Clearwater area family attractions??

[riu girl]

A very close family friend lost his wife in a tragic boating accident over the summer.
So for Christmas week he has rented a condo for himself and his 3 young children , 7 years and under.
So today he rented a condo in Clearwater for Christmas week.
Folks, this man doesn't have any knowledge of the Clearwater area whatsoever.

I was wondering if anyone could offer any suggestions in the way of attractions/family activities inthe Clearwater area. Or websites to try and find some activities. I think his children are aged 7,5, and 3.

I'm not sure if he is interested in going up to Disney over not. He has never been to Disney, plus it will be Christmas week plus he will be on his own with three young kids. I was thinking of perhaps instead reccommending Busch Gardens or Cypress Gardens since the crowds may be less.
I also know of a pirate cruise in Clearwater.

ANY suggestions/web sites whatsoever would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Suzy V

 

[ca859093]

He could go to the clearwater aquarium http://www.cmaquarium.org/

The pier and playground are on the beach so they could spend some time there.

They could do lowry park zoo http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/

Florida Aquarium http://www.flaquarium.org/

Also there is MOSI(museum of science and industry) http://www.mosi.org/

That is what I can think of off the top of my head, if I think of any more I will let you know. There are a lot of us in this area so between all of us he could have a whole month schedule.

Good luck to him

 

[jtdl]

My DD4 and I went on a Dolphin Cruise when we were in Clearwater. There are many of them that depart from the marina. Some of them had signs in front of their dock detailing the cruise. We chose one that stopped at "Shell Island" which was a little island totally covered in shells and they hid "gold coins" for the children to find and exchange for a prize. It was alot of fun. It was about a one hour cruise. They guarantee dolphin sightings, so if no dolphins come around the boat, you get to go again the next day or later on the same day, until dolphins are spotted.

 

[MouseLover]

We enjoyed Busch Gardens ourselves, but there is little for small children there. The 7-year-old could do a lot, but the other two couldn't. We went there when my daughter was 2 1/2 and the only thing she could ride was the carousel. This was 6 years ago, though, so it may have changed.

They may be able to do a lot of the zoo-stuff there. Someone who's been more recently can chime in.

We also took one of the mini-cruises to see dolphins. It was fun.

 

[whiterice5]

jtdl...do you remember which company you went with?
thanks,
chris

 

[4theloveofdisney]

First of all, my sincere condolences to you and your friend. As a mom to three kids, I can't imagine.

That said, I lived in Tampa for over 11 years and we return several times a year to visit family and friends. I hope this information can help!

The Lawry Park Zoo, MOSI (5*) and The Florida Aquarium, in Tampa, are all within driving distance of Clearwater and highly recommended! Of course, Busch Gardens is also there as well, but as you said, that might be tricky with three kids.

In Clearwater, if you go to the docks, there are many charter boats that you can take out for fishing excursions. They range from private deep sea charters to large many passenger ships.

In St. Pete - just a hop, skip and a jump, is the Pier where there is always something fun going on as well.

Fort Desota is also a great place to hang out. There is an actual Fort that you can investigate and the area is untouched and beautiful. (Or at least it was!)

The Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs are pretty neat - although kind of hard to find.

John's Pass is also a fun area to explore and hang out, it's also not too far from Clearwater.

Clearwater beach itself is full of shops, restaurants and beach fun - fishing piers, parasailing, water sprees and such are all available for rental.

Here are some links to help:

www.stpete-pier.com
www.mosi.org
www.lowryparkzoo.com
www.johnspass.com
http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm
http://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/

 

[riu girl]

Thanks so much everyone. I will pass all of this info. on to him.
Suzy

 

[4theloveofdisney]

We enjoyed Busch Gardens ourselves, but there is little for small children there. The 7-year-old could do a lot, but the other two couldn't. We went there when my daughter was 2 1/2 and the only thing she could ride was the carousel. This was 6 years ago, though, so it may have changed.

Busch Gardens HAS changed quite a bit since six years ago. We just returned to it this past October and were pleasantly surprised! They added a whole new section called Land of the Dragons. Some of the highlights were a three-story-tall tree house, an "enchanted" forest, slides, a gentle waterfall ride, at least 4 kid friendly rides, a track with cars that the kids drove themselves, a water feature station and a huge jumpy. In addition to this, there was a small kiddie area with carnival type rides (I think that was there years ago) but it was a nice little stop for the kids as well. Then there was yet another area with an airplane kid ride and something else that I can't remember. I took my little one around there while DH took the older kids on a small rollercoaster that was nearby. The kids also enjoyed driving the water boats, my oldest rode a few roller coasters, we enjoyed the animals, my 7 and 5 year old also were able to ride Sandstorm (I think) and we all rode Stanley Falls. The kids also loved playing all of the games. All in all, it has turned into a pretty neat place for kids now. I agree that years ago, there wasn't much though!