Month: February 2019

Today was our last full day in Florida. A little before 9 we were off in our rental car to St. Petersburg. Surprisingly with the Google Maps on our phones, we have been able to easily find our destinations. The limited access highways in this area merge really well, often with two lanes exiting to join another highway by having those lanes go right into that highway. And the GPS even shows the two lane exits. I happily navigated while my courageous friend manned the wheel.

The ride from our condo to St. Petersburg took us about 40 minutes. The city is 26 miles southwest of Tampa and sits on the Tampa Bay. There are two causeways that connect Tampa to the peninsula and the city. Can you believe St. Petersburg has an average of 361 days of sunshine annually? No wonder snow birds flock to this area! St. Pete sounded great for our sun deprived souls!

While the town boasts of it’s Dali Museum and Chihuly Collection (celebrated glass artist Dale Chihuly), and a Holocaust Museum, we wanted to be outslde soaking in the sun with the projected high of 73 degrees. So Sunken Garden was our choice.

We joined a tour with another couple. Our guide explained that in the 1920’s George Turner began charging visitors a nickel to stroll through his gardens. In 1935 Sunken Gardens officially opened to tourists. Today visitors can follow the paths that meander through lush foliage, ponds and waterfalls. There are flamingoes, butterflies, and macaws. The gardens can be rented for special events and weddings.

A bakery was adjacent to Sunken Gardens, so we went to check out their selections. Missy succumbed to a delicous cookie while my sweet tooth was sated by a sample of key lime pie and a cola. We ate our power bars and apples on one of their outside tables. Nice! A picnic lunch on Feb. 1st!

We next headed for the waterfront. Being located on the bay side rather than the Gulf, we saw marinas, really big boats, and a wide walkway that stretched along the shore. Parking the car, we strolled up the sidewalk then headed into the downtown area. Missy wanted to get some cigars for her son. We found such a store along one of the main streets.

Going back to our car, we stopped at a bar along the harbor. It was happy hour, so sitting at an outside table enjoying the warm sunny day on the deck turned out to be a wise choice.

After our “happy hour” we walked back to our car. Seeing two bicyclists just finishing their ride, we asked for a restaurant suggestion. We programmed the address into the GPS. It was a restaurant right along Beach Drive. We choose early bird specials for $14.95 including dessert. Once again we chose outdoor seating. St. Petersburg certainly has great weather!

Ending the evening by browsing an art gallery and several shops, we were ready to head back to our condo. Our flight back to PA was in the morning. We were sad to leave the Tampa area, but we sure packed plenty into our short sojourn! Thanks for joining us on our “girls’ getaway”!

I was really looking forward to spending our day at Busch Gardens. When our children were small we had been a few times to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. The one in Tampa has a different theme. Instead of countries, it is set in Africa ; besides rides and shows there are a lot of animals in their natural habitats. It was partly sunny and reached 68 by early afternoon.

Besides the animals, we also took in two shows. One was a doo-wop show with singers and dancers. They were really talented and sang songs from the 50’s and 60’s. There was also an ice skating show that was also well done. These routines were set to more present day music, so I did not find it quite as enjoyble. Must be showing my age!

We left the park around six. After quite a busy day, we decided to head back to our rental to heat up leftovers from the past two nights. We were ready to relax and watched a few shows of Grace and Frankie on Netflix before we called it a day.

Busch Garden indeed was a very interesting place without even going on one single ride. The best part was that it wasn’t crowded! I’ll never forget our hungry giraffe!

Our first stop this morning was the Tampa Bay History Center. This was in downtown Tampa and I sure was glad that Missy was driving. The biggest hassle was construction at the museum which made parking a challenge. We found a high-rise parking garage within a block from the museum.

  First we watched a film about the Spanish explorers who came to the area in the 1500s. There was also a multimedia presentation about the Seminole Indians’ War which went on from 1835-1842. It was told from the point of view of the chief of Seminoles. After being defeated the Indians were relocated to a reservation in Arkansas. We both had never heard of the Seminole Indian Wars before. It was one of those “not so proud” moments in our country’s history.

Another section was dedicated to the cigar industry which was located in the Ybor section of the city. Cattle driving was part of Florida’s history. There was a film on the screen putting the saddle rider right in the middle of a roundup. We both had fun rounding up the cattle. Museums sure are more interesting than when I was a kid!

We enjoyed the sun while eating our apples and power bars on the museum’s outside veranda, then we headed for a stroll on Tampa’s Riverwalk. Although the Riverwalk was started in the 1970’s , it wasn’t until the project was reenergized in the early 2000’s that sections were added. It was completed in 2016. The Riverwalk is 2.4 miles in length and connects several hotels, two parks, a performing arts center and the history museum. It was fun strolling along the walkway in the sunshine and the 65 degree temperature. We remarked that back home it was in the single digits and snowing.

• 

Our next stop was the Big Cat Rescue. This is a 45 acre sanctuary with over 140 rescued bobcats, tigers, lions and leopards. On the tour we got to hear the story of how each animal found it’s way to their final home. I was surprised how many people think they can buy one of these wild cats and try to make them into their pet. Finally giving up they seek shelters for their cat. We even got to see a stay-vacation area where each animal is allowed two weeks alone in this larger area.

We found a nearby Carrabbas to eat dinner and relax.  It was great timing because when we were done we missed the rush hour traffic.  We had a great day exploring Tampa. Didn’t miss that snow back home at all!

My friend Missy and I left our house at 7 am for the Philadelphia airport to catch a 10:40 American flight to Tampa, Florida. Just a quick four day trip to get away from PA’s cold and snow. We got out just in time since 3-5 inches of snow was forecast for later in the day!

Poor us. We had to adjust to the temperature in Tampa. It was in the 60’s and cloudy,.

We rented a house from VRBO to the east of Tampa about 20- minutes from the airport. Here are some pictures of our rental.

We drove to the nearest store to get groceries. After putting away our supplies, we looked for a nearby restaurant. There was a local Mexican restaurant called Tres Amigos. Unfortuately, I forgot to take a picture. There was even a station in the restaurant where they fried fresh tortilla shells. We had chicken fajitas and the tortillas were fabulous.

Stayed tuned for our exploration tomorrow!