Best of ORL 2021 – Fun & Leisure
Our readers voted for the best. Find out who won below!
Food & Drink | Home & Shopping | People & Media | Fun & Leisure | Health & Beauty | Kids & Pets
COURTESY THE ESCAPE EFFECT
Entertainment Experience
The Escape Effect
Keys to Solving the Puzzle
Before game developer Dan Suleski and his wife, retail manager Jamie, set out to develop their Escape Effect attraction on International Drive, they did their research. “We know part of coming up with a business is identifying what makes you unique,” Suleski says. When the couple completed their first game in 2017, they invited friends, family members and coworkers to test it. They found most guests needed between 80 minutes and one hour 45 minutes to complete the game. “You realize everyone is different,” he adds. Now, with four games with time limits between 75 minutes and two hours, Escape Effect offers an experience that everyone ages 6 and older, able-bodied or disabled, can enjoy. Experiences include a medieval-themed escape, a Ghostbusters-inspired game, a Greek mythology-themed room, and a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery. Participants are offered unlimited hints and varied levels of difficulty. Suleski set out to make virtual worlds come to life in a way familiar to many gamers. “To me, an escape room is like a video game. It’s a physical version of a lot of the games you would play 20 years ago, such as Myst,” he says. —Cheri Henderson
Entertainment Experience
1 The Escape Effect (Escape Room Experience)
International Drive
2 Taverna Opa (Authentic Greek cuisine and entertainment)
3 Abstract Orlando (Art Gallery, Studio, Venue)
Non-Theme Park Attraction
1 The Escape Effect
International Drive
2 ICON Park
International Drive
3 Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
Winter Park
Public Golf Course
1 Dubsdread Golf Course
College Park
2 Twin Rivers Golf Club
Oviedo
3 Shingle Creek Golf Club
Orlando
Private Golf Course
1 Tranquilo Golf Course at Four Seasons Resort Orlando
Lake Buena Vista
2 Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Orlando
3 Tuscawilla Country Club
Winter Springs
Dubsdread Golf Course. ROBERTO GONZALEZ.
Art Gallery
1 Mill’s Gallery
North Mills Avenue
2 Snap! Orlando
East Church Street
3 Bronze Kingdom African art gallery
International Drive
Museum
1 Orlando Museum of Art
Loch Haven Park
2 The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
Winter Park
3 Orlando Science Center
Loch Haven Park
Business Hotel
1 The Alfond Inn
Winter Park
2 AC Hotel Orlando Downtown
Downtown Orlando
3 Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando
Downtown Orlando
Place for a Staycation
1 Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort
2 Universal Orlando Resort
3 Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando Museum of Art. ROBERTO GONZALEZ.
Place to Get Married
1 Walt Disney World Resort
Lake Buena Vista
2 Harry P. Leu Gardens
Orlando
3 Venue 1902 at Preservation Hall
Sanford
Trivia Night
1 The Hammered Lamb
Ivanhoe Village
2 Graffiti Junktion
Multiple Orlando-area locations
3 Mellow Mushroom
Multiple Orlando-area locations
The Hammered Lamb. ROBERTO GONZALEZ.
Performing Arts Group
1 Orlando Ballet
2 Central Florida Performing Arts
3 Central Florida Community Arts
Movie Theater
1 Enzian
Maitland
2 AMC Movies at Disney Springs 24
3 Epic Theatres
Orlando, Mount Dora
Charity Gala
1 Hats & Heroes Ball
Benefits Kids Beating Cancer Pediatric Transplant Center
2 UCP Evening at Your Palace Gala
Benefits children living with cerebral palsy and other disabilities
3 Give Hope Foundation Gala
Benefits families with children battling cancer
The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. ROBERTO GONZALEZ.
Festival
1 The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
2 Paws in the Park
3 FusionFest
Live Music Venue
1 House of Blues Orlando
Disney Springs
2 Tin Roof
ICON Park
3 Will’s Pub
Mills 50 District
