Road trip June 2021
Starting in Pensacola we explored a little of the panhandle. With only 8 days to make it to Miami, we wanted to see some of the beauty of the West Coast and the Gulf.
Navarre Beach is a small beach town outside of Pensacola. It’s beautiful and peaceful.
Destin is the next stop. It’s a very popular beach destination and I can see why, beaches are gorgeous! We don’t get thunderstorms where we live-maybe once a year so this was fun!
I think I found my favorite spot on the Emerald Coast 💚 I love this area of 30A, Seaside and Watercolor are beautiful! It feels like I stepped back in time, charming homes with wide front porches, tree shaded lanes, a quaint town center with mom and pop shops, great restaurants and a prime waterfront spot on the Gulf.
Today’s drive was a little longer to get down closer to Tampa. Cedar Key is a quaint Old Florida vacation spot on the Gulf with very few traffic lights and where police drive golf carts. The shops along the narrow Main Street have tin roofs and second floor porches. It is also known for its local clams, which we had to try in a few ways🍴
Our next stop is in Crystal River, along the “Nature Coast”. It is one of the few places where you can swim with manatees. The springs flow at a constant 72 degrees, it is so nice and it is crystal clear! Our hotel is true Southern charm with stately white buildings huge old trees.
A first for us, swimming with manatees! In the winter this area has the largest number of Manatees in the world and is a federally designated sanctuary.
Such a great experience being face to face with these gentle giants. There are three types of manatee, these are West Indian manatee. They are also called sea cows but are most closely related to elephants. They can weigh up to 1200 pounds, have no natural predators…except humans. Sailors mistook manatees for mermaids, they eat 10% of their body weight a day in sea grass as they are herbivores. Surprisingly they have very little body fat. I think they’re adorable!
Three Sisters Springs are a few of the springs that feed the Crystal River and where the manatees come in winter when the Gulf cools off. The springs are a constant 72°F and have crystal clear water. It’s beautiful to swim in and very refreshing!
From Crystal Springs we drove to Sarasota. It’s a beautiful city with a fun downtown area of tall buildings, dining, theater, and culture. There are suburbs with lots of families and gorgeous off shore islands or keys for beach fun.
An overcast late afternoon on Anna Maria Island, an island off the coast of Sarasota. Golf carts, bathing suits, sandy feet and tiki bars.
We love Anna Maria Island, one of the northern keys/islands off the coast of Sarasota. It’s very quaint and has beautiful white sand beaches.
Siesta Key has a charming little town with a trolley and cafes offering grouper sandwiches and all kinds of fresh seafood. The beach is consistently ranked as the best beach in the US with its immense sweep of sugar sand and placid waters. The sand is so white you need sunglasses and it doesn’t get hot in the blaring Florida sun. As you can see, it is also a very popular beach!
Captiva is often associated with its neighboring island of Sanibel to the south but it has a totally different feel – almost like Martha’s Vineyard compared to Nantucket. It’s 2 1/2 miles of shore with a beautiful beach, shells, golf carts and mansions tucked in the tropical foliage.
Next up is Fort Myers, not too far south of Sarasota. Some great local seafood on the water in Fort Myers – whole yellowtail snapper and gulf shrimp 💛
After Fort Myers is Naples. Marco Island is on the Gulf Coast just south of Naples and right next to the Everglades. It is famous for its luxury resorts and beautiful beaches. It’s a great place for some rest and relaxation at the end of our trip!
Headed to Miami to fly home so we now drive East for a 2-3 hour drive. Driving through the Everglades from the West coast to the East coast, we came across this place. I wanted the Blue Crab so much but they didn’t have anymore live fresh crab, so we had fried soft shell crab, fried green tomatoes, gulf shrimp, alligator bites and hush puppies with a gator watching us 🐊
