Summer break just began. Are your kids’ already driving you crazy? Are you looking for something for them to do without having to take a long trip? There are Plant City destinations of choice to burn off some of their energy and relieve your stress…oh yeah…and have a good time with them…oh yeah…and educate them, too. Here are a few.
You may not have realized it, but Dinosaur World is in Plant City. The park sits just off I-4 at the Branch Forbes Road exit. The park’s tag line is “Education Meets Imagination.” About 150 life-sized, realistic dinosaur sculptures are placed throughout the park and in a 20-acre jungle. Clear, easily walkable paths wind throughout the park. In addition, their large shop has a ton of souvenirs and some cool stuff—large geodes and real fossils for sale, like T-Rex teeth and a raptor claw. There are playgrounds, a fossil dig, a mine sluice where kids can pan for gems, miniature golf, a train that winds its way through the park, and an indoor exhibition called the Doom Museum. The train has not been attacked by a dino…yet. In terms of education, signs name the dinosaurs, and the museum is full of fossils and plants marked by placards that will educate readers.
Dogs on leashes are permitted in most spaces. If you need to use a leash with your kids, that is okay too. Kids are permitted in all spaces.
Address:
5145 Harvey Tew Road
Plant City
(813) 717-9865
There is a cost to enter the park. For prices and hours go to: https://www.dinosaurworld.com/florida
McIntosh Preserve is north of I-4, near North Alexander Street and Knights Griffin Road. The 360-acre preserve has 2.2 miles of wide, level trails that wind through prairie, grandfather oaks, and jungle. At the end of one of the trails is a 30-foot observation tower that looks out over open land. For those who are able to get to the tower, but unable to make their way up it, the ground level has two television screens that show the view from the top.
The preserve contains both uplands and wetlands. There are cypress, hardwoods, magnolia, and pine trees. Bald eagles, red-shouldered hawks, alligators, and bobcats have been seen in the preserve. Educational signs scattered along the trails offer further details about the wildlife and plants. One sign shows photos of birds of prey, their English names, and their names in Latin—another opportunity for education. A family of swallow-tailed kites has been recently soaring on the summer updrafts.
The Tampa Audubon Society has named McIntosh Preserve one of three birdability sites in the region because of the preserve’s accessibility for those with disabilities. The preserve is owned and maintained by Plant City’s Parks and Recreation Department, and is open from sunrise to sunset.
Location:
775 East Knights Griffin Road
Plant City
For more information go to: https://www.plantcitygov.com/parksrec/page/mcintosh-preserve
A Land of Delight Natural Farm and Nursery is located north of Sam Allen Road near Keene Road. This spot offers farm animals the kids can pet as well as a good-sized Sulcata Tortoise. One of the farm buildings contains three fish tanks that are circular and eight feet across. These present opportunities for your children to learn about farms, animals, and aquaponics. The market shelves hold Amish products, local honey, and all-natural foods among other things. There is also a play area for the kids.
A Land of Delight is most active on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when the site hosts a farmer’s market. That day the farm offers a special “Animals Close Encounters” experience at 9:15 a.m. and a “Grow Class” at 10:30 a.m.
Address:
2514 Leaning Pine Ln.
Plant City
For more information call or text
(813) 359-9120.