Ask Jaden Mackie, 5 or his sister, Jayli, 1½, how they spent their summer vacation and the answer would probably be, “Play.” Ask grand mom Pam, who spent the summer here with them and she’d say, “What didn’t they do? And that includes petting an alligator.”
Most of the time they spent outdoors, playing with friends. Jayli has a tricycle and a little motorized car she drove around in, remote controlled by grand mom. Jaden was with his buddies playing Manhunt, riding his bike or splashing around in the pool.
Pam, who visits in an RV, used to stay at the Disney campground, but says she moved to Tropical Palms because, “There’s every bit as much to do and it’s a lot more economical.” In fact, though she has season passes at Disney, she and the kids had so much fun they spent most of their time right here. Going down slides, riding bikes and a lot of swimming keep the 50-year-old Pam young and young at heart. So do her neighbors.
“It’s feels like family here; like an old fashioned neighborhood. People come for the season, or a weekend or a week and then come back again and again. Everybody looks out for one another. And the staff is always around, helping with whatever they can. So you don’t have to worry about the kids. You know they’re safe. And there’s always something special going on, like a visit from the alligator farm, that’s when the kids got to pet the gators.”
Of course, it does concern Pam a bit that Jaden wants to wrestle one when he gets a little older.
We want to know how you spent your summer vacation at Tropical Palms. Send us your stories and pictures!
Be sure to check out Jaden and Jayli with those alligators on our Facebook page.
