The season of summer camps is just around the corner.
That means parents are facing a daunting task of sifting through dozens of options to settle on the summer camps that work best for them and their children.
This year, Family-Friendly Tampa Bay is launching its first Family-Friendly Camp Expo on April 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free event will be at Florida Hospital Center Ice, at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
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The complex is visible from Interstate 75, at the interchange for State Road 56, east of the Tampa Premium Outlets.
Families can meet one-on-one with Tampa Bay camp directors and staff members.
Event-goers will have the chance to review a range of choices, including sports camps, day camps, STEM camps, special needs/autism camps, art camps, performing arts and academic camps.
“I realized there wasn’t anything like this in Pasco,” said Miriam Cook, a Pasco County parent who founded Family-Friendly Tampa Bay in 2014.
The website, at FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com, provides current information on affordable events, discount coupons and special deals for area families.
The first 250 families at the expo will receive goody bags.
Attendees also will get a printed list of available summer camps. This list will include expo participants, as well as summer camps that are unable to send staff members to the expo, Cook said.
The Easter Bunny also will hop through the expo, giving away candy and posing for free pictures.
Families get the added bonus of exploring the new Florida Hospital Center Ice. The complex, which opened in January, is the largest hockey complex in the southeast.
Expo attendees will receive a “Buy One Get One” free skate offer from Florida Hospital Center Ice.
In addition, there will be educational workshops, a parent-pamper section, health and wellness resources, live entertainment, a kids’ fun zone, and mini-sports clinics. Families can also enter to win free weeks of camp when they register online.
The hunt for summer camps is a yearly ritual that isn’t easy to decipher, Cook said. “It’s so hard. There’s so many.”
But, when parents can meet with the people who run the camps and ask questions, they can find the right fit for their children and their budgets, Cook said.
Where: Florida Hospital Center Ice
When: April 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Details: Parents can learn about a myriad of summer camp options to help them sort out summer plans for their kids.
Info: FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com
Published April 5, 2017
