St. Pete Beach

On my next trip, I found myself with a few friends in St. Pete Beach, FL.  We decided that we wanted some 'sun' on our winter break, and being from Cleveland, OH sunshine is limited in December.

My friends and I took a frontier airline flight down to the Tampa Airport.  Frontier is a discount airline flight and everyone seems to have different experiences with them.  We figured that we would risk it and without any of us having to be at work the day after coming back, we were okay with the risk involved.  We flew out of Cleveland Hopkins, which is usually an easy airport to navigate.  After clearing security, we made our way to our gate and sat to enjoy some conversation between us until boarding.

**Just a warning, Frontier does make you pay for baggage and any other "luxury" upgrades.  Need extra leg room?  They'll charge.  Want to be seated with friends or family?  They charge.  The pilots and staff were extremely friendly, and the flight was smooth.  We were also willing to accept the up-charge because they were still one of the cheapest flights.

Once in Tampa, our flight came in later in the evening (I believe 8pm), and after waiting 40 minutes for our luggage, which is the only complaint we had with Frontier, we caught a shuttle to our hotel in St. Pete Beach, about forty minutes away.  They charged us 40 dollars to take the shuttle, but it was the quickest way without taking a taxi.  Uber and Lyft are not allowed to pick up from the Tampa Airport, so if you are traveling here, please don't rely on them.  In Cleveland, we are big fans of Uber.  Not every city carries them, and not every city has the same laws regarding companies like Uber and Lyft so please be aware wherever you are heading.

We stayed at the Plaza Beach Hotel on the water.  It was one of the more inexpensive hotels in the area.  We weren't very concerned with having anything more than a place to sleep so not having a ton of amenities was okay with us.  However, it did have private beach access, a pool and a blow dryer.  We were in business!  We were also very pleasantly surprised upon arrival at the cleanliness of the rooms, the space, and what was offered to us for the price.

As shown in the pictures above, you can see we had a suite hotel room.  It offered two beds, a pull out couch, and a small kitchenette.  It was extremely nice, especially since there is a Walgreens across the way that we did light grocery shopping at.  They even provided the pots and pans, and any kitchen necessities.  The only thing that we did have issues with in this place was the bathroom being on the smaller side.  Three women, small bathroom?  It was fine and fortunately enough, we are all good enough friends that we can share!

After getting checked in and settled, we braved the rain (It rained three out of our four days there) to land at a small local dive called the Drunken Clam.  If you're into drinking and lots of it, this is the place for you.  The drinks were strong and cheap, the staff was fun and friendly.  Can't get better.  We loved this place so much we ended up here every night of our stay.

We did do some exploring while here, but it ended up being cold while we were visiting.  By cold, I mean around 65 every day.  It also was accompanied by wind and clouds, even rain at times.  We tried to find things in a beach town to keep us entertained while we couldn't visit the beach.  We did find a few things.  Something we all loved about St. Pete Beach is the free taxi service.  We made sure to tip well, around $5-10 for different trips depending on the length.  

We went to John's Pass Village for some local shopping.  It was very touristy and "beach town" with their shoppes.  We did get some awesome ice cream there!  It however isn't very large, and I think we were only able to stay in the area for shopping for around two hours.  Every store had what you'd expect - t-shirts, sweatshirts, towels, etc about Treasure Island and St. Pete Beach.

One place we did enjoy going for the food, staff and live music was Jimmy B's.  We also took a moment to walk through the resort, which looked gorgeous as well.  It was a nice night when we went there, so we walked along the beach and bar hopped around.  Mongo's was another favorite. 

Courtyard at the Beachcomber Hotel

This is the walkway out to the ocean at Jimmy B's.

Live stage

Three girls at Mongo's

We are at Mongo's.  They also had large heat lamps - we loved this aspect on the chilly nights.  They had an awesome beach front bar.  

My group of girls at the Drunken Clam.  Loved this place.

So, we were clearly not dressed for a chilly time in Florida.  None of us brought jeans, sweatshirts, or jackets except the ones we came on the plane in.  My advice for someone traveling to St. Pete at this time of the year would be, make sure you come prepared for all types of weather.

Another place that I would say is cannot miss while here is going to Pass-a-grille beach and the historic area.  We didn't realize this was here until our last day so we didn't get much time to explore, and I wish we had.  The beach there was gorgeous.  It is on the far end of the peninsula, so faces the Gulf of Mexico, and the beach there is even more beautiful than on the rest of the peninsula.  So just by traveling down a mile or two, it was completely worth it.  

Beautiful white sand beaches here!

 On the way back home, we flew out in the evening and were supposed to land back in Cleveland around 11.  Our flight was delayed by around 20 minutes, which put us in right around 11:30.  Frontier airlines had the same issue on our trip back that it did on our trip there - it didn't send out our baggage for approximately 45 minutes.  Since this was New Years Eve, we spent our midnight in the airport.  However, we were extremely happy that we got a chance to spend a few days relaxing on the beach, even if it was quite cloudy and cool.  Landing back in Cleveland, we had a few inches of snow already and some much cooler temperatures.  I would definitely recommend a trip to St. Pete Beach if you are looking for a relaxing vacation without many tourist attractions within a twenty minute radius.  I'm sure everyone is aware that Florida is littered with other tourist attractions, so having one spot where you can focus on the beach is great.

St. Augustine, FL

Back in October, 2014 my family and I traveled to St. Augustine, Florida.  I am quite the history buff, so when I get a chance to travel to somewhere historic, I jump on it!  The wonderful thing about St. Augustine is that you can stay in a beach community and at the same time, be extremely close to a ton of great food, great history, and great activities.  

My mother's best friend owns a condo in St. Augustine, at the St. Augustine Ocean and Raquet Club. One of the phenomenal things about this place is that not only do they have condos available for purchase, but they rent them out as well.  These condos have their own kitchens and living spaces on top of bedrooms, so they are very homey.  My mother's friend really keeps her condo up well, and it offers a beach view.  They also have their own private walk-way to the beach with access by a password.  Can I also say - free wifi!?  

Since St. Augustine is on the Atlantic coast of Florida, we got the chance to view some truly beautiful sun rises.  However, in order to do so we had to be on the beach by 7am - which was no problem for these teachers!  Which made it better - my mom's friend had a working coffee machine in the condo along with to-go mugs for our use.  We were able to take our coffee right on to the beach.  

Let's talk about some truly breath-taking moments.  

While here in St. Augustine, we wanted to do as much as possible in the few days we had, so we immediately ventured into downtown Historic St. Augustine.  One of the first must-go places for us was the Lighthouse Museum.  We climbed 219 stairs to the top of the lighthouse to step out onto the overlook, which had views of the entire city and then some.  Now, the climb up was steep in sections and had my father winded.  They did have some windows to stop and check your progress every now and then on your way up and down.  

If you come to the lighthouse, make sure to check out the gift shop.  I bought wine along with some awesome glasses for my roommate!  The bottle even had the lighthouse on it, so for wine lovers, it made for an awesome gift.

Another place we traveled to was the Jail House in St. Augustine.  It was a very interesting tour, but we did have a wait to get in.  While there, we made our way next door to the Spice and Tea Exchange - and spent plenty of money in there.  I was able to bring back loose leaf tea and some rubs to enhance cooking.  My father also bought some different flavored salts.  The women there were very knowledgable as well and really made sure that we knew exactly what we were buying.  They even gave some suggestions - so I would suggest heading there to look around!

Once we got into our tour for the Jail House, we were extremely entertained!  Our tour guide kept things interesting, and really put on a show for us as an actor.  They also do this as a haunted tour in the evening, but we decided to skip the haunted tour and do this during the day.  We found that the value during the day tour was a lot better, but also could understand why people would pay to attend the tour at night - even during the day it was spooky!  

They had plenty to entertain with here, including stories of former inmates, weapons used during specific time periods as well as forms of punishment.  They even showed us 'the bird cage' and the gallows while there (both pictured above).  

Another place that is necessary for anyone into history would be the fort Castillo De San Marcos.  This fort is one that is not only filled with history from many different people and places in history, but it also is something that captured many moments from those different periods.  One interesting spot in the fort is a room where I actually saw someone scratched their name and that they were from Ohio into the wall!  It was really cool to have that personal connection.  

Not the etching from Ohio - but still a really interesting etching of a schooner.

The price to go into the fort is $10 - but if you go for more than one day, you can access the fort up to seven consecutive days.  (Meaning that if you go one day, leave for two weeks and try to come back, your pass will no longer be valid).  However, the $10 is well spent considering your fee goes back into the National Park Service for continued preservation, renovation, and upkeep of National Park designated areas, including National Monuments.  

Something else that we found was really interesting was the St. Augustine Distillery.  Let me just say that not only does this place have a waiting room to go into the tour that includes history of the distillery, how whiskey is made, and interactive displays relating to St. Augustine, they have some kick ass booze!  It was so good that we had to buy some and pay to check a bag back to Ohio.  I am typically careful about what kind of liquor I buy since I do not drink a lot of liquor, and have ones I know I like regularly.  I bought a handle of vodka that was made purely from sugar cane, so it is gluten free and delicious.  They even gave us a tour of the distillery, walking us past their vats and vaults.  At this time, they had just started processing rum so we were unable to try it, but at the end of the tour they made us individual drinks featuring vodka and whiskey to try.  Their version of a Moscow Mule was awesome as well, and my father purchased their mugs while I bought their liquor. This place is absolutely a must go for everyone over 21 that enjoys a good drink.  

Their employees even dress in prohibition era garb while serving drinks!  

I do have to say that while here, we didn't try any restaurants or places to eat that we unusual, but we did try to buy local.  At this time, I was on a gluten free diet and really struggled to find food in this city that were OK for me to eat.  I ordered a lot of salads with oil and vinegar dressing and burgers without buns.  If this is a concern for you as a traveler, St. Augustine will be a place where you will struggle!  However, the incredible ocean views and just a fantastic city will more than make up for the lack of gluten free foods.  

Another place of interest in St. Augustine is The Fountain of Youth.  On this visit, my family and I did not make it here, but I still feel that it is worth mentioning.  It may be somewhere you'd like to check out on your visit!

Another tour that I would recommend is the Ghost and Gravestones tour.  They took us around in a "haunted trolley".  It was a lot of fun, but kind of corny at the same time with flashing strobe lights and a decorated in black trolley.  However, it was still a lot of fun and very informative.  They even gave time to take a walk around a park that is supposed to have a lot of haunted activity.  It was dark and had some uprooted areas around some of the trees, so it would be best to be careful while walking around the area as well.  We liked the idea of the trolley so we were able to get to see more places and hear stories that were all over the city instead of just in a specific location.  Again, tour guides were very knowledgable.  We did make a brief stop at the Old Jail House here as well, but didn't go on the specific haunted tour of it.  Between this trolley tour and our tour from earlier in the day, we thought it was enough.  This is not a tour I would take young children on, as the stories told were more adult in nature and could be scary for a younger crowd.  

Let me just say that our final morning there, we had the most beautiful sunrise.  The pictures below are completely unfiltered, and I'm still sure they do not do justification on how absolutely gorgeous it is on the beach there.  It was the perfect place for a long weekend away!  

Charleston, SC

As a new comer and someone new to blogging, I have quite a few trips I've made in the past year that I'm going to be reviewing and documenting.  Therefore, I'm going to start back a year ago July when we ventured to Charleston, SC.  It's a favorite location of my family and I.

During the most recent stay in Charleston, we went from July 19-25, 2014.  Since it has been a year since the travel, I am just going to highlight some of the favorite spots and activities we did, as well as some restaurants.  We LOVE to eat!  I traveled to Charleston with my parents, Penny and Michael.  They own a time share, and we stayed in Charleston's Blue-Green location. The name of this condo-hotel is called the Lodge Alley Inn.

These images are all from the hotel.  

The condo was also complete with a kitchen, and the main bedroom was in the upstairs loft.  Due to this being a historic hotel, each room is different with different attributes.  It also reflected some wonderful historic character in it.  One of the wonderful things about the hotel is that it is on East Bay Street, extremely close to The City Market, which is a large tourist attraction.  At the City Market, locals sell items that they create themselves or offer at their company.  It is also surrounding by quite a bit of restaurants.  A large positive also of the hotel is that it is extremely safe.  It is gated in at night.  It has a courtyard (pictured above) that is offered to guests for use.  There is no pool at this hotel, so if that is something that is necessary to you, check out a different hotel in this area.  This hotel does have a positively reviewed restaurant that is also attached named High Cotton.  We did not visit this restaurant during our stay.  

The first restaurant we visited was called Cypress.  It was close to our hotel and was easy for our first night there.  It was a little more dressy, but it was definitely worth the money.  

In the morning, we went to a restaurant known for it's southern style, home cooked breakfast food.  Again, it was extremely close to our hotel and was recommended by a woman who worked at the front desk.  It's name is Dixie Supply Bakery and Cafe.  A major positive of this place is the amazing food.  A major negative of this place is the limited seating.  We struggled to get a spot to sit, and found a table outside of the cafe.  This would've been absolutely fine - except we were expecting storms.  Thankfully, we were able to eat quickly before getting rained on.  

Another notable place we ate for breakfast was Toast.  I got french toast while I was there, and it was incredible.  It was very homey, with wood benches as the seating.  They did have a wait, but we booked on open table that morning so we were able to get seated fairly quickly.  

Charleston is one of those cities where wherever you go, or whatever you're interested in, there's something you can find.  My father is very into Pirate's, so we found ourselves on a Pirate Tour.  The link is from their reviews on Trip Advisor, which I always find to be very helpful!  I believe we had discounted tickets from our hotel, which made the Pirate Tour a decent price.  I also know that they do occasionally offer this tour on groupon - so definitely check there as well if you're looking for a great trip on a budget.  It was a two hour tour around the city and included admission into The Powder Magazine Museum.  

This is a home that our tour guide pointed out used to be a Brothel in the city (and a frequent destination in the city for pirates) - what a transformation some historic renovation can do!

This is our tour guide Erik - he dressed just like a Pirate from historic Charleston!

These pictures are all from the Powder Magazine House in Charleston.  As stated previously, this is where the Pirate Tour began.  My father stated that this tour was his favorite thing we did while in the city, hands down!  My mother and I also enjoyed it, and our tour guide was extremely knowledgable.

We also decided to do a lighthouse tour to the Morris Island lighthouse.  This was something that was more expensive on our part, but my mother really wanted to attend this tour.  This tour was from Charleston Outdoor Adventures.  And while it was more expensive, it was also two and a half hours long.  Since Morris Island lighthouse is off the beach and into the water, the tour includes a boat ride.

Old shipwreck remains just off the side of the river.

Morris Island Lighthouse

As you can see from the pictures, it was not a gorgeous day out.  However, we definitely made the most of our trip, and got to collect plenty of seashells as well from around the island.  Along with this, we got to watch for dolphins along our boat!  It was pretty awesome.

Another thing my family truly enjoys to do is take a ride on The Schooner Pride.  This trip is a family favorite that we make sure we do every time we head to Charleston.  I've not only attached the link to this, but here you can find their trip advisor reviews as well.  The only thing I can suggest is please look at the weather before heading out and booking this trip.  It is an absolutely fabulous excursion, but it is obviously unsafe to sail on this during a storm.  They have sunset tours and tours offered during the day time.  I'd say if you have children, the afternoon tour is better.  My family and I have gone on both tours (this time during the day), during the evening and during the day and definitely find the day tour to be more child friendly.  However, alcohol is offered on both tours (just beer and wine folks), but it is reasonably priced.  This is a CANNOT miss when you come from my family!  It may go back to again, my father's love of pirates!  It is however not a narrated tour, so you won't get the history of Fort Sumter, etc.  You will however, pass Fort Sumter.  One of my favorite things about this tour is while it isn't narrated, the crew will let you assist them in things like raising and lower the sails, which has been something my father loves to do!  One a previous trip, my little sister also got an opportunity to do this.

My father working the sails.

We ventured out of Charleston to Magnolia Plantation.  On this trip, we drove ourselves down to Charleston so had a car accessible.  We decided that it would be better to drive to the plantation rather than take a bus tour, which is also offered.  During previous trips, we went to Boone Hall Plantation and Middleton Plantation.  Each offers something different, and Magnolia is no different.  It had beautiful gardens as well to venture through, and also included a boat ride.  

Look out tower in the gardens at Magnolia - we were able to climb to the top.  What a view!

Magnolia truly had some beautiful gardens, and would make a great place to take engagement pictures, etc.  The plantation offered some great activities for families, such as a boat ride, a train ride through the plantation, etc.  My family opted for the boat ride.  It is probably easy to notice that it was not a nice day in the pictures - we got down poured on while here.  Thankfully, they have a really nice gift shop that we were able to stay in until the storm passed.

Something that I always find fun and fascinating while in Charleston is the haunted past.  We always look to Bull Dog Tours - and have done plenty of them in the past.  We have attended ghost walks through the Old City Jail, but this time, decided to go to the Old Prison and Dungeon.  I have never had a bad tour guide here, they are knowledgable and very engaging.  You can find their trip advisor here.

St. Michael's church - it is absolutely beautiful during the day or in the evening!

Something I honestly would suggest in Charleston is going to Rainbow Row, and just walking around the city.  It is one of my all time favorite vacation spots, and you can never run out of things to do!  Unfortunately with Charleston, I am not as knowledgable in the night life, even though there is plenty to offer.  Here are a few more pictures just around the city that hopefully show its beauty, along with a unique history.

The City Market front.  Please note that if you are looking for something authentic Charleston to bring home, buy a sweetgrass basket from one of the artists here!  They are beautiful and will last.  Another thing to buy is the sweetgrass roses that are offered by artists throughout the city - I bought a dozen and put them in a vase to keep in my room.  They really add a unique quality to my living space and is something to always remember my trip!