Thursday night the Orlando Sentinel hosted a party in Downtown Orlando to announce the winners of its first-ever “101 Best” competition that allowed their reading audience to vote on their favorites in Central Florida in 101 categories.

Because these winners were chosen by the residents of Orlando themselves (and not merely some board of critics) you can be sure the winners truly represent what people enjoy the most. Not all of the awards represent things unique to this area (Starbucks won “Best Coffee,” Barnes & Noble won “Best Bookstore” and Ann Taylor Loft won “Best Women’s Clothing” to name a few), but there are quite a few treasures among the bunch. Only in Orlando can you enjoy “Best Community Festival” winner Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (going on now), or get splashed by killer whales at SeaWorld, the “Best Wildlife Encounter” selection, or marvel at the numerous other great attractions, restaurants, experiences and more that can only be found here.

Whether you are coming to Orlando for a visit, or you’re a local looking for new places to try, I would definitely recommend checking out the list, which can be found at OrlandoSentinel.com/101best. The two runner-ups for “best of” in each category are listed as well.

But can someone please explain to me how Joey Fatone beat out Tiger Woods for the title of “Best Local Celebrity?” Only in Orlando…

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