While Heather and Pilar both have access to beautiful beaches where they live, Dan not so much. And it seems like a crime to come to Florida and not spend time at one of our many fabulous beaches so that first morning after everyone woke up we decided to head to the Tampa Bay area in search of a beach! With it being a Saturday and in the midst of spring breaks across the country we decided against some of the more popular beaches and instead focused on finding parking close to any public beach which put us in the St. Pete area. It wasn't an area of the beach I had been to and with the wind the water wasn't looking as beautiful as it normally does but we were all just happy hanging out together. By far the best part of the day was spending the evening walking around downtown St. Petersburg near the pier, something I hadn't done before. It has a vibrant and fun night life with all sorts of shops, restaurants, and music. It's definitely a place I need to return to with Jack.
The Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive seemed like the perfect way to spend a part of our Sunday. I really can't think of a better place to admire some of God's not so beautiful creatures. It's usually a crowd pleaser and sure enough this visit did not disappoint with the dozens of gator sightings we experienced. In fact, it was Pilar's first time seeing an alligator in person!
After seeing enough gators to last a lifetime, we made our way to 'The Wheel' at Icon Park. This seemed like the perfect way to see all of Orlando in a few minutes and it was something that I had wanted to do since moving here but just hadn't gotten around to. Little did I know Pilar had never ridden a ferris wheel in her life! Another first!
Aside from beaches and alligators, Florida is also known for it's beautiful springs. So the next day we were off to go tubing down Rock Spring at Kelly Park. It really is such a beautiful place and a relaxing way to spend a few hours. If only I had been able to capture a photo of everyone trying to get into their tube at the top of the spring. Let's just say some were more graceful than others! Thankfully no hats, sunglasses, or cell phones were lost in the process. haha!
And I guess you can't come all the way to Florida without experiencing some sort of Disney experience so off to Disney Springs we went for our 'last supper' together. Not only did we experience some great food at Raglan Road Irish Pub but they also had some great entertainment. It was hard to believe our time together was already coming to an end.
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