Hello from Coromandel! I’m almost 8,000 miles away from home and likely still settling in – as we learned in Ireland earlier this year, that time change with a toddler can be killer – but I’ve been thinking about how my summer of travel rolled seamlessly into a fabulous Florida fall. While this is my first time out of state since our trip to Greenville, SC, there have been plenty of bright spots around Tampa Bay over the past month or so. These are some of the highlights:
My son and I went to visit my mom one weekend in October, and she said to “bring overalls.” I packed them, not knowing what she had in mind. As it turns out, on the second Saturday of each month, the Central Pasco & Gulf Railroad offers free rides (a donation is greatly appreciated) through Crews Lake Wilderness Park. I had no idea this even existed, but it was such a perfect activity for family fun. We made it to several Tampa Bay parks as the weather got a little more bearable, but this was definitely the best experience.
The Florida Aquarium is generally considered one of the best aquariums in the US, and we’re fortunate to have it close by in downtown Tampa. I love this as a family activity because it 1) keeps our toddler entertained, and 2) is mostly air conditioned – we don’t get to enjoy a cool fall like a lot of the country! We actually have a family membership (if you visit twice in a year, it’s worth it), so we try to go often and make the most of it. I took the kiddo on a Friday in late September for a visit, and we beat the weekend crowds.
While we weren’t super impressed by the pumpkin patch at the St. Pete Pier, it was still a lovely opportunity to meet up with our friends and soak in the views over the water. There is so much open space, and it’s the perfect place to hang out, with plenty of strong restaurant options nearby. My biggest complaint about the Pier is that the on-site parking fills up really quickly, so you’ll probably need to walk a bit; we generally opt to park in the Sundial Parking Garage, which isn’t too far and is often cheaper than metered options.
Y’all I know I love any excuse to visit Sweetfields Farm, and their pumpkin patch was ultimately why I booked tickets to go with my mom and sister. Sunflower season is definitely my favorite, but fall on the farm was still a ton of fun. We did the hay and corn mazes, with my son pointing us in the direction we should go, and ate our weight in kettle corn. While they are unfortunately now closed for the season, you can keep an eye on their website for when they will open again. Reminder: you’ll need to book those tickets in advance!
We had previously tried to go to Old Farmer’s Creamery in St. Pete for dessert, but we found them unexpectedly closed – they had run out of ice cream! While this was a bummer at the time, when we were looking for a treat to celebrate closing on our new house last month, we knew exactly where to go. Since it’s a small business, it was a little more expensive than other ice cream shops we’ve visited, but this locally owned ice cream shop has so many delicious flavors to choose from; we still felt it was worth it for a special occasion.
I love that we get to spend some of this season on the other side of the world, but it’s also important to remember how much cool stuff is happening in my own backyard. If you’re looking for more stuff to do in and around Tampa, these are some of our favorites: