My mom and I had a mother and daughter adventure down to Florida last week. We used to have a “girls weekend” every year when my nana would come stay with us. We haven’t been on one since she passed. We had some set in stone plans and we had some figure it out when we get there plans, but we never worried whether or not we would have fun. She drove to my house on Thursday evening and we got up and on the road early Friday morning.

I made us matching shirts to wear one day on our trip.

The first stop on our adventure was St. Augustine, Fl. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it was warm with a light breeze. We drove to the lighthouse and climbed ALL of the stairs to the top. The view was spectacular. We could have stayed up there for a lot longer I think just taking it all in. Next, we toured the grounds for a bit. We then made our way back into the historic St Augustine where we had lunch and perused the shops. We also walked around the perimeter of the fort that was there. After our tour of the town, we were supposed to check into a hotel not too far away but that didn’t end up working out, so we drove over to Crystal River where we were able to get a room for the night.

Saturday morning we were up before the sun to head out for the day’s adventure, swimming with the manatee! Not going to lie, we were pretty excited for this day. After checking in and getting into our wetsuits, we all watched a video of dos and don’ts of swimming with the manatee. We then loaded up on the boat and made our way into the river. I had set my expectations pretty low on the account that it was the very tail end of manatee season and there was a pretty high chance that we wouldn’t see any. Well, we did and it was awesome! We had an amazing boat captain/spotter and an awesome swim guide. They were able to put us on a manatee pretty quickly. They were so much bigger in person than I expected. They didn’t seem bothered by us at all. All they wanted to do was munch on the grasses and come up for air every few minutes. We saw maybe a total of 5 including a mom with her baby. It would have been awesome to see 100’s but I’ll take the 5. After observing the manatees for a while, we reboarded the boat and headed into the Three Sisters Springs. It is so amazing how crystal clear the water is there. We were able to swim around for a good bit before we had to make our way back. This trip exceeded my expectations and was so enjoyable! I would love to do it again at a time of the year when there are more manatees and when they are in the crystal clear spring water still. After our swimming adventure, we found this really cool place to have lunch. It was outdoors on the water, they had a live band, a beach area with Adirondack chairs, a play area, cornhole, and boat docks. I think if I were a local, I would be a regular there. Again, we had the best weather! Now on to our next stop, Orlando.

We made it to our “home” for the next couple of days, settled in, and enjoyed the afternoon by the pool.

Sunday, we found this really cool nature drive. Once again. It was a gorgeous day. We were able to see lots of alligators, birds, and turtles. It was a very enjoyable day.

Monday, we got up and headed into downtown Orlando to have lunch with some friends of mine. After lunch, we drove around Orlando and Winter Park checking out all of the changes since I lived there. We made a stop at Kraft Azalea Park. The Spanish Moss is so pretty. Scott and I really liked this park when we lived there. We also drove by the house that Scott and I used to live in and Scott’s childhood home. Later in the evening, mom and I went to Boston Lobster Feast for dinner. We left stuffed. We relaxed in the hot tub when we got back to the room. We had to get some good rest before our big day on Tuesday.

Tuesday was our big day! SeaWorld!! It was the whole reason that we planned our Florida trip in the first place. We got up and out and were one of the first people in line at the park. We got in and immediately headed to a roller coaster. We were the first ones on. The rest of the day was spent doing lots of walking, riding rides, eating, watching shows, more walking, and more rides. We closed the park down. We were able to ride every coaster and most of them multiple times. It was a fabulous day but we were exhausted by the end. When we got back to our room, we relaxed in the hot tub with a few adult beverages.

Wednesday we got up at the crack of dawn and began our long drive back to NC. 1,427 miles later, we made it home.

I had an amazing time hanging out with my mom and exploring Florida. Hopefully we will continue the tradition of our “girls weekends”. Until the next time…