Visiting the Everglades is a bucket list item that I’ve had in my sights since I moved to Florida. I just couldn’t make up my mind how to see the Everglades: a boat tour, an airboat ride, or simply go for a visit near a park entrance and try my luck. Then I ran across an article on the Shark Valley Tram Tour. A picture of the Shark Valley Observation Tower caught my eye and I knew I had just stumbled upon the inspiration for my trip. Continue reading Everglades Trip
My second trip back to St. Augustine was just as wonderful as the first. I visited a few new places: the brewery, the winery, and Lightner Museum, but the highlight of the trip was the Flagler College tour!
The first time I went to St. Augustine I was told multiple times to book a tour to visit Flagler College. So, my next visit to St. Augustine was centered around going on the tour and I was not disappointed. Being in St. Augustine already made me feel like I had gone back in time, but when I walked through the gates onto the Flagler campus I felt transported back even further. The architecture is incredible. The orange-red clay used on the college is beautiful, the details intricate. There is a large fountain in the center, with different sculptures posted at each hour. Continue reading Flagler College Tour
Just like with my Disney post, there are numerous posts on Universal Orlando. I decided to write a post listing my favorite Universal Orlando rides since this a question I get asked a lot. Let’s get this straight before we start, there are two parks at Universal: Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Islands of Adventure has more coasters and water rides, Universal Studios is, in my opinion, more for kids, although my favorite ride is located there! If you’re a huge Harry Potter fan, go ahead and spend the money on the park to park ticket since there are two Harry Potter parks, one in each (smart move, Universal). Plus, you can ride the Hogwarts Express between parks so it’s worth it. Here are my favorite rides:
There are so many blogs out there about Disney World. You can find what to wear, see, do, and eat with a basic search. Information about the rides is readily available, but when my friends & family come to town they ask me which rides I recommend. So I decided to list my favorite rides at Disney World by each park! Here are my picks & why:
Since I’m an animal lover this shouldn’t be a surprise, and of course, there are giraffes! On this ride you get into safari bus and go on a tour of the savannah. You can see Okapi, various birds, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, gazelle, monkeys, elephants, and more! Even once you’ve been on the safari no ride is the same, the next trip you may see an animal you haven’t seen before. I recommend going first thing in the morning or around dusk since the animals are more active. Animal Kingdom now has a night ride for the safari, but if you go after dark you aren’t going to see much! Continue reading My Favorite Rides at Disney World
Florida’s Best Kept Secret
My friend and I were more than eager to check out Devil’s Den Prehistoric Springs, an underwater springs inside a cave. There had been a lot of hype about it and I was dying to check it off my Florida list. Pictures online portrayed translucent cobalt waters surrounded by rock with a hole in the middle that let sunshine through. The underwater cave sounded incredible, but until I was actually inside I couldn’t comprehend how wonderful it was. Continue reading Devil’s Den
Mirrored Waters
A dark brown shape protruded from the left side of the bank ahead. My gaze focused on it, trying to figure out if it was a branch or an alligator. I relaxed as we moved closer, it was a branch. But my defenses would soon be up again, there were all sorts of things in these waters.
The fourth of July weekend brought my parents in town. We didn’t want to go to the overcrowded theme parks or beaches so we decided to go to Wekiva Island and spend the day canoeing. The beginning of the trip was peaceful and beautiful, not a lot of people were on the water yet. Continue reading Canoeing Wekiva Island
The Oldest City in America
St. Augustine is one city that I was told I had to visit ever since I moved to Florida. Now that I’ve been, I’m one of those people telling others to go! St. Augustine was built by the Spanish and is the oldest city in the U.S.; it was also the capital of Florida for 200 years. I decided to stop in St. Augustine for one day on my trip, but I wish I had planned for two days. The town is on the east coast of Florida and since I was driving up from Orlando, I made a checklist of my St. Augustine bucket list to hit in order on my way up. St. Augustine has so much history to offer and the trip was a nice change from the theme parks. Continue reading St. Augustine Day Trip
Searching for Gators
Airboat rides are an iconic Florida activity. Gliding through swampy, alligator infested waters is the first image that comes to mind, but our guide told us differently. The alligators usually hide since they can hear the airboats coming, so getting a close look at one is difficult. Luckily for us it was August, which is nesting season for alligators. The mother gators would stay near their nests, even when they sensed intruders drawing near. Continue reading Airboat Ride in Kissimmee
Florida’s Indian River hosts a magnificent natural occurrence during the warm summer months: bioluminescence. I came across a picture of bioluminescence one day and with a quick search I discovered that this spectacular display is only 45 minutes away from me. I could go on a bioluminescent kayak tour in Titusville, Florida. A scene from the movie Life of Pi came to mind, the one where Pi wakes up and finds that the sea is glowing around him and all the creatures are illuminated. This phenomenon is real; bioluminescence causes the surrounding water to light up, or glow, when movement is present.
