We just got back from a week in the Florida Keys. It was a really nice trip! We found a condo to rent in Key Largo which is about a 5 hour drive from home. We were excited about the condo because it had two bedrooms, a living area, and a kitchen, as well as a pool and beach onsite. It was very nice to have some space to spread out rather than being cramped in a small cabin or even a hotel room. Plus we were able to cook some meals so we didn't have to eat out constantly.
While we were there, we did some really different and interesting things. We went to John Pennekamp State Park to go to the beach on Father's Day, which coincided with the first day of our vacation. We were a bit disappointed in the beach since we have such beautiful beaches near us--we didn't know that there's no sand or waves in the Keys! The second day we went on a glass bottom boat ride out to Molasses Reef. That was fun and I think the kids enjoyed going on the boat and seeing the corals as well as a lot of sealife. Emily saw a sea turtle and Bailey and I saw a (small) shark in the canals leading out to the ocean!
We also went out to dinner at a place that had a glass bottom bar and they gave the kids fish food while we were waiting for our dinner. We saw a sting ray there and lots of fish. We went to several other beaches as well (each one wasn't what we were hoping for). Emily did some snorkeling and underwater photography! Liam was TERRIFIED of the seaweed. I think he thought it was a creature of some kind. It wasn't until I explained that it was just like grass, but it grows underwater, that he would even go near the water.
The next day Will took the girls deep sea fishing. They had a blast and caught some fish. They brought home some snapper and some grunts and they ate it for dinner!
We also drove the entire Overseas Highway down to Key West and rode the Conch Tour Train. It was SO HOT. We were sure to get a picture in front of the southernmost point of the US. We also visited the Key West Butterfly Conservatory and Emily made a butterfly friend!
Another fun day trip was to a place called Robbie's where Will and the kids fed huge fish called tarpon. We also went to an aquarium that was really neat--it was all interactive so the kids got to touch rays, starfish, urchins, horseshoe crabs, and even a sea cucumber! And they dug for sharks' teeth which they thought was really neat.
We ended up leaving a day early to try to go to the beach in West Palm Beach, but a huge thunderstorm blew in just as we arrived at the beach. So we spent a wonderful afternoon visiting with Aunt Robin and Uncle Cliff. We had such a great vacation and made lots of memories!
