As I sit here on Thanksgiving break I started to think about the amazing summer vacation we have yet to document.
Back in late July 2018 we set out on the open road heading to Seaside, FL for nine days of fun in the sun. Well we thought the sun would shine, and the sky blue.
We stopped off in Mississippi at a beautiful rest stop (NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center, Pearlington, MS).
Huge pine trees towering over the manicured lawn, and the colonial planation looking visitor center. It was late that day, as we had been driving about ten hours. We ate food we brought for the trip, took a stroll around, and settled in for a very hot muggy night. We did have a couple of fans to keep the air moving.
The next morning we woke up, got dressed, and headed out to the nearest Cracker Barrel for some breakfast, plus they are usually RV friendly.
Once we made it to Florida we got set up in our campsite at Sapphire Island Camping & RV Park. This RV Park is about 30 mins from Seaside, FL. We have not camped close to Seaside in the past so we did not realize that there are two State Parks that we could have looked into so that we did not have to drive so far each day. Actually I did look into Grayton Beach State Park, and thought that they were all booked.
Sapphire Island RV Park was small, and seemed to have several people living there on more of a full time basis, but everyone was very nice and it was quiet. The rain did not hold off most of the time we were there. Strange but it rained mostly at the campsite, and once we would get to the beach it was beautiful and sun was shinning.
Words really can not explain how Seaside makes us feel. Our heart longs for the crystal clear water, white sand, quant shops, friendly people, the leisure bike ride down cobblestone streets, cute screened in porch houses, delicious food from trailers, markets, and outdoor restaurants. If feels like a tropical island that you can drive to. We ate at Pizza Bar By the Sea, The Melt Down 30A, Modica Market (Best Sweet Tea in the South), Taco Bar, Raw & Juicy. These are just some of the amazing places we stopped on this trip.
We explored another State Park that we found while down there. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. They have a tram that can take you to the board walk that leads to the beach. The only reason we checked the tram out was due to the rain. Once the tram got to the stopping point the rain had pulled away for a bit. We walked down to the beach, and much to our surprise there was only one man with his son on the beach for miles.
Everyone stayed in so we could have the beach all to ourself. It was what I imagined being on a private island might feel like. We had several beach days, but none quite like this. Below are pictures from some of our other beach time.
Seaside, FL is known for its super tiny post office, beautiful church, and beach entrances. The Post office was moved from the location that we have known it to sit at just after we left, but it is still the cutest thing. In the Seaside market you can read about the beach entrances.
On our last day in Seaside we decided to rent some bikes for a fun bike ride. I had no idea that we would ride 30 miles that day but some how we did. We made a few stops along the way to get out of the rain and see a few things. I highly recommend renting bikes when visiting Seaside that is if you don't already own your bikes. Bikes are the main mode of transportation down there and it makes the town that much more desirable. Here are a few pictures of our last day in our favorite place.
In between the rain and beach time we decided since we were in Florida why not drive over to Georgia and check off some places on my bucket list. I have always thought of Savannah as being a dreamy old town. I love towns with lots of southern charm. I must say that Savannah was very hot in August, muggy, but none the less beautiful. We saw so much in one day, but Im not sure we saw enough. Cobblestone streets in the Historic District, underground alleys off River Street, Leopold's Ice Cream, Trollies, Forsyth Park, City Market all things that take you to a distant past. We had time to drive out to Tybee Island. I thought I might had been transplanted to a Nicholas Sparks movie. So much to soak up. I had never been to the Atlantic ocean, and the beach is one of our favorite places. We will make it back to that area in the near future.
Savannah, GA and Tybee Island did not disappoint us in the least. Another beautiful city, another beautiful beach.
This is how we celebrated our 10 years of marriage, and oh how amazing it was. Seaside, Fl holds a special place in our hearts. We love RV Camping, and feel blessed that we were able to take this trip. Now we are back home working towards moving into our RV and hitting the open road full time in Jan 2020.