How to cool off in a theme park

JULY 15, 2011

I will never understand why Florida residents go to theme parks this time of year. I know it's more convenient for school schedules but between the crowds and the heat, I'm waiting till October. But if you have visitors or you simply can't resist the charms of castles (or you have an annual pass burning a hole in your pocket) I simply must point out this helpful blog post from Busch Gardens on how to stay cool when everything around you is swampy.

Among the suggestions:

Seek out the wet rides like Congo River Rapids, Stanley Falls Flume, and Tanganyika Tidal Wave. The Rapids are especially good at delivering a soaking in my experience.

Look for spritzers. Busch Gardens has even added a Spritzer Squad this year. A crew that looks like a wet version of the Ghost Busters is roaming the park offering heat relief with a light mist of water.

Check your park map for three full-scale misting stations throughout the park called Cool Zones. Each zone has five misting towers that are about 12 ft. tall, which guests can walk under to get a cool mist.

Sweet, sweet air conditioning: "Have kids that want to keep looking at the animals but don’t want to wait around while you cool off?" the blog post says, "Try Tiger Lodge in Jungala. This hideaway has plenty of air-conditioning but also has a marvelous view of our beautiful endangered Bengal Tigers." The kids can see the tigers play and learn from the information screens while you cool off in the A/C.

What about the other parks, readers? I don't haunt the big Orlando theme parks much, so how about passing on your stay-cool tips.

--Sharon Kennedy Wynne

PHOTO: Courtesy of Busch Gardens

Posted by Sharon Wynne at 7:00:00 am on July 15, 2011 in

| Permalink | Comments

Join the discussion: Click to view comments, add yours

Most Recent Blog Posts

Young race car driver dies May 23

Kid afraid of rollercoasters? Here's some tips May 23

Would you let your kid play football? May 22

We found ticket deals for theme parks, attractions May 21

Disney closes scary (really scary!) Snow White ride May 20

Parent complaints about early school days grow May 18

Free and cheap things to do with the kids this week May 17

Tips for taking tots out to the ballgame May 16

Parents lied to get kids in right school May 15

So how do you teach a kid to behave in a restaurant? May 12

About the bloggers

Raising children isn't easy. Whoa, Momma! is here to help you with parenting tips and discussion of all parenting issues. We think there's no such thing as TMI, so our blogging moms aren't shy about the hot topics and won't back away from a good debate. Bottle or breastfeed? Public, private or homeschool? And sex -- it's all open for comment. Don't sit on the sidelines -- pull up a bouncy seat and join the chat.

Meet the authors

Email us ideas you'd like us to write about.

THE AUTHORS

Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.

E-mail Sharon Kennedy Wynne:
wynne@tampabay.com

After six long years of trying to have a baby, Kate Brassfield was finally able to have one. And then, two minutes later, another one. Suddenly the lady who had never been around babies before was juggling two! Just as Kate felt she was getting pretty good with babies, the girls became toddlers, and now Kate is back to Square One, learning about the care and feeding of these strange, wonderful creatures. She spends her days working part-time from home and trying to keep up with the Twinosaurus Wrecks.

E-mail Kate Brassfield:
katedaphne17@gmail.com

Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at courtneyblogs@gmail.com.

Suzannah DiMarzio has it bad for the Mouse. Although she grew up outside of Boston, she took her degree in tourism management down to Orlando just to work at Disney and the travel industry. Of course, when she married her high school sweetheart, the reception was at Disney. She’s now a seasoned stay-at-home mom to two tweens and a toddler – and yes, that is as crazy as it sounds. Suzannah has her own blog, ZannaLand.com , and she's a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel in addition to being addicted to Twitter, iced coffee, and watching way too much Yo, Gabba Gabba.

Comment Policy

Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that:

Is libelous

Is abusive, harassing, or threatening

Is obscene, vulgar, or profane

Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive

Is illegal or encourages criminal acts

Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution

Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others

Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious)

Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises

The Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy.

Registration FAQ

Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site.