Day Trips

Located on U.S. 41, two miles south of Osprey and six miles south of Sarasota, Oscar Scherer State Park consists of more than two square miles of natural Florida landscape. A large acreage of scrubby flatwoods makes this park one of the best places to see Florida scrub-jays, a threatened species found only in Florida. The park protects scrubby and pine flatwoods that were once widespread throughout Sarasota County. Fifteen… Continue Reading Oscar Scherer State Park

Home of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning and the Arena Football League’s Tampa Storm, this venue changed names in August 2014 and is now known as Amalie Arena. The arena is Tampa’s premier entertainment venue hosting more than 150 events annually, including sporting events, concerts, political debates, comedy and family shows. The doors to the 670,000-square-foot Amalie Arena (originally called the Ice Palace) first opened on October 12, 1996 with its first… Continue Reading Amalie Arena

Sarasota Jungle Gardens is the area’s only zoological gardens featuring 10 acres of tropical vegetation and jungle trails. One of the oldest continuously operating attractions in Florida, Sarasota Jungle Gardens evokes memories of Florida days gone by, full of flora, fauna and fun, yet remains current and exciting for today’s families, locals, and tourists alike. See animals such as endangered exotic birds, prairie dogs, Florida crocodiles and other reptiles. Most of the animals… Continue Reading Sarasota Jungle Gardens

The beautiful Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is located in a brick-laid residential section of Sarasota and is home to thousands of colorful and exotic plants in an open air and glass museum environment. Many of the exotic plants have been collected during scientific expeditions into the rainforest by the Selby Gardens research staff. The Gardens have been noted in numerous magazines, such as named “One of the Top Ten Botanical Gardens” by Country Living Gardener Magazine. The… Continue Reading Marie Selby Botanical Garden

The Florida Railroad Museum offers one of the most unique museum experiences in the world . . . it’s where you “Ride the Exhibits!” Founded as The Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum with the stated goal of preserving Florida’s railroad history, over the years the Museum has acquired and restored rolling stock and equipment to operate for the public’s enjoyment. To achieve its goal of operating equipment and recreating the… Continue Reading Florida Railroad Museum

Home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays and the Arena Football League’s Tampa Bay Storm, Tropicana Field’s 1.1 million square feet includes unique design features and fan amenities found nowhere else in the Major Leagues. If you don’t want to take in a professional baseball or arena football game, or you are on Anna Maria Island during the sports’ off-season, you can partake in one of behind-the-scenes tours that… Continue Reading Tropicana Field

Explore the secrets of the sea through touch pools, viewable-working labs and high-tech interactive exhibits that showcase the world-renowned research of Mote Marine Laboratory. See sharks, manatees and sea turtles, along with more than 100 other species of marine life. The Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Mote Aquarium is proud to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)… Continue Reading Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

Recognized as the #1 zoo in the United States by Parents magazine (2009) and Child magazine (2004), Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo features more than 1,000 animals on nearly 60 acres of natural habitats, splash ground water play areas, wild rides, educational shows and interactive opportunities to get closer to wildlife. The Zoo’s Manatee and Aquatic Center, home to the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Hospital, expands the traditional boundaries of a… Continue Reading Lowry Park Zoo

Right next to Busch Gardens is a full 30-acre Florida Keys themed water park located conveniently in Tampa. Jump into a tide wave of rides full of slides, tubes, rapids, and corkscrews. Or you can chill out and relax in your own private cabana, or grab a tube and float lazily down a slow moving stream. Catch a wave in the Endless Surf 17,000 square foot wave pool that every… Continue Reading Adventure Island

Experience underwater viewing windows, dolphin pools, hands-on stingray tank, and other one-of-a-kind marine animal homes. Meet Winter, the star of the Hollywood blockbuster movie, “Dolphin Tale”! See turtles, sharks, otters and fish all swimming and playing in their homes throughout the aquarium. Included in the admission to Clearwater Marine Aquarium is the behind-the-scenes exhibit, Winter’s Dolphin Tale Adventure. See rebuilt scenes and actual props from the movie. The kids will… Continue Reading Clearwater Marine Aquarium