Things to do in the Tampa, Clearwater Beach area? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Can anyone suggest what there is to do for 1 or 2 days in that area? We'll be in Orlando most of the time but would like to drive over and spend a day, stay overnight and drive back late afternoon the next day. Besides Busch Gardens, what else is recommended for 3 famlies with kids ages 5 to 13? Staying overnight in Clearwater Beach seems to be the most enticing so far. We would like the kids to get in some beach time also if possible.
Thanks for any suggestions.
__________________
DVC Member BWV- 6/08
WDW -lost count!
Disneyland 2X
Disney Magic 11/04 Eastern
Disney Magic 12/06 Western, 08/15/09
Disney Wonder 01/08, 02/09, 08/10
Disney Dream B2B 08/11
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'd definitely spend some time at the beach - the beaches in that area are beautiful. I spent a little time at Fort De Soto park last year - it's a beautiful stretch of beach - we found loads of seashells and sand dollars there.
Since it's summer - you could always catch a Devil Rays game if they are in town.
If you go about an hour south of Tampa- in sarasota - there is Siesta key beach - it was on the travel channels top 10 beaches of FL - and we visited there one day last August - and it was beautiful!!!!! The sand is known for being white - and it was nice and cool - not like here is New England where the sand gets so hot you can barely walk on it - and the water was incredible!!! Again, not like here is NE where you can usually only stay for a short time regardless of how hot it is! And DD thought it was best that we could relax on tube floats in the water all day - again something they won't allow here in NE!!!
sorry to go on - but can you tell we LOVED it!!!
__________________
Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
How about the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa? My DGM & DGF live about a half hour outside Tampa and have visited Lowry Park many times. They highly recommend it! Also, if you have a membership at your local zoo, you may get discounted or free admission to Lowry Park under their reciprocity program. Just bring your "home" zoo's member ID!
Hope this helps! Good luck deciding!
- Laurie
__________________
Laurie (aka LeapDayBaby) having a blast with Mickey and Goofy at Epcot, August 2006
Seven trips to WDW (1975, 1982, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013, 2014)! Next trip: Soon, I hope! I've been jingled! Thanks Sandy!
We went to this really neat place. They have saved sea turtles and dolphins. They also do a trip out in a boat so that you can see what really is in the water. the use crab traps, trawling the water. They stop at a smal island so you can shell a bit. It was quite neat and hope to do it again next year.Amputee dolphin | Gets fake tail | Bionic sea creature | The Sun |HomePage|News|Weird
We are doing that in Aug, Before we go to Orlando, I booked one night at a beachfront hotel in St. Petersburg Beach. I plan on just playing lizard on the beach!! And floating around on a tube
We just stayed at the Clearwater Best Western Sea Wake. Anywhere around there has beautiful beaches. We rented a Jet Ski from the Holiday Inn down the street and had a blast. They are expensive, but if you go before noon, they usually give you a discount. Also, there is a pirate cruise and a dolphin excursion. You are guaranteed to see dolphins or you get another trip free. They also have the world's biggest speed boat. Looked fun! Traffic on the causeway is worst in the morning (everyone going to the beach) and around 5:00 (everyone leaving the beach). If you have any questions, let me know!
I would highly recommend Lowry Park Zoo. It was one of the best zoos that I have been too. It has been several years ago but we really had a good time. From what I remember the admission wasn't very high at the time. We were able to see all of the animals all day. The way the zoo is laid out it is like natural habitats (no cages with a few exceptions). There are some natural springs in Tampa but I can't remember the name of the park. It is a state park I think but not really sure. You can swim in the springs (they are very cold). They have finished it similar to a pool. The beaches at Clearwater are really nice too. We usually stay at the Alden Resort. No matter where you go you will find tons of things to do.
Don't think anyone mentioned Busch Gardens in Tampa? We went in 2005 & loved it. It has something for everyone. Big thrill rides, small tame ones, a tube river ride like WDW, Actually there were 2 water rides I think. African savanah like AK that you can take a overhead tram ride over or jeep, shows, exibits, s show similar to Flights Of Wonder in AK, etc. Not to mention free beer tasting for the adults! It is owned by Anheiser Busch!!!
About This Page: 
DVC Member BWV- 6/08
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I've been jingled! Thanks Sandy!
Linear Mode
