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What's Happening: The Beach Tampa's Giant Ball Pit
August 13, 2016
Just like what it says on their website, The Beach Tampa is indeed a beach like no other. A creative concept of Penny Vinik, the wife of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, The Beach is Amalie Arena's hockey rink converted into an epic 15,000 square-foot beach-themed ball pit.
The Beach is an all-white enclosure complete with beach chairs, umbrellas, lifeguard stations and even astro turf made to look like white sand. There is also a snack bar inside the installation where hungry and thirsty "beachgoers" can buy food and drinks.
Being at The Beach felt surreal knowing that we were actually inside a hockey stadium. The whole place looked like some futuristic monochromatic movie set. There were a lot of kids running around, parents lounging in beach chairs, and families playing cornhole.
Inspired by The Beach in Washington D.C., Penny Vinik had the idea of bringing the "beach experience" to her new hometown Tampa. Penny contacted Snarkitecture, the design firm responsible for The Beach Washington D.C., to build an even bigger installation inside the Amelie Arena for Tampanians to enjoy for free. The Beach Tampa premiered on August 5th and is open to public until August 25th.
The highlights of the installation are two gigantic ball pits filled with recyclable antimicrobial plastic balls. Diving into the pit was definitely fun, but we gotta be honest--it hurt a little bit when we tried it. Moving around inside the ball pit was quite a workout, but it was also relaxing and fun at the same time. Throwing balls at each other and wiggling around made us feel like kids all over again. Even the other adults couldn't resist frolicking with their friends and kids inside the pit.
We also got to practice our cornhole skills, but needless to say, we weren't very good at it. Nonetheless, it was quite easy to get carried away by the beach vibe under the stadium's bright floodlights.
Diving In - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
The highlights of the installation are two gigantic ball pits filled with recyclable antimicrobial plastic balls. Diving into the pit was definitely fun, but we gotta be honest--it hurt a little bit when we tried it. Moving around inside the ball pit was quite a workout, but it was also relaxing and fun at the same time. Throwing balls at each other and wiggling around made us feel like kids all over again. Even the other adults couldn't resist frolicking with their friends and kids inside the pit.
We also got to practice our cornhole skills, but needless to say, we weren't very good at it. Nonetheless, it was quite easy to get carried away by the beach vibe under the stadium's bright floodlights.
The Beach is definitely a fun place for young and old. Visitors not only get free tickets (recommended stay is 45-minutes), they also get free parking and a free ice cream at the entrance. Apart from that, visitors also get to use lockers to stow away their belongings. It's easy to lose items while bouncing around the ball pit, so make sure to empty your pockets before plunging in.
There is still time to enjoy the beach so don't miss out on this unique experience. Visit The Beach Tampa for more information regarding this 3-week long event.
There is still time to enjoy the beach so don't miss out on this unique experience. Visit The Beach Tampa for more information regarding this 3-week long event.
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