When we found out that all of our children would be here for Christmas, we decided that we wanted to find a day trip for the 26th. We knew that everyone would be ready to get out of the house after a weekend of celebrating the holiday and we really thought they would want to explore more of Central Florida. Originally, we planned on spending the day in St. Augustine as we had been told by multiple people that it was the #1 spot to visit in the area. We were all excited about the trip, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. After doing a little bit of research, I suggested The Florida Aquarium in Tampa Bay. Everyone was excited to give it a try.
The six of us left this morning after the fog lifted and were surprised at how little traffic there was on I-75. The trip to downtown Tampa was an easy one and soon Meg and I were buying tickets to the aquarium. It was actually cheaper to purchase a membership than one day tickets. Meg and I were both happy about that and made plans to come back this year and try the dolphin cruise as well. The guys met us at the entrance and we started our day upstairs in the Florida wetlands area. We loved seeing all of the fish and birds native to our new home state.
After watching the sting rays being fed, we headed to the reef viewing area where we saw large turtles, sharks and rays. Next we visited the jellyfish, eels and clown fish. We also saw some rare animals from the ocean and found out that only 20% of ocean waters had ever been explored. We then headed to the outside to see the African penguins. They were adorable and we all liked their family area very much. We then stopped by the gift shop on our way out so that Meg could get a bracelet. Everyone was very impressed with the aquarium and glad that we made that a part of the day.
We walked to a local brewery for lunch. The food was delicious. Cal had never been to Tampa before and loved the city. It was very nice and there was definitely a lot to do and see. Once we finished lunch, we drove to Congo River Mini Golf. Doug, Cameron and I had played there two years and wanted everyone to try it. Although the free fall that we witnessed then didn't quite impressed everyone else there today, we did have a great time. Cal was the big winner besting Cameron by two.
Our last stop of the day was Clearwater Beach. Even though it was only eight miles away, it was ten degrees cooler and a lot windier than miniature golf. We didn't mind, however, and enjoyed a long walk on the beach and some shopping along the shore. We had wanted to take Brett and Cameron to Jimmy Hula's while we were there, but the restaurant was closed permanently. No one was very hungry anyway, and decided to wait and order Marco's once we got back to Ocala. Today was definitely a favorite of everyone and we were glad that we could spend the entire day together as a family.
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