When the sweltering heat of summer arrives, Tampa, Florida, has indoor children's activity centers, which gives kids a chance to escape from the heat. Many of these activity centers provide indoor summer camps for children. During the remaining seasons of the year, parents may send their children to after-school programs at museums and athletic facilities. Many of Tampa's indoor facilities host birthday parties for kids.
The Florida Aquarium (flaquarium.org) is in Tampa's Channel District and offers opportunities for children to view marine wildlife exhibits. The Aquarium's education department hosts summer camps for children ages 12 through 15; Florida Aquarium's Aquatots program caters to 3 and 4-year old children.
Located in Tampa's Museum Row, the Glazer Children's Museum (glazermuseum.org) provides interactive, children-themed exhibits, such as the Engineer's Workshop, Art Smart and Kid's Network, which allows children to see themselves on television. Summer camps are available in June for children ages 4 through 10.
Located in Clearwater – a western Tampa suburb – the J Park World Tae Kwon Do Center (afterschoolkarate.com) provides karate lesson during after-school hours. This martial arts dojo provides shuttle service for kids from western Tampa school systems to the Center; some schools include Lake St. George, Athenian Academy and Curlew Creek. One-week summer karate camps are available from June through August.
Martial Arts Advantage (martialartsadvantage.com) provides martial arts lesson at Tampa locations; one location is on the Dale Mabry Highway and on the other is on Bearss Avenue. Martial arts disciplines include tae kwon do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and women's muay Thai. Martial Arts Advantage provides an after-school program.
A Play Patch (aplaypatch.com) is in western Tampa's Palm Harbor neighborhood. This 3,000 square-foot play area caters to infants through age 6. This children's center also provides classes for painting, sculpting play dough, singing and dancing. A Play Patch also hosts birthday parties on weeknights and weekends.
Jump Zone (jumpzoneparty.com) provides a variety of inflatables for children. Some inflatables include the 18-foot Wacky Slide, Pirate Ship and Jurassic Adventure, which features inflatable dinosaurs. Jump Zone hosts children's birthday parties. Tampa has two Jump Zones; one is in western Tampa's Westchase region and the other is in Woodland Terrace neighborhood.
The Pinellas Indoor Soccer Academy (pinellasindoor.com) is in a western Tampa suburb, Largo, and accommodates indoor soccer games in the spring and summer. The Academy hosts youth leagues for children ages 8 through 16. Pinellas has two soccer fields. After-school programs are available. In the summer, this indoor soccer center offers the Fun Sports Camp for kids ages 6 through 14.
Located in West Tampa, Stars Gymnastics (starsgymnasticstampa.com) allow children to participate in Olympic-style gymnastic activities. Available gymnastics classes include tumbling and Boys Rough 'n Tumble – a class for boys ages 3 through 6. This family-owned gymnastic center hosts weekly camps during spring break and the summer.
