South Florida Adventures for Kids

South Florida Adventures for Kids Bill Cooper 5/12/16 “Whooooooah,” accompanied by wide spread eyes, provided evidence of surprise and awe as our 5-year-old grandson, Ronnie Cooper Austin, first laid eyes on the Gulf of Mexico. Dian and I had planned a surprise trip to the beach for our inquisitive grandson and his initial response kicked our week of adventure off on the right foot. “It’s awesome,” Ronnie repeated continuously in between his questions: “Can I play in the water, can I make a sand castle, can I get sea shells?” The magic of the ocean struck our grandson full force and his resulting excitement proved our hunches to be correct. We knew he would love the experience and planned a week of adventures in and around the salty water of St. Petersburg, Florida. Dian booked a small cottage within a block of Pass-A-Grille Beach, a beautiful location in the St. Pete’s Beach area. We immediately felt at home. The peaceful quietness of this urban beach community surpassed all our expectations. There were no loud parties or disturbances and we settled in quickly. We leisurely strolled down 22nd Street, lined with moderate to expensive retirement homes, all well concealed by palm trees and landscapes of native vegetation. Lizards scurried everywhere. Mesmerized by the quick little scrub lizards, Ronnie chased them incessantly to no avail. The whole affair provided an endless source of entertainment while walking to and from the beach. Ronnie and I waded into the waves, immersing ourselves into a world of wonder and excitement. He held my hand tightly as we walked further out and quickly learned about the power of the ocean as a roller swept him off of his feet. He came up spitting and sputtering, all the while yelling, “awesome, I want to do it again, papa.” Our first full day of exploration began with a trip to the South Florida Museum’s Parker Manatee Aquarium in Bradenton, Florida. Snooty, a male Florida manatee, is the main attraction. Snooty is one of the first recorded captive manatee births. Born in 1948, Snooty is now 67 years old and holds the Guinness's Book of World Record as the oldest manatee in captivity. Snooty is kept company by injured and abandoned manatees, which are much younger. They are rehabilitated and returned to the wild. The Parker Museum housed a myriad of educational displays about the fishes and animals of the ocean. Sharks and colorful fishes held Ronnie spellbound. He particularly liked the hands on exhibits where he could hold and inspect bones, skulls and artifacts. His favorite, however, was a play station where he dug in the sand and water to find live starfish and other small seas critters. Fabulous small restaurants provided a sense of adventure as well, all with ocean views as dramatic back drops. Sea Critters, The Wharf and Crabby Bill’s teased Ronnie’s palette with new culinary adventures as he tasted fresh shrimp, grouper and alligator, which became his favorite. Our day two adventure took us to Dinosaur World in Plant City, Florida. Over 20 acres of lush vegetation contains over 200 life size replicas of a variety of dinosaur species which once roamed the earth. Every little boy loves dinosaurs. Ronnie became spellbound immediately. He happily climbed aboard the first dinosaur we encountered, just outside the compound. We wandered through an intriguing jungle and a surprise greeted us around every corner. The astounding sizes of ancient creatures made us feel miniscule. Argentinosaurus, the largest of the plant eaters at 100 tons, towered 70 feet into the air. Tyrannosaurus Rex, one of the largest meat eaters weighed in at 8 tons. Dian and I were amazed at how much Ronnie already knew about about dinosaurs, including their names. Dinosaur World, however, gave him a whole new perspective and the incredible world of the majestic creatures of the past that called earth home. Our next day of adventure lead us to the pirate ship Royal Conquest at Tampa Bay’s John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk. The two hour family cruise included music, dancing, water gun battles, a treasure hunt, face painting, dolphin watching and incredible pirate stories from a bunch of swashbucklers. Every little boy wants to be a pirate. Ronnie passed all the tests with flying colors and graduated as a certified pirate. His pirate degree now hangs on his wall. Every little boy loves Legos, too. Off to LegoLand we went for our next adventure. LegoLand is located only 45 minutes from Orlando. An interactive family theme park, it is designed specifically for families with children 2 to 12 years old. Covering 50-acres, there is an amazing variety of rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, shopping and breathtaking views of botanical gardens and lakes. Ten theme zones including, Imagination Zone, LEGO City, Daytona, International Speedway, Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Pirate’s Shores and much more. Ronnie’s imagination soared upon entering the DUPLO village where he could fly a plane, drive a car and explore a town, scaled to his size. He traveled back to Medieval Times in LEGO Kingdoms to meet knights, damsels and dragons. He searched for treasure and explored hidden tombs in Land of Adventure. His imagination ran wild s he created, built and tested his own structures in Imagination Zone. A gigantic ice cream cone and a Legos set to take home wound up what Ronnie called, “my best day ever.” To plan your own family vacation to the Tampa, St. Petersburg area of Florida, check the following: www.southfloridamuseum.org, www.dinosaurworld.com, www.boattoursjohnpass.com, www.LEGOLAND.com.