ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Give the gift of slithery snakes and hungry turtles for Christmas. No, really.
Kids on winter break can attend a Herpetology Camp at the Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg while mom and dad are busy at work. It is one of the coolest holiday camps in the Tampa Bay area. Open spots still available.
“They learn that you don’t have to fear every snake,” says supervisor Barb Stalbird, who promises lots of hands-on experience. “You learn which ones are dangerous and which ones you can enjoy viewing.”
Kids 3 to 13 can enjoy Boyd Hill’s holiday camps, with prices for the week-long camps ranging from $50 to just over $100. The camps run typically the week of Christmas and the first week of January.
As part of its Jingle Jam program, Tampa Parks & Rec has 7 locations with free camp activities: https://www.tampagov.net/news/city-tampa-parks-rec-presents-jingle-jam-0
YMCA camps all over the Tampa Bay are are routinely cheaper. Parents can purchase one-day “fun days” for their children for about $30 each. Tampa and Hillsborough County also offer holiday camp deals at affordable prices with prices as low as under $40 for week-long programs.
To register, visit the following links:
- St. Petersburg holiday camps (including Boyd Hill nature camps): www.stpeteparksrec.org/camps.html
- Hillsborough County camps: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/recreation-and-culture/kids/camp-days
- YMCA Tampa camps: www.tampaymca.org/programs/camp/holiday/
- Sarasota and Bradenton holiday camps: fun4srqkids.com/Camps/School-Holiday-Camps/
- LEGOLAND Florida holiday camps: my.bricks4kidz.com/index.php?action=enrolling&record=66