Category : Things to do Under $5
What: Marching Band Parade; Where: Downtown Pensacola; When: January 21 at 2pm; Cost: FREE
You and your family can be a part of the Guiness Book of World Records! On January 21, Pensacola Mardi Gras, Inc. will hold the first annual Pensacola Mardi Gras Marching Madness Parade. There will be high school marching bands competing for a grand prize and Mardi Gras Krewes in parade as well.
During the parade, everyone will participate in the Cupid Shuffle to attempt to break the world record for line dancing. For more information, visit the Pensacola Mardi Gras Marching Madness Parade FB page.
What: Free admission to national parks: When: January 14th to the 16th; Where: all national parks (including Gulf Islands National Seashore); Cost: FREE
Several days a year, the National Park Service offers free entrance to all 397 national parks around the United States. We are so lucky to live near the Gulf Islands Seashore, one of only ten national seashores. Gulf Islands Seashore is not only home to beautful beaches but also to Ft. Picken’s where your family can explore the fort and all of its nooks and crannies. This weekend, entrance admission will be waived for January 14th, 15th, and 16th.
One of my favorite parts of the holidays is bundling my kids up in their pajamas, grabbing our favorite blankets and driving around the neighborhood to look at the bright holiday lights. After checking in with our Pensacola with Kids Facebook group and doing some research, I present to you a list of holiday light displays in and around Pensacola for 2011! If we missed a great stop and we should add it to our list, please leave us a comment or send me an email! There were a few neighborhood homes mentioned but I want to get confirmation before we post them. If you have been by to visit a neighborhood home that is spectacular, then please leave us a comment.
As always, we recommend that you call ahead to confirm dates, time and cost especially since some of the events are a little drive.
Bellingrath Gardens (Theodore, Alabama) presents Magic Christmas in Lights. There are over 950 displays and 3 million sparkling lights. There are nightly choral performances and Santa photographs.
- Location: 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road, Theodore, Alabama
- Dates: Now until December 31 (closed December 25th)
- Cost for lights only: Adults (13 and older) $12; Children (ages 5-12) $6.50; Children under 5 Free
Pensacola Lights - After many successful years in their original location, Pensacola Lights has moved to Brown Thornton Pacenta & Company in Downtown Pensacola. There are over 75,000 lights synchronized to music. You can enjoy the show from your car. Tune in to 103.3 for the display music.
- Location: 56 East Chase Street ( Corner of E. Chase and N. Tarragona)
- Dates: Now until New Years Day from 4:30pm to 11pm every night
- Cost: Free
Christmas tree at Sacred Heart – Whenever I drive past the tree at Sacred Heart, it makes me smile! See the tree lit up throughout the season. See raw footage of the 2011 tree lighting from Sacred Heart.
- Location: Corner of 9th Avenue and Bayou Boulevard at Sacred Heart Hospital
- Cost: Free
Sowell’s North Pole Christmas Light Display – See over 500,000 lights beautifully displayed.
- Location: 7650 Sowell Road
- Dates: Now until January 1, 2012 from dusk to 10pm
- Cost: Free
Winterfest – See the decorations lit up in Downtown Pensacola. While you are there, take one of the Winterfest tours, see Santa, or listen to some music.
- Location: Downtown Pensacola
- Dates: Winterfest dates vary (Does anyone know if the decorations are lit up nightly? I assume that they are but I haven’t confirmed!)
- Cost: Winterfest tours vary; wandering downtown is free
Wales West Light Railway (Silverhill, Alabama) – See over 1,00,00l lights, ride a train to the North Pole, and visit Santa.
- Location: 13670 Smiley Street, Silverhill, Alabama
- Dates: Now through December 24th – Fridays 4 until 9pm and Saturday & Sundarys 1 until 9pm; From December 14-24th open daily from 4 until 9pm
- Cost: $12 +tax per person
Zoo Lights – Visit the zoo after the sun goes on to see the lights and ride the zoo train.
- Location: Gulf Breeze Zoo; 5701 Gulf Breeze Pkwy
- Dates: December 9-11, 16-18, 19-24 and 26
- Cost: $8.00 General Admission; $5.00 Members; $3.00 Train Rides
What: Annual Pow Wow Celebration; Where: Florida Town Park in Pace; When: November 19 and 20; Cost: FREE
This weekend, head out to Florida Town Park in Pace for the Creek Indian Tribe Annual Pow Wow Celebration. See displays of the Creek Indian culture and history and Native American Dancers dressed in their Native regalia performing cultural dances. There will be vendors selling and displaying Native American art, jewelry, clothing, and more. There will be concession stands selling Indian fry bread, roasted corn and more. The event is free!
See the schedule of events for both Saturday and Sunday.
The MOMS Club Pensacola-NE chapter is holding an open house event on Wednesday October 12th at Bayview Park from 10am to noon. Let the kids play at the playground and learn more about the club and what it has to offer. Click on the image below to enlarge it (you will have to click on it again in the next screen).
Is your group having a family friendly event that is open to the public? Send us an email with the details!
What: peanut festival; Where: 3604 Pine Level Church Rd., Jay; When: October 1 and 2 from 9am to 6pm; Cost: Parking and admission are FREE
For the past 20 years, the Jay Peanut Festival has grown to be a favorite fall festival among families! Activities include the 1930s Farm Museum, food booths, dozens of arts and crafts vendors, games and fun. There will be pony rides, horse rides, hay rides, wagon rides, inflatable rides, bungie jump, aqua bubbles, rock-climbing wal, mechanical bull riding, train ride, and more for the kids. Also, kids ages 4 to 12 can participate in the pig chase at 2 p.m. on Saturday. They might do it again 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. On Sunday there will also be a Pet Dress-up Parade and Contest at 2 p.m. All will have cash prizes.
There will be live music throughout the festival. On Sunday, there will be a church service. They recommend that you bring your own lawn chairs or a blanket if you would like to have a seat to listen!
Of course, while you are there don’t forget to try the peanuts! You can try them green, boiled, roasted, fried, candied, and in baked goods! I am hoping to locate a piece of peanut brittle!
The festival will be on October 1 and 2 from 9am to 6pm. Admission and parking is free.
Have you been to the peanut festival? What did you think?
**We have a couple of great giveaways going on right now! If you haven’t already, be sure to enter to win tickets to Disney Live! Three Classic Fairy Tales and the Sweet Seasons Corn Maze tickets!
Photo Courtesy of Little Blue Hen via Flickr.
It is no secret in our house that we are huge fans of the University of West Florida. Both my husband and I are alumni of the university, we love to wander the grounds with our children and we attend the Festival on the Green every single year. When we were students, we diligently attended sporting events but for some reason it never dawned on me to throw the kids in the car and head out to a basketball or soccer game until this past year. UWF has always done a good job making families feel welcome and the Argie’s Kids Club is perfect for the family who loves sports.
What is the UWF Argie’s Kids Club and why should you join?
The UWF Argie’s Kids Club is a club that you can enroll your children in at no cost. Members of the UWF Argie’s Kids Club will receive a Welcome Pack filled with gifts from sponsors and UWF Athletics, a free Kid’s Club T-Shirt, and free admission to every UWF Athletic Event (except postseason play). They can also win a free prize with an A on their report card. Kids will receive a birthday card from Argie, the mascot. There is a seasonal newsletter with games, a schedule card and feature stories about UWF student athletes.
Kids Can Participate in Season Sports Clinics
Argie’s Kids Club members are also invited to participate in the Season Sports Clinics held once in the fall, winter, and spring at UWF. Registration for the current Fall Kids Club Clinic is now going on.
Additional Reasons to Join the Club
There is also a chance that your child will get picked to be the random Club Member of the Month. If your child is picked, they will get to be Bat or Ball Boy/Girl at a UWF Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball, or Soccer game and they will receive a free gift for being selected Argie’s Kids Club Member of the Month. Once a month, they will also select one member’s school and host an Argie’s R&R event in their classroom!
How do you join Argie’s Kids Club?
The best part of the UWF Argie’s Kids Club is that joining is FREE! All you have to do is fill out the registration form!
We will see you at the fields, courts and tracks!
What: Family Expo; Where: Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds; When: September 10th from 9am to 2pm; Cost: FREE
Baptist Hospital will hold its 19th Annual Family Expo on Saturday, September 10 from 9am to 2pm at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds. There will be free health screenings (blood pressure checks, stroke risk and heart risk assessments, body fat analysis, not-fasting total cholesterol check, osteoporosis heel scans and more. You can tour the Baptist LifeFlight helicopter and ride the Naval Museum cockpit. There will also be a Junior Surgeon booth where you can be a surgeon for the day! Participate in sport activities on the outfield and win a prize.
What: Youth Expo; Where: Bayview Community Park; When: September 1o from 10 to 2pm; Cost: FREE
September is National Preparedness Month and this year Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) will be holding the 2nd Annual Youth Emergency Preparedness Expo at Bayview Community Park on September 10, 2011 from 10am to 2pm. They will be remembering those lives lost 10 years ago on 9-11 and saluting those who serve as volunteers in our community.
At this event, you can see a Coast Guard helicopter water rescue, be part of a park-wide scavenger hunt for prizes, interactive games with police, fire, and search and rescue dogs. Smokey Bear and McGruff, the crime fighting dog, will be there. There will be free fingerprinting for the kids and a hands-on art tribute to those lives lost on 9-11-2001.
The Escambia Amateur Astronomers’ Association is offering free stargazing at the Gulfside Pavillion. Volunteers will set up approximately twenty telescopes ranging in strength and size. You just might get to see Jupiter, the Milky Way, or more! Video cameras will also be used with some of the telescopes to display images. The stargazing events will be held on September 2 & 3, September 30 & October 1, 2011.
Photo courtesy of davedehetre via Flickr.
