Snapshots of Orlando & Winter Park, FL // July 2015

Can you guys believe it's June already?! - crazypants

Today is a big deal, it's the day that the ALL of my Florida posts are finally up. And just 11 months after the fact... hahaha That's ok, goals for the future! :P 

Eat: Pop Parlour for small batch pop sickles. Perfect for summer. The location we went to was so close to this beautiful urban lake. We also ate at NYPD Pizza, which was really close to Universal. So we were able to pick up KC's family after we ate. The pizza and garlic knots were AMAZING. The decor is fun and NY themed. It would be great for families, or you know just anyone who likes a themed restaurant and yummy pizza. :) 

See: Rifle's studio and shop. Dreams do come true you guys! The beautiful park and lake in the middle of the city.

Shop: RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE. I avoided spending ALL the money... but not by much! They have everything there.... and I love it all! :) 

Do: See the park and the city. They had these fun swan shaped paddle boats in the lake. We drove over  to rent one, but then it started pouring and storming, so they put the boats away. Thanks Florida! :P 

Favorites: Seeing Rifle's store and studio was obviously really cool for me. You don't get to tour it but just being there and seeing it a little bit was really cool. It's also great if you like their stuff, because they have such a HUGE selection! I also loved the park and lake, the trees, fountain, birds, etc. It was so pretty. I was bummed that we didn't get a chance to take the swan boat for a spin, but I would recommend it if you are there. :) 

New Experiences: Getting pop sickles outside of a grocery store. They were so yummy! Also, I think that's the first time I have seen swans in person and up close! I hadn't seen the swan boats either. Visiting Rifle was a first too.

Random Tip: Take your pop sickles to walk around the park and lake!

Has anybody else tried pop sickles from a shop/restaurant?

Is anyone else obsessed with Rifle...? 

Other Florida Posts: Flying Florida... Harder than it Sounds... A Recap Post, Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Dunedin.

Happy Travels!

Alexandra

Snapshots of Florida's "Treasure Coast" // July 2015

Happy Wednesday friends! It's been a busy week for me, but I am helping out at a conference for work, and I'm loving a break from the screen time at my desk! So that makes me a very happy camper!

Back to the Florida Posts!

While we were in Florida we also visited the Atlantic Coast. KC's family + my SIL's boyfriend Jacob all went to Universal/Harry Potter World. While KC and I were *almost* swayed by Harry Potter World alone... we decided to skip the heat, the lines, and the rides and take a mini road trip to the Atlantic coast. We drove out to the "treasure coast" and visited an interesting museum. 

Though we didn't do much here it was nice to get away a little together during this trip. The sandwiches were good, the treasure museum was really fun and informative. I don't really think about real-life treasure hunters often, but what a cool profession! 

It was fun to watch the video at the museum and learn about the ship wrecks and the treasure off this coast of Florida. It was also neat to see the treasure that has been found. Lots of jewelry, weapons, and pottery especially. KC obviously enjoyed the "pirate ship" ;).

We stopped at a bird watching area. I mostly just wanted to see more water birds, but the road was gravel and there were SO many bugs. We made it out, and we didn't have a lot of time, so I thought let's just walk down this path really quickly.... I did not enjoy the snake that appeared in our path we decided to take to see the birds! haha Also, the size of the spiders here was INSANE.

Also, those Florida tolls are crazy! I think we paid $8 to drive a few hours! 

Eat: Dagwood's Sandwiches in Vero Beach. Seriously these sandwiches take up entire full sized to-go boxes. We did not know they would be SO huge. They were really good though! Plus the people were really nice there!

See: The coast, the treasure at the McLarty Treasure Museum, the insanely wealthy area of Florida. It's kind of hard to look at guys. Like the OC on steroids. : / 

Shop: We didn't shop here, other than a souvenir or two from the Museum's gift shop. We got my baby sis OE some replica treasure coins.

Do: The McLarty Treasure Museum and make sure to watch the video. Seeing all of the treasure is cool, and walking out on their deck to the "pirate ship" is fun, and a great view of the water/beach. Walk around the parks and spot wildlife. Try not to run into snakes or gigantic spiders, unless you're into that type of thing. I believe there is also a sea turtle rescue center you can visit here, but we didn't have time. There are also other treasure museums along the way. I really liked the one we went to though because it was clearly a small project, and not something flashy. It was very authentic and I felt like I learned a lot. Definitely worth the tiny admission. I felt like I was supporting people who were passionate about the Treasure Coast and sharing that information with others. 

Favorites: Taking a little time just the two of us on a family trip. '90's stations on the Satellite radio in our rental car. Seeing the Atlantic coast from Florida. I really enjoyed the museum!

New Experiences: Atlantic coast beaches. Possibly the hugest sandwich I've ever had?! So many bugs! So so many bugs! Seeing real life treasure.

Random Tip: Wear real shoes. If you want to walk through the parks and see the wildlife there are bugs and snakes, etc. everywhere. I recommend closed toed shoes and whatever cover you want to keep the bugs off!

I think that this area and museum would be really fun for kids who are interested in pirates and old enough to be interested in learning a little more.

Anybody else been to a small or quirky museum?? Or seen real life treasure?

Have you ever dreamed of finding a treasure as a kid?!

Upcoming Florida Posts: Orlando/Winter Park.

Past Florida Posts: Flying Florida... Harder than it Sounds... A Recap Post, Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Dunedin.

Anyone taking a trip soon?!

Happy Travels! 

Alexandra

Snapshots of Clearwater & Clearwater Beach, FL // July 2015

Hello friends! Spring is in full swing here, and I am loving it! :)

Here we have another Florida post! We stayed in Clearwater Beach for the entire trip, and it was a convenient spot that made it easy to get to all the cute little towns we visited. (Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, St. Petersburg, & Tampa). Since we did visit other towns, you will note that a lot of these pictures are food! ahha We ended up back here for dinner each night!

#beachyhairdontcare

Eat: 

Great: Pearly's Beach Eats & Wildflower Cafe. (I took pictures of pretty much all of the food here... because it was beautiful and delicious. I got to try a lot of it too... because my family is good at sharing! :) ) Wildflower may legitimately be one of the best breakfasts I've ever had on a trip!)

Good: Clearsky Breakfast Cafe, Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, Westshore Pizza and Cheesesteaks, 

Not a Fan: Crabby Bill's.

Drink: We are not big drinkers or night life people... but we did pick up a bottle of strawberry wine from Keel and Curley winery (local to this area) at the grocery store! It was delicious! We added a bit of sprite for some fizz. I just had to try strawberry wine after that Deena Carter song... 

See: The beach, the pier, touristy things. My SIL and her BF went to the aquarium because they wanted to see Winter from A Dolphin's Tale, so make sure to do that if you are into the movie or dolphins!

Shop: There are a lot of touristy shops here. I am not a fan of those, but they did have one GREAT store called, "Freaky Tiki." They had some really cute clothes etc. I got a few of their designs that were screen printed on tank tops. Mermaid shirts for the win! They also have a downtown Clearwater, that I think would have been cool, but we did not get a chance to go.

Do: Visit the beach, shop, go to the aquarium and pier. We got a caricature at the pier. :) 

Favorites: The sunsets, evenings at the beach, Pearly's and The Wildflower Cafe!

New Experiences: It was my first time being IN the ocean! Can you believe that?! It was amazing. Also my first time trying Grouper, strawberrry wine, and seeing water fowl up close. AND chocolate covered Key Lime Pie. Nom. :) 

Random Tip: It WILL rain. So, plan some things that can be done inside. Do your best to coordinate indoor plans around the strange Florida scheduling. #thestruggleisreal Be ready to run out of the water/beach with all of your stuff when the downpour starts.

Anybody else who hadn't been to the ocean until they were an adult? - just me? ok.. :P

Have you been to Clearwater Beach?

Anyone catch KC's Zach Braff impersonation? Gotta love Garden State!

Upcoming Florida Posts: Orlando/Winter Park, and "The Treasure Coast."

Past Florida Posts: Flying Florida... Harder than it Sounds... A Recap Post, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, and Dunedin.

Happy Travels!

Alexandra