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Outback Bowl - Tampa
Has anyone attended the Outback Bowl in the past? We are hoping to take a trip to watch Iowa play in a bowl game and after Saturday's loss, the projections are the Outback Bowl. Right now it will be DH, me, and our 9 mo old son.
Where did you stay? We would like a hotel that has a pool (for our DS); zero depth entry would be fantastic but not necessary. We also want a place that has fridges in the rooms and provides free breakfast in the morning.
What sights did you see? I know Busch Gardens is in the area but what else? Are there any nice parks, beaches, etc?
Did anyone drive to Orlando for a day? How was the drive, how early did you have to leave to get to one of the parks at a reasonable time in the morning?
Any other tips?
Thanks for your help!
Re: Outback Bowl - Tampa
I know we are in Florida and all, but January isn't going to be prime pool weather. Last year our winter was stupidly cold. W/ that said, most hotels have pools, and they are not indoor like you might be used to. I can't really comment on hotels w/ free breakfast/fridges and 0 depth pool entry (this baffles me)..
As for things to do. The FL Aquarium is in Tampa, it's nice. I don't know that a 9mth old would enjoy it.
Beaches? It's going to be January. If you really do want to go to the beach, there are plenty of beaches you can visit. Clearwater, St. Pete, Ft. Desoto, Madeira, Redington, Indian Shores.
How long are you planning on being here? I don't really think Busch Gardens would be all that exciting since you are going to have a young baby w/ you.
Oh, there is the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, that is neat.
We went last year when Auburn played Northwestern. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza. It was a little ways away from the stadium but it wasn't bad..maybe a 10-15 minute drive?
We didn't do a whole lot of sightseeing or anything because we were down in Tampa the night before (New Years Eve) and we went down to our team hotel (DH works in athletics) and hung out with some friends in the athletic dept and then went out downtown to celebrate. We got up bright and early and went to the game and then headed home after the game because DH had to be back to work.
Some friends of ours were down there for a few days and I know that they went to Busch Gardens with a whole group and had a blast but, like the PP mentioned, if you have a baby...maybe not.
We hung out around the stadium for awhile before the game and had a good time. Went to Tiger Walk (an Auburn thing) and visited some of the booths and vendors.
The weather SUCKED. It was freezing cold and it rained the whole entire game. NOT FUN. Hopefully y'all have better weather. Overall, it was a great experience, a fun stadium, a fun town...we'd go back...but hopefully Auburn won't be in the Outback Bowl again this year
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
What Stingy said. Except that your son will love BG. We took my daughter at months and she was so excited to see alt the animals.
It's funny, I think the Gators are probably going to end up in the Outback bowl, too. REMATCH!
Last time Iowa played UF there, we ended up picking up a linebacker and his g/f in Channelside and giving them a ride to their hotel. They got in the car, saw all our UF stuff and were like "Uh... you guys aren't going to throw us in the bay, are you?" lol.
We didn't, of course.
We went to the Orange Bowl last year in Miami and it was SO COLD. I'm sure better weather than Iowa that time of year. You guys have the nicest fans so that helps
I have nothing useful to add to this thread, so I'll leave now... :P
We were at this game, too! We actually stayed in Clearwater, a pretty touristy area on the beach. I remember it being cold, but our hotel had an (outdoor) pool and hot tub we hung out in. (My husband / then-boyfriend and brother also frolicked in the ocean at 10 pm one night, but that's another story.
) It was a good time.
Thank you all for the advice so far. Yes, yes, I know it can get very cold in Florida in January. We also went to the Orange Bowl last year and froze. It was unseasonally cold and we set a record for the coldest Orange Bowl in history.
We understand that it may be too cool to actually swim at the beach but we are looking for a great place to take a walk and put our feet in the water, weather permitting. So maybe a nice State Park or something like that would be a good place to go.
I know that the pools in Florida are outdoor pools. If it is too cold, we won't go swimming. If it is warm enough we will. The zero depth entry would be nice because our son likes to crawl and splash around in the water on his own (we sit right next to him of course). However, it is not a necessary feature, just a nice to have.
I agree with pp that mentioned our son would love the animals at Busch Gardens. He enjoys watching them at the zoo here. Honestly, I'm not a big roller coaster person so if we can't go on some of the rides due to our son being too small, it's not that big of a loss.
Again, thanks for the suggestions so far. If there are any more out there, I would appreciate the help!
State Park: Honey Moon Island. It's right outside Dunedin/Clearwater and is beautiful.
Just wanted to add that it is a pretty easy drive to Orlando. Its about an hour from downtown Tampa to Disney, and maybe 75 minutes to Universal Studios. Lowry Park is a lot cheaper than Busch Gardens if you want to see animals, and they have Wild Winderland at that time of year, which is neat for kids. The Hard Rock hotel has the kind of pool you are looking for, although I am not sure if it is heated or if you really want to stay at a casino hotel with a little one. Have fun!