The Gaylord Palms is a real hidden gem around WDW. Firstly, it's very close to WDW, infact so close that it takes less than 2 minutes to drive from the parking lot to the WDW entry sign. The closest WDW resort to the Gaylord Palms would be Pop Century. The actual resort is a destination in itself. The main atrium area is a fully covered, air conditioned tropical oasis. It's full of plants, trees, water, rockwork, even live gators. The rooms are first class, as are the dining locations. This resort is probably the best in the WDW area. If you can look beyond it not being on the monorail beam, it eclipses the best of what WDW has to offer. If you can get the WDWMAGIC rates of around $150-$200, this place is also a real bargain. It has more of a feel of a $300 - $400 per night resort. Give it a go on your next trip, you wont be dissapointed.
This place is awesome! We arrived around 6pm on a Friday evening and never left the resort until 11am on Sunday. There was so much to do there. They have a holiday gnome hunt, which was a blast. They had 20 something gnomes hidden throughout the resort, but only had clues for 10 of them. The rest you had to find on your own. ICE! was great! It amazes me how perfect the sculptures were. It was definitely worth the money. Now for the restaurants.... Old Hickory is the steakhouse in the Everglades section. Children are allowed here, but there weren't many there. They don't have a children's menu at all. Having said that, they were extremely nice with my kids and no one seemed "put off" that they were there. The food was done to perfection and the service was impeccable. We had lunch at Sora. They only serve sushi here and it was fantastic! We had dinner at Sunset Sam's one night. This one is by and on the boat in the Key West atrium. They do have a children's menu and again the food and service was excellent. They had a man on stilts walking around making balloon creations and another guy who balances drinks and water bottles on a knife in his mouth! They also have a singer who is awesome! Best of all, if you catch an internet special, you can stay there as cheap as staying at one of the value resorts! This place far exceeded my expectations. Ohh! I almost forgot! They have alligators and turtles in the St. Augustine atrium that are supplied by Gatorland. A guy comes and does public feedings 3 days a week. It was a ton of fun to watch that.