Offbeat Orlando: Hotels with welcome quirks

The ducks parade every day through the lobby of The Peabody Orlando. Credit: Robert Schultz.

By Nancy LaFever

You’re not the predictable type. When you say you’re heading to Florida for a vacation, everyone assumes it’s to hit the beach or visit Disney sites. But you look for something a little different – quirky even. But not too quirky, you still want a fabulous hotel room!

Gaylord Palms
If you’d like to experience all of Florida without leaving your one hotel, Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee is just the spot for you. The Gaylord is a huge facility with 1,406 guest rooms, which are located in four unique Florida area-themed wings of the hotel.

Key West rooms
Wild cabana stripes on your bedspread and a lazy ceiling fan will transport you to the island while you gaze out at the Key’s Atrium.
Emerald Bay
Luxurious with Spanish Renaissance architecture and Caribbean color schemes, this wing provides lots of privacy.
Everglades
Surrounded by green, you’ll feel like you’re in the Everglades. Dark woods and textures add to the ambiance.
St. Augustine
You walk through an atrium to get to this warm Spanish and Mission-style room with 18th century panache.

The Peabody Orlando
You may have heard of the Peabody Ducks at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. In the 1930s after too much whiskey, the general manager of the Peabody returned from a hunting trip and put the live decoy ducks (legal at that time) in the fountain, where they took up residence.

In 1940, a bellman who had been an animal trainer, began the famous Peabody Duck March and became the Peabody Duckmaster. Today, that tradition continues every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.

The Peabody Orlando, a beautiful contemporary Orlando hotel, has its own Peabody Ducks who do their daily march on the red carpet. A premiere convention choice, you can also enjoy luxury and the comfort of Southern hospitality.

And those ducks!

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Nancy LaFever writes from the middle of landlocked Ohio, where she has convinced herself that the decking around her neighbor’s pool qualifies as “the beach.”

Tagged: Family time, Hotels