Tampa Mom

One of our family members would declare it, “EPIC!”

We are hunkering down for a nice long post-season this year! Go Rays!

Celebrate Oktoberfest all month long in Tampa! Each weekend, checkout a different festival, and if you are longing for a mid-week bit of Bavaria, have lunch at the Schnitzelhaus! All of these events have family-friendly components to them, so bring the kids! The highlight of the month will be the big Oktoberfest in Oldsmar at Tampa Bay Downs during the last weekend. Attendance was 25,000+ last year.

If you have other events to add, please leave a comment and link at the end of this post! Enjoy!

• Tampa Bay’s Best O’Fest, Most Authentic Bavarian Festival, in its 60th year!
• Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Oct. 7-8, Oct. 14-15, doors open at 4pm
• Lots of dancing, music, great food, and BEER!
• Visit their website for complete information and a coupon for $2 off admission! Admission $6, kids 12 & under are free!

• Schnitzelhaus German Restaurant
• Their website declares this to be their LAST Oktoberfest!
• Live Music with Inga
  Fri and Sat 5pm – 9pm and Sun 4pm – 8pm
• Fri and Sat Special, Four Course Dinner
  $21.95 – $25.50, reservations required
• Open Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-9pm and Sunday, noon-8pm
• Closed Monday and Tuesday

• Dunedin Brewery OktoBEERfest 2011
• October 6-8, starts at 4pm daily
• On Thursday, October 6th, we will only fill Literstein mugs. Bring yours or purchase this year’s edition for $30*. (*Note: There is no cover-charge for this event, however no pints of beer will be sold. You must have a Literstein in order to have a beer for just this one night.)
• First Friday Street Party, street opens at 5pm, music by The Fritz from 7-11pm under the tent, Bird Street Players from 11pm-1am inside
• Saturday Street Gathering, music by Tribal Style from 7-11pm under the tent, Funky Seeds from 11pm-1am inside

• Oktoberfest Tampa
• This year we bring you the extremely limited Konig Ludwig Oktoberfest Spezial. We’ll be celebrating with German cheer, dancing and singing to cooler weather and colder beer along the Hillsborough river downtown at the heights this Oktober 14th, 15th, and 16th. Oktoberfest Tampa 2011 is a time to unwind and make new friends. Learn new customs and sing a few songs. Help us tap the inaugural keg Friday, Oktober 14th, as we open the doors to Tampa’s largest Oktoberfest. Acres of courtesy parking.
• Friday, October 13, 3pm-midnight
• Saturday, October 14, 11am-midnight
• Sunday, October 15, 11am-9pm
• Pre-sale ends Oct. 13th. Admission is $8/day, $15/weekend pass. Das Boot admission is $30/day, or $45/weekend pass.
• Crazy games
• VIP Access – it’s worth it! Starts at $75/person. Best feature? VIP parking, tables, servers, and bathrooms!!!

• Oktoberfest on the Beach - 10th Annual Celebration Activity Schedule
• October 15, 11am-7pm, Kinderfest 11am-2:30pm
• Held at Kolb Park, Indian Rocks Beach
• Live music, German Band “Lorelei” performs at 1pm until 7pm
• Adult activities include: Food Court, Beer Wagon, Vendors, Art Exhibit, Antique Show, Boat Show, Silent Auction
• Championship Competitions include: Stein-carrying, Wife-carrying, Keg-throwing, and Polka-dancing!
• “Kinderfest” (11am-2:30pm) activities include: Dodgeball, Children’s Dunk Tank, Shuttle Race, Capture the Flag, Spider Web, Red Light—Green Light, Hula Hoop Contest, Water Balloon Contest, Jelly Bean Relay, Inflatable Experiences, Tattoo Booth, Balloon Artist & Magician, Kiddie Olympics, Children’s Arts & Crafts Booth

• Top O’ the Bay Oktoberfest, Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar
  • October 28-30
  • Traditionally held the last weekend of October, Oktoberfest brings the best of Old Bavaria and New Florida together for three full days of authentic German food, drink, music and dancing… along with a spectacular carnival & Midway, a great arts & crafts show, and the wildest array of audience participation contests that the Tampa Bay area has ever seen!
  • Oldsmar’s version of the 200+ year-old German tradition is both the largest and longest-running  Oktoberfest in West Central Florida, attracting over 25,000 attendees.

  
  

There are a lot of great deal websites popping up all over the place! One of them is Half Off Depot. I have had fantastic luck with them having deals that I actually want and will use! Today’s deal is only $15 for $30 of food and wine at Harr’s Surf & Turf on Tampa Road. Terrific shop, and great deal!

I’ve gotten 2 deals from “You Say When” Yogurt Shoppe at Countryside Mall, and 2 deals from Harr’s Surf & Turf Market on Tampa Road. Sign up for their daily emails!

In an effort to revamp my blog and get it up to date, I’d like you to tell me about your favorite family destination in Tampa, and why. I will select one winner at random to receive 4 tickets to the 5:30pm performance of “Mickey’s Magic Show” at the St. Pete Times Forum on March 6, 2011.

I can’t wait to read the responses and hand out some free tix! Good luck everyone!

Contest ends at midnight, February 13, 2011. Post your comment today!

Abracadabra! It’s Disney Live! presents Mickey’s Magic Show! Mickey, Minnie and a host of Disney friends come together with world-class magicians to perform magic from legendary Disney films right before your eyes. See the Fairy Godmother transform Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful ball gown in a split second; the spectacular levitation of Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine; and the enchanted dancing brooms of Fantasia. Join Donald and Goofy, Alice and the Mad Hatter, and many more for a one-of-a-kind stage show you’ll never forget. Playing the Lakeland Center March 2-3, the Mahaffey Theatre March 4 and the St. Pete Times Forum March 6. Tickets start at $15. Complete details are at DisneyLive.com.

To get $3 off your tickets, use promo code “MAGIC” at ticketmaster.com or at the Arena Box Offices (good for all performances, no minimum purchase required, excludes front row and VIP seats).http://www.disney.go.com/disneylive/mickeysmagicshow/

Want to win free tickets? Enter our contest!

This Saturday, November 15th at 2pm, Warrick Dunn will be signing his new book Running for My Life at the Carrollwood Barnes & Noble. This book is sure to be a riveting read! Warrick Dunn has an amazing life story that will have you turning page after page. This would also be a great Christmas gift for the football fan in your life!

Book signings can be a long affair, so my advice to you is to bring a partner to wait in line with you, a bottle of water, a camera, and maybe even a snack. Wear comfortable shoes and get there early.

Have fun!

I’m so excited about having an Usborne Book Party this month for some of my friends and thought you might like to consider having one of your own! These books are really beautiful and durable. Many of my friends in the homeschooling community especially love the internet-linked books. They are awesome!

Whether you are a homeschooler or not, or just need to do a little Christmas shopping for the reader in your family, Usborne books will have something for you!

Come to my online party!

Have a fun and safe Halloween tonight! Here are a few safety guidelines:

• Trick-or-Treaters should be accompanied by a parent or guardian
• Only visit houses that are obviously inviting Trick-or-Treaters with the lights on
• Do not eat candy during your outing, wait until parents go through it for safety
• Food allergic people should exercise additional caution with their treats
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Use reflective tape on shoes, costume, and/or trick-or-treat bag
• Carry a flashlight that works
• Stay in areas that you know, like your own neighborhood

Tomorrow, we will be out at the Top O’ the Bay Oktoberfest at Tampa Bay Downs. Friends of ours are in a traditional shoe-slapping dance group and we are looking forward to celebrating with them. If you haven’t gotten out to an Oktoberfest this year, check out Oldsmar this weekend. If you’re still not feeling like you’ve done enough, check out the Schnitzelhaus for lunch this week. Have a brat, some strudel, and a Spaten.

Friday is Halloween. This is one of the biggest times of the year for food allergy problems. Please distribute candy without nuts of any kind. There’s plenty of straight sugary things out there! Many food allergy families completely avoid Halloween activities simply due to the amount of dangerous candies floating around. We are looking forward to Halloween, though trick-or-treating will not be a part of it.

This year, I’ve noticed a few Halloween alternatives popping up at places like the shopping malls, Publix grocery stores, and churches. I encourage you to give these a try. They are safe environments and more controlled situations rather than the randomness of individual houses in a neighborhood can be.

Get out and enjoy the cooler weather!

What a great Game 2 of the World Series! Our hometown boys did a fantastic job.

Get out there and show your support for the Rays! They will definitely be back home next week now!