If we end up with time off of work we try to use it to its fullest capacity. We’d 9 times out of 10 try to go somewhere than sit at home. That doesn’t mean we aren’t relaxing once we get to where we are going, but it does mean we like to get to new scenery and experiences when we can.
This time we elected to go to Florida. Growing up my family spent almost all of our vacations in one place. There is a lot that is nice about this and you appreciate that for it’s own reasons. But I was always curious what other places were like in the US. Every time I looked at photos of Florida I felt drawn to it so we decided to check it out.
It’s now been about two years since we’ve gone anywhere. There are a few reasons for this, namely, we always have some sort of project going on, and most of our vacation time is used to stay home for ourselves or our kiddo when someone gets sick. When the opportunity came to go somewhere, we were very excited.
Our travel plans had two stops: Tampa area and Fort Lauderdale area.
Day 1 in Tampa we went to Busch Gardens. Even with a little one it was a blast. Sure, we didn’t take advantage of any of the adult rides, but we did enjoy ourselves in the kid friendly areas such as the Safari of Fun, Treetop Trails, and all of the animal-related things to do. Our favorite was the Serengeti Express.
Day 2 in Tampa we spent at the Florida Aquarium. The Aquarium boasts many species of ocean animals. We were mesmerized by the manta rays.
We also opted to take a Dolphin Cruise, during which we saw a few leaping dolphin but also were able to get a view of the famous Tampa Bay area.
This is a good place to plug the Tampa CityPass. This can save you some money if you are going to spend time at two or more Tampa area attractions.
Day 3 in Tampa we spent the morning at The Manatee Viewing Center.
It was beautiful but also really fun to watch manatees lounge around in the warm water. They would sometimes play, sometimes they were sleeping, and other times they would be making their way somewhere. Our little really got a kick out of one smaller manatee that kept spinning in the water to amuse himself. Like laugh out loud enjoyment. We probably spent an hour here before starting the few hours’ long drive across the state to Fort Lauderdale area.
Days 4-6 we spent lounging on the beach right outside Fort Lauderdale doing absolutely nothing. It was glorious. We stayed at an Embassy for the suite (separate room for mom and dad) and free breakfast. It was right across from a beach, was not very crowded, and the made-to-order omelettes were a great way to start the day.
Day 7 we packed up and headed back to Tampa to catch our departing flight. We left early enough for a quick stop in at ZooTampa and did not regret it. We fed a giraffe and the pictures we have of that experience will be some of our family’s favorites for a long time.
All in all, our first Florida trip as a family was a success. We really needed this break and it was a good combination of new experiences and relaxing beach time. We’d like to come back to see a few other areas of Florida in the future. Anything with white sand, tropical water, and sun works for us!
Not Tomorrow 