Universal Orlando Resort’s 2025 calendar is packed with big events and major milestones. From fan-favorite celebrations like Universal Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Florida to the highly anticipated opening of Universal Epic Universe this summer, the year ahead promises to be a thrilling one for this ever-expanding Central Florida destination.

One of my favorite parts of having teenagers is sharing clothing, accessories, and bags with my 14-year-old daughter. After all, spending more than I usually would on an item feels more reasonable when I know two people will get lots of use out of it. To learn about what’s trending in fashion, my daughter and I both turn to social media. Recently, we’ve been sending each other TikToks of women of all ages sharing their love of a stylish, durable bag: the Longchamp Le Pliage Tote.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, you may be wondering how to flex your culinary muscles and impress your loved ones. There’s no denying that food and coffee are a fantastic way to show the people in your life how much you love them. But life is busy and sometimes we don’t always have the time to whip up a batch of heart-shaped sugar cookies or cook a romantic coq au vin dinner. Enter Dunkin’, who’s releasing a special menu just in time for Love Day.

The Disney Pixar film “Coco” is a colorful celebration of music, family, and Mexican culture, and it’s got some unforgettable tunes, from “Remember Me” to “The World is Mi Familia.” The animated film has so much energy, that it’s no surprise kids love it. Now, aboard Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Treasure, there’s a character dining opportunity that immerses guests in the celebrations of Miguel and his family. It’s tons of fun, and perfect for the ship’s overall theme of adventure.

The chain Maggiano's Little Italy has been around since the early 1990s and has over 50 locations around the US, but I'd never visited it until recently.

A southwest Missouri town nestled in the Ozark mountains, Branson is known for its dinner shows and 1880's-themed theme park, Silver Dollar City. But as the town continues to grow as a tourist destination, its restaurant landscape is expanding, too.

Halloween is one of my family's favorite holidays to celebrate, but we also love having decorations up throughout autumn.

We're known to host spooky dinner parties and serve as the home base for our kids and their friends as they go trick-or-treating, so it's important to me to decorate our house with plenty of jack-o'-lanterns, skeletons, and witches.

I’m always on the hunt for excuses to shop at Target more frequently, and the retail chain’s Good & Gather brand of grocery items is high on my list of reasons to grab a red shopping cart and go. In fact, I’ve yet to try a Good & Gather product I don’t like, from frozen cubes of minced garlic to flavorful jarred salsas I use for everything from taco night to midday snacking. Another Target freezer aisle item I always grab? Good & Gather Frozen Sautéed Chopped Onions.

The only thing better than a chocolate chip cookie is a chocolate chip cookie that’s three times its normal size. Fans of the iconic Chips Ahoy brand will soon see their chocolate chip cookie dreams come true with soft, supersized versions of the classic Chips Ahoy cookies snack lovers already adore.

From Kit Kat's cinnamon-flavored Ghost Toast wafers to Reese's Werewolf Tracks and Sonic's Witch's Brew slush, it's no secret that brands are already leaning into all things Halloween. But one thing that doesn't look like it's coming back is the fan-favorite Burger King Ghost Pepper Whopper. Luckily, another fast food spot is stepping in and fans are hoping they’ll find their ghost pepper fix at the drive-thru down the street—just in time for the spooky season.

It's officially fall and the spookiest of spooky season beverages may have just dropped at Sonic Drive-In. The fast food chain known for its carhops, crunchy tots, and scary-good deals has launched a bewitching new drink, and it’s the Halloween-themed sipper we’ve been waiting for this season.

As a food writer and lover of off-menu restaurant trends, TikTok easily influences me. Recently, my feed has been filled with Chili’s fans eating sauce-tossed mozzarella sticks outside their closest restaurant, raving about how the best appetizer at Chili’s isn’t even on its menu. Deep down the sauce-tossed mozzarella stick rabbit hole, I knew I had to try this off-menu Chili’s item for myself.

You’ve probably had cashew chicken at your local Chinese restaurant, but there’s a retro, Midwestern version that’s gaining popularity again. Springfield-style cashew chicken, which originated in Springfield, Missouri, in the 1960s, is making a comeback—both on our site and on TikTok.

A recipe for Springfield-style cashew chicken, shared by Allrecipes user Katie Mines, is getting rave reviews. Mines explains, “This cashew chicken is the style first shared in Springfield…It involves deep-frying the chicken in peanut oil. Serve this Show-Me State cashew chicken with soy sauce over a bed of fried riceif desired.”

With its exciting alligator exhibits, splash pad, and line-up of educational shows, Gatorland is a hidden gem in Central Florida that’s worth visiting with your family any time of year. For the sixth year in a row, Gatorland is throwing in a little something extra for families who want to experience a bit of Halloween fun, its Gators, Ghosts, and Goblins event.

As a food and travel writer who spends lots of time in theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, I’m always on the lookout for a good small bag to carry my belongings on long park days. It never occurred to me to combine my choice of crossbody bag with my love of meeting and interacting with theme park characters until I spotted a person on a recent Disney trip who was carrying a white, faux leather mini backpack and a handful of permanent markers, having characters like Mickey Mouse and Princess Tiana sign their bag.

Before I even left the park, I hopped onto Amazon, hunting for faux leather bags that were the perfect material for character autographs.

As a journalist who covers theme parks and lives in Central Florida, I often joke that the spooky season is my Super Bowl.

From family-friendly Halloween parties at Disney World to jump-scare-filled haunted houses at SeaWorld, my family starts making its seasonal rounds in late August. But there's one event that stands above the rest: Halloween Horror Nights, or HHN, at Universal Studios Florida.

It's a tough time to be a chain restaurant, especially if you're serving fast food.

Fast-food chains are scrambling as they lose the value wars to sit-down spots and worry about retaining current consumers and appealing to future ones. At the same time, rising fast-food prices seem to only be making sit-down chains look like a way better value.

Pennies aren't just for tossing into wishing wells or dropping into the "take a penny, leave a penny" dish at the cash register. There's another take on these tiny copper discs—and this one is edible. If you haven't heard of copper pennies, let us introduce you to this retro dish, made with sliced carrots (which resemble pennies, hence the name) marinated in tomato soup and sugar. It's vibrant, tangy, and, as one Allrecipes member calls it, "A good old tried-and-true recipe that's been around for at least 60 years. No need to jazz it up, it is what it was intended to be: tangy, sweet, and DELICIOUS!" No wonder it's the nostalgic side salad I'm making over and over again.

On a recent trip to Disney World, my family and I decided we'd try a new restaurant — Shula's Steak House.

The small chain was named one of the 10 best high-end steak-house chains in America by the Daily Meal, and has seven locations in Florida, Chicago, Houston, and Richmond, Virginia.

The steak house, which is owned by Shula's Restaurant Group, is named after former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula. The chain aims to carry on Shula's legacy, so each location has a loose football theme.

I've lived in Florida for eight years but only recently heard of 30A, a growing travel hot spot in the Florida panhandle.

Nicknamed "the Hamptons of the South" by visitors, the area is located between Panama City and Destin and sits along a 24-mile stretch of highway known as County Road 30A.