Will and I just returned home from our latest roadtrip- to Orlando for the Worldwide McDonalds Convention. Not being ones to turn down a weekend exploring a new town or 2, we also added a couple excursions to the beginning and end of the trip. (Warning: lots of pictures to follow.)
With the weather definitely turning toward Summer here in Nashville (Cari, Curtis, and I took the boat out a couple weeks ago! And got in the lake! And we've been golfing a few times now. OK, technically Will has been golfing and I've joined him on a couple holes here and there. My golf game is SO not ready for 9, let alone 18, holes.), we were craving some beach time. I mixed some fun CDs full of summer songs, and we drove down to Fort Walton Beach for a couple nights before heading to Orlando. Our hotel was right on the Gulf of Mexico, and our room, though slightly worn from a few too many Spring Breakers, had a gorgeous view. We spent all day Saturday outside, shifting between the beach, the hotel pools and hot tub, putt-putting, and of course, a couple beach front bars. Nothing completes a day at the beach quite like having a strawberry daquiri or pina colada in hand.
On Sunday we said goodbye to the Gulf and headed down to Orlando, where we met up with Will's dad, their Stores Supervisor, Steve, and Cari. Some highlights from our time in Orlando:
Cari and I spent a very rainy Monday afternoon at Margaritaville. I'm a huge Parrothead, but Cari is bigger, if you can believe it. We would have happily spent all afternoon there, but had to leave because the Canadian Division of McDonalds rented the place out for a party. (I tried to get Will to get in with a Canadian at the convention so we could stay and party, but he did not oblige me. The nerve.)
Jimmy's Plane! The Hemisphere Dancer:
My college roommate, Beth, and her husband Travis drove over from Tampa on Monday night and joined us for dinner at the hotel. I haven't seen either of them since their wedding 4 years ago, so it was great to catch up with them, and for them to meet Will.
The pool area at the Lowes Royal Pacific Resort was FANTASTIC! Cari and I spent most of our time laying out, reading, and working on puzzles. We felt pretty pampered. Employees offered to set up our towels and chairs, offered us frozen grapes, peach smoothies, and Lemon Ices, and kept the kiddos entertained by offering contests like best hoola hooper and biggest cannonball splash.
The pool also had some non-human guests. These ducks were hilarious! They would walk through the restaurant area, nibbling at fallen food, and then would hop into the pool to cool off. I guess ducks need vacations, too!
The Canadians may have gotten Margaritaville, but the Americans got Sea World! The USA division rented out Sea World for a night. It was awesome to walk around and see all the exhibits without fighting crowds. And free food, drinks, and carnival games to boot! I got in touch with my wild side that evening- I petted sting rays AND dolphins! Awesome!
The final evening of the convention included some more delicious food and drinks (and no, the food wasn't from McDonalds, either night) and a private concert from Sir Elton John! Is he my favorite? No. But is he a legend who played a lot of my favorite tunes? Fo Sho!
After the convention ended we headed to St. Augustine, FL, which was established in 1513. We spent Friday afternoon exploring all the touristy areas of the town. We drank from the Fountain of Youth, so we're going to live forever, which is nice. We also observed a Spanish "soldier" light a canon (and later saw the "soldier" out while we were having dinner at a local brewery. I don't think he appreciated me yelling "Viva Espana!" when he walked into the bar.) We toured the Castillos, and walked along St. George St., the historic part of town. We found a cute little B&B in that area, which was a perfect central location for walking around. The highlights of St. Augustine for me? Driving down A1A (Beachfront Avenue!), and visiting the St. Augustine Lighthouse, site of a Ghost Hunters episode! We didn't have any creepy experiences, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting such an old historic town.
Fountain of Youth:
Viva Espana!
Top of the Castillos:
The Castillos:
This might be one reason why the Spanish lost control of America:
You know you want to yell it... A1A Beachfront Avenue!
Just one of many cute historic streets in St. Augustine:
Haunted Lighthouse!
Haunted Meaghan! (not really, but don't I just look like I'm
glowing??) A-hahaha
Top of the Lighthouse, 219 stairs (and no ghostly encounters) later:
On Saturday we ventured on to another well-known haunted Southern city (sense a theme here??) We rolled into Savannah, GA just in time for lunch. We had a couple beers and some BBQ pork nachos at Moon River Brewery, site of a Ghost Adventurers episode, and housed in the oldest building of Savannah. Again, no spooky episodes happened, but we did enjoy "talking" to the ghosts while we sat at the bar. :) Savannah is in a word, charming. I actually applied for jobs in Savannah after college. I was ready to move there sight-unseen. And visiting didn't disappoint. I loved everything about the city, as I knew I would. It's a very walkable town, and we spent the afternoon wandering from bar to bar, exploring shops, outdoor art fairs, and watching massive ships roll into town from the ocean. One great thing about Savannah? You can get "to-go" drinks at the bars and walk around outside with a cocktail. So, while we didn't necessarily intend for it to happen, we sort of had our own pub crawl, just the two of us. Good times. :) We didn't have nearly enough time in Savannah, and I'm already looking forward to our next visit. Luckily it's a relatively easy drive from Nashville, only about 7 hours. We'll be back soon, I hope!
A view of the steps down to the historic riverfront area:
The free trolley that runs through the historic district:
Bloody Mary (the locals were drinking them, so I figured they had to be good)
HUGE ships rolling in:
The (Haunted) Moon River Brewing Company:
Self portrait along the River (and mid-pub crawl):
