What about Tampa area?

[E-ticket-liz]

Grammy decided over the summer that she really wants to see Busch Gardens while she can get around. I rented a condo in Indian Rocks Beach, but unfortunately, I looked at the calendar wrong and rented for MLK Jr. week :brick: . So, I'm trying to do damage control--anyone know crowd patterns for BG? What about other area attractions? We're looking at the FL Aquarium, which won't be much fun if it's too crowded (Grammy gets claustrophobic inside crowded buildings). I think the other attractions we're thinking about should be okay, but is there anything I should know? What must-sees are there for a 3-generation family group (72, 50, 40--and 10 weeks pregnant!--and 2.5)? DS is active, curious, and not afraid of anything, so we think he'll really enjoy both BG (what he can do at 37-38 inches tall) and the aquarium. I hear there's quite a playground in St. Pete Beach--any more info on that? What about a few hours in the bird sanctuary? What state parks should we try to hit? It's been a long, long time since I was a tourist in the Tampa area, so I'm pretty rusty here. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Muchas gracias,

E-ticket-liz

 

[palmage]

this all opinion,
Caladesi is a cool beach, take the ferry from Honeymoon Island.
The Aguarium won't be crowded, it's never crowded.
The Sea Bird Sanctuary is cool but small, it's just up the street from my home.
Bay Walk and the Pier are great places.
Other than Channel Side and Ybor there's not much in Tampa.