As we prepare to head out on a vacation that celebrates our 10 years of marriage; I can't help but reminisce over last years summer vacation. We did not camp, but rented a lovely beach house that accommodated all three of our children. This was one of my most cherished vacations to date, and memories. We drove to Florida from Texas in two vehicles. Our son Cody drove his car, and B drove our truck. Our oldest daughter was about 7 months pregnant so we gave her our backseat to stretch her legs, and the youngest daughter hitched a ride with our son. We all stopped off in Louisiana at Don's Specialty Meats for some boudin balls. Just thinking about those makes my mouth water. We have a travel rule that is not written, but understood that when we travel we try to only eat at local non chain eateries. Local goodness has yet to disappoint. Once we finally made it to Florida we stopped for dinner at The Tin Cow Downtown Pensacola. It was late for me to be eating and the wait for the food was a bit long, but the hamburgers were really great. The atmosphere seem to be the reason many people were there. Finally we made it to Seaside. We went to the grocery store first thing the next morning, then played in the crystal clear water, enjoyed the sun and sand. The second day there we had planned a short trip to Wakulla Springs State Park for a day of seeing wildlife, swimming in a natural spring, and enjoying the time together. We celebrated so many things during this trip; B's 50th birthday, Cody's 30th birthday, Jay's high school graduation, Jess's giving us our first grand baby, and we celebrated the 4th of July. We have not experienced Independence day that way before. The best Parade in Seaside, Beach fireworks, and so much fun. We rented a pontoon boat from Aloha Boat Rentals in Destin so that we could spend the day at Crab Island. If you have not been to Crab Island in Destin, FL you will want to add it to your bucket list. Its a sand bar that has clear water about knee deep where people anchor their boats and hang out. They have floating bars, restaurants,live music, and a inflatables area for kids. Crab Island was the best time we had all week. Destin, Miramar, and Seaside beaches are full of things to do, and eat. Our last dinner in Seaside before we headed home was one for the books. The Great Southern Cafe has out of this world delicious food. I want to be honest and say the wait was over an hour, but so worth every second, and dime. It truly is one of our very favorite places in the US so far. Seaside looks like a town straight out of a movie, with so many people riding bikes, walking, shopping, the stores are cute a can be, the grassy lawn amphitheater, and the beach just the other side of the market.
P.S. Seaside Eats - Do you love sweet tea? Well I LOVE SWEET TEA, I am from the south after all. The best sweet tea in all the south in in Seaside at Modica Market. You can get amazing food from the food trucks like The Melt Down on 30a, a grilled cheese sandwich that is to die for. Or breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Cowgirl Kitchen Market Seagrove. I know there are so many more that we have not tried, but they are on our list when we are back in town.
We love it so much that we are headed there in a week. Just the two of us this time, and we are camping at an RV resort about 30 mins away. Sapphire Island RV Resort. I can't wait to tell you all about it so come back soon and follow is on social media.