Pasco County Area Pumpkin Patches and Fall Festivals

Fall is here, even if it doesn't feel like it outside.  Get in the seasonal spirit by visiting one of the many pumpkin patches and fall festivals gearing up around the area!

Fall Festival
Every Saturday and Sunday in October, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Horsepower for Kids, Inc.
8005 S. Racetrack Rd., Tampa, FL 33635

Admission $10/children, $8/adults. Parking $1 per car. Cash only, please.  Admission includes pony rides, hay rides, train rides, farm animals, face painting, bonfire, games, live music, hot dog and soda. Pumpkins also available for purchase.

Fall Maze
Every Saturday and Sunday thru November 4, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 
Sweetfields Farm
17250 Benes Roush Rd., Masaryktown, FL 34604
Admission 12 years and older: $8.50, 3-11 years: $4.50, 2 years and under are free.  Admission includes fall maze, hay ride, hay maze, hay play area, picnic area, duck race, spider web maze, treehouse, storyteller, craft, animal visits, and more. Bring extra money for the pumpkin launcher, face painting, pumpkin painting, food and drinks, and U-pick or gathered produce.

Fall Festival
Friday, October 12, 6-8:30 p.m.
Morton Plant Mease Outpatient Center
2102 Trinity Oaks Blvd., Trinity, FL 
Free dinner, health screenings, Ask-A-Doc, face painting, pumpkin painting, Radio Disney, and more! Preregistration required, click here to register online or call (727) 940-2875.

Scarecrow Festival
Saturday, October 13, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Downtown Dade City
Free admission, bring your own long sleeved shirt and pants and stuff a scarecrow for free, arts and crafts vendors, carnival games (bring money!), pumpkins, pony rides, and bounce houses.


Fall Festival
Saturday, October 13, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Holiday Community Fellowship Church
5144 Sunray Dr., Holiday, FL 34690
Pumpkin patch, activities, games, food, and fun!

Fall Festival of Hope Vendor and Craft Fair
Saturday, October 13, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
HERS Fitness Center
7135 State Road 54, New Port Richey, FL 34653
Free doorprizes, free Zumba class at 9:30 a.m., food, and children's crafts

Wesley Chapel Fall Festival
Saturday and Sunday, October 13-14, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Grove at Wesley Chapel
Oakley Blvd., Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

Arts and crafts vendors, Battle of the Wings contest, Lil Mr. and Miss Pumpkin Patch contest, pumpkin patch, hay rides, bounce houses, face painting, and more!

Family Fun Festival
Friday, October 19, 4-7 p.m.
Seal Swim School
19509 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Lutz, FL 33548
Pumpkin painting, bounce house, arts and crafts, face painting, music, and more.

Pumpkin Patch Bash
Friday, October 19, 6-8 p.m.
Land O' Lakes Recreation Complex
3032 Collier Pkwy
Land O' Lakes, FL 34639
Come join our Pumpkin Patch Bash where we will have games, candy, hay rides and activities inside and outside. Costumes are encouraged but not required! This event is for ages 10 years old and under. Admission is $1 per person.

Pumpkin Patch and Fall Family Festival and Food Drive
First United Methodist Church of New Port Richey
5901 Indiana Ave., New Port Richey, FL 34652

Pumpkin patch open Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., October 17-27
Fall Family Festival and Food Drive
Saturday, October 20, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Saturday is Museum Day!

If you're looking for something FREE to do this Saturday (Sept. 29), you may need to look no further than your local museum.  This Saturday marks the Smithsonian Museum Day Live, a program that offers free admission to participating museums and cultural institutions around the country.  For a list of participating museums in Florida, click here.

To request your ticket for free admission for two, fill out the form located here.  The ticket voucher will be sent to your email, and you must print it and show it at your requested museum to be admitted for free.

Which museum will you explore this Saturday?  The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs?  How about the Armed Forces History Museum in Largo?  Drop us a comment and let us know!

Swaptember - Florida Aquarium, MOSI, and Lowry Park Zoo

If you are a member of the Florida Aquarium, MOSI, or Lowry Park Zoo, this is your last week to take advantage of Swaptember!

Swaptember is the program that allows members of these three local attractions to visit the other attractions for free during the month of September - just show your membership card at the ticket office.  For example, we have an annual membership to Lowry Park Zoo.  This past weekend we went to the Florida Aquarium.  We just showed our Zoo membership cards at the Aquarium ticket counter and got free admission!

For more information and details, visit any of their websites:

http://www.flaquarium.org/annual-pass/share-program/swaptember.aspx

http://www.mosi.org/default.aspx

http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/index.html

Free Florida Aquarium Tickets!

Back by popular demand, The Florida Aquarium is offering free admission to Goodwill donors again this fall.

During September, each person who drops off clothing or household items at any Goodwill Industries-Suncoast donation site will receive a coupon good for up to three free tickets to The Florida Aquarium, one for each paid adult ticket. That’s a “BOGO” savings of up to $65.85, just for getting rid of items you no longer need! The coupons are redeemable at The Florida Aquarium until Nov. 30, 2012.

The incentive is intended to boosts donations to Goodwill during a period when they typically drop off, following the back-to-school season.

The partnership between the two nonprofit organizations is a natural, since Goodwill and The Florida Aquarium are linked by their mutual commitment to the environment. Items donated to Goodwill are “repurposed” rather than being relegated to landfills. Donations support Goodwill’s services for people who are disabled, elderly or unemployed.

For the location of the nearest Goodwill donation site, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.

About Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc.

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast was founded in St. Petersburg, Fla. in 1954, and is one of the largest and most effective Goodwill organizations in the world. Its mission is to help people achieve their full potential through the dignity and power of work. The organization's successful donated goods retail operation helps support its human services in 10 counties, including employment and training services, training centers for people with disabilities, affordable apartment communities, and community corrections programs. Goodwill is consistently ranked among the nonprofits most deserving of support based on the high percentage of revenue allocated to its programs. For more information, visit www.goodwill-suncoast.org.

About The Florida Aquarium

The Florida Aquarium is a destination for people who truly want to be inches from amazing. From underwater encounters with sea turtles, moray eels or sharks to meeting penguins behind the scenes, aquarium guests have the opportunity to see life from a unique perspective! The Florida Aquarium biologists, divers and educators help with underwater clean-up projects, take animals to underserved children and care for aquatic animals and ecosystems in need. For more information, visit www.flaquarium.org.

From the Sun to Pluto Interactive Exhibit - Ribbon-Cutting Saturday, Sept. 8

CANCELED - Paddling Pasco Trip #6 - Green Key

This trip has been canceled 

due to possible inclement weather. 

 

Paddling Pasco Trip #6

Green Key (Robert Rees Memorial Park) to Eagle Point Park

This trip will start out on Sunday, August 26th with boat drop off at Green Key after 7 am and parking your vehicles at Eagle Point Park. Shuttles will bring you back to the launch point so we can launch at 8 am on the high tide. The last shuttle will leave Eagle Point Park at approximately 7:30 am.

This trip is planned to be approximately 1.5 to 2 hours on the water. We plan to paddle from the park east along the shore into the mangrove forests between the Park and Gulf Harbors, then work our way out along Gulf Harbor’s north channel and south around this development to Eagle Point Park. Hopefully we will have some time to explore the park waterways before we exit.

During past scouting trips I have seen mangrove tunnels which were navigable at high tide, many seabirds, and a lot of sea life in the shallow waters. Oysters and rocks will be obstacles to avoid and there will be some locations which may be very shallow in the mangrove forest. I will do another scouting trip at high tide before we go as a group.

All paddlers will need to sign the waiver at the launch location and pay the $2 parking/user fee at Eagle Point Park if you park a vehicle at this location, unless you have an annual pass. There is a nice walking/exercise trail and there are picnic shelters at Eagle Point Park, if you would like to get in a lower body workout or eat an early lunch.

You will need to bring your own boat or rent one from a local vendor. Some potential contacts include Windsong in Pasco, Osprey Bay in Clearwater and Wet Dog Adventures in Oldsmar.

If you have questions or want to register for this trip, please contact us with your name(s), number of paddlers, email and phone number. This will help us with the shuttle logistics and preparation in other ways. Our phone # is 813-929-2760 or 727-834-3278 – email is fbuckman@pascocountyfl.net
If you register, we will be in touch a few days before the trip with further details. Hope you can make it and share the experience with others – Pasco’s coast is beautiful and from the water even more so.

5th Annual Canstruction Design/Build Competition Benefiting The Volunteer Way Food Bank

Pasco County Canstruction 2012