Offbeat fun Sharon Kennedy Wynne Luis Santana/tbtWes Foster Climbs at the indoor Gym Vertical Ventures indoor Climbing Gym. Luis Santana/tbtFrank Rivera hangs on for dear life (okay, not really) at Vertical Ventures Indoor Climbing Gym. Luis Santana/tbtThis drummer goes by the name "Nucleus" and is one of the many who meet on Treasure Island Beach near the Bilmar Hotel every Sunday to jam together and admire the sunset. Luis Santana/tbtClub V Volleyball courts boasts 20 lighted sand courts. Owner Alan Hafez trucked in more than 4,000 tons of fine beach sand to the courts. tbt* filesIt's hard to imagine a better way to pass the hot summer days than by floating effortlessly down the Rainbow River.It's the middle of summer, and already you're sick of the beach, tired of the pool, over lying on the couch flipping through channels. You've got the urge, though, to go do ... something. If nothing else, so you can answer that inevitable dinner party question, "So what are you up to this summer?" You could do the standard and unimaginative route of visiting a theme park or taking in a movie (yawn). Or you could think outside the sandbox and try something you've never done before. We've taken a look at some of the primo time fillers around Tampa Bay. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it's a good place to start doing something just for curiosity's sake to kill an afternoon.
MARCH TO A DIFFERENT BEAT
Don't get stuck in a rut of doing the same old. Try these this summer - then brag about them to your family or friends who live in some landlocked sweltering suburb up north.
Treasure Island drumming circle
Every Sunday about an hour before sunset, the arrivals come to Treasure Island toting bongos, finger cymbals, even coffee cans and water jugs, to beat out a rhythm and get some release before starting a new week.
It started out as a college student's community project, and five years later, it's still drawing dozens of strangers from as far away as Sarasota and Plant City to join a meditative beat that rises and falls back into a heartbeat on the beach.
Find them at the county park just south of the Bilmar hotel on Treasure Island. Bring your hand drums or any percussion instruments, but modern drum sets played with sticks don't fit in very well. To find out about this and other Tampa Bay drum circles, go to tidrums.tripod.com.
Explore a cave
You'd be surprised by what you can find underground in places just a short drive from the city. But venture out with a group of avid cavers to sample the sport first. Cavers organize local "grottos" - groups devoted to studying, mapping, preserving, and above all exploring caves - under the auspices of the National Speleological Society (
www.caves.org).
They are eager to welcome new members and amateurs interested in joining their next underground excursion. You can find the Tampa Bay Area Grotto at
www.caves.org/grotto/tbag/ or call the chairman Tom Farnell in Largo at (727) 581-7462..
Get in climbing shape
You can get the feel of climbing even if you never intend to stick your head in a hole in central Florida. Vertical Ventures is an indoor climbing gym in Tampa that offers a lot of packages to those just trying out the sport. Beginners can take an introductory class for $30 that includes all the gear and covers the basics. From there, you can pay a daily rate of $11-$12.50 (not including gear rentals) to figure out how much you like clinging to a rock for dear life. Find them at 5402-E Pioneer Park Blvd Suite E in Tampa, or call (813) 884-7625
Play golf with a Frisbee
Disc golf is popular with the dudes who play hacky sack, but it's also a remarkably easy game for any skill level to play. Instead of chipping balls into a hole, you stand on a 12-foot-long concrete pad (the "tee") and spot an elevated metal basket some 100 feet away that has chains around the basket to stop the disc (and make a distinct clanging sound that is most satisfying after a good throw). Serious players get special discs that are smaller and flatter than your backyard variety. You can find a list of courses in your area a
www.pdga.com. Of special note: Clearwater's two rugged shade-lovers courses at Cliff Stephens and Coachman parks and the Quarry Golf Course in Brooksville that is built around an old rock quarry. It wanders through an amazing landscape, including shots over a deep pit. It costs $5, (352) 544-5485, at that one, but most courses are at city parks and are free.
St. Pete Shuffle
A hip twist on an old game attracts the MTV crowd to a game long paired with the Lawrence Welk crowd. Considering that nearly 100 people - including a strong contingent of young artists and scenesters - show up every Friday to play shuffleboard, listen to music and enjoy local art, they might be onto something. Live bands play the third Friday of every month, kids and families are welcome. And even better, it's free; 7-11 p.m. at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Courts, 559 Mirror Lake Drive N.
Play volleyball
A former Olympic volleyball player opened an amazing 20-court beach volleyball facility on U.S. 19 near Ulmerton Road this year to help others follow their dreams on the largest outdoor volleyball venue in the country. Alan Hafez, who played volleyball in the '72 and 1976 Olympics for his native Epgypt, made his money in business and real estate. Now he's pursuing his dream.
The Club V Beach facility has sand finer than Clearwater Beach's, without the shells or saggy nets that make beachfront play tough. The sturdy aluminum poles and heavy-gauge nets can be adjusted for men's or women's height. And it's got stadium lights for nighttime play.
No wonder its already hosted scores of national tournaments.
You don't need to have a team. Show up any time after 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and pay $5 a night for a pickup game. Hafez collects the "orphan players " and pairs you up with a team.
Join a nine-week league for $60 and you get in free on the weekends to practice. For more info, call the club at (727) 540-0222.
Geocaching scavenger hunts
There's a treasure chest somewhere in Sawgrass Lake Park in St. Petersburg, and another on Picnic Island in the Port of Tampa. How you find it, well, that's the fun of it.
DaVinci Code fans should love geocaching. You log onto a Web site (
www.geocaching.com) and plug in your ZIP code, and up pops a couple of dozen hidden treasures in parks and alleys all across your town and hundreds in the whole Tampa Bay area. All you are given is a couple of clues and the precise latitude and longitude coordinates.
Then you head out with a GPS unit, which these days cost less than $100 and can get you within a few feet of the "treasure," which in most cases is just a Rubbermaid container or old ammo box that is filled with trinkets like key chains and Mardi Gras beads. Bring some dollar store trinket of your own to replace the ones you take.
Also inside will be a notebook and a pen so you can leave a note about when you found it and see the notes from the other treasure hunters who were there before you. Put the log and your own offerings back in the box and return it to its hiding place. Some caches have been hidden in the brush at parks or under bridges for years.
The finders are careful to avoid shouting "I found it!" and risk detection by "muggles" who are just there to enjoy the park and aren't aware of the secret hunt going on all around them.
GO TO CLASS AT THE BEACH
Sure they have yoga or self defense classes anywhere, but they don't have a beach. So why not take up a new sport or get in your daily stretch as dolphins leap nearby?
T'ai Ch'i by the water
This slow-moving ancient self defense practice that looks like underwater ballet is more about balance and control than raising your heart rate. Each Wednesday at 6 p.m., you can take a beginner level class that takes it outside for a nice view on Indian Rocks Beach at 16th Avenue. Teacher Roger Millen only asks for a $5 donation and no need to make reservations. Just show up in comfy clothes. For information, call (727) 595-8457.
Yoga on the beach
Tom Meagher, a hospital wellness adviser, conducts yoga classes on Indian Rocks Beach at 22nd Avenue on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. The 75-minute session of "Tom's eclectic yoga" is usually playful and energetic, but made for all abilities.
No need for reservations, but you can call (727) 365-4901 for information. A $6 donation is requested.
Kayoga
It's a marriage of kayak and yoga. The yoga teachers at Sculptured Bodies in Redington Shores lead kayak trips to an island, followed by a yoga session. It's for all skill levels and can be as relaxing as a morning stretch or a more intense boot camp-style workout.
They offer three or four trips a month either to an island 20 minutes off Redington Shores or the longer 30-minute paddle from Fort DeSoto to Shell Island. You can also book trips for your own crew by appointment. Prices range from $35-$65 per person. Call (727) 319-4990.
Carolina Mike's Kayaking 4 Fitness class
"Carolina" Mike Berthold takes paddlers out into Coffee Pot Bayou for a workout. The cost is $30 if you rent kayaks, $10 if using your own. You have to reserve a spot 24 hours before. Call (727) 235-1959 or see
www.carolinamike.com
The class meets Mondays (beginners) and Wednesdays (intermediate) at 6:30 p.m. at the Coffee Pot Bayou boat ramp, 31st Avenue N and First Street in St. Petersburg.
SOAK IN A COLD SPRING
About late July when it's brutally hot outside, venture to the cool springs of the North Suncoast near Weeki Wachee, Crystal River or along the Withlacoochee. The water temperature never gets much above the mid-70s - a nice tonic on a 97-degree day.
Go tubing on the Rainbow River
The quintessential summer ritual for many Floridians is to grab an inner tube and find inner peace as you float the 5.8-mile Rainbow River, about two hours north of Tampa. This pristine river system discharges amazingly clear water in the fourth largest freshwater spring in Florida and the eighth largest in the world.
KP Hole Park in Dunnellon has restrooms, a snack bar, swimming beach and boat ramp. The park entrance fee is $3 per person. Canoes are $5 an hour. Tubes are $9 for the day. For information, call (352) 489-3055.
Play like a mermaid
Rent a kayak at Weeki Wachee Canoe and Kayak Rental, (352) 597-0360, where you get a boat for $38 to tour one of the last unspoiled water trails in the state. Take a half-day trip and then spend the rest of the afternoon checking out the so-retro-they're-cool-again mermaids and play in a water park designed around the springs.
Take home a cooler full of scallops
Collect them yourself near Crystal River. Scalloping season is July 1 through September and has been described as hunting for live Easter eggs. AquaMarine Images (toll free at 888-732-2692) takes a boatload of scallop hunters out at 7 a.m. and returns at 1:30 p.m. in time to start melting some butter. The $60 per person rate includes the snorkel gear you need, but you need to reserve ahead of time.
