Things to Do in Holiday

Whether by deck, pontoon, or console boat, Belle Harbour Boat Rentals gets people enjoying the water without the hassle of watercraft ownership. From the Belle Harbour Marina, travelers make their way along the Anclote River and inter-coastal waterways in search of sights, sun, and fish. Along the way, they find miniature islands and sandbars, perfect for picnics or building sand sculptures of feet for taunting merpeople. Fishing excursions yield bounties of seatrout, redfish, and snook or a chance to view early-morning glimpses of Anclote Key Lighthouse. Along the way, waterside eateries beckon groups for a quick bite with their burgers, seafood, and drinks before customers journey back out to share dining critiques with the manatees, dolphins, bald eagles, and osprey that inhabit the area.

Masked warriors charge over the top of trench fortifications, spearheading an attack on enemy lines, spurred on by a telltale popping noise and flurry of splattered paint. "I don't care if you're a man, woman, child or 65-year-old grandma, you're going to get an adrenaline rush," Owner John Gross told the Tampa Bay Times, speaking to paintball and airsoft sports’ ability to bring out that competitive spirit in almost everyone, from military folks to birthday-party guests.

Players of all ages and stripes engage in friendly combat on the rolling slopes of six separate fields, which sport obstacles and features such as mock-pillboxes, buildings, and a hulking U.N. tank. Visitors ambush, flank, and outmaneuver opposing teams using the field’s arsenal of pigment-hurling paintball cannons, or more realistic pellet-shooting airsoft rifles. Referees carefully watch play to ensure soldiers adhere to house safety rules and Geneva Convention standards.

When Brian McInerney reflects on the humble beginnings of Wheel Fun Rentals, he points to his childhood passion for bikes. "As far back as I can remember, I had a real love affair with bicycles," he recalls. During a trip to Italy in 1987, Brian's affinity for cycling blossomed into a full-fledged obsession when he spotted locals' transporter of choice, the surrey. Inspired, he began importing the Italian four-wheelers to a rental business in the U.S. that eventually expanded into Wheel Fun Rentals, now a nationwide web of shops that also loans out bikes, electric cars and mopeds, and man-powered watercraft. Adventuresome athletes can also compete in activities such as surrey scavenger hunts and blindfold obstacle courses navigated via shouted instructions from a seeing teammate or exceptionally long rounds of trial and error.

As they flock to the nearby beaches of Clearwater or the nightlife of Tampa, most tourists overlook Dunedin, a pretty burg known for its sweeping views of the Gulf of Mexico. But, thanks to the segway-riding guides at Sun Glide Tours, the region’s hidden gem just became much more accessible. Astride their two-wheeled steeds, visitors can explore the Pinellas Trail that cuts through downtown, steering their segways alongside runners, bikers, and the town’s famous rollerblading squirrels.

Slippery Brook Enterprise’s head instructor, Tracy Schlabach, has spent more than 30 years working with horses, a wealth of experience that has earned her silver and bronze medals from the United States Dressage Federation . Aspiring equestrians pick Schlabach’s brain for horseback-riding knowledge during her private riding lessons at the picturesque Half Pass Stables, whose dressage ring, clay arena, and jumper arena emerge out of lush, emerald foliage. She teaches a variety of styles that strengthen the relationship between human and equine, making them work together to accomplish pole-clearing bounds, ballet-like dressage dances, and record-breaking three-legged races. Schlabach also runs a horse-boarding and lodging program at the same stables, housing four-legged companions in the barn’s 34 stalls and turning them loose for regular grazes on verdant pastures.