We are still attempting to take advantage of all the new and different ways to explore our new hometown. Â Living close to the water, especially a harbor with an active port, is new for us.
Recently our homeschool group took a tour of the Port of Tampa. It was done in conjunction with The Florida Aquarium. Harbor tours are given each Wednesday and Thursday. Â The tour starts at 9:00am and is approximately 90 minutes long – best of all the tours are FREE!
Yep, free! Â It’s great to take advantage of these opportunities. Â The boat was filled with retirees and homeschoolers 🙂
What we Learned on the Port of Tampa Tour:
– Some of the history of the port, it’s the largest in Florida and one of the largest in the United States.
– It’s home to some 500 bottle-nosed dolphins, we were lucky enough to see a couple.
– The Port is fairly shallow and needs to be dredged on occasion so large ships can get through.
– The Port of Tampa is home to several large cruise ships terminals.
After the Tour:
When the tour was finished we opted to take our packed lunches to a local park. Â The park is just about 3 blocks away. Â The kids had time to eat, play on the climber, explore the bay a bit further, and the parents had time to chat. Â It was a nice way to wind down from the morning.
Extending the Field Trip:
Next time there are many other ways we could extend the field trip into the afternoon.
– Continue the learning by spending the afternoon at the Florida Aquarium.
– Visit the Tampa Bay History Center, continue learning about the history of the Port of Tampa.
– There are many restaurants in the downtown/Channelside area including a Splitsville if you’d like to spend the afternoon bowling. Â The bowling is a bit pricey but they do have great food and it’s kind of fun to go “upscale” bowling!
Extend the Learning at Home:
Field trips are great way to kick off or wrap up a unit study. Â I think it gets kids excited about the learning ahead at the beginning of a unit or can be used as sort of a reward for a job well done at the end of the unit.
Easy Ocean Unit Study – I have lots of great picture book ideas!
Ocean Life Study {Lapbook}
Ocean Pack {Printables}
 What are some ways you use field trips in your homeschool?
This looks like an amazing day. We have Port Elizabeth, NJ not too far and I wonder if they do tours? Of course, we will not see dolphin…… I saw my first wild dolphin sitting on St. Augustine Beach. I was using binoculars and I dream of seeing one up close. I bet this was a day your kids will never forget!
What a fabulous opportunity!!! And you have to love the “free” part, especially with a large family. I’m so excited to get over there 🙂
Hello just wondering if they still do these tours?! Thanks
Yes, they do! Only in the winter months though I believe.
The Port Tour is available all year and can be accessed through the Port’s website or the Aquarium’s!
Thank you for clarifying!
Jen recently posted…How I Use the Erin Condren Teacher Planner for Homeschool
Hi Jen,
Just wanted to let you know that the Florida Aquarium has a homeschooling program that is getting off the ground in the new school year (fairly certain it’s this year). Their website http://www.flaquarium.org/education-camps/community-programs/homeschool-aspx.aspx lists the available programs. Disclaimer: I work there and am working on revamping the Port Tour so that it is more customizable for different groups, which is how I found your blog post (yay Bing!). Thank you so much for writing this review!
Great news! I will spread the word, thank you 🙂