Summer is here and with it the pressure to plan all the possible fun activities to get the kids out of the house. Here are some of our favorite summer activities to do with the kids including many budget friendly options.
You can visit them any day of the week, but the first Tuesday of each month offers free admission. The GCM is one of my kids’ favorites and we have visited numerous times in the past. If you have small children, you probably prefer an area in which they can play safely and move around in between activities. These are two of my favorite things at GCM . It is also indoors which is a major plus in Florida.
We recently discovered a water area and small park near our house. It was not crowded and everything was clean and fairly new. It’s a great alternative for a quick outdoor activity with a shaded area for parents. The boys loved it!
Public libraries offer summer reading activities and festivals. This year they also include online options, activities, and theaters. I checked their calendar and was super excited by all the educational opportunities. So far, I have registered for story times, plays, and virtual exploration activities.
While I have not taken the boys to the Tampa Art Museum, I used to take Angie every weekend to the Art Spot and she loved it. Their crafts and art activities are planned for different themes each week. She had a blast and we would spend a good part of our Saturday morning there. Later, we would enjoy lunch in the park area and even join the water fun near the Tampa River Walk.
On a pricier end, Busch Gardens is a great place to visit with both younger and older kids. While their tickets are more expensive, we often purchase the “Buy a day, come back all year” option and visit regularly. I prefer to do this rather than buying a ticket for only one day and trying to explore everything on that one day. I have learned from trips to Disney and other attraction parks that the kids get really tired by mid day and we end up wasting half the day. An opportunity to visit several times a year allows for short visits to explore different areas. In other words, you are not forced to visit all the attractions in the park in one day.
I could not end this list without including my favorite place: Tampa Lowry Park Zoo. We love the zoo and all it has to offer. From animals to rides and water areas, there is endless fun. We prefer to use all year passes because the Zoo is big and we like to take our time. Also, animals are unexpectedly fun and you will see new things every time you visit.
Here is a post with more from our visits to the Zoo.
This summer, I plan on visiting some new places and surely add more to this list. I’ll keep you posted on my instagram with photos and videos of the kids.
