The 13 month lease for our North Bay Village (Miami Beach, FL) apartment rental was ending and we decided not to renew. Although we absolutely loved the view, beaches, wildlife and endless adventure opportunities, we weren't very fond of the high prices or the crazy traffic so we decided to move on. It was time to start a new chapter in the little adventure we call life. We finalized our move out on November 3rd and were planning to head "home" to Wisconsin to enjoy the holidays with family and friends. However, we had a Florida wedding to attend on November 22nd so we filled the time between with an epic Florida adventure. For twenty days we traveled Florida while maxing out on uninterrupted family time.
Our first destination was to Collier-Seminole State Park near Naples. This park sits on one of the world's largest mangrove swamps and there is plenty to explore. It's also home to the historical dredge that was built and used to create HWY 41 through the Everglades allowing passage from Tampa to Miami. The park staff was beyond friendly and our campsite was spacious. Even the mosquitos gave us a big welcoming (bring lots of bug repellent). While we were in the area we took some time to really explore the Everglades. The first of many National Parks that our family will be trekking together.
Stop number two was in Crystal River where we cashed in our Groupon with SeaDaddys for a swim with the manatees snorkeling tour. OH. MY. GOODNESS! This was an epic experience. The boat captains and tour guides did a great job of avoiding the crowds. They were able to find us "our own" manatees so we really got that personalized experience. You don't realize how big yet passive these beautiful creatures are until you are swimming right beside them. Like, literally reach out and touch them close. The Crystal River is fed by a natural spring so it's a cool 72 degrees regardless of the time of year you travel there. The wet suit provided helps to keep your body temperature fairly comfortable for the duration of the tour, but be prepared to get a bit chilly. Regardless, this is a tour that I would do again and again. We stayed nearby at a Vacation Rental By Owner house in Homosassa Springs where we enjoyed a few days of sleeping indoors, doing laundry, and feeding treats to the horses that lived at the rental property.
Next we headed to the Hart Springs campground in Gilchrist County. We were thrilled to find a playground full of children when we arrived. New friendships were instantly made. Kevin and I enjoyed some quiet time by the campfire while watching the kiddos play football, make a "Cave" under the jungle gym, swing, play basketball, dig in the sand and enjoy the new friendships they made. The real gem of this campground however is that your fee includes admission to Hart Spring. Just a short walk or bike ride through a wood lined paved path and you have made it to one of Florida's largest spring-fed swimming holes. You don't come across water this clear very often. We all enjoyed jumping off the diving platform and swimming with the turtles. There's also a nice splash pad next to the spring and back at the campground is a swimming pool. Plenty of options for keeping cool and keeping the kids busy.
From there we headed to Orlando where we finally made good on our promise to visit Universal. Wizarding World of Harry Potter here we come! It truly was a magical experience, especially in Diagon Alley. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure was hands-down everyone's favorite ride and there was no shortage of Butterbeer consumption. Warm Butterbeer, cold Butterbeer, regular Butterbeer, who knew there were so many choices?!
We were fortunate enough to be there while the lines were short and had tried every ride at least once in the first day and a half. Other favorite rides were Revenge of the Mummy, Men in Black, The Incredible Hulk, Simpsons (the little's vote) and Hogwarts Express. By our third and final day, Kevin and I were feeling very grateful for the "Kid Swap" program. We got to the point where one more 3D ride might just make us loose our Butterbeer. Instead of taking that chance we rejoyced over walking through the lines together and waiting in the kid swap room while the kiddos got their ride on. Our last evening at Universal was wrapped up with a free Manheim Steamroller concert. We enjoyed the show and then walked back to our hotel for some much needed rest and relaxation after so many days of living our best lives.
Finally, we drove to Davenport where we stayed at Regal Palms Resort. Our family joined us this time so we had the chance to feast on delicious meals while playing games and catching up. While in town we took our family to both Busch Gardens and Sea World where we used our free guest passes that came with our annual membership. Although seeing all the sea life up close is an amazing experience (especially the part where we got to hang out with a dolphin), Busch Gardens became our families absolute favorite theme park. We snuck in as many trips there over the past year as we possibly could. Back at the resort we spent our days playing in the swimming pool, going down the waterslide, wading the lazy river and soaking in the hot tub. The best part, however, may have been the delicious pool-side adult and kid-friendly frozen beverages. Yummy!
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