Tampa Lowry Park Zoo Offers Scary Good Fun

Looking for a scary good time? Or perhaps a not-so-scary Halloween scene?! Tampa Lowry Park Zoo offers goulishly good fun for all ages.

ZooBoo presented by floridacentral Credit Union
October 10-12, 17-19, 23-26, 30-31 & Nov. 1 • Opens 7 p.m.
Tampa Bay’s largest family Halloween event continues, with hair-raising haunts, family favorites, and some spooky species. The “Haunts” are on a skull rating system, with 7 skulls being the most terrifying! Both London Frightmare and Tangled Terror are in the “incredibly intense” category and are intended for mature audiences. The all new London Frightmare transports guests back in time to uncover dark secrets in the most haunted city in England while Tangled Terror has mad scientists in search of revenge! Slightly (only slightly) less intense haunts are the Pharoah’s Tomb of Revenge where artifacts come alive as the Curse is unleashed, and Wake the Dead, a graveyard of zombies and ghostly apparitions seeking to keep some of the visitors for themselves.

If this sounds a little too intense for you, have no (ahem) FEAR: There are family options for the more squeamish in the group (Read: SeaWorld Mommy, LOL).

The Little Beasties Bungalow features a not-so-scary world of friendly Halloween scenes and colorful lights. In the Spooky Fun Fair, kids will find bounce houses and skill games like Monster Basketball, Pumpkin Pitch, and more. Zoo rides will also be re-named for the season and are included in price of admission including Batty Bumper Boats, Pumpkin Patch Express (kiddie train), Roarin’ Roller-Ghoster (family coaster), Flyin’ Boo-nanas (kiddie flying bananas ride), Flume of Fear (water flume ride), and Scary-Go-Round (carousel).

Spooky Species is an opportunity to encounter Flying Foxes and Bats, along with Stingray Bay, the select animals on display for this special nighttime event.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $14 for children (ages 3-11). Zoo Pass holders receive discounted admission with valid I.D. at ticket windows. Hours are 7-11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 7-10 p.m. on other select nights. Find updates at www.LowryParkZoo.org and follow ZooBoo on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

Tampa Zoo $10 Deal Through September 26

Through September 26, Florida Residents can enjoy a day at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo for just $10 per person (ages 3 and up)!

Make a quick escape to Africa, Asia or Australia – no passport required. Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo features 1,000 amazing animals on nearly 60 acres of natural habitats. Guests will find many interactive exhibits and opportunities to get closer to wildlife — feed a giraffe, hold a lorikeet, touch a stingray and more. The Zoo’s Manatee and Aquatic Center expands the traditional boundaries of a zoo, focusing efforts on critical care for injured, sick and orphaned wild manatees. Also at the Zoo: splash ground water play areas, rides and educational shows.

The special September savings offer is valid for daytime admission Sept. 17-26 for Florida residents only (ages three years and up). Adults must present valid state issued identification at ticket windows. Offer may not be combined with any other discounts.

Check out their other upcoming events: http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/calendar_events.php

See “Sea Lion Splash” Before It Slips Away

Time is running out! Now through May 31 visit some of the slipperiest Sea Lions you’ll ever want to meet at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. This limited-time exhibition features coastal sea lions in all their splish-splash-iest glory educating audiences not only about themselves and their habitats along the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, but also on conservation efforts through offering tips on keeping our earth beautiful by recycling.

Just beyond the splash zone, you’ll find a huge inflatable slide (that, ahem, grownups can slide down as well!), a bounce house for smaller guests, a giant sandbox, specialty gift shop, and food kiosk with pool party-inspired food and beverages.

Admission to Sea Lion Splash is $2 per person in addition to Zoo general admission.

We were invited to visit to check out the exhibit and went with another homeschooling family, though we weren’t able to see everything at the zoo in the one day. Tampa and surrounding area residents: This is a great place to get an  annual pass. Not only is Lowry Park Zoo ranked one by Parents Magazine (read more about it here), and accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (which is very important in my book) but there are lots of activities, rides, animals and more that are sure to keep you busy all year long.

We enjoyed using the KidQuest Science Adventures “Wild At the Zoo” workbook on our trip. We did a little research with it on the way, worked on it more at lunch, then reinforced what we learned on the way home. There were lots of cool activities. The kids in our group ranging in age from 1st to 4th grade especially liked working on Animal Profiles. We ran into a Docent in the Lorikeet Landing Aviary by the Asian Gardens and the kids were proud to have already learned what “docent” meant so they could share their knowledge with her, and ask questions in return!

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is a kid-friendly zoo that has lots of activities for visitors young and old alike. We look forward to our next visit to see our favorite animals and meet a few more we missed the first time.

Visit Lowry Park Zoo before the month is out to see Sea Lion Splash!

PS Here’s a special link from Twinkl.com for teachers and homeschool moms of preschool to early-elementary students to help in
combining beginning word blends with Sea Lions!
http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-w2-20627-initial-letter-blends-on-sealions/alt338943 It’s free to join. Check them out.

Disclosure: I received tickets to visit Sea Lion Splash with no expectation for review or promotion. I did, however, enjoy it so much that I wanted to share my experience. All opinions are my own.

Nutrition and Healthcare at the Animal Care Center, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

The Animal Care Center at Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay offers guests an up-close encounter that’s unique in the zoological community and offers an unprecedented look into animal nutrition and health.

Someone’s in the kitchen

The first area of the Animal Care Center looks like a set off a television food show. Experts will prepare the animals food, sometimes with the assistance from the guests themselves. Kangaroo lovers will be excited to hear they can prepare a cup of food to Kangaloom in Walkabout Way and feed them right after!

Healthy, nutitious meals are served up for the animals at Busch Gardens

Check Up on the Check-ups

Past the kitchen area is a medical/surgical room where visitors will be able to see veterinary care in action. Whether it’s a routine check-up, or a surgical procedure, the curtain is drawn back… literally. Two-way communication makes it easy to ask questions about the procedure being performed. Very few facilities in the world have such up-close opportunities for the public to learn about the animal kingdom.

On hand for the preview, Jungle Jack Hannah marveled at the state-of-the-art facility. “It’s just like Busch Gardens,” he shared, “to do something like this. Busch Gardens is always a leader in the animal care world.”

Mike Boos, vice president of zoological operations welcomes “the opportunity to share our level of care with our guests, and to continue our mission of connecting guests to animals in the natural world.”

Sea Otter Awareness Week Gets Boost from the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund

This week, September 25 to October 1, is Sea Otter Awareness Week. Defenders of Wildlife, with support from the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, is educating the public on conservation programs and education on the sea otter’s role in nearshore marine ecosystems on California’s Central Coast.

Sea Otters are Playful and FUN to watch!

Fun Facts about California Sea Otters:

• Hair Raising! They have extremely dense fur with over 1,000,000 hairs per square inch
• Hungry! They eat about 25 to 30% of their body weight every day
• Handy! They use rocks to pry open shells

SeaWorld San Diego is home to some very playful Sea Otters at Rocky Point Preserve. They were originally stranded and were rescued as part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation program.

Adopt a Sea Otter

You can help save California Sea Otters by participating in the various programs and initiatives sponsored by Defenders of Wildlife. You can even “adopt” a sea otter! For more information, visit: http://www.saveseaotters.org.

For more than 40 years, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment – encompassing SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove – have initiated and supported wildlife conservation, research, and education at home and around the world.

Honor someone you love, or donate “just because” to the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

You can also read more on SeaWorld’s blog.

Half-Price Kids Tickets Through October 31, 2011 at SeaWorld

Nothing Spooky about this Friendly Witch!

Now through the end of October, kids get in for half-price at SeaWorld*. With each full-paid adult ticket, a child’s ticket (kids 3-9) can be purchased for half price and you both also get to enjoy the “second visit free” promotional with the discount. Additional children get $10 off their admission.  Just in time for SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular!

Guests enjoy trick-or-treating by the water side, and Halloween-themed shows throughout the park. Clyde and Seamore tend to go all out and street performers, like the Longshoremen, will make you laugh with their take on apple bobbing and pumpkin carving.

For an additional cost, families can dine with “The Count” from Sesame Street. This seasonal special is a lot of fun! Tasty breakfast, Elmo, fun for the whole family… what’s not to love? Click here for the link to purchase tickets. (Passholders don’t forget to log in to the main website to receive your discount.)

Kids can wear costumes, or not. The choice is up to them. Our 4-year-old insisted on a different costume EACH time we went last year. And as season passholders, that’s a lot of visits. (For the record, wearing a tee shirt with a baseball on it does, indeed, count as a ballplayer costume! Ha ha.)

Longshoremen Remove the "Pumpkin Guts."

Here’s a peek at the “Halloween Party” routine. I suggest when you see it live giving the stevedores some “room” to do the show. It is a splash zone. A pumpkin-spraying, arms-waving, guts flying good time.

Be sure to bring your camera as there are lots and lots of great shows, and whimsical sea creatures all around who are more than happy to take pictures with your little one. (And grownups, too!) Shamu, Opie Otter, Daisy Dolphin and the rest of the characters can also be seen out and about posing in their costumes. There are even some mermaids “swimming” about. I wonder what Shamu will be this year?!

I see something fishy at Spooktacular!

My favorite from last year was a little girl dressed as a jellyfish. What are your kids wearing? Any awesome marine-inspired costumes?

Tell me how you enjoyed Spooktacular last year. Anyone help Abby find her wand? Did you see the roller-blade-wearing sea weed? What was your favorite part? I’d love to hear from you!

*Adult admission is $81.99 plus tax, and children’s half-off admission is $36.99 plus tax with each paid-adult ticket. Visit SeaWorldOrlando.com or call 1-888-800-5447 to purchase tickets.

Cotton-Top Tamarins at Animal Connections at SEAGarden, SeaWorld

Meet the cotton-top tamarin. This adorable monkey is one of the amazing animals we met recently at “Animal Connection at SEAGarden” at SeaWorld.

Located in the park in the area in front of what used to be the Clydesdale barn, the SEAGarden has a couple of gazebos where guests can have an up-close-and-personal look at a variety of animals in scheduled “interactions.” Right next door is the Terrace Garden Buffet, too. (An all-you-can-eat pizza/pasta restaurant.)

On the critically endangered species list, the less-than-a-pound Tamarin is a spunky, friendly and (I found this especially interesting) is usually born as a twin like other callitrichids (small primates).

Check out the Cotton-top at SEAGarden next time you’re at SeaWorld. And be sure to support the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. This organization is instrumental in helping animals like the Tamarin around the globe.

Read more about their work and how you can help at: http://swbg-conservationfund.org/

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research and Many Others Play Role in Winter’s Initial Rescue ¦ Dolphin Tale Article One

Four-year-old Daniel doesn’t quite know what to make of the dolphin
who is missing her tail fluke, but he’s eager to learn!

Winter the Dolphin is in the news quite a bit lately, with her movie debut scheduled for later this month. (Click here to go to the website.) Those of us who’ve read about her for years and have followed her amazing journey from rescued animal to global source of inspiration are not surprised one bit that Hollywood called. How can one NOT be inspired of her story of survival and adaptation despite staggering odds to the contrary?

Caught in a crab trap to the point where her body was bent into a horseshoe, the few-month-old baby Atlantic bottlenose dolphin’s body flailed in the water attracting Mosquito Lagoon fisherman Jim Savage in December, 2005. His call to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission put in motion an army of biologists, and other rescuers, who would work tirelessly for hours in an attempt to save the small dolphin’s life.

Although through movie magic Winter’s rescue seems rather quick it did, in fact, take many hours of a unusually cold Florida day, and into the night.

A research assistant at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Teresa Mazza, was one of the first to respond to the cetacean stranding. When she got there just before 10 a.m., Winter was floating on the surface in the middle of the waterway. Together with the fisherman who found and disentangled her, Teresa and Claire Surrey, a manatee rescue expert from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, gently guided her towards a sandbar. The women then took turns holding the dolphin in the frigid water across their laps, monitoring her vital signs, and doing their best to keep the frightened calf calm until about 4:30 when scientists from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce arrived and the transportation team got there to take her to her new home.

It was just before sunset when Winter was loaded into the SeaWorld rescue vehicle for her 165-mile-long long journey across the state to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The Animal Care team gladly accepted the “hand off” and each member crossed fingers and toes in hopes that the struggles of the day were not too much for the exhausted dolphin to bear. They worried, too, if her tail would ever heal from the injuries inflicted.

After hours on the road, more biologists, veterinarians, trainers, and volunteers met the SeaWorld Animal Care team and their very precious cargo. Though badly injured, the dolphin’s spirit showed the staff that they should, indeed, hold out hopes that she could survive.

And survive she did! Winter, named for the winter day she was rescued, is now the goodwill ambassador for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium whose team works day in and day out in her continuing recovery.

Despite workers’ best efforts, Winter did lose her tail. It wasn’t “movie magic” that helped her swim again… but some talented, caring prosthetic experts. But that is another dolphin tale to come!

Discovery Cove at SeaWorld Takes Your Breath Away

My 4-year-old, Daniel, is used to being up close and personal with marine life. As a visitor to SeaWorld and Bush Gardens well over 100 times in his short life (not to mention countless visits to zoos and other animal-themed attractions) he’s pretty much a pro when it comes to interactions. Our visit to Discovery Cove, however, has raised the bar so much so that I fear his expectation of “normal” is forever altered!

Walking into the check-in/lobby building, Daniel first noticed the incredible art. He bent over to examine the mosaic floor. “Look, Mom. It’s like waves,” he said as he then proceeded to show me how many shades of green were represented, and how many blue. His neck craned up: “Look, Mom, at the dolphins!” Above us graceful dolphins appeared to be floating, breathtaking fiberglass on steel crafted by artist Michael Linenbroker. He looked at it from multiple angles, checking out the white fish “swimming” with them. Our feast for the eyes had begun, and we’d only arrived minutes before.

Once our entire group had arrived, our guide walked us out of the main building toward the Reef. “This is a magical path” my son informs me as we make our way along the nature path past Serenity Bay and Dolphin Lagoon. He knows he’s going to see tons of sea life, and is thrilled to find a corded “fish I.D.” card he can take with us for the day. I was happy to find it, too, as he’s extremely curious on specifics. (I can no longer get away with: “It’s a bird, or a plant, or an airplane.” It’s a Toucan, a Dusty Miller, and a Cessna!)

After donning our wetsuits (sans Spanx, dang it), our little band made tracks for the shore. We easily found a locker for our gear and a chair for our towels. Despite being at capacity for the grand opening of the new attraction, we didn’t feel crowded. Even  “full” was not shoulder-to-shoulder like some places. We felt free and easy, with plenty of “elbow room.”

After our guides gave us the lay of the land we walked into the water, snorkeling gear in hand. A cow-nose stingray swam past us at about “knee deep,” causing aforementioned 4-year-old a moment’s hesitation. Initial fear melted into an ear-to-ear grin followed by wild expressions of delight. Great big eyes looked up at me as he asked, “Can we go way out there?!”

I knew he’d fall in love with Discovery Cove, but I had no idea it would be so hard and so complete. Everywhere he looked there were birds, tropical fish, marine mammals… you name it. At the center of his fascination was the brand new Grand Reef.

With a footprint of 2.5 acres and close to a million gallons of water and 5 million pounds of pristine, sifted beach sand, the Grand Reef is home to thousands of tropical fish and dozens of rays including spotted eagle rays that have a 5-foot wingspan! Behind glass we found eels and, holy moly, sharks!

We balanced on rock formations (man made, like the removable coral so as not to be sharp) and bobbed and floated and swam to points near and far checking out the abundant marine species, and marveling at this unprecedented view into their world.

We did attempt the snorkeling gear, LOL!

I would have loved it if my little man could have used the mask and snorkel to better see the curious and colorful creatures in our midst, but he may be a little young… this trip. He couldn’t quite get it into his head that something covering his eyes and nose (and being tight and pressing on his face) was a good thing. His mom, however, put the gear to good use (with dad nearby to watch the boy). Swimming nose to nose with a stingray whose eyes were larger than mine was awe-inspiring, I can assure you.

“I don’t see how I could ever return to common life after this,” thought we all (quoting “Anne of Green Gables”).

Sure you may have gotten goose bumps at SeaWorld interacting with the marine life and riding the awesome rides. And OK, your family has giggled with delight while whooshing down the slides at Aquatica…. But if you’re ready for your next BIG close encounter with all you love from the marine parks, do not miss Discovery Cove. I’m already counting the days until I, too, can return.

Get the Sensation at One Ocean at SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld’s new killer whale show was unveiled recently with a splash! (Understatement of the year!) Crowds, as you can imagine for opening day, were heavy, but we managed to get a seat. (We joking referred to ourselves as “ceiling fans,” we were SO far up in the stadium.) In our subsequent visits we’ve made it a point to arrive 30 to 40 minutes early to get the up-close-and-personal seats. Why? Well, first because it’ breathtaking being close to the whales, and second because you “get the sensation.”

Young children are naturally curious. Talking about events like this by discussing the senses is a super introduction to not only science, but language arts. And they learning to be good observers and communicators, all while recounting a fun, FUN show.

We started with the five “primary” (or most-known) senses.

What did we hear? Uplifting and up-tempo music, of course, but we also heard the sound of water splashing as the whales jumped out of the water, then BOOM landed again. We heard the crowd giggling and screaming when they were hit with the splashes and the water crashing on the stadium seats.

What did we see? Majestic, huge!, shiny black-and-white beauties, caring trainers, TONS of water, huge screens that moved, lots and lots of people having the time of their lives. We pointed out some of the whale’s anatomy: rostrum, fluke, blow hole, dorsal fin and eyespot. And look, up in the sky… it’s a bird. But he’s not part of the show! It’s just a white feathered friend trying to sneak a snack.

How about feeling? Did we feel anything… unusual? Well, when we sat up in the upper balcony we felt the smoothness of the seat underneath us and the gritty concrete of the stadium walls. Normal stuff. On subsequent visits (when we sat in the Zone), however, we also felt wet… REALLY wet as we felt the splash from the pool!

Get the Sensation of Being SPLASHED

We smelled snacks, and the faint smell of fish when the wind caught it “just so,” but didn’t taste anything until the show was over and we re-filled our popcorn bucket (you certainly don’t want a full bucket getting soggy in the show, now do you?).

There are more than five senses. It’s actually closer to 20. One of the many “lesser-known” senses we described is thermoception which, to my young child, we called hot/cold. One minute we were “enjoying” (ahem) the Florida heat and then WHAM! a wall of extremely cold water made our skin shiver as goose bumps appeared.

Our balance helped us maneuver up and down the steps and kept us from toppling off our seats when we were hit with “the wave.” We could tell time was passing as we waited for the show to begin and were impatient for it to start. (And, curiously, time seemed to go quicker during all the fun!)

Describing what we sensed not only helped fix the memories in our minds, but helped my son use his exploding language skills.

One Ocean was fun. It was thrilling. It was (dare I say it?!) SENSEational! And it was, yet again, an educational experience for the whole family, cleverly disguised as a whale of a day.