7/12/10
On Tuesday we went to Tampa to see the Tall Ships that had sailed into port for a few days - The Eagle (U.S.A.), The Gloria (Columbia), and The Captain Miranda (Uraguay). Although my plan was a FREE day except for the cost of parking, we ended up paying to go on the ships. The U.S. Eagle was a Free tour and we had planned to tour that ship and just view the other two. The boys were excited because they were going to go on a "pirate ship". However, when we arrived, the line for the Eagle tour was 200+ people long that wrapped around an unshaded parking lot. We would've had to wait in that line for at least two hours.
I decided to just purchase boarding passes for the other two ships and it was all worth it!!!! The boys loved the ships and we spent a lot of time looking at the ships artifacts, bells, anchors, captains chairs, etc.
parking = $5 boarding passes = $16 channelside discovery of the day = PRICELESS
I may have had to pay more than expected for this day, but it was all worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ships were actually spread out between the Channelside entertainment district and the Tampa Convention Center (about a mile apart). We walked from one ship to the other. There is a large walking/bike path that connects the two places. It runs along the channel so you can enjoy the view of the water, boats, buildings, etc. It was an enjoyable, peaceful walk. Besides this, we found kid "treasures" along the way. Spread out along the pathway was--
1. Oversized "sandbox" for kids to play in. Inside the sandbox were very large concrete structures to play in/on (tree trunk, tortoise shell, alligatore)
2. Heroes Plaza - a memorial to soldiers/firefighters/police officers
3. Spray Park - located in the middle of Heroes Plaza there is a geyser spray park to cool down in -- complete with shaded benches and restrooms.
4. Playground - a complete playground with slide, bridges, climbers, etc.
If you are willing to pay a minimal fee for parking...pack up your cooler with lunch, snacks,drinks. Pack a bag with sunscreen, your fav book, etc. and head on down to Channelside for a relaxing day while the kids play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beware of high priced parking!!! There were several parking garages that were $5.00. However, right beside of ours was another for $10. I'm not sure if these are the regular parking prices or if it was a set fee due to the Tall Ship Event. We parked right across from the St. Pete Times Forum (formerly known as the Ice Palace).
On Tuesday we went to Tampa to see the Tall Ships that had sailed into port for a few days - The Eagle (U.S.A.), The Gloria (Columbia), and The Captain Miranda (Uraguay). Although my plan was a FREE day except for the cost of parking, we ended up paying to go on the ships. The U.S. Eagle was a Free tour and we had planned to tour that ship and just view the other two. The boys were excited because they were going to go on a "pirate ship". However, when we arrived, the line for the Eagle tour was 200+ people long that wrapped around an unshaded parking lot. We would've had to wait in that line for at least two hours.
I decided to just purchase boarding passes for the other two ships and it was all worth it!!!! The boys loved the ships and we spent a lot of time looking at the ships artifacts, bells, anchors, captains chairs, etc.
parking = $5 boarding passes = $16 channelside discovery of the day = PRICELESS
I may have had to pay more than expected for this day, but it was all worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ships were actually spread out between the Channelside entertainment district and the Tampa Convention Center (about a mile apart). We walked from one ship to the other. There is a large walking/bike path that connects the two places. It runs along the channel so you can enjoy the view of the water, boats, buildings, etc. It was an enjoyable, peaceful walk. Besides this, we found kid "treasures" along the way. Spread out along the pathway was--
1. Oversized "sandbox" for kids to play in. Inside the sandbox were very large concrete structures to play in/on (tree trunk, tortoise shell, alligatore)
2. Heroes Plaza - a memorial to soldiers/firefighters/police officers
3. Spray Park - located in the middle of Heroes Plaza there is a geyser spray park to cool down in -- complete with shaded benches and restrooms.
4. Playground - a complete playground with slide, bridges, climbers, etc.
If you are willing to pay a minimal fee for parking...pack up your cooler with lunch, snacks,drinks. Pack a bag with sunscreen, your fav book, etc. and head on down to Channelside for a relaxing day while the kids play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beware of high priced parking!!! There were several parking garages that were $5.00. However, right beside of ours was another for $10. I'm not sure if these are the regular parking prices or if it was a set fee due to the Tall Ship Event. We parked right across from the St. Pete Times Forum (formerly known as the Ice Palace).
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