Road Trips and Staycations in Florida

I can hardly believe that school has started, and our summer is coming to a close. The months of May, June and July flew by like the warm summer breezes. As I sit here today reflecting on those beautiful moments with gratitude, and think back to the three destinations across Florida that I recently had the opportunity to visit. While each destination was unique in so many ways, there was one unique thread, absolutely beautiful beaches. 

My first adventure began with a road trip to Miami, Florida with my daughters. Yay! A girl’s trip. The three of us were in town to visit family, and spend a few days on the popular Miami Beach. We were fortunate enough to stay right on the beach in Surfside. The name implies it all. Surf and sun for sure and for a few days we basked in the Miami sun and shopped until we dropped. Miami is loaded with things to do. The art, culture, the food and shopping are all together fabulous. I really enjoy the culture and the diversity of people which over the years have enriched and changed greatly.

While I am not a foodie or an expert traveler by any means, I have to say Miami has some of the best restaurants in the US to dine in. A couple worth mentioning are Le Zoo and Lido Restaurant. Both are very different in ambiance and type of food, and you can fork up a pretty penny if you choose. The shopping in Brickle, Merrick Village and Bal Harbor have just about every retail store worth mentioning. There are so many boutiques and local shops which are filled with a variety of items from all over the world. My daughters and I enjoyed one another’s company and delighted in all the sights and people we met along the way. The beach was yet again my favorite place to be and I really enjoyed the company of my sister-in-law and the long walks and lingering conversations over coffee or wine.  

My second summer adventure was to Marco Island which is only about a 2-hour drive from Tampa. My hubby and I traveled together on this trip, and stayed at The Marco Island Beach hotel. Marco Island is a barrier Island in the Gulf of Mexico and is linked to the mainland by bridges just south of the city of Naples. There are soft sandy beaches and I prefer these beaches over Miami by far as the Atlantic Ocean produces a different sand. My husband had a work conference, so I was solo much of time, however it was good to be alone and I was able to collect my thoughts and ponder many things. I lost my father in June of this year and found out I am going to be a grandmother in May so there was plenty on my mind. I felt so fortunate to be in such a beautiful place and be able to walk along the beach and soak up the sunshine.  

Final destination of my summer staycations was spent near “The Forgotten Coastline” or Apalachicola. This was a couple’s road trip that some dear friends invited us on. The drive is about 5 hours from Tampa. This was a beautiful, scenic road trip that I haven’t experienced before. The trees and coastline were absolutely beautiful driving through. Apalachicola is an altogether different place than the prior two cities I had visited. It’s a small town with a slow paced, southern hospitality feel. The people we met were some of the nicest people I have ever encountered in Florida. We were traveling with another couple that had been to this lovely area before, so they knew all the places to eat and well drink! We spent the first two days in town at The Gibson Inn where we ate local, shopped and spent our evenings on the big front porch in rocking chairs just talking our night away. On our last full day in Apalachicola, we decided to travel over the bridge to St. George Island where we met friends and sat on the beach and soaked up the sunshine while sipping on our favorite beverage. We wrapped up the day with a delicious seafood dinner, a few more cocktails and lots of laughter.