Things to Do in Conway

In 1994, owners Chris and Margie Long established Boggy Creek Airboat Rides with a single, six-passenger vessel. Today, their fleet has grown to more than a dozen boats, and the business has whisked more than one million passengers through Orlando's nearby wetlands. From two locations, Boggy Creek's fan-propelled watercrafts launch into the Florida Everglades, exploring the swampy habitats of gators, turtles, eagles, exotic birds, and exiled Frankensteins. Four different tours offer varied experiences, including a night ride, during which participants observe red-eyed gators prowling for prey. US Coast Guard–certified captains helm every ride, which are safe for explorers of all ages—even infants.

At Combat Shooting Sports combatants are outfitted for controlled engagement using real weapons in a 40,000-square-foot, air-conditioned indoor arena housed in a converted Publix. Using Simunition, firearms are converted so that they cannot fire live rounds, allowing for realistic training involving customer's own service weapons. Conversion kits are available for customers who bring their own firearms, or they can use ones provided by Combat Shooting Sports. After briefing players on using the gear and the rules of play, the staff releases players into the arena, where they test their skills among rooms, corridors, and plywood houses. In addition to the indoor arena, Combat Shooting Sports has 180 acres of open and wooded terrain available to combatants.

In the outdoor mall, tables and stages stand in a ring under the open sky or beneath white tents. People drift around the circle, clutching cocktails in plastic cups and eye-catching Vietnamese sandwiches on their paper plates as they spy more must-grab food-and-drink samples from the area's best hotels. Though it started 26 years ago, Bacchus Bash hasn't drifted from its original aim to let the populace revel in the offerings of local hospitality establishments while funding high-school and university students studying in the industry. Since its inception, the festival has grown from 20 vendor booths with one entertainment stage to encompass 100 booths helmed by upscale local restaurants and bars alongside six entertainment stages.

Among the must-experience flavors of the fest is the tongue-wilting bananas foster by Chef Jean Louis of the Royal Plaza Hotel, which has won Best Dessert at the fest for the past 10 years. Other restaurants' teams showcase flavors such as American and Vietnamese barbecue, which are up for fest awards such as Best Original Drink and Most Interactive Booth. Live music from talents that include local barefoot folk singer Alan Byrd and country-western rock quintet Think Big streams from the entertainment stages, as well as the dueling ivories of two pianists from Howl at the Moon. The organizing party, Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Foundation, further immerses guests in its services with a travel, tourism, and dining silent auction, offering up more than 200 prizes to further raise funds for its students.

Light pours through the windows of Sip & Knit and bounces off the bundles of multihued yarns that are tucked into ordered bookshelves along one of the walls. Inside this cozy space, during classes or open knitting time, knitters of all levels immerse themselves in projects such as forming baby socks or a sweater for a warm-blooded pet goldfish. Visitors can peruse an inventory of supplies from renowned brands, such as Elizabeth Austen, Swedish Yarn, and the Alpaca Yarn Company, all while contemplating new designs with Tucker, the store’s resident dog.

Steve Yanni first felt the inexorable pull of photography more than 20 years ago, when he picked up a camera and started snapping photos as a hobby. Since then, Steve has ceded to his artistic calling, dedicating his career to capturing special events, family portraits, and sensual boudoir shots, as well as imparting his knowledge upon fledgling shutterbugs during instructive workshops. The bridal specialist enlists a team of talented photogs to help him at events, ensuring that no special moment goes undocumented, from the cutting of the cake to the swallowing of the ceremonial flaming sword.