Or, you can be my Florida travel guide. Please?
We will be spending the week after Christmas in the Tampa area (specifically Sun City Center, where You Can Play Golf Until You Die (TM) or whatever their slogan is). Since we will be flying, we will be packing a minimum amount of toys, and there will be no toys at our final destination. How can we entertain three kids for a week in the Tampa area? Swimming in their grandparents' pool will get us only so far.
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Try a thrift shop to get books, and a hand full of toys. Dollar store for a few craft items, I'm sure Grandparents have paper. The cities or towns website is sure to have ideas for outtings.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you'll have some mild weather and be able to hit playgrounds, parks, etc. Have the grandparents start checking out stuff near them. Maybe some fun day trips to the beach or other attractions?
ReplyDeleteThrift stores or discount stores are great for inexpensive toys, books, movies, etc. if you have to stay in.
the aqaurium in tampa is pretty nice. its been a while since ive been there, but i had fun when we went.
ReplyDeleteone more thing: here in N. Florida the weather has been somewhat...um weird. down in the 20's one day, up to 79 the next---so you may not want to count on swimming. of course, im about 2 hours from tampa so it may be different there.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking arts and crafts might get you pretty far. Maybe the grandparents could start a box of supplies that would be available on future visits.
ReplyDeleteHi! Just found your blog through Shannon's (I have a kid with cerebral palsy, too). We're going to Captiva Island for the holidays, near Ft. Myers, also psyched to go!
ReplyDeleteBusch Gardens is in Tampa. I always look at Fodors.com, which has free city guides. Here's a link to Tampa Bay area sights:
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/florida/tampa-bay-area/sights-nam_alpha:a.html
The Gameboy or DS is my travel toy of choice. The kids like playing games against each other. I know not everyone approves of video games, but it helps occupy the kids when you're on a plane or on a long car drive.
ReplyDeleteIf you're a member of AAA, see if they can map out interesting places for you to visit. You'll probably be able to get discounted tickets.
Find out where the local library is and see if you can borrow any books or movies for the kids. They may also have passes to local museums or other areas of interest.
Have fun planning the trip!
We're going to Florida around Christmas too! But Daytona Beach area...
ReplyDeleteWhen my brother and I were little, my mom wouldn't let us pack anything like stuffed animals that couldn't "entertain" us, and would just take up room. Instead, she made sure we each had a little bag of coloring books and a travel-sized board game. If you check out toys r us, or any game section they have a REALLY huge selection of travel-sized games now.
Also, when we got there, if we were visiting relatives we'd love playing w/ little things around their house, just b/c they were NEW to us.
If you're staying at a hotel or resort, sometimes they have a lobby with games and activities you can check out and bring back to your room. Otherwise, I'd have to agree with thrift store ideas - you can get the stuff for cheap and either ship it home, or donate it back when you need to leave.