I love the holidays and finding new holiday outings since we moved to Tampa has been a goal of mine. Now that my twins toddlers are a little older, they’re getting excited too and really enjoy the holiday outings rather than fight it like they used to. They “ohhh and ahhh” over all the lights in our neighborhood, love watching Christmas movies, and constantly keep asking when Santa is coming. Sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect holiday outing for toddlers but with a few weeks let in December I thought I’d share some of fun holiday outings we’ve had with the toddlers and things we want to do in the future here in Tampa.

1. Enchant Christmas in St Pete. We started going to Enchant Christmas in St Pete when it re opened last year and the girls had so much fun we decided to do it again this year. Held at Tropicana Field in St. Pete Florida, they have the worlds biggest lighted maze, a Christmas Market and ice skating. They also provided fun holiday drinks for adults and kids, and a meet and greet with Santa. All around you can find Christmas gifts, great food and even boozy ice cream. They also have live entertainment around the maze, and the girls loved singing and dancing with them. We loved this new holiday tradition and will be returning. You can find more information for tickets and dates here.
2. Busch Gardens Tampa. Busch Gardens Tampa is always a fun family theme park. But during the holidays you can visit their Christmas Town which has animal encounters, holiday eats and festive shows. They also do nightly fireworks and meet and greets with Santa and Rudolph! Happening now at Busch Gardens Tampa you can also see their beautiful light displays which boasts a million lights! You can find tickets and information here!
3. Snow Cat Ridge. Living in Florida has it perks, but one thing we don’t see a lot of is snow. So if you want to experience it for yourself, then Snow Cat Ridge in Dade City Florida is the place for you. Snowy Slopes is a 60 ft tall 400 ft long snow tubing hill which takes you down the slopes in single rider, tandem or groups. They also have Snow Igloos for building snowmen and playing in the snow, ice skating and an alpine village. Check here for days and tickets.
4. Ice at Gaylord Palms. So Ice isn’t in Tampa persay, but an hour drive to Kissimmee will land you at Gaylord Palms Ice this year featuring How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love visiting Ice and seeing all the beautiful Ice sculptures they have. They also have daily holiday shows with singers, dancers and performers. If you can make it I would put Ice on your list this Holiday Season.
5. Christmas in the Wild at Lowry Park– Visit the Lowry Park Zoo after hours and see the animals at lit up and ready for the holidays at ZooTampa! The have Tampa Bays largest light display, holiday treats and more! You can find more information here.
6. Making Christmas Cookies!- ok so this one you can do anywhere not just Tampa, but I love the holiday tradition of making Christmas Cookies. A fun way to add to your Christmas Cookie making is to set up a small tripod and put your phone or camera on it. Then record some or all of you making cookies with your littles. It could get messy but thats the fun part. You can then go back later and snap screen shots of your favorite moments. A perfect holiday card right in your kitchen!
7. Visit Santa. This for me is so much fun because I’ve been doing Santa Mini Sessions since before my little ones were born. I like going to a photographer who does Santa mini Sessions rather than wait in line at a mall. Your toddlers are more likely to warm up to Santa and the photographer can have different set ups. If you want to check out my dos and don’ts of Santa mini sessions you can do so here.