Trip Report: St. Pete Beach/St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay

We got back on Tuesday evening from our 5-day trip to the Tampa Bay area of Florida. This is actually our longest trip with the arrow to date and it couldn't have been better. The weather was beautiful--mid 70s and sunny each and every day. The condo we rented was perfect for us and in a great location. More importantly, I felt like we did a lot while also doing a whole lot of nothing. Does that make any sense?

Below I've outlined our basic itinerary and how we experienced the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

Day 1: Arrival in St. Pete Beach

Dining beachside at Caddy's on the Beach in Treasure Island

We started our journey flying from Indianapolis direct to Tampa. The arrow did great on the flight, even better than our flight to/from Phoenix this fall. That whole "sitting still" for a few hours really does get easier with age. We landed early afternoon, and drove about 40 minutes to St. Pete Beach where we had rented a condo. We stopped along the way so that I could make a quick dash into the grocery store for a few essential items (while the arrow napped in the car). We then quickly unpacked and headed straight for the beach, which was just a block away. I'll never forget the look on the arrow's face when he realized all that sand was his to play with! That night we headed to Caddy's on the Beach for some grouper sandwiches served up beachside. Then we collapsed into bed after a long travel day.

Day 2: Exploring downtown St. Petersburg

The Pier in St. Petersburg

One of my favorite memories from my previous trip to St. Petersburg was the Saturday Morning Market. This farmer's market is held each Saturday morning in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, and it was high on our list of things we wanted to do again. We started our morning there, sampling some of the delicious food being prepared. From the market, we walked over to The Pier. The Pier has lots of family-friendly attractions, like an aquarium, bike rental spot, and more. But we just wanted to wander, admire the water views and the boats in the marina. We continued to walk around downtown St. Petersburg (mostly because the arrow fell asleep in his stroller), and then stopped for brunch at a sidewalk cafe.

That afternoon, we introduced the arrow to the condo's heated pool and it was love at first splash. He would proceed to beg for the pool throughout the trip, and we had lots of fun indulging him! After his afternoon nap, we went to the Sloppy Pelican, a beachside restaurant just a few blocks from our condo. We capped off this sweet day with a stop for ice cream.

Day 3: Beautiful Fort De Soto



Chasing sea gulls at Fort De Soto

We spent the morning at what I consider to be the crown jewel of this area of Florida: Fort De Soto Park. It's a gorgeous stretch of beach and parkland. Miles of biking trails, no buildings to interupt the seaside landscape, and a great place to take in a wonderful breath of fresh air. We hunted for seashells, dipped our toes in the chilly water, and walked up and down the beach. We wanted to visit the fort itself, but it is closed until mid-March. Next trip!

We ate lunch back at the condo, and then hit the pool again. After the arrow's nap, we drove up the beach to North Redington. We stopped at a playground to let the arrow stretch his legs, and then went to the Conch Republic Grill for dinner. On our way home, we walked around Johns Pass. A fun boardwalk and lots of shops and restaurants, it was a great area for an evening stroll (and ice cream, of course.)

Day 4: Florida Aquarium and Ybor City


Entrance to the Florida Aquarium

We got up in the morning and drove to Tampa for a trip to the Florida Aquarium. It had lived up to my dreams about this place: lots of exotic fish, hands-on exhibits, and plenty to entertain the arrow. From the aquarium, we hopped on the trolley that runs around downtown Tampa, and took that to Ybor City. Ybor City is a lively area of Tampa, with lots of restaurants, bars, nightlife, all in old buildings on brick streets. We ate lunch at Bricks of Ybor, and it was one of our best meals of the trip. (You can read my review here.)Then we hopped back on the trolley and drove back to St. Pete Beach. After more pool time, we headed to Bella Habana for some great Cuban food as our last meal of the trip. Then we took a sunset stroll on the beach and stopped for (you guessed it) ice cream.

Day 5: Saying our goodbyes


Goodbye, St. Pete Beach!

After feeding the arrow a quick breakfast, we headed to the beach for one last romp in the sand and to say our goodbyes. Then we finished packing up the condo and stopped at a playground on our way to the airport. Before we knew it, vacation was over and we were on our flight back to Indianapolis.

I'll be blogging about many of these adventures in much greater detail in the weeks to come. Please check back to read more about our fun in Florida!

This post is a part of Spotlight Thursday at Trekaroo.

Chihuly at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis

I've been lucky enough to visit some of the best art museums from around the world, like the Louvre, the Prado, the Uffizi Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago, but I'll be the first to admit that my knowledge of art, art history and artists themselves is a little fuzzy. Instead of getting caught up in all that I don't know, I just try to enjoy discovering what I like and which artists capture my attention. I'm typically drawn to colorful, cheerful pieces (especially those inspired by nature) and so it will come as no surprise that one of my favorite artists is Dale Chihuly. His glasswork is often full of whimsy and certainly never dull.

The centerpiece of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a piece by Chihuly called Fireworks of Glass. It's his largest permanent sculpture and stands 43 feet tall. The museum has rightfully placed it in the middle of the ramp system that leads you from floor to floor at the museum, ensuring that it is admired by all who visit (more than 1 million each year, as it is the largest children's museum in the world!)

The museum did more than give this sculpture prime real estate. It also created a hands-on exhibit for kids to explore. I knew the arrow would love it and so we headed straight there when we arrived. At this exhibit, he could pick up various "faux" glass pieces, which look exactly like those on the sculpture, and move them about, connect them in various places, and get a sense of the enormous puzzle that had to be solved in order to build Chihuly's work of art. He loved seeing all the colors and feeling the various textures and figuring out all the shapes and how he might be able to place them. And as a parent, how fun is it to let your child touch the art?

When we got home from the museum, I did some more research on Chihuly. While I've always admired his work, I never realized that he's everywhere. This list on his website details all of his public installations around the world. According to this site, he has work in 33 states and 12 countries. (I'm proud to say that there are two sculptures here in Columbus, Indiana!) Now that I know the arrow is equally enthusiastic about Chihuly, I'm daydreaming of going on a Chihuly-inspired trip around the country and the world. Wouldn't it be fun to see them all?

For now, maybe we'll start with a stop at the Chihuly Collection at the Morean Art Center in St. Petersburg, Florida when we visit next month. In fact, I'm sure we can incorporate Chihuly art into many trips we take in the years to come. (Of course, we might have to have a little talk with the arrow about not touching it, huh?)

I loved this quote on display at the museum here in Indianapolis. Mr. Chihuly, I know at least one child who was full of joy after experiencing your creative genius. Bravo to you and your team for executing such a masterpiece and bringing it to a space to be enjoyed by so many children.

Check out my tips for visiting a children's museum if you're planning a trip to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis (or any other museum).

This post is a part of Mondays are for Dreaming at The Mother of All Trips and Spotlight Thursday at Trekaroo.

Disclosure: My admission to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis was complimentary. I was under no obligation to write about our time there. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Indiana Dunes State Park

This week I've been reading a lot of blog posts about Proposition 21 in California, an effort to prevent state parks from closing. I'm not a California resident and I only recently became aware of this issue, so I'm far from being an expert. But any mention of closing state parks saddens me, especially in one of our country's most beautiful states. We've never taken the arrow to California but I hope we make it there someday. And when we get there, I'd sure like the state parks to be open.

In honor of the efforts to pass Proposition 21, I thought I'd share a photo from a recent trip my family made to Indiana Dunes State Park. To me, this place encompasses why national and state parks are so important. Not only has Indiana Dunes allowed one of the Midwest's most beautiful spots to be accessible to all who want to visit, but it has preserved this area in a way that ensures its fragile ecosystem will thrive.


On top of a dune, overlooking Lake Michigan



The fences in the picture above allow people the chance to hike up the massive dunes, while protecting most of the native grasses that grow all over the dunes and prevent their erosion.



Playing in the sand, Hoosier style.

This post is a part of Spotlight Thursday at Trekaroo and Photo Friday at Delicious Baby. Both blogs are calling attention to Proposition 21 this week.

Trip Report: Phoenix

Last week, we packed up the arrow, headed up into the friendly skies, and touched down in the desert for a family trip to Phoenix.  I'll be sharing some more details on our trip and lessons we learned in the next couple of weeks, but as with every trip, I wanted to provide an overall look at our three days there.

Clinging to dad at the splash pool

We flew out of Indianapolis at 6 a.m., which required waking up the arrow at 4 a.m. Yikes!  But he did doze off on the plane for about an hour, which was great. We landed in Phoenix at 6:30 a.m. local time, so we still had a full day ahead, and yet a very tired little guy. We spent that day getting settled into my in-law's time share at the Marriott's Canyon Villas. After the arrow took a nice long nap, we hit the children's splash pool. He was too afraid of all the cascading water and splashing (have I mentioned he's a bit of a scaredy cat?), so we soon retreated to the regular pool. That night, we enjoyed dinner at BJ's Brewhouse.

Taking in the Desert Botanical Garden

On Friday, the arrow was up VERY early, which meant he needed two naps to survive the day. Between his naps, we spent a couple of hours at the Desert Botanical Garden to explore all the plant life and desert scenery. That evening, we swam, hot tubbed, and grilled out with extended family who live in the Phoenix area.

We woke up on Saturday morning to sunny skies and warmer temperatures, so while I had other things on my to-see list, we just couldn't resist spending the day splashing around the pool.  We left the water to play at the resort's playground and for dinner that evening at Ristorante Tuscany, but otherwise, it was all about capturing as much of the sun's rays. (Because if you've spent a winter in Indiana, you know you need to stockpile the sunlight to combat the months of gray that lie ahead.)

On Sunday, our adventure came to an end and we headed home. It wasn't our most action-packed trip, but it scored very high on the relaxation and family bonding meter, which was what we wanted.