Michael and I are Dave Ramsey fans but are not yet debt free. This means that we are always on the hunt for free activities to enjoy. Fortunately, living in Florida and especially around the Tampa Bay area, there are lots of events going on all the time.
This past weekend, the new Curtus Hixson Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa hosted the 40th annual Gasparilla Arts Festival. We had never been before but it was free and I enjoy going to arts and craft shows while Michael was excited to go pick up a couple new geocaches. The website said that it was going to be a big event but I had some doubts about that. After all, I have lived in Tampa my whole life and never heard of it so it must be small right? Oh boy, I was very very very wrong. The festival was huge!!
When we got there, we had to park about two blocks away and that was a good spot! It made me a little nervous about having enough energy to make it there and enjoy everything having come off of a few days of fatigue. But I had nothing to fear, my best friend was there and the weather was gorgeous and cool and we just took it at a relaxing pace. The whole event was surprisingly laid-back for its size. Most people were dressed comfy and I’d say at least half were toting either small kids or dogs along with them.
The park itself is beautiful. It was worth the time and effort just to be there! Having the festival going on at the same time just put it over the top. The park is waterfront meaning that it is across the river from UT and very close to the Bay. So on one side you see and hear the water, behind you lies all the big, beautiful downtown buildings, in the middle is a nice, grassy area and the whole park is lined with benches and landscaping.
When we got there, all you could see were rows and rows of white tents and people. It was very much like a sea of white tent tops broken up with waves of heads! Every kind of art or craft you could imagine was there; photography, painting, sketching, glass, leather work, ceramic, jewelry…it was seemingly endless!! Our favorite tent was a photography display from a local artist who had the most beautiful shots on the beaches I had ever seen. Some of the shots were typical sand and water pictures but some were of wild horses on the water and it was just breathtaking. Probably a good thing for Michael is that I did not bring any spending money with me.
We spent a long time just browsing the tents and taking breaks along the park and talking…it was a little taste of heaven. Topping the whole experience off was our snack. There were a couple normal fair food type tents where you could get grease on a stick but over all, the trend was more organic or all natural options. I could’ve spent a lot of money sampling all the smoothies, coffees, teas, and organic snacks. Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for our bank account) we had already had lunch at home (blah, leftovers) so we just got a quick pick-me-up snack. We chose a raspberry frozen yogurt bar and had it dipped in dark chocolate and then dipped again, one side in cookie crumbs and one side in sprinkles. Sigh, I want one now!
Oh, and one last thing, we saw a train. Yes, a train. In downtown. A train. Only in Tampa!! We were walking back to the car to leave when we heard a train whistle and it sounded a lot closer than the depot by the port so we started looking around and there it was! The tracks literally go down the street the same as the cars. So when a train needs to come through, the traffic lights turn red and it rolls right through…crazy!
I wish I could have taken pictures of everything we saw so I could share it with you but believe me…that would crash the entire internet. So here are some of my favorites, hope you like them!!!
Looks like you had a great time! It was a beautiful day!!!!! It made me think of your wedding day.