We decided to surprise Leslie for Spring Break 2021. We had originally made plans to go to Myrtle Beach but had to change plans at the last minute.  We didn’t let Leslie know about the change in plans, so she thought we were still going to Myrtle Beach the morning of our trip.  Only Hailie knew about the change of plans.

As we travelled and went through Tennessee and then Georgia, she started getting confused.  “Why are we in Georgia?  We don’t go through Georgia to get to South Carolina,” she commented.

“This is a special way to get there” I responded.

As we continued our trip, Leslie got engrossed in the books she had in the back of the van.  Every once in a while, she asked if I was SURE we were going the right way.  Every time I told her that I was going a “special way” and we would soon be there.

About the time we reached Atlanta, Lorianna finally figured out that we were heading to Florida.  I asked her to stay quiet, that we were surprising Leslie.  Leslie once again commented that “surely, we should be getting to South Carolina soon.”

I responded “Georgia is a big state and there is a lot of traffic.  It takes a while to get through.  During all this time, she never realized that we just kept going further south, getting closer and closer to Florida, and not South Carolina.

Luckily, when we crossed the Florida border, she didn’t really notice.  I asked her to pull her mask up like a blindfold because I had a surprise for her.  She hesitated so I told her that we could go home if she didn’t want to see her surprise.  Confused, she pulled the mask over her eyes and Hailie helped me make sure she didn’t peek as we pulled into the Florida Welcome Center.

We got Leslie out of the van, warning the other kids to stay quiet as we guided her to stand in front of the welcome to Florida sign. We told Leslie to take off her mask and she did so.  As she realized where we were, her eyes lit up! She was so excited about her surprise.

 

“Are we going to Clearwater Beach?” she asked.

Hailie answered her, “Yes. Do you like your surprise Leslie?”

Leslie responded, “I can’t believe it.  Here I thought we were going to Myrtle Beach to see our cousins and we are in Florida.”

While glaring at Lorianna, who almost spoiled the whole thing, Hailie said, “Aunt Lauren and our cousins had to change their plans at the last minute, so we did too.  We didn’t tell you because we wanted to surprise you.”

We used the time at the Welcome Center to stretch our legs and move around a little before getting back on the road.  We would soon have to stop somewhere for the night, because the reservation for the hotel in Clearwater was for the next day.  I wanted to get as far as possible that night so we could have a full day at the beach the next day before checking in at the hotel.

Soon, we were back on the road.  As the kids settled back into the van, we decided to travel another hour before stopping for the night.

We decided to stop at Palm Gardens Inn in Lake City. It’s not a motel that I would advise for an extended stay, but for an overnight stay, the rooms were clean, and it served our purpose.  It wasn’t too expensive and if you are travelling with pets, they have pet friendly rooms.  You do have to pay for ice, however, so have quarters available if you choose to stay there. When we stopped, it was dark, so we weren’t able to explore the area.

I wanted to get back on the road as early as possible the next morning.  There was no one at the check in desk when we left, so we called the number at the window and were told to leave our key in the room.  Our plan was to drive all the way to Clearwater Beach, but we ended up stopping at a few roadside stands and we also stopped at Walmart in Ocala, to stretch our legs and look around some. There were also a couple houses in the Ocala area I wanted to check out.

It was midafternoon by the time we finally got to Clearwater and the kids wanted to go straight to the beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach before checking in to our hotel.

We had reservations at La Quinta Inn South.  It is between Clearwater Beach and St Petersburg.  I did get confused trying to get to the hotel, but finally figured it out.  The staff at the desk was welcoming and friendly.  The room was clean and spacious. The kids couldn’t wait to swim in the pool, but we had to eat first.

We went to one of my favorite restaurants to eat, Rhumba Island Bar and Grill. There was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to eat there.  We sat outside and had an amazing waiter who made himself readily available whenever we needed something.  The food was as good as the first time we ate there.  It was lovely and a relaxing setting outside with the décor they had around the patio.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you visit Clearwater, this is one of the best Jamaican restaurants around.  From my experience, you will not be disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back to the hotel, the kids wanted to swim.  I was tired, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I took them to the pool for a short swim before bed.  The kids enjoyed the pool so much and it became a habit for them to go swimming every evening when we got back from the beach, even on the coldest day we were there, it was 68 for a high that day, they went swimming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorianna wanted to go shopping while we were there but it was so hard to pull Leslie away from her precious ocean, her home away from home. I really think she should have been born a fish, or better yet, a dolphin. We did go to Surf Style however to look around get floats, goggles, snorkels and souvenirs.  Hailie and I got spring break shirts, but they didn’t have any in the kid’s sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, what trip to Clearwater is complete without a trip to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home to Winter and Hope? Winter is Leslie’s favorite dolphin, and this is where Leslie wants to work one day.  There was no stopping her from visiting CMA.  They have expanded since we were there before, so it was quite different.  Leslie actually said she preferred it before the expansion, but all things have to change.  The dolphins have more room in their new tanks and they are able to help more marine animals because of the expansion.  I think Leslie would have spent the whole day just watching Winter and Hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spent a couple days at Clearwater Beach, then on Wednesday and Thursday, we went to St Petersburg Beach. We loved the beach at St Petersburg almost as much as Clearwater Beach.  The kids had the most fun chasing fish that were swimming close to the shore.  There was a Publix grocery across the street that we could walk to, so we didn’t have to leave the parking lot we were in to go find food.  There was also a Chick-fil-a across the street that I would have loved to go to, but the kids weren’t in the mood for chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also stopped at some of the souvenir stores in St Petersburg and there was an ice cream shop, the shop was actually in the shape of an ice cream cone, that we passed, and the kids wanted to stop there as we were leaving.  They had so many different options for ice cream that it was hard to decide what we all wanted.

On Friday, we went back to Clearwater Beach with plans to go on Leslie’s favorite boat there, the Sea Screamer. Unfortunately, due to weather in the Gulf, they had to cancel their tours.  As you can imagine, we were all disappointed as this is something that they wanted to do and were looking forward too all week.  As we were walking on down the row of boat tours, someone got my attention at the Shark Bite booth and asked if we were looking to go on a boat.  I told them what had happened, that we had reservations for the Sea Screamer and they had to cancel it. This was our last day and would have been the highlight of our trip.

Guess what, since they didn’t go as far out, the Shark Bite didn’t have to cancel their tours!  So the kids got to go on the Shark Bite instead, and they gave us a discount! The kids had so much fun looking for dolphins and riding on the boat. Leslie was still a little disappointed that it wasn’t the Sea Screamer, but she said that her vacation was made because she saw wild dolphins and got to see Winter and Hope at CMA.

We have such and enjoyable vacation and everyone was sad to leave.  Even Lorianna, who wasn’t as excited to be going back to Florida, would have been happy to stay longer.  It was the best spring break we have had. The only thing that could have made it better was if we never had to leave.  But all good things must come to and end.  As we crossed from Florida back into Georgia, even I had tears in my eyes.  Until next time and there will be a next time.