For University of Tampa seniors, now is the time time to put fun before finals by tossing out your “To-Do” lists and focusing on a much more important list of time-urgent activities: The Senior Bucket List. Derived from a collection of Tweets and Posts @TheMinaret and on Facebook.com/TheMinaret. This 21st century college bucket list highlights ideas from UT’s most social-media-savvy seniors and acts as the ultimate list of top 10 things to do before tossing your cap. Get your checklist ready, enjoy …
10. Attend St. Pete First Friday
Believe it or not, there are actually fun things happening on Fridays besides MacDinton’s Happy Hour. No disrespect to my favorite spot, but on the first Friday of every month, Central Avenue of Downtown St. Pete is transformed into a massive block party where open-container laws are lifted on the small strip and people pack the streets to wine, dine and enjoy free live music from 5:30 – 10pm.
http://firstfridaystpete.com/
9. Kiteboard in St. Pete
They say the best way to beat a hangover is at the beach. For a special rate of $75/per hour, UT students can take part in the action out on the water with private Kiteboarding lessons from Best Pro-Kiteboarding of St. Petersburg. Bring a friend to learn with you for an extra $50.
http://www.bestprokiteboarding.com/
8. Order Food to a Final
With few opportunities left to make an impression on your professors, you should make the most of your final hours by ordering food during final exams. Local favorite New York, New York delivers on campus with 15 percent discount for UT Students. You can step outside your class and place your order over the phone at (813) 253-3929. I’ll take a large Florentine, please!
http://www.nynypizzeriatampa.com/
7. Tour the Yuengling Brewery
They say the best things in life are free. At “America’s Oldest Brewery” it’s true! The Yuengling Brewery offers weekly tours of the facility at no cost. The 45-minute guided tour includes a brief history lesson in beer making and free samplings of fresh brews and bottles. Just be sure to sign up in advance!
http://www.yuengling.com/breweries/tampa/
6. Take The Yeoman’s Challenge
For those beer connoisseurs sticking around this summer, the Yeoman’s Pub Challenge is just for you. Drop by Davis Island’s famed dive bar and sign up for their 90 Beers in 90 Days Challenge. If you’re able to complete the challenge, you receive happy hour prices for life and your face gets placed on the “Wall of Fun.”
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yeomans-Road-Pub/
5. Ride the Lazy River
There are few things college students enjoy more than “laying out” and being lazy. Pair these two together and you’ve got the foundation for the ultimate Saturday. With just $3 (the amount you’ll make selling books to the campus store) you can get a full day’s worth of tubing at Marion County’s Rainbow River, when you B.Y.O.T. (bring your own tube — experts suggest a blow up mattress) or rental are available for $9 a day.
http://www.marioncountyfl.org/parks/pr_parks/PR_park_11.htm
4. Try the Frankie’s Challenge
Become permanently immortalized on the wall of your favorite fried food spot, as the fifth person in history to complete the “Frankie’s Challenge.” At Frankie’s, around the corner from campus, $20 will get you five lbs. of food. Eat it all within one hour to complete the challenge and get your money back. If you beat the 39-minute record, you walk away with a Frankie’s tee-shirt and a story to tell your grandchildren.
http://www.frankieshotdogs.com/
3. Board the Pirate Booze Cruise
Some things are only acceptable in college. Dressing up like a Jack Sparrow and drinking your face off while you speak and shout in pirate lingo is one of them. With the Captain Memo Pirate Cruise Ship in Clearwater Beach, you don’t have to wait until next Gasparilla to do this. Make an online reservation at least 24-hours in advance, and you’ll be all set to hop on board at 5, 6, or 7 p.m. for a champagne Cruise. For $39, you can enjoy two hours of live musical entertainment, bottomless beer, champagne and wine. Cheers, matey!
https://www.captainmemo.com/
2. Skydive
What better way to celebrate your dive into adulthood than by diving out of a plane? Skydive Tampa, about a 40-minute drive from campus, offers discounted group dive rates for students, so you and your friends can dive 10,500 ft. for $179. Add an extra $95 for epic photos and video. New Facebook profile picture anyone?
http://www.skydivetampa.com/
1. Climb a Minaret
Now, we are not encouraging any sort of illegal behavior, but chances are Plant Hall will probably be unlocked and security will be too busy writing parking tickets to bust your fun. So, if you’re one of the lucky few to find the trap door on the 4th floor, you can check this number one bucket list item off the list and join the rankings of generations of rebellious Spartans.
http://www.ut.edu/
Runner Ups:
11. Swim in the Hillsborough. Don’t go diving just yet! Find a cleaner spot much further down the way
12. Visit the only dorm you’ve never seen been inside of: the Boathouse.
13. Tour the Henry B. Plant Museum while it’s still free.
14. Paddleboard St. Pete Beach on 49th Street South in St. Petersburg.
15. Kayak below the Howard Franklin. Visit Pinellas County site for trail and rental information.