9/6/2012 - 9/8/2012
Other Florida Activities
So, the real reason we took a trip to Florida was to visit my brother and niece, but I was lucky enough to squeeze in 2 nights at Vero Beach beforehand. Once we left the resort we headed over to my parent's vacation condo south of Tampa. I've never driven from one side of Florida to the other before, so I was surprised at how much nothingness there was.
We ended up staying at the family condo for 3 nights. Each day my niece came over to play, while my brother worked. We hadn't seen her since my wedding in November of last year, so being the six year old she is, she talked our ears off. Here she is giving a makeover to her Grandma.
My Mommy is a very brave lady, haha
We also wanted to do a fun activity with my niece during the weekend. We discovered that she is obsessed with animals right now, so I suggested taking her to Animal Kingdom for the day. Sadly, my parents didn't feel like driving 2 hours there and 2 hours back, phooey. My niece explained that she had seen the movie
Dolphin Tale and that we could go visit Winter the dolphin up in Clearwater, FL. I wasn't too excited because I had already visited 2 zoos / aquariums this summer, but I went along with it anyways. Upon arrival, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium wasn't in great condition, but they are fundraising for a new building. However, seeing Winter and hearing her story was amazing. (For those of you that don't know, she is the dolphin that lost her tail and sometimes wears a prosthetic.)
Winter the Dolphin
I highly recommend this attraction. It was a really fun family activity, too. There were also Sea Turtles and Sea Otters that were on view, but in rehab. There was also a tank full of Sting Rays that you could pet. I'm sure there was a bunch more to see and do, but we left after a couple of hours to go to the
Disney Store in Tampa!
I am a Disney Store Cast Member, so I was eager to see if the store in Tampa, FL was an Imagination Park store, which it was! They are just so much more magical and fun! Anyways, my niece ended up picking out an Aurora singing doll and a few outfits and pjs. I also picked up this snazzy t-shirt that we don't have at our store.
After a busy long weekend with my niece, we had to catch our flights back to the Northeast. We were flying out of Orlando, so passing this was not an easy thing to do!
The End
Your report definitely helps remind how much I need to get back there and bring the hubs there for the first time. I loved going there as a child (and haven't been since I was maybe 14?) and I'm so glad to see it all as I remembered and that you enjoyed it so much! There are so many places I'd love to see in Florida like Winter the dolphin, but it's so hard to be there and not go to Disney!
