Spring Break 2017: Sarasota

For Spring Break 2017, we jetted off to sunny Sarasota, Florida to escape the cold weather.  Sarasota was a new destination for us and turned out to be a great place to enjoy the sun, the sand, and lots of fun kids' activities.

DAY 1:  We bid Minnesota a fond farewell as we boarded our flight bound for Tampa. We eventually arrived safe and sound (after a 45 minute delay on the tarmac), loaded up our rental car with luggage, installed 3 car seats (not an easy task to complete in a timely manner!), and ventured off towards our destination. Since we had missed lunch, we stopped in St. Petersburg to grab a bite at the 400 Beach Seafood and Taphouse. The weather was perfect for sitting outside - not too hot and not too cold - and the food was delicous!

All buckled up and ready for the drive!

The boys in St. Petersburg

The girls waiting for lunch to arrive

After lunch, we loaded back up in our rental van and continued on our 1 hour drive to Sarasota.  The views were amazing (and I must admit a bit terrifying) as we drove along the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  The bridge is over 4 miles in length and crosses Tampa Bay - that's a lotta water to cross!  The kids missed out on most of the driving excitement as Cole and Rose were fast asleep.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge passes right over the bay

The view from the bridge

2 sleeping, 1 enjoying his iPad time

We finally arrived at our destination - the Lido Beach Resort located on Lido Key. We settled into our room (we even had a view of the Gulf of Mexico!), checked out our resort's amenities, took a stroll along the beach and grabbed a late dinner at the resort's restaurant.

Cole and Shane on our balcony at the resort

Owen finding shells on the beach

Owen, Rose and Jess exploring Lido Beach

DAY 2:  The next day we ventured up the road to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium.  The Aquarium was full of all types of ocean life - sea horses, sharks, jelly fish, sting rays and more!

Ready to check out the Aquarium

A Lion Fish

Cole and Rose peeking into the Jellyfish Reproduction Lab

Cole touching a crab's shell

Owen watching a shark swim by

The aquarium is split into 2 different sites.  After exploring the first building, it was a great time to grab lunch across the road at the Old Salty Dog located right on the Sarasota Bay.  The Old Salty Dog lived up to its name and catered well to its 4 legged customers.  There were lots of dogs in the parking lot and bar area.  Our little puppy lover Rose was in Heaven!  To top it off, the kids' meals were served on bright red plates, which we didn't realize until the end of the meal, were actually frisbees for the kids to take home.  These would end up coming in very handy!  After lunch, we strolled down to the second part of the aquarium where we were able to see gigantic sea turtles, humongous manatees, little crocodiles and teeny tiny shrimp.

Owen and Rose in awe of the giant manatee

Rose taking a ride on crocodile statue

A baby crocodile swimming

Owen looking at tiny baby shrimp

Owen holding the magnifying glass

Owen could have stayed at the aquarium all day, but Cole and Rose were losing interest so they started playing games with the frisbees they got at lunch.  They both thought it was hilarious to roll their frisbees down the sidewalk.

After a day filled with ocean life, my little ones were eager to jump in the water themselves!  We spent the afternoon splishing and splashing away in the pool at our resort.  They sure do love the water!

Once the kids were all swam out, we got cleaned up and headed to St. Armands Circle.  Our resort had a shuttle that ran on demand, dropping off and picking guests up from the circle, which we took full advantage of.  St. Armands Circle is literally a circle of hundreds of shops and restaurants.  It's a very popular area and parking can be difficult - thus the excitement over the shuttle!

We walked around the area, grabbed dinner and some yummy gelato, and then it was back to the resort to wind down and get ready for bed.  It had been a long day!

Enjoying the view from our balcony

DAY 3:  Our third day in Sarasota was spent at the Jungle Gardens.  It was another beautiful Florida day.  The Jungle Gardens is basically a zoo with a few unique attractions - baby alligators (even one you could hold!), vibrant-colored talking parrots that weren't even in cages, and flamingos that you can feed by hand!

The rest of our day was spent at the beach at our resort, walking along the water, searching for shells, and building sand castles.

DAY 4:  We decided to check out some of the local sights.  Our first stop was the Children's Garden - a garden made just for kids to run and play.  The kids had fun exploring the area.

Afterwards, we headed to the Bayfront Park to grab lunch and for more play time.  The park sits right along Sarasota Bay - in this area of Florida it seems like you are always on the water!  We ate outside at O'Leary's and were even treated to live music.

After lunch we walked over to the Children's Fountain, but unfortunately it was closed for maintenance, so instead we played at the playgrounds next to it so the kids could burn off some energy.

Owen pulling me down the slide

Here come Rose and Owen

Jess & Cole at Bayfront Park

Cole making some silly people

That evening Owen asked to watch the sunset on the beach.  So Owen and Shane went off to enjoy the beautiful sunset while I took the littles to our room to get ready for bed.

Owen watching the sunset

DAY 5: We took a gamble and lined up a private boat tour of the bay.  We were worried how the kids would react to being on a boat - it could have gone very badly.  But instead they all LOVED it!!  It was the highlight of our trip!  We even got to see a bald eagle, several dolphins and a glimpse of a manatee.

Ready for the boat ride!

A dolphin swimming in the bay

Cole especially loved going fast.  Every time we had to slow down due to a no-wake zone, he'd immediately ask, "When can we go fast again?!?"

Cole ready for the wind!

Cole excited to go fast!

The boys feeling the wind in their hair

The hum of the engine was a bit too soothing for Owen and Rose.  Eventually they both fell fast asleep.

That night, Shane and Cole headed down to their favorite table at the resort. They had started a nightly routine of sitting outside in the lounge area of our resort for some quiet time - for Cole, that meant iPad time. He'd ask Shane every night if they could go sit at their spot.

DAY 6: We set off for the Big Cat Habitat and Sanctuary. The sanctuary rescues and houses exotic cats and other wildlife in need of a permanent homes. This was the first day that the Florida sun was a bit too hot for our Minnesota skin. We saw some amazing animals, got to pet the cutest baby goats, and all the kids had a chance to feed a bear and tiger.

Rose trying to kiss the baby goat

Owen petting the baby goat

Cole reading about tortoises

Cole and Rose going for a pony ride

Owen feeding a tiger

Shane & Rose feeding a tiger

Cole feeding a bear

The bear waving goodbye

That evening we grabbed dinner in St. Armands Circle, played on the beach and watched the sun set or as Rose would say, "Sun go nappy time."

Rose testing out Owen's snorkeling gear

Owen, Rose & Jess watching the "sun go nappy time"

Day 7: Our last full day in Florida was a lazy one spent at our resort. The boys were up bright and early as per usual. While the girls caught up on their beauty rest, the boys headed down to breakfast. They had been grabbing an early morning breakfast at the restaurant at our resort every morning during our stay. They always sat at the same table, had the same waiter and ordered the exact same thing. So by the end of the week, their waiter knew their order by heart.

Rose and I would awake from our slumber around 8:30 every morning. It's vacation - might as well sleep in! We spent the day playing ping-pong, splashing around in the pool and soaking up the rays on the beach.

Owen jumping in the pool

Rose gazing at all the water

Cole, Owen, Shane and Rose cooling off in the pool

Cole blowing bubbles

Rose finding seashells

Rose and Cole attempting a game of ping pong

Rose all tuckered out from a long week of no naps

DAY 8: Our final day in Florida was spent packing up the room, loading up the car, and heading back to Tampa to catch our flight home.  What a fun week we had!  We will definitely be back!