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​Newcomers to Tampa Bay may be unaware 'tis a pirate's haven, but what could be more beguiling to kids than a town that revolves around these legendary time travellers? From January through May, the city is invaded by buccaneers during the Pirate Fest Stage Street Festival, the Gasparilla Parade (tons of elaborate floats and marching bands), the Outbound Voyage with Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, and Searle’s Sack of St. Augustine, a thrilling reenactment of Robert Searle’s deadly raid in 1668 (complete with an authentic battle). Join the assault, and snatch up some sparkling beads and doubloons while yer at it!     

Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe is a whimsical eatery that offers eclectic cuisine, supports local artists, and features live entertainment on Friday and Soul Food Sunday nights. The creative menu reflects the personality of its chef, and is best washed down with one (or more) of the cafe’s beers, ciders, wines or specialty drinks. The quirky art collection will amuse and charm even young children. Not to mention the ‘world famous two-headed alligator of Seminole Heights’ (or a reasonable facsimile), captured by local trappers, and on display here.       

​Want to get right out of town to the ocean and fresh air? Drive for 25 minutes down the coast to see manatees in their natural habitat near the Big Bend Power Station at Apollo Beach. The station's discharge canal sends clean, warm saltwater back to the Bay where these gentle mammals seek sanctuary when the surrounding ocean reaches less than 68 degrees.

​The site also features educational tours of the power plant, solar energy, a boardwalk, a wildlife observation tower, and an award-winning butterfly garden.     

​In Tampa, when it rains, it floods. And lightning strikes. It's no accident that's the name of their hockey team. So you'll want to have great accommodations, especially if travelling with little ones. For a taste of southern hospitality in a quiet location, you can't go wrong with a two-room suite priced at $149 offered by Palmer House Bed and Breakfast. You’ll be treated like royalty in this remarkable blend of the comforts of home and style of an upscale resort. The hosts could not be kinder, nor could there be greater attention to detail in the services. And it’s conveniently located just out of the city and close to parks and activities, such as canoeing, horseback riding and biking.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, especially for kids in the Northern Hemisphere. If they're really, really lucky, they may get the chance (and you, too!) to escape winter's last gasps by running away to a sunnier place. And how better to celebrate than with a Tampa Extravaganza! Here, we lay out a few of the lesser-known best times in this city on Florida's Gulf Coast - a blast for both the young and the young at heart.

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​Ybor City is a historic neighborhood near downtown Tampa, founded in the 1880s by cigar manufacturers and populated mostly by tabaqueros from Italy, Spain, and Cuba. Known as the “Cigar Capital of the World,” the factories rolled millions of cigars annually for 50 years – about 700 million at the industry's peak. Ybor City was unique in the American South as a successful town nearly completely owned and operated by immigrants - not a bad place to start a good discussion with your kids, if you're up for it.

​The delightful Ceviche tapas restaurant is intimate and romantic. Sparkling fresh sangria and spicy tapas make a great combination, either hot or cold: ceviche de la casa (chilled and marinated lime shrimp, seabass, and squid); tabla fixta (Spanish cheeses and sausages); calientes (stuffed artichokes in sherry sauce), gazpacho, paella… on and on into gourmet heaven. An authentic slice of Tampa that will make a great first impression.    
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In fact, the Pemaquid-Bristol region looks a lot like Cornwall, very similar to the Fal estuary on the south coast. We even had a boat ride, to see the seals – but no ferry from St. Mawes! Lots of lobster and seafood, including fish and chips!

You don't get many chances to photograph real coal these days!

On our way, we stayed in the mountainous region of Jackson, New Hampshire. There is a funny little steam locomotive at the foot of Mount Washington, still puffing, complete with an engineer in a dirty face and overalls.

We spent one night in Jackson, New Hampshire, had dinner in the pub and listened to a local Irish folk band. The rest of the time was at Hawks House Inn, a comfortable, laid-back B&B near Damariscotta, Maine. The host was large, gregarious and couldn't do enough to make us feel at home, and the inn was busy each day. Breakfast was buffet style laid out on two large tables. Steve, the host, was very proud of his artisanal cereals and bread, all bought at the local farmer's market, he said, as was the selection of fruit. This was ideal for us since we could help ourselves to what we liked. Not having bacon and eggs each morning probably did our figures some good, and every little bit helps these days!

As you can see, the sun shone every day, which apparently is not particularly typical of the coastal region of Maine. While this is about the closest we are to the ocean, it is still almost exactly 600 kilometres away, so not an afternoon's drive.

We were lucky with the weather but here at home, we REALLY need some rain. It has been a consistently hot, dry summer and the gardens have suffered, in our case due to the heat, but also because of the ravages of the plant pests which such hot weather seems to encourage. Sigh! We can't have it all...

Much of St. Ives reputation is derived from its status as a haven for artists. The coast is imbued with a special golden light much of the time, readily captured in paintings or photographs. The town is poetry incarnate, with its steep streets, colourful personalities, and stranded boats in the harbour at low tide.
     On a striking site overlooking Porthmeor Beach, the Tate St. Ives museum opened in 1993 with the mandate to promote the legacy of the St. Ives Modernists who worked here during the mid 20th century. The international exhibition program sponsors three shows a year of Modern and Contemporary Art. In 2014, a major project began to refurbish and extend the gallery.
     On days when the fog rolls in and the beach is more suited to walking than sunbathing, there is much to discover among the narrow streets of St. Ives. It is known for its curiosity, craft, and gift shops. Children will adore this aspect of a town that seems to have been intentionally scaled to them and their imaginations, a fairy tale come to life.
   For all its prettiness, however, it cannot be separated from the shadow of Pendennis, an austere headland that marks the watery graves of many a wayward ship. St. Ives served as a fishing and shipping centre for much of its history. During World War II, it attracted intellectuals (St. Ives School of Painting) and hosted military troops, such as the Commando Mountain Training Centre, originally based in the Cairngorms, Scotland.

CORNWALL, ENGLAND

Like the palm trees that thrive in the temperate climate, St. Ives’ traditions and festivals are remarkable. During the Midsummer Eve Bonfire, a Lady of the Flowers casts herbs into a blaze on a hilltop. The Hurling of the Silver Ball on Feast Monday is something like an undisciplined rugby match. Guising (dressing up in costumes) has young people running in the streets on more than one occasion, during the summer and around the New Year. Fair Mo, held just before Christmas, celebrates the keeping of pigs. And model boat sailing on Consols Pool maintains the ancient custom of launching miniature ships to placate the gods of the storm.
     With the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1877 and the advent of broad gauge trains, St. Ives opened up to the outside world and rapidly became a popular holiday resort. It is not uncommon to see hordes of schoolchildren travelling south to St. Erth and transferring to the St. Ives Bay Line. The last stretch of the journey is especially magnificent as the train rounds the curvature of the coast with spectacular views of the cliffs and ocean in all directions.
     On land, a footpath follows the same route, so if you feel like you’ve not had time to take it all in, this is your second chance. It begins at the train station, becoming a narrow lane from the Warren to Westcott's Quay. Drenched in the scent of tropical gardens and sea air, the trail is sheltered by a canopy of green – just enough to cool your brow and guard your eyes from the glare of the sun on the waves.

CORNWALL, ENGLAND

Much of England is ‘pretty’ in a quaint kind of way. It has also been known to be foggy, rainy, even ugly, especially during the days of coal fires, which shrouded most of London in a mantle of smog. The odour has never fully dissipated, or perhaps it has simply been absorbed into the generalized aroma of age and train engines, so characteristic of the place. In a word, the seat of the Empire looks, feels, and smells… well, old.
     The Cornish people, descendants of an ancient clan of Celts, would deny their place in that Empire, being hoarier than the Romans and Anglo-Saxons. Through some incongruity in the clockwork of history, they’ve managed to preserve much of their Brythonic language and customs.  More to the point, however, they’ve retained their edge: Cornwall is equally lovely and rugged, charming and fearsome.
     Beyond the rambling fields, rough moors, and ragged cliffs, the land tapers off into sand and sunlight. The seaside town of St. Ives is its crown sapphire, sensibly set between a protective headland and a sweep of golden beaches. For much of the past, the village was isolated, accessed mainly by sea. Legends dating to the 5th century tell of the young Saint Ia (from whom St. Ives gets its name), who came across the ocean from Ireland in a leaf to become the patroness of the small community. She is commemorated by a statue created by figurative sculptor Faust Lang (1887-1973) carved from driftwood.

The first sign of Provincetown comes in the form of the Pilgrim Monument that, like a diminutive Statue of Liberty, stands out against the horizon as the ferry approaches land again. The granite tower was designed and constructed between 1892 and 1910 to commemorate the Mayflower’s first landing in the New World. The Pilgrims reached Cape Cod in 1620 and stayed for a few weeks before continuing on to Plymouth, Massachusetts from Plymouth, England.
   In 1654, the Europeans purchased the land for a pittance from the Chief of the Nauset, an Algonquin community. Arrivals in Provincetown Harbor are still celebrated with almost as much exuberance as the original historical event. A throng of locals and vacationers gathers on the piers when your ship comes in to welcome you with a wave and a smile – and they’ll give you just as good a send-off when your visit concludes. You’ll also note the eclectic Mercedes taxi service, whose vehicles are as distinctive as their drivers. Although you may need one if you arrive with luggage and plan to stay a while, the town is literally right up the road.
     Culture in Provincetown, like the surrounding ocean, is deep. Drawn primarily by the beautiful light, artists have populated the area since 1899, gaining notoriety in 1916 when the Boston Globe featured a headline story about the colony. In the 1920s and 1930s, the gay and lesbian community of the area began to flourish with the continuous waves of writers, poets, and playwrights who washed up on its shores. The acceptance of difference is at the core of Provincetown’s reputation and mystique. For LGBTQ people, it is a mecca.

The catamaran sets off from Long Wharf North, taking about 90 minutes to reach the tip of the Cape. You first travel past the Boston Harbor Islands, a picturesque nature park consisting of 12 islands and peninsulas with undeveloped shorelines and nesting areas for coastal birds. Then, you head out into Massachusetts Bay.
   Once the ferry reaches deep water, it is not unusual to spot a right whale, one of about 250 that have congregated in the Bay. This number is approximately half of the entire world population of this critically endangered mammal. Occasionally, one may come quite close and suddenly breach near the ship, taking your breath away.

This little village at the end of the rainbow anchors Cape Cod in the Atlantic Ocean. Provincetown can be reached from the mainland after about a two-hour drive or five-hour bus ride from Boston. You can also get there on the Fast Ferry, which runs to and from the city seven days a week, a few times a day. If you do your research and think you know what to expect, you’ll still be impressed.