The Littlest Funk blog: lowry park zoo

Roaring Springs at ZooTampa!

Friday, June 8, 2018

My girls and I had the chance to check out the new Roaring Springs, a three-level splashdown at ZooTampa this week and I'm excited to share all about it with you!

I was a little unsure how much fun the girls would have since they are so little, but they loved that they were able to stand in the Splash Zone! Well, Charlotte liked the concept but didn't care for the actually splashing part. Ha!

Roaring Springs officially opens Saturday, June 9th, 2018 and you are going to want a front row seat or a back row seat if you want to get really soaked.

I loved the country vibe, the amazing food from Joe's Diner (fish tacos? Yes, please!), the fun water ride and it's ode to Florida's native landscape and wildlife. Overall, it exceeded my expectations and my girls didn't want to leave. I don't blame them either! Besides all the fun, it's a nice break from the Florida heat.

Of course, they immediately went for the deconstructed Key Lime Pie and it was delicious! They will even had fresh squeezed orange juice to drink...yum! I personally liked it all and can't wait to go back to try some more of what Joe's Diner will offer.

After heading to the Splash Zone, my oldest begged me to go on the ride. I was hesitant, but headed over thinking she wouldn't be tall enough. To my surprise, she hit a growth spurt and was tall enough! You have to be at least 36" to ride with an adult and 42" to ride by yourself. Being 24 weeks pregnant with twins, I couldn't ride with her and little sis couldn't either. Thankfully, another blogger friend was able to go with her and I was more nervous than she was! She made it through and loved every second of it. My super adventurous and brave 4 year old!

You can experience the rush of Roaring Springs for yourself over and over again with a Zoo Membership or Pay For a Day, Return All Year FREE!

Thank you to ZooTampa for inviting us to their media event! As always, opinions are 100% honest and my own.

lowry park zoo · tampa · toddler · toddler fun · zoo

Lowry Park Zoo | Making Memories with my Toddler

Thursday, August 11, 2016

7 comments

We love the zoo! I truly believe you could never be too young or too old to go to the zoo! Emma has only been one other time when she was a year old and had fun, but this time was an entirely different experience for all of us. She recognized most of the animals and the other animals she wasn't sure of, she guessed and it was so cute! (Example, a zebra was a horse, which totally makes sense to a two year old. Haha!) We enjoyed watching her get excited about each animal and exhibit, laugh, dance and have the best time!

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo graciously allowed us to enjoy one of their new events this year called, Sunset Celebration. It was a blast! They also have two new events coming up that I am so excited about, October Creatures of the Night and December Christmas in the Wild.

Did you know that when you pay for a one day ticket, you can go back all year for FREE? That includes these after 4PM events too! There are even FL resident discounts!

The zoo is such a great toddler friendly thing to do that they will love! We got there a little early so the girls didn't miss seeing any of the animals. It's hard to say what Emma's favorite was, but the elephants were mine and were a big part of the Sunset Celebration. Michael and Emma went on an African Guided Safari and took these great shots of the animals. I was bummed that Charlotte was too little to ride, but she and I got to hang out while we waited for Daddy and Emma. These animals are beautiful!

We took a break after their ride and seeing some of the other animals to enjoy the Jungle Carousel. This was Charlotte's first time to ride one and one of Emma's favorite things to do.

This was about the time the park started getting ready for Sunset Celebration. They had tons of different food options, an awesome dance area for the kids in the Safari Lodge (and yummy drinks for the adults), followed by a champagne toast at sunset in front of the elephant overlook spot. We couldn't get Emma off the dance floor! It was so special and so fun! They even threw apples to the elephants and we got to see them up close and the littlest one play in the water. The night ended with a concert and a laser light show!

Speaking of the elephants, did you know that 96 elephants are lost each day in Africa to poaching? This means that they could be extinct by 2020. I hate knowing that my girls won't be able to enjoy these wonderful creatures in as little as four years. There are ways that we can help! Click here to adopt an animal and click here to donate!

Another great memory making adventure with my toddler in the books! We were even joined by some of our good friends and their son, who Emma loves hanging out with! Here are a some more pictures of our fun trip to Lowry Park Zoo. Enjoy, and this is definitely a must if you are in the Tampa Bay area!