On our final full day in Florida, we all agreed that we should go to the beach. St. George Island is located about two hours from Tallahassee, and the drive along the Forgotten Coast was serene and beautiful.
En route to St. George we made a stop for lunch at the Red Pirate Grill for fried fish and oysters. Jack was a little disappointed that he didn't get a corn dog, but managed to devour his fish platter anyway.
After our fill of seafood, we took the long bridge across the bay and made our way to the State Park at the end of the barrier island. On the way we passed miles and miles of undeveloped beaches.
St. George Island is a little slice of paradise sandwiched between the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola Bay, with very little development other than beach houses.
I think it would be amazing to come back and camp here, just for a view of the stars at night. The lack of development in the area means no light pollution and pristine skies.
One surprising thing were the number of Monarch butterflies. Evidently it was the right time of year for the butterfly migration to the Gulf and they were everywhere! I loved how much wildlife we were able to see during the course of our week in Florida!
As expected, my sister came prepared with an umbrella and camp chairs for everyone (I am the sibling that tends to fly by the seat of my pants, my sister is the one who is always prepared for everything and our brother is along for the ride). In addition to seating, she had snacks. You always have to have snacks with kiddos in tow.
The kids had an absolute blast running in and out of the water, attempting to boogie board and helping their Uncle Mark build a sand castle. It was a beautiful day to be at the beach.
The water was a little on the cool side and we teased our Canadian mother for not wanting to go under water because it was too cold! After a little teasing about the Gulf of Mexico being too chilly for her, she was brave and took the plunge. I on the other hand, did not :)
Of course Isaac just chilled in the shade, even managing a nap (what he seems to do best). We have also discovered that our Camelbak water bottles are his favorite thing to chew on to soothe him as he teethes.
After the sand castles had been built (and stomped on) we decided to head home. It was 5 o'clock and we had a two hour drive back to Tallahassee so we decided to stop at Aunt Ebby's, a local ice cream shop, to help stave off our starving kiddos. Ice cream is always a good idea, especially at the beach!
It was a wonderful end to our Fall Break and visit to Florida. We had such a lovely week and had a great time doing lots of fun things with loved ones. Jack especially loved getting to ride everywhere with his cousins in their van – he seemed so grown up on this trip!
Until next year...
Fall Break Recap:
Ellijay, GA | Stringers Ridge, TN | Wakulla Springs, FL | Tallahassee Jr. Museum, FL | St. George Island, FL
