“Hi, I’m Cousin Steven and I’ll be taking your order,” the waiter said to my group. He added we were lucky because it was the slowest night of the year for Aunt Catfish’s on the River, a down home eatery serving good ol’ Southern river cooking. You know, the kind where main menu entrees include a selection of fried catfish, frog legs and alligator. When looking for a place to eat during a Daytona Beach vacation, consider Aunt Catfish’s in nearby Port Orange, Fla., to enjoy a taste of Southern cuisine.

Aunt Catfish’s is a family-friendly eatery located on the Halifax River, hence, waiters and waitresses are called “Cousins” rather than servers. The restaurant is open daily between 11:30 a.m. and ’til late (closing time depends on the season). Sundays play host to the Blue Jean Brunch Buffet between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Meals are served on plates shaped to look like fish and cold beverages are served in Mason jars. A generous salad buffet offers enough variety to make a hearty meal or is available in addition to a main entree.

If catfish, frog legs and gator aren’t your thing, try the salmon, crab cakes or Mexican-style shrimp and grits. A true landlubber? There’s something for you such as chicken breast, prime rib and liver & onions. Meals are also served with a famous buttery cinnamon roll. Mmm, mmm. Yes, they are sinfully delish.

Cousin Steven said we were lucky because during the summer, the wait can be as long as three hours to get a seat at Aunt Catfish’s which means you know this is a fabulous place to eat. Luckily, call ahead seating is available so with a little planning during your Daytona Beach vacation, you’ll be able to grab a seat and enjoy some good ol’ Southern cooking.

Aunt Catfish’s on the River
4009 Halifax Drive
Port Orange, Fla.
Tel: (386) 767-4768
www.auntcatfishontheriver.com

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, log onto www.VISITFLORIDA.com/beachwalk to view real time images of all 825 miles of Florida’s gorgeous, oil-free beaches. First of its kind, The Great VISIT FLORIDA Beach Walk will have one volunteer walk a one-mile stretch of beach, photograph it then upload the image by 11 a.m. The purpose is to cap the negative perception generated by the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico this summer.

Florida’s beaches are oil-free, clean and beautiful as ever. The world’s largest beach rally hopes to show the world the truth about the Sunshine State’s beaches.

Registration opened earlier this month and according to Wendy Spencer, CEO of Volunteer Florida, which is working with VISIT FLORIDA to create the Beach Walk, “It’s a very eclectic group of volunteers,” she continued, “We have Girl Scouts in Volusia County who will be out walking the beaches in their uniforms, and some will even be dressed as cookies. Literacy volunteers with AmeriCorps signed up to walk in Palm Beach County, young adults with City Year in Miami, and seniors with RSVP in Flagler. There is so much excitement about this event that we are confident we will have a great turnout in support of our state and all our beaches.”

Individuals and groups wanting to be part of the historic day’s official tally can learn more and register at www.VISITFLORIDA.com/beachwalk. Official volunteers commit to walk a designated mile and upload a photo taken along the way. Their photos, and others taken that morning, will appear in real time on the Great VISIT FLORIDA Beach Walk website, along with an interactive map detailing all the beach miles walked.

Once photos have been uploaded, visitors to www.VISITFLORIDA.com/beachwalk can vote for their favorite beach photo after Nov. 6 and register to win $5,000 and a snazzy Mazada Miata so they can zip around the Sunshine State checking out the fabulous beaches for themselves. Votes need to be cast by Dec. 6, 2010, to be registered to win.

If you happen to be vacationing in one of our favorite Florida beach destinations as Naples, Key West and Daytona Beach on Nov. 6, head out to the beach and be part of the fun!

Celebrities tweet, politicians do it and your neighbor probably does, too. Now, NASA has announced Robonaut 2 will tell its story in 140 characters or less via Twitter. The prototype robot is scheduled to travel to space in November to give NASA a better understanding of human-robotic interaction.

Nicknamed “R2″ the robot launched its Twitter account @AstroRobonaut on July 26 and at publication time, already has more than 1,100 followers. With assistance from its support team, R2 will document preparations for launch and work aboard the International Space Station.

Have a question for R2? The public’s first chance to interview the space robot is Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. Twitter followers just need to tweet their questions to @AstroRobonaut with the hashtag #4R2. So what does one ask a robot? Does it enjoy Tang?

R2 was created at Johnson Space Center and will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in September for final testing and packing and is scheduled to be aboard space shuttle Discovery’s STS-133 mission, scheduled to lift off in November.

Originally intended to be an Earth-bound prototype, Robonaut 2 was created as a joint project between NASA and General Motors in 2007. Once in space it will be the first humanoid robot to reach orbit and first American-built robot at the space station. Eventually, with modifications, robots could assist astronauts inside and outside the space station especially when tasks are deemed are too dangerous for humans.

Speaking of space shuttle launches, the end of the Space Shuttle program has been pushed back to early 2011. If you cannot attend a shuttle launch, a visit to the Kennedy Space Center is still worth the trip, especially if vacationing in Daytona Beach, just over an hour’s drive south and less than an hour’s drive east of Orlando.

See rockets, simulated International State Station living quarters, and experience a simulated space shuttle launch just like the astronauts in the Shuttle Launch Experience. Hear what astronauts have to say while paying tribute to them at the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Yup, pretty cool. Visit the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex website to learn about all the other fab stuff happening and check out affordable lodging deals for Daytona Beach and Orlando.

Robonaut is just one of many NASA missions using Twitter and other social media sites. Find them all at: NASA.gov/connect.