtis Chapman

2006
David Robinson, John O Hurley, Rita Moreno, Marie Osmond, Mario Lopez, Brian Dennehy, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Maureen McGovern, Kirk Cameron, Neil Patrick Harris, Edward James Olmos, Gary Sinise, Marlee Matlin

2007
David Robinson, John O'Hurley, Neil Patrick Harris, Dennis Franz, Monique Coleman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chita Rivera, Andie McDowell, Kirk Cameron, Edward James Olmos, Gary Sinise, Rita Moreno, Marlee Matlin

2008
John O'Hurley, Neil Patrick Harris, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Virginia Madsen, Marlee Matlin, Monique Coleman, Chita Rivera, Abigail Breslin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Edward James Olmos, Angela Bassett & Courtney Vance (together).

2009
Isabella Rossellini, John O'Hurley, Steven Curtis Chapman, Anika Noni Rose, Andy Garcia, Vanessa Williams, Abigail Breslin, Whoopi Goldberg, Brian Dennehy, Edward James Olmos, Angela Bassett & Courtney Vance (together).

 As you can see, we are missing a few years (1981, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1993)  If you happen to have a program for any of these years, please email Keith Salwoski at ksalwoski@gaylordhotels.com.