Spring Break Bucket List

One the greatest blessings at teaching at my independent school is the glorious two weeks of Spring Break that we have at the end of every March. Here is my Spring Break Bucket List this year.

We are headed to Orlando for 4 days with Abuelos and little ones all in tow. We plan on going to Disney just for one day because we have seasonal passes. These passes have black out dates for most folks this doesn't work at all, but for us as locals we have more flexibility in going, so it works well. Plus as a Floridian I am thankful never to go to Disney in July because the heat is unbearable. For this break, we will be at a villa hotel room, plenty of room for us all. Here are a few things I am taking for the girls to do. I always take hotel room items because I hate having them in the sun for 12 hours, however we do plan on lots of pool and outside time.

• Disney Junior Super Stretchy which is just like Twister
  
  
• Paint a Chick -- wooden Easter chick with paints
• Alex My Collage Farm
• Go Fish Card Game
• Puzzles -- as many as I can find

Here are my other Kid Friendly Plans:

1. Ft Desoto Historic Park There is a toll on the way out there otherwise it is a free excursion
2. Great Exploration Museum Terrific Tot Time We have annual passes that we got dirt cheap with a Groupon.
3. Rowdies Opening Game Which is free for everyone young and old via the Rowdies Soccer Club
4. Turns out our Groupon Great Exploration museum passes have an Florida Aquarium reciprocal in April so this is a free trip too.
5. Lowry Park Zoominations (my father in law purchased annual passes for him and the girls, so we get a discount.)
6. Watch Dolphin Tale and go see Winter at the Clearwater Aquarium which is a year long reciprocal with our museum passes.

It is also Egg Hunting Season. We are hoping to hit up a couple of new egg hunts this year. Here is the best list I found locally: Eggs. There are couple that I think will be awesome when my girls are even a little older such as the Flashlight Egg Hunt in Dunedin.

It's this time of year in Florida where I wish I went ahead and got my pool heater fixed. The outside temperature is ready for a nice dip but the pool water is still way too cold. It only really matters 2 months out of the year.

And We are DONE!

April 11 marked the one year anniversary of our Park Quest. After reading some inspirational outdoor articles, we decided to venture to visit as many parks in the area as possible, the first goal was 50 between April and August. This goal quickly evolved to as many as we could over the course of a year.

Crescent Lake 

This is what we learned:

1. There was no way to get 50 parks in 4 months unless both of us would have been unemployed and wanted to do nothing else but go to parks. We covered 36 parks in one year which breaks down to about 3 parks a month. Even that was tough. Imagine there are 4 weekends in every month, if we only went on weekends, which we didn't but that could have been an activity planned for 75% of weekend time in one month.

   

   Albert Whitted Airport Park

2. Not all parks are created equal. Based on my experience I can say that the city of St. Petersburg seems to work hard on maintaining these community spaces, but if you have just one afternoon in the area there are several parks I would recommend over others. The definition of park is even different for each consumer. As a young family a park usually has a playground, but for a hiker, runner or biker a park has a host of trails to explore, or perhaps for a tourist may just want to sit and see the water. I can provide lists for each of these. 

   

   Myrtle Beach City Park

3. Sand sucks unless on a beach. 

   

   Northshore Park 

4. Fenced in playgrounds are great for parents who want to zone out. 

   

   North Straub Park for Tree Lighting

5. Always take water or a drink with you. I can't remember if all the parks have water fountains but I don't recommend using the ones I do remember. Creatures live in these parts.

   

   Philippe Park in Safety Harbor

6. Don't be afraid to drive a little longer to see something new. We live such rushed lives that if we carve in time to go to a park, we tend to go to the closest because it's easiest when in fact there may be something new to do just minutes a way. 

   

   Hammock Park in Dunedin

7. There is a ton more to see!

   

   Boyd Hill in St. Petersburg

We are so lucky to live in a truly gorgeous part of the country. The weather, of course, is typically amazing, so even on the coldest of days it is great to be outside and we have a ton of options to chose from in the Tampa Bay area. Even though the Park Quest itself is complete, I will continue to share new parks when we get to them, one at a time.

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

As a child this place was home to a lot of my memories. This is where I remember going on library field trips. This is where I pet my first snake and saw my first bee hive. I was not the kid that chased frogs in the mud, but I thought they were cool and pretty much every creepy crawly bug thing I can think of was in a small science center at Boyd Hill. I was excited to be there on Saturday and it had been clearly a long time since I had been in the building itself, because when we went inside, the library was gone. Apparently, it has been gone for 15 years, a true surprise to me. The lovely volunteer behind the counter, though gentle was amused by my dismay. Even though, change is always had, the new and improved all nature center was very well done. They clearly have school come in for programs so there are a couple of classrooms.

We paid $3 for each adult to get in, so for a family of 4 a total of $6 was not bad. This allowed inside the actual nature center to see various displays, touch and play with several areas and have access to the several trail preserves. Inside we got to see and pet a tarantula, see several turtles, frogs and the biggest toad I have ever seen in my entire life.  Outside there was an aviary sanctuary. There were several interesting rare birds to see up close since most were birds of prey. We walked around a couple of the short trails which were perfect for our kids attention spans. Afterwards we walked through the butterfly garden and saw the metal sculpture in the trees which really has been there since I was a child.

The park was full of small kids and families some attending birthday parties since this was a gorgeous Saturday morning. We went to the playground which Vivian was obsessed with and once again I was reminded that it used to be a huge wooden structure that must have over time just fell to pieces. Now it is a traditional strong playground equipment. There is a smaller one near the picnic tables which Lydia declared was the perfect playground. I think because she was able to play on every element without help from me. There is also a little area that has a stage and benches which my girls loved.

The girls loved it and we could have spent all day there running around. Next time we may bring a picnic. There is also a ton of programs the center offers for young children, some during the week and others are for summer camp. The edge of this preserve is right up next to Lake Maggiore, which also has picnic tables and playground space. It is a rich nature corner of the city of St. Petersburg.

Northeast St. Pete Parks: A Hidden Gem

On the Eastside of town, East of Fourth street down 62nd avenue north there are two parks seemingly on opposites of the road, both of which have a unique role for the neighborhood. However, the Northeast Park really could either be enveloped by Mangrove Gulf Club or could be considered the second campus to Puyear Park. At this point in my park travel I create additional unnecessary narratives to make sense of some of the choices that are made about the proximity of certain parks or the distribution of resources the city may have. Northeast Park is basically a baseball complex with a playground to entertain younger kids, while Puyear Park has a lot more going on, but primary it's the soccer center for this part of town. The Raiders Soccer Club meet on these fields and there were at least 4-5 games going on at one time while were there plus various other practices. Thus the age old debate of baseball versus soccer, I know where I stand, do you?

Kidding of course, we intended to go to Northeast Park because we had never been there, but when we arrive the parking lot was being repaved and the baseball families' cars were lined up and down the street. What appeared as an already small parking lot was empty with new tar and the small street was filled. My guess is that is always filled but on this night it just happen to be worse. There is a small playground that we didn't play on because it was too much to navigate and not to diminish it's quite possibility delightful play opportunity, we didn't stop to play. It appeared to be a very standard small playground that is fenced in which does help if a parent's attention is else where like a baseball game.

Puyear Park was filled with the community participating in many activities, soccer being only one of them. There are great tennis courts there which are always full and commonly the host of tennis lessons, even I took lessons there as an adult about 4 years ago. There were a couple of men playing racquetball and Puyear even has a Jai-lai cancha which I haven't seen since I was very young and my cousin was a pro player in the Tampa league. In addition to odd walking trails and picnic shelters there was a playground.

There are lots of open fields, a concession stand and parking placed in multiple areas of the park to access the thing you'd like to do without having to cross the whole park to get there. I mentioned there was a playground. The playground is fenced in which is always a thumbs up, but it's built on sand. Now we had a bit of a debate about this par. Eliot loved it, mostly because the girls really enjoyed playing on it. It was a 5-12 year old recommended play space but there was enough for Vivi as a 20 month old to access herself. But for me the sand is a real downer. Sand gets everywhere. Always. As soon as you take off a shoe or pick up a kid and up them in the car seat you see that playground pour out of them. The other anti-sand thing is there is always a kid that decides to pick up the sand and throw it. Always. This happened on this day. His parent was watching soccer and his older brother which may have been 5 to his 3 was calling the shots. Putting the ubiquitous sand issue to the side, I felt that the playground was a little faded and not so awesome.

What I will say for Puyear Park it has something for everyone in the family. I imagine bringing the girls to soccer practice and playing a little tennis with Eliot a couple years from now. You can sit and have picnic lunch while the kids are on the playground safely tucked in by the fence surroundings. It's a lovely park for sure. Puyear is the hidden gem.

Dunedin Parks

Spring Break is a time to skip in fields, climb trees and play in playgrounds. Since we had sometime off we decided to take advantage and head a little further north than we normally do to a part of Pinellas. Since I have been on the park quest I wanted to go to these two parks in Dunedin that appeared to be huge and pretty impressive. Hammock Park has 90 acres of land, a plethora of walking trails, playground area and even a butterfly garden. Highlander Park only a street away has the largest Splash Park in the county and 70 acres of land, my imagination was dancing with the possibilities of these places.

Sadly, I was a little underwhelmed perhaps it was the fact that my expectations were been blown way out of proportion but the website alone for Hammock Park was significant in contrast a hard to find entrance. We started by going to Highlander Park. The playground was position right next to the splash park which was really great. The splash park was huge, fenced in and provided several shaded benches for parents. The playground had some unique features which is always the key to a well liked park by my girls. Even though the city of Dunedin website had a brief description of the park on their website there wasn't any more information, for example, what is on the rest of the 70 acres property. There are hiking trails and that one needed to walk around to find because they were not labeled significantly from the playground area. If you were a visitor, as we were, you would not know what else there was at this park. There were a couple of fields, courts and such. My girls found these fun.

Since Hammock Park was right around the corner and we wanted to check out the Butterfly Garden we tore the girls away from the softball field and went on to the other part of our adventure. We followed the signs to Hammock Park. We found the entrance to the park which was an odd, road that ends into a dirt road by some run down service buildings. It turned out that one of those shacks was the front of the Butterfly Garden that clearly had not been kept up with. A sad area with overgrown plants that have already clearly been effected by the erratic hot and cold weather.

There was a small climbing area that had been designated on the Internet map as a playground and several paths to follow for hikes. Right at the front of the property there was an old church that was built in 1888. It happened to be closed on the day we were there but it was adorable. It added to my series of disappointments.

Butterfly Garden. We saw one. 

Afterwards we went to British Deli_cious in downtown Dunedin which was adorable and cute. It was very kid friendly. There was a mom there with her two daughters having a tea park. It was quaint. The downtown area was great. We wanted to have lunch right by the marina but it wasn't terribly kid friendly. Though I was disappointed by the over all park experience the girls loved the playground at Highland and I am curious about the splash park even though I will never go up there since it is so far away. The rest of it must be designed for hikers, runners but for a Florida park that just seems silly.

Fossil Park

Fossil Park is really close to our house. I decided that the closer parks should be left until the end of our quest just because it would be easier to pop by them, so Fossil is about 2 miles from my house at the most. It is likely the most active park and community complex in the greater Pinellas area. There are SO many things going on there all of the time. The Wilis S. Johns Community Center offers classes from toddler ballet to English as a Second Language to Doggie Boot Camp. There is also a community pool which offers swim classes during the summer months, plus lots of recreational hours for neighborhood kids.

As a high school student, 20 years ago, this park was the place to pick up a game of basketball and clearly that is still the case.

The converted a large section into a free fenced off skate park that always has someone improving their latest moves.

They have recently upgraded the playgrounds. There was once 2 wooden playgrounds one designated for kids 2-5 and the other 5-12, however in the renovation process what they did was take done the dilapidated wooden structures and place a small playground in the front of the near the community center and more importantly near the baseball/softball fields. This community center has a very active and robust little league program and I imagine that younger siblings needed a place to play while games were going on, so the move makes sense.

In what is the back of the park they assembled a new beautiful playground that is covered by natural shade and surrounded by many picnic tables. Somehow this park still manages to have green space for kids to run. The park is large has a dirt trail and small lake with ducks to feed. These ducks are less in number and are less aggressive then at other parks in the area.

It is an easy park to get to for us but admittedly we don't go often. We usually chose Crescent Lake instead and as I think about it may be that busyness of this park that tends to turn me off. Also the park is right off of a very busy street and to get to the other side where the new more secluded playground is you have to go into a neighbor and park on the street, which on one hand doesn't seem that off putting but for some reason it is a slight deterrent. One thing is true, Fossil is an big part of the community and many other families have found it to be the heart of their neighborhood.


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Rio Vista Park

Our dear friends were lucky enough to move into a new home with a park right next to it and behind it. We often call it their country house in the city. It is peaceful and quiet and lovely. I imagined that because of the  oddity of where the space is located that it would be a less frequented area but that is not the case at all. The majority of the park is between two sets of houses. It is long and somewhat narrow. A bike/ running pass runs through it. It actually serves to connect other biking paths specifically together I think. The area is very woodsy. For our girls it was a hoot because they were able to ride their bikes, trikes and scooters for a bit and then run in the to get pine cones, play with swords (sticks to other people) and hide from forest monsters.

It is very walk-able and safe. If you have a young child that does not like to be in a stroller or that may be a runner or both, this is a good park. There is nothing but the path and the woods. Towards the west end of the park there is a nice bridge that connects to parts of the neighborhood and a boardwalk that does the same both over a channel.

Trolls.

If you continue through the park, on the east end, perhaps even considered the most accessible piece of the park, there is a fenced in construction area which will be the future home of Rio Vista Park. It used to be Rio Vista Elementary School but the building was in bad shape and so they tore it down and it will now be a great size community park. The plans show a playground, exercise area, community garden and running trail. There will be some picnic shelters and a huge sized shelter that was already there that the city decided not to take down. The new portion of this park should be ready by April.

Lake Seminole Park

We found it. The greatest park ever. The other night we went to Lake Seminole Park which is just down the street from us. What I mean by down the street it is located 9 miles from my house on Park Boulevard. We arrived in the early evening. As we traveled through the path inward the road led us straight to the bicycle and paddle boat rental area. Super excited about the possibilities of these vehicles we looked at the reasonable prices and were about to make a decision about renting when the young guy who looked and spoke as if he was right out Surfer World magazine, told us that they were about to close. The hours for rental were 11-5. It is now on our official "To Do" list.
The playground was great. It had the two areas for big kids and little kids. The harder part of this is that Vivian really doesn't realize that she is little. She was tremendously demanding about getting on a ladder element that was way too hard for her. Matter of fact it was so awkwardly positioned that Eliot and I really couldn't help her do it. But she insisted until she was about to be on it for a minute.



There are several lakes or ponds that are positioned around the park. Along side of those are wooden swings which I really love. We sat on one for a bit and enjoyed the sunset and snapped a couple of pictures.
Afterwards we walked around a little and then hopped back in the car to see what else this expansive space had to offer. We found boat ramps, picnic shelters and another park area. Clearly there had been a party nearby because there was a lot of litter. Lydia kept asking what happened here and Vivian kept trying to pick things up and put them in the trash. What can I say we have clean kids. Mostly due to my clean mother and equally clean husband, plus a little of "everything in the right place makes you feel good" mom.

However, the best element of the smaller play space was a good size climbing wall. There was another climbing apparatus but it wasn't fit for my girls. My one critique about public climbing walls is there never seems to be a section that is novice enough. I think it would be a good idea to label these things so you could walk up and know what you about to do.
We were very impressed with Lake Seminole Park. We hoping to go back and ride the bikes and boats soon. It is always nice where there is something new to offer the community and we felt that this park did just that well element of new and interesting very well.