This year marks a decade since Winter Village first appeared. Visitors can snap fresh Polaroid shots or dust off old photos from previous years. All pictures go into a time capsule — sealed tight until 2035 when the 20th anniversary rolls around.
Real ice covers the rink at the park’s center, not that fake plastic stuff. Each session lasts 75 minutes. Seventeen bucks gets you in with skates included. The rink adjusts its hours depending on when kids have school, stretching out during Hillsborough’s winter break.
River of Lights boat tours depart straight from the village, thanks to Pirate Water Taxi. Forty-five minutes on the Hillsborough River means sing-alongs, fake snow flurries, games, and Santa’s crew stopping by. Children can drop letters to Santa in Tampa’s only floating mailbox, which helps the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Adults pay $35 for boat tours while kids pay $25. Find Stop #12 at the venue for departure.
Special nights dot the season’s calendar. Every Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Silent Disco takes over — headsets available for rent. Tuesdays bring Theme Skate Nights: Grinchmas, Ugly Sweater, Lightning Bolts & Snowflakes. Tampa General Hospital sponsors photo ops.
Wednesdays pack trivia and holiday games between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Thursdays honor Tampa Bay Lightning with special menu choices that could score you team tickets. Saturdays? Local vendors show up with surprise tote giveaways.
Shop Small Weekend stretches from Nov. 28 through Nov. 30, noon to 4 p.m. PODS unboxes the event, hauling in 18 extra small businesses — young entrepreneurs and artists from the area. First hundred shoppers snag an “I Shopped Small at Winter Village” tote.
The village also has a cafe, shops delivered by PODS Moving and Storage, ice skating performances, and the Winter Village Express on select dates. No tickets needed to get in, and you don’t have to sign up ahead of time.