Family Spring Break Vacation for 2022

Every day should be a beach day.

 

Destin is one of our all-time favorite spring break getaways. One of the best beaches in the Florida. We recently stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel Destin Miramar Beach.  We were very impressed with the hotel, the complimentary breakfast with a delicious buffet as well as made to order omelets, and eggs.  It comes with two complimentary drinks per guest, this was a definite bonus! The hotel is very clean and very open concept which we loved. We enjoyed the beach and the restaurant across the road was very convenient as well.  Excellent customer service. The room was very comfortable and spacious. We want to come back here again sometime soon.

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14 comments AdBenture, Beaches and Islands, Destin, Florida, Outdoor Activities and Adventures, Summer Getaway, United States

Taking our toddler to the beach - Florida Getaway

The beach is one of the best places for a couple to relax and to take your toddler because there’s nowhere to hide and plenty of visibility.  Toddlers will enjoy the sunshine and fresh air and you’ll enjoy getting a tan. Just like our little boy this is probably our toddler’s first real vacation... at least where he is more mobile.  So we let him lead the way, get dirty and have fun.  If you let your little one lead their way you may be surprised at where you end up.

 

It was early April when we  took our boy on a spontaneous trip to the beach to unwind and change of scenery as well.

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17 comments AdBenture, Beaches and Islands, Destin, Florida, Jeep Adventure, Summer Getaway

Our Ultimate Florida Jeep Road Trip - Spring 2018

Road trip is our favorite way to explore new places. This Jeep Adventure Quest trip was our second longest trip in the Jeep at 2,200 miles. We follow the Gulf Coast of Florida with stops at Crystal River, The Everglades National Park, Miami beach, explore the Keys then we go up the Atlantic coast to Daytona and ending at Jeep Beach 2018.

Having the freedom to go where you want is amazing. Finding a hotel along the route for your road trip  really can make a big difference to your travel experience. And the more time we spend traveling (or maybe just the older we get?), the pickier we get about the hotels we choose. Do your research and find great hotel deals before booking a hotel to ensure that you are always assured of a good price and comfortable accommodation.

 

Below is our random pics of our epic road trip to Florida Keys during our stop over  - we encourage you to go out there explore too and give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it! 

1. Miami Beach

South Beach is a "must visit" when you come to Miami. The area is filled with hotels of all price range and a variety of shops and restaurants. The beach itself stretches on for miles and the sand is quite nice, though not as soft as some of the other beaches we have been to . Also it was quite disappointing to see that the beach was filled with seaweeds. It really spoiled the look of the beach and the enjoyment. But overall,  we still had a great time spending our afternoon by the beach.

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38 comments Beaches and Islands, Daytona Beach, Florida, Jeep Adventure, Miami, Museum and Exhibits, Road Trip, Travel Tips, United States, US National Park

The Jeep Beach Daytona Event

Daytona Beach, once known as the World's Most Famous Beach  that has a very rich history.  It is also the home of NASCAR and miles of sand beaches.  We came here in the month of April during the Jeep Beach Daytona 2018.  It is on the Atlantic side so it's going to be on the cold side.

Daytona Beach is a pretty standard beach for Florida. The beach is ok and the waves are more active compared to beaches on the Panhandle of Florida. The beach itself is typically pretty busy and the sand is not as white as some other places in Florida in fact it is brown sand.   Large hotels and chain restaurants and bars surround the beach.

Jeep Beach is the largest Jeep only event in the Southeast USA.

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23 comments Beaches and Islands, Daytona Beach, Florida, Jeep Adventure

Visit Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park

We like to visit State Parks and  recently we made a trip to Homosassa Springs State Park at Crystal River, Florida.  This park is a true crown jewel in the collection of Florida state parks. Homosassa and Weeki Wachee and Silver Springs are the three parks that are much more than a nature center and playground. Homosassa is a tourist destination and basically a mini theme park for rehabilitative native Florida species.

I am not a big fan of zoo's.  I feel like animals should not be taken from their natural environment to begin with, made it perform, and then confined to a tiny space. Animals deserve to be in their natural habitat.  However, I support sanctuaries and wildlife preserves just like this park.  It is created to rehabilitate and heal animals. Most of them are unable to survive on their own in the wild. So they are given a comfortable and safe environment at Homosassa Springs. Also they have Underwater Observatory, allows visitors to “walk underwater” beneath the spring’s surface and watch the various fish and manatees swim about.

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27 comments Aquarium and Zoo, Crystal River, Family Attractions, Florida, State Parks, United States

Visit The Southernmost Point Buoy of Key West

Southernmost Point is one of the iconic landmark stands at the furthest south tip of Key West since 1983 surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.  Definitely a tourist spot that everyone wants to take a photo with.   It's one of the big highlights of Key West, Florida trip we took on last week of April 2018.  We purposely planned our trip during the weekdays so we can avoid the weekend crowd.  There is street parking, but good luck on getting a spot.  When we got there, there was a line but not very bad.  What's surprising to me was that everyone was waiting in line patiently for their turn to take the photos.  But on average, most people takes about 5 minutes taking pictures with this giant buoy.  We talk to some couple while waiting in the line and offered to take their picture in exchange for them taking ours.

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39 comments Florida, Historic Landmarks, Jeep Adventure, Key West, United States

Visit Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

This kind of attraction is not something you expect to see in a place like Miami Beach,  because you would think this city was designed for good times and fun.  But there it is,  thumbs up to this museum for bridging the gap from the past to the present.   This museum is breathtaking, pain and suffering a very powerful memorial site to remind everyone of the terrible history.  The Holocaust Museum explores how and why these atrocities happened, and then continues to describe the effects of the Holocaust throughout history, from the war itself to the modern day.

Located at: 1933-1945  Meridian Ave.  Miami Beach, FL 33139-1817

 The memorial forms a circular shape walkway with exhibits that lead you to the central pool with a large arm reaching upward.

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28 comments Florida, Historic Landmarks, Miami, Monument and Memorial, Museum and Exhibits

Visit Sombrero Beach Marathon | Florida Keys

It's not every day you can drive to an island. Driving to Florida Keys is the perfect trip we've ever been. Here is one of my favorite beach at the Keys: The Sombrero Beach in Marathon, FL.  The Sombrero Beach is a stretch of public beach just off the Overseas Highway and has been developed to allow a range of activities to take place. Play beach games; go swimming, kayaking or snorkeling; and lounge in the sun at one of Marathon’s most visited beaches.

The atmosphere is very calm and  pleasant. The water is clean less seaweeds compare to Miami beach and there were no rocks or seashells on the ocean to hurt your foot. We enjoy relaxing in shady groves provided by the coconut palms that line the beach. It has a mixture of people here but the people that we encountered were very friendly both local and tourist  they were always willing to help and suggest other areas to go to.

Located at: Atlantic Side - Sombrero Beach Rd Marathon, FL 33052 

This is by far the best beach that we've seen in the Florida Keys.

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31 comments Beaches and Islands, Florida, Jeep Adventure, Key Largo, Road Trip, Summer Getaway

Visit Wynwood Art Walls in Miami

This is a very unique part of Miami you should visit. Wynwood Walls is located a few minutes away from downtown. Wynwood Walls has been described as an walkable, outdoor museum. It is a fun filled environment with some of the best collections of hand painted art/murals. The entire neighborhood hosts a truly amazing set of public art work. The murals are vivid, striking, and passionate and create great opportunity for taking photos. Sometimes you will even see one under development when the artist is currently working on a wall.

For the record there are over 70 different paintings and murals made by over 50 artists all over the world (over 16 countries). Aside from all the many artistic walls around this area, there is actually a good amount of history and stories behind the Wynwood walls. You can actually take a walking tour of this place if you are interested. You can also read some tidbit information about some of the artists.

When we enter at the gate in Wynwood,  I was not expecting to see so much art everywhere. Amazing work done by talented artists.

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26 comments Family Attractions, Florida, Miami, Museum and Exhibits, United States

Visit the South Beach Miami Florida

To those who know us or had been following this blog, the beach is our second home. There's something so divine about the ocean that lead us to keep coming back to Florida at least once a year.  Its because of the gorgeous beach, the white sand, blue skies, and those colorful seashells  along the shore.

On this recent trip  to Florida Keys, we only had a short two days stop over to Miami area. We didn't get to see very much of Miami, but were able to drive around downtown to South Beach.  It was super cool to see all the art deco buildings.

South Beach is a "must visit" when you come to Miami. The area is filled with hotels of all price range and a variety of shops and restaurants. The beach itself stretches on for miles and the sand is quite nice, though not as soft as some of the other beaches we have been to (such as: Destin and Tampa Bay area). Also it was quite disappointing to see that the beach was filled with seaweeds. It really spoiled the look of the beach and the enjoyment. But overall,  we still had a great time spending our afternoon by the beach.

South Beach  Miami is as iconic as Venice Beach on the West Coast. The beach is huge and has all the amenities you would expect.

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48 comments Beaches and Islands, Florida, Miami, Summer Getaway, United States