If you’re new to Tampa or even if you’re not, come out the Tampa Bay History Center to learn about local and state history. Located in the Channelside district near Fort Brooke and behind the St. Pete Times Forum, the Tampa Bay History Center was built to teach visitors about the history that has shaped the Tampa Bay area. At the Center, there are hands-on activities, crafts, performances and more. Learn about Pioneer Life in Hillsborough County.  Find out what daily life was like, how homes looked, what people did for a living and find out what children did for fun.    The Center provides  historical and educational services and programs. A current exhibit is “Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America”. Learn that terrorism is not a new occurrence in this country. This exhibit tells the forgotten tales of over 200 years of spies, domestic terrorists, radicals and saboteurs. See 145 historic photographs and documents and view a timeline tracing more than 170 different events   The two story Center contains 60,000 square feet of exhibits which show almost 500 years of recorded history and 12,000 years of human habitation in the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay History Center is housed in Hillsborough County government’s first “green” building. Normal admission cost is $2 for ages 4-12.  Adults are $12.  The Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm. There are several parking lots within a short walk of the Center.

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If your trying to think of what to do with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, look no further than the Lowry Park Zoo. Lowry Zoo is hosting a “Wild at Heart” event for singles, friends and couples on 10 & 11 February. On Friday 10 February start time is at 6:30pm and on Saturday 11 February start time is at 5:30pm. A great event for animal lovers! Guests will receive a dinner and tour of the zoo along with tales of the pairing, partnering and mating habits of zoo’s residents. Guests will receive champagne, up-close views of the animals and then a romantic dinner. Dessert will be served at various animal habitats. This includes an open bar and should last around 3 hours. Reservations are required with a cost of $65 per person. You can register online. Located in the northern part of Tampa off of W. Sligh Ave, it is easily accessible from I-275. The zoo is about a 40 minute drive from MacDill AFB. Lowry Park Zoo has been named the #1 zoo in America by “Parents” magazine and “Child” magazine. There are more than 2000 animals on 56 acres of natural habitats in seven main exhibit areas. There is a combination of natural habitat exhibits and caged exhibits in each area. The seven exhibits are Asian Gardens, Primate World, Manatee and Aquatic Center, Native Florida Wildlife Center, Free-Flight Aviary, Wallaroo Station children’s zoo and Safari Africa. At some exhibits you have the opportunity to feed the animals. There are two water play areas and you can see educational shows. Check out the Zoo School for exciting programs for everyone, from tots to teens, adults, families, teachers and more. The Zoo’s conservation education programs are designed to meet Sunshine State curriculum objectives for Florida state schools. There are also rides for an additional fee. Expect to spend at least 4 hours to see all exhibits during a normal visit to the zoo. You can bring a picnic basket to enjoy before or after the visit at Lowry Park. Of course, there are plenty of restaurants in the zoo. Parking is free.

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MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

Come out to downtown Tampa for The Park Cart at Curtis Hixon Park on 27 January starting at 4pm. This is a free event. The Park Cart is operated by the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s Guides and offers a variety of activities for park patrons. While providing information and directions downtown, the cart offers an array of recreational items such as kick balls, Frisbees, games, Hula Hoops and blankets to borrow free of charge. This a great opportunity for families or for friends to enjoy the park. The beautiful Curtis Hixon Park is located on the waterfront in downtown Tampa along Ashley St between the Tampa Museum of Art and the Sykes building. Food is available at nearby restaurants including Five Guys Hamburger across the street from the Park and a new nearby Mexican restaurant Urban Cantina located at the corner of Madison and South Tampa. Alcohol is not allowed but well behaved pets are! Curtis Hixon Park has a fenced animal park along the water. This park is one of nicest parks in Tampa. With an interactive playground, wide open flat grass play area, a view of the University of Tampa, and cooling water fountains, this is a great place to relax on during a Tampa evening. Parking is available at the Curtis Hixon parking garage or at nearby public parking lots. On street parking is free in Tampa after 6pm, so you don’t have to place any quarters into the meters! If you’re lucky, you can get a parking spot in front of Five Guys Hamburgers right across the street from the Park at the corner of Ashley and Polk.

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MacDill Happenings is brought to you by Militarybyowner Advertising, Inc., your resource for MacDill AFB Off-Base Housing!

On Tuesday, 3 January, the Glazer Children’s Museum is only charging $2 for admission! Located in downtown Tampa at Curtis Hixon Park along the Hillsborough River, the museum will be a highlight of Tampa. The museum is geared for kids up to 10 years old where they will have the opportunity learn about the world around them including Tampa Bay. Everything is hands-on learning! There are more than 170 interactive exhibits from a crane to a cruise ship to a mini-theater to a giant telephone in 12 themed areas. Normal admission for children is $9.50, adults $15, and military/seniors $12.50 The museum is open 7 days a week on Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, Saturdays 10am to 6pm and Sundays 1pm to 6pm. Make a trip to the museum and take advantage of all the opportunities downtown Tampa has to offer. Curtis Hixom park is one of nicest parks in Tampa with a fenced animal park along the water. With an interactive playground, wide open flat grass play area, a view of the University of Tampa, and cooling water fountains, the is a great place play or to relax on during a Tampa evening. Food is available at nearby restaurants including Five Guys Hamburger across the street from the Park and a new nearby Mexican restaurant Urban Cantina located at the corner of Madison and South Tampa. Parking is available at the Curtis Hixon parking garage or at nearby public parking lots. If you’re lucky, you can get a parking spot in front of Five Guys Hamburgers right across the street from the Park at the corner of Ashley and Polk.

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The Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey circus train arrives in Tampa today. Come out for a free preview of the animals and performers today! Animals and performers are expected to unload at 9:30 am next to Union Station in downtown Tampa. At 10 am they begin the walk west on Cass Street, turn south on Morgan Street, east on Channelside Drive (in front of the St. Pete Times Forum), turn south on Old Water Street and parade around the back of the arena to the Animal Open House. Bring the family for this free sneak preview of the 142nd edition of the “Greatest Show on Earth” and a chance for some great photos! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Fully Charged, the all-new, 142nd edition of The Greatest Show On Earth®, at the St. Pete Times Forum from January 4-8, 2012. The Ringling Bros. will super-charge audiences with acts of breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-seen-before performances that will jolt the imaginations of Children of All Ages! Clowns from the world-famous clown alley will charge funny bones, while megawatts of thrills will explode out of the ring, including The Human Fuse, who rockets across the circus skies, igniting the power of the people. Show times are Wednesday, January 4 – 7:30 pm, Thursday, January 5 – 7:30 pm, Friday, January 6 – 7:30 pm, Saturday, January 7- 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, and 7:30 pm, and Sunday, January 8 – 1pm and 5pm. Tickets at the St. Pete Times Forum box office start at $16. Stop by the MacDill AFB ITT office to buy your military discount tickets. You can’t bet the price and you don’t have to pay tax! There is plenty of parking nearby at Channelside or directly across the street from the Forum. Channelside offers a variety of restaurants sure to please any palate from Hooter’s to Stump’s.

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The Florida Aquarium turns into a winter wonderland with snow flurries, diving elves, train rides, photos with Santa.  Santa will visit the Aquarium for photos today from 10:30am to 1:30pm. Snow will fall in Explore A Shore on the hour, every hour starting at 2pm. Santa’s Elves will make a special appearance during daily dive shows in the Coral Reef Gallery. The Florida Aquarium is among the top aquariums in the world with more than 20,000 aquatic plants and animals from Florida and around the world contained in 200,000 square feet all air conditioned.  Come out and pet the stingrays or get up close to the penguins when they come and do their march! Try out “Explore A Shore”, The Florida Aquarium’s 2-acre outdoor water adventure zone lets the kids cool off while parents relax under the shade of the Tampa Tribune Cantina bar and grill. Watery waves, slippery slides, gushing geysers and an assortment of animal models are just a few of the attractions for the kids. Toddlers will enjoy sand castles, little slides and giant sea creature figures as they play in Shipwreck Shore. While the kids enjoy themselves, you can enjoy the comfort of the Cantina with easy viewing of the play area and table service.  The Aquarium is located in the Channelside district of Tampa with parking for $5 for all day at the Aquarium parking lot.  There is also a hourly parking structure across the street from the Aquarium and is closer to the Channelside Bay complex. Buy your tickets online and save $2 from the cost of buying tickets at the Aquarium!

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It’s that holiday time of year again and time to get the in the spirit of the season! Come out to the Straz Center for Performing Arts for the Christmas classic “The Nutcracker“. The Nutcracker will be performed by The Great Imperial Ballet, featuring international ballet superstar Jose Manuel Carreño as the Cavalier, Miami City Ballet principal dancer Katia Carranza as the Sugarplum Fairy, Boston Ballet soloist Jeffrey Cirio as the Snow King, the award-winning dancers of Next Generation Ballet (NGB) and a cast of 150 dancers, gymnasts and even an Irish step dancer. The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on Friday, December 18th, 1892, on a double-bill with Tchaikovsky’s opera, Iolanta. The Trepak, or Russian dance, is one of the most recognizable pieces in the ballet, along with the famous Waltz of the Flowers and March, as well as the ubiquitous Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Straz Center is located on the eastern bank of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa and easily accessible from I-275, I-4 or the Crosstown Expressway. Parking is available at several nearby lots or at the William F. Poe parking structure next to the German Library for about $4. If you can find a spot on the road on the north side of the Straz Center, you can park at a metered spot. Metered spots are free during the weekends in Tampa. Showtimes on the 16th and the 17th are 8pm and on the 18th at 2pm. Tickets start at $22.50.

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