LEGOLAND Florida

There are many reasons to book that Florida summer vacation now, and Tampa Bay is one of them. The area is blooming with surprises this season, and most are perfect for family vacations. So pack that sunscreen, don that hat and flip flops and off you go!

Legoland Florida Water Park: Opening its doors for the first time to the public on May 26, 2012, this attraction is the latest addendum to the already popular LEGOLAND in Florida. So, now you have an excuse to get geeky and build houses of Legos AND get wet and slide down tubes. It’s sure to please every family member.

Ice Show at the Busch Gardens: A new show, Iceploration, will give you a taste of the winter in Florida. The Broadway-style entertainment show is brand new, and brings you world-class skaters, more than 75 original costumes, aerial performances and puppetry. In short, a promise of Cirque du Soleil on ice.

Dinosaur World: This already popular exhibit unveils 12 new acres, and the expansion features a “live” exhibit that features more than mere statues. There are five animatronic dinosaurs including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, Pterodactyl and T-Rex.

Mummies of the World Exhibition: The Museum of Science & Industry makes its stop in Florida as part of its seven-city tour. This exhibit also includes a 6,420 child mummy from Peru which dates 3,000 years before King Tut.

Straz Center for the Performing Arts: This center always has something new to offer during the summer season, and this time you can hear selections from: Sister Act, Cole Porter’s classic Anything Goes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Jekyll & Hyde, War Horse and Gershwin’s ’S Wonderful.

There’s no shortage—or excuse—for boredom when you have water parks, dinosaurs, mummies and Broadway in one city, so what’s not to love about visiting Tampa this summer?

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photo: nathanf