Daily Dose of Travel – St Augustine

The little kids enjoyed our trip to St Augustine last year and asked many times to go back.   Even after their  fascination with the Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Museum was somehow squashed (wonder how that happened) they still asked to go back.  So, I put it on my list of 101 things and when we were looking for small trips to take them on in June, I booked  a room.

So about that room.  I strayed from the old reliables and booked us at a Sleep Inn on A1A.  I did this because the room I wanted wasn’t available and I really did want to stay on the beach side of St Augustine because the majority of things we wanted to do are on that side of the Lion’s Bridge.  The room was surprisingly nice.  Not huge but not the smallest room we’ve stayed in.  Free wireless internet.  A decent continental breakfast.  TLC!  A tiny little heated pool that was way too heated and a tiny little hot tub that was broken the first day but repaired on day 2.  Surprisingly quiet and clean.  The only problem – no bathtub, just an interesting shower.   For the money, I can’t complain. 

Day 1…

First stop, the lighthouse.  We walked all of the way to the top.  The kids enjoyed it, even Prince J.  RJ wanted to talk a lot about dropping things from the top and wondering if you’d get arrested for "accidentally" dropping something from the top.  E just wanted to turn around and go right back down as soon as we got to the top.  She didn’t understand "enjoying the view" and "giving legs a few minutes to recover". 

Second stop, the Alligator Farm!  TW could not believe it when I pulled in there.  She thought I had been joking when I mentioned it.  heh.  No joke, I thought the kids would like it and it was close to the lighthouse and a good place to SIT DOWN and get some drinks into our overheated bodies.  Yea, it’s a little expensive but it was also interesting and the kids liked it.  Hearing E say "look at the cutie!!!" while pointing at gators is a little weird though.  Lots of birds, both she and RJ like birds.  Prince J, not so interested in anything at all – except the caiman.  Touching one in South America made him an expert and that’s all he was interested in – being the expert.  He was less "expert like" in that annoying way he sometimes has after I reminded him that he wasn’t the only one who had experienced such things and I did know a wee bit about the species.   Having a discussion with him is good, being lectured by him is not. 

Next stop, a drive past the PRIDE festival with the picketing people.  (Public Service Message – I don’t mind protesters at all.  More power to you folks.  Hold those signs, stand up for what you believe in, that’s what is right with this country.  The only problem I have is when you stand your 10 year old son out there with a sign that says "AIDS – doing the job the government should do".  You can’t tell me that your 10 year old son understands what he’s saying.  You can’t tell me he isn’t simply spouting your rhetoric.   Leave your kid at home, until he’s old enough to decide for himself what he believes in.)  We found a parking place downtown and walked to St George Street in search of the Greek Landing Festival at the Greek Shrine, where we planned to have lunch.  It was surprisingly difficult to find.  If TW hadn’t noticed the big blue banners, I’d have walked right past it.   We picked out a ton of Greek food but somehow ended up with very little vegetarian so I wandered around St George Street while the rest of them ate.  People watching is better than eating anyway.

Next up, Potter’s Wax Museum.  We’re full of corny old fashioned fun, aren’t we?!  Air conditioning is good.  Wax figures, weird and a lot less scarey when you’re 40 than when you are 10. Or maybe it’s that they aren’t at all scarey in this century but last century, they were?  The little kids were not scared and only slightly interested in the wax figures.  Prince J says Washington looked too tall.  None of them could pick out our President.  Cleopatra wasn’t very pretty.  Pretty boring commentary. 

We stopped for ice cream and coffee on the way back and had dinner at Cafe Eleven, which I’ve blogged about before  (FYI, Prince J ordered spinach ravioli and barely touched it – he ate too much of my appetizer.  If you ever find yourself at Cafe Eleven, order the spinach ravioli.  It was really very good.)  After dinner, a round of miniature golf at Fiesta Falls .  Fun stuff, if you avoid getting hit by a golf club when RJ swings.  Scary. 

Day 2…

Breakfast at the Gypsy Cab Company.  Very good, huge servings, interesting building and waitresses.  Eggs Benedict was a hit.  Baked Ziti, also a hit.  Omelettes and home fries, a hit. 

Next stop, Anastasia State Park.  Great park.  Very nice and uncrowded beach (with lifeguards!).  Clean beach shop and picnic area.  Clean bathrooms.  Good parking.  The kids had a lot of fun.   I think we may give camping there a try one of these days.

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