This summer, turn off your radio or iPod and head to Universal Orlando - there, you’ll be able to hear some of today’s hottest recording artists during a brand new summer concert series. Live at its new outdoor Music Plaza underneath the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, the park’s first-ever Summer Concert Series will rock Orlando with four of the biggest names in pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Guests will be able to top off their day at the park with these sizzling performances, which will begin Saturday, June 13 and continue each Saturday night until July 4.

The Summer Concert Series will feature Chart-topping, multi-platinum, Grammy Award nominees and winners. First to perform on June 13 is American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, whose self-titled album has sold more than a million copies. Following Sparks on June 20 will be LL Cool J, with more than 15 million records sold and 20 singles on the Billboard charts. Then on June 27 comes Natasha Bedingfield, who can boast album sales of more than 10 million, and on July 4, the Summer Concert Series closes with Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers The O’Jays.

These hot concerts will take place at Universal’s brand new Music Plaza, which debuted earlier this year during the Mardi Gras festivities. Designed in the spirit of the Hollywood Bowl, this state-of-the-art outdoor music venue features a 2,400 square-foot performance stage, a 15,000 square-foot viewing lawn, and two 20-foot-tall projection screens so that no one will be able to miss a second of the show, no matter where you’re standing.

“Our Music Plaza has quickly become Orlando’s perfect place to enjoy great music outdoors,” said Jim Timon, senior vice president of entertainment for Universal Orlando Resort. “Our Summer Concert Series will continue that tradition – and be an amazing experience for everyone from dedicated music fans to families wanting a great way to end their day in the parks.”

Plus, a little birdie told us that towards the end of the Summer Concert Series, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to catch a great concert and ride the brand new Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, which is slated to debut early this summer – perhaps on the 4th of July?

The only thing better than hearing incredible music at the end of a great day at Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure is knowing that you didn’t have to pay anything extra for it! The Summer Concert Series is free with admission to Universal Studios, so all you need to do to get access to the hottest performances of the year is get your Universal Studios tickets from DWTickets.com. Start planning your summer fun at the park now!

Before you know it, the end of May will be here, and with it, the end of the International Flower & Garden Festival at Epcot. If you haven’t seen this colorful compilation of flower fun at Walt Disney World, you definitely should – there’s plenty to see and hear, from the whimsical character topiaries and beautiful gardens to the sounds of the Flower Power concerts. We’ve been covering highlights of the festival throughout its duration, and as its last few weeks approach, we bring you one more – the gardens of the World Showcase.

At the Flower & Garden Festival, one of the most fun activities is spotting your favorite characters and Disney films represented through displays like the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden and the “Cinderellabration” topiary. But Disney has also taken special care to pay tribute to different landscapes around the world, and guests can see this when they visit the 11 pavilions of the World Showcase. There, gardens tell each country’s story in blooms and provide continuity and transition from one nation to the next.

At the Mexico pavilion, for example, landscaping represents the country’s two regions, the jungle and desert. Facing the Mayan temple, guests will see tropical plants and flowers commonly found in the jungle, such as the floss silk tree, often endowed with springtime blossoms and oddly-shaped fruit. Epcot gardeners have been careful to make this garden look “unmaintained” to make it appear more like a genuine jungle.

“We wanted to steer clear of creating a ‘perfect’ landscape and use irregular spots of colorful flowers to give it a more exotic look,” says Eric Darden, Walt Disney World horticulturist.

A similarly natural look has been created in the China pavilion, where the grass isn’t mowed and plants are more haphazardly placed than in Western landscapes, in accordance with Chinese gardening. Water is an essential element in every Chinese garden, and at Epcot, ponds lie still with water lilies blooming atop. Older looking trees, like a weeping mulberry, have also been added to give the garden a mature look, which the Chinese appreciate.

By contrast, the garden at The American Adventure pavilion is much more organized and formal, designed in the style of old colonial architecture and landscapes. A predominant color scheme of red, white, and blue flowers abounds, accompanied by sycamore trees whose branches interlace overhead.

“This pavilion is by far the most formal, with its soldier-like rows of magnolias, boxed hedges and precisely planted annuals,” Darden said.

Meanwhile, at the France pavilion, guests will enjoy light and airy gardens reminiscent of Parisian park. An allee (avenue or pathway) of trees has been created with Natchez crape myrtle, similar to the linden trees they’re originally composed of in France. And in Le Notre Garden, 985 shrubs have been crafted into the shape of a French symbol, the fleur-de-lis.

The international gardens of the World Showcase are maintained by a horticulture staff of more than 50 gardeners and experts. And if you want to see all of them while learning about the process behind their assembly, check out the “Gardens of the World” tour. A three-hour walking tour through the World Showcase for guests 16 and older, it provides an in-depth look at the styles of landscaping in each pavilion.

Be sure to check out the International Flower & Garden Festival soon before it ends on May 31. The festival is open to all guests with regular Epcot admission, so get your Walt Disney World tickets here on DWTickets.com to begin exploring the world’s gardens at Epcot.