As a mom of five kids, I have thrown my fair share of birthday parties. On one hand, I’ve always been grateful to have family and friends who were willing to celebrate my child’s birthday with us, and a birthday party can always make a kid feel special.
But on the other hand, birthday parties can be a ton of work, and hosting them at your house can mean hours of prep, cleaning, serving, and cleaning again. Plus, can we talk about that overstimulated, cranky, full-of-sugar kid you end up with at the end of the party?
Shudder.
Birthday parties will always have their place, but as my kids are getting older, I am trying hard to push for birthday experiences and birthday trips over gifts. For instance, I recently took my two oldest daughters — who happen to have birthdays two days apart and in the same month as me — on a beach resort trip for their birthdays.
I was thrilled with how teen-friendly the resort was, and it made the perfect birthday celebration, especially for two hard-to-please teenagers.
TradeWinds Resort
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TradeWinds Resort
We traveled to TradeWinds Resort in gorgeous St. Pete’s, Florida, home of seemingly endless sandy beaches, a laid-back attitude, and shockingly warm Gulf waters (especially if you’re from a cold-weather state, like us).
I was so pleased with how many teen-friendly amenities the resort has that are all included in the price of the resort fee. For instance, the resort fee includes:
- Unlimited slides down the dual High Tides slide — there are two side-by-side lanes on the giant water slide that is set up all day on the beach, right outside the resort (you can’t miss it)
- An inflatable water park set up in the water right in front of the beach resort — think giant floating slides, trampolines, competitions, and obstacle courses
- Beach volleyball
- Beach loungers and umbrella (all but the front row, though, folks, that you have to pay extra for)
- Kayaks
- Paddleboats
- Paddleboards
- Game zone
- Live music
- Pickleball lessons
- Mini golf
- Beach photos (we didn’t do this because I honestly didn’t know about it, but for as many pictures as my girls forced me to take of them on the beach, I know they would have loved it!)
- S’mores by the campfire
To be perfectly honest with you, there was almost more to do at the resort than my teens could even participate in. There were also daily resort activities, classes, and entertainment, so each day held something new.
If you felt like going off-site, you could also book partner exercusions, such as a dolphin cruise (we saw so many beautiful dolphins on ours!), shelling (we found our first sand dollars!), sunset cruises, or parasailing (we didn’t get a chance to go, but it’s on the bucket list).
Something for Everyone
What I loved most about taking a birthday trip at a teen-friendly beach resort is that I could be with my daughters, but also allow them a bit of freedom when they wanted. We could lounge on the beach together, but then they could play beach volleyball or hit the slides or take a class to get a little teen time in.
The resort was the perfect size of not too big and not too small, to keep everyone happy and my mind at ease.
There are several on-site restaurants, offering everything from full sit-down meals (we had the best avocado toast for breakfast), to an authentic Italian restaurant and fresh seafood, to quick grab-and-go options. My girls were especially excited to spot a full Chick-fil-A pop-up site right by the beach, so you know this place gets teens.
We had our actual birthday meal at RumFish Grill, a delicious seafood restaurant next door to the resort. It featured a huge dining room aquarium, and the chocolate lava cake was more delicious than any birthday cake we could ever hope for.
My girls also loved the nightlife — not only was the beach beautiful to stroll at night, but lively karaoke and music kept things hopping. And we enjoyed s’mores (they’re free!) and sitting by the campfire to round out our evening.
I loved taking a trip as a birthday gift because it felt like a way of creating memories for my kids together, instead of spending money on a lavish party.
Some of the simplest moments of our trip were the ones I cherished the most. For instance, the resort has an on-site gift shop/ice cream shop/pizza parlor/coffee shop that quickly became our favorite stop.
We were able to grab coffee and cinnamon rolls in the morning, then stroll on the beach with our breakfast. Later in the day, we would grab ice cream for a cool treat post-beach. Simple moments connecting with my teen girls were built right into the trip, thanks to how the resort is laid out, and I loved that we had that opportunity.
Teen-Friendly Vibes
I also appreciated how easy the resort made everything — it’s a 24-minute drive from Tampa airport, and the resort has a partnership with a local transportation company, so you can arrange for a driver if needed.
For me, simple is the name of the game, especially when I’m traveling with kids (teens are still kids — IYKYK).
Price may vary
from
TradeWinds Resort
If at all possible, I would definitely recommend planning a trip to TradeWinds in mid-May and midweek, which is when we visited. During the weekdays, especially, we practically had the beach to ourselves and were able to truly relax.
I can’t tell you what a gift it was to just lounge by the water and read a book with my teens, knowing how fleeting our time together is as college and other adult life paths close in on them.
Everyone is different, of course, but if you’re looking for a unique birthday experience, consider checking out TradeWinds Resort as a teen-friendly beach vacation destination. They’ll definitely remember a beach trip with their parent over the newest iPhone. Right?
