Spring break is coming up, and since my co-travelers did not authorize a side trip to Thom’s Whistle Shop I need to find alternatives 
As stated in the title, are there any whistle shops of interest in the Orlando Florida area?
–Beth
Beth,
Are you really looking for whistle shops in Orlando or are you just bragging that you are leaving snowy Rochester for a week in the sun.
Joe
I have one word for you -
WhOA!
Beth,
Try this link from the Florida Uilleann Pipe Resource: http://www.atlantic.net/~cavanagh/uilleann/index.htm They have some information for Irish music in Orlando.
There are also a few search engines:
http://www.go2orlando.com
http://orlando.citysearch.com/section/music/
and a few listings for general music stores:
http://www.georgesmusic.com/locations.html
http://www.digitalcity.com/orlando/shopping/listings.adp?cat=2064
On Hwy 192 in the Kissimmee area, I think it’s between I-4 and Vineland Road, there’s an indoor flea market / mall. It’s right next to one of the big Buffet restaurants. A year ago I was in there and a booth with a bunch of African crafts had some cheap bamboo whistles. They looked like the generic Asian-import ones, kinda fat for the length, with a red stripe at the bottom. These were either a better supplier or just a luck-of-the-draw good batch, because they were pretty much in tune (with themselves). The one I brought home is one of my favorite whistles. It has the lower overtones of a too-wide tube, and the blade/ hole is modest enough in size that I don’t feel like I’m trying to inflate the Goodyear blimp when I play. Seems I remember it’s in the key of F(-ish) … it’s far enough off concert pitch I don’t try to play it with other instruments. At about 4 dollars, I wish I’d bought more than one. All the whistles in the various Disney / Epcot / Animal Kingdom shops were tourist junk that could barely be played, for a lot more than this cost me. (Seems UK in Epcot had something decent, but I already had one) Shame they couldn’t get hold of good stuff - there’s plenty of cheapos around that play well enough. It’d be fun to have a souvenir I could actually use Even the cute little ocarina I got at Epcot/Mexico doesn’t play a real scale 
– Jake, in Alabama
Beth,
Spring Break - You know with that little drive from Rochester to Orlando, maybe a little break about a third of the way would be nice. (Are your co-travelers buying this?). House of Music Traditions, right on the way. (Tacoma Park, MD suburb of DC) and although thier phone, web, and mail order performance is inconsistent, they are great in person and they believe in try-before-you- buy.
You could ask you co-travelers to just stop by so you could try 2 or 3 different whistles … Okay, well maybe 10 or 12 … Okay, Okay, Okay allready 40-50 different whistles, Jeesh you expect to go on SPRING BREAK with out bending the truth a little?
Sorry I couldn’t help with Orlando, hope the break gives you time to …
Thanks guys! Lee, I will definitely try to swing the DC stop. No other whistlers in my caravan but at least one guitar player, so maybe they will be interested.
Besides, it’s MY car! hehe