Spring Break ~ Day 7

After a leisurely morning of breakfast and the beach one last time before packing up, we set out back to Orlando. Once we got to Orlando, we got settled in and walked around I-Drive. We mini golfed, had dinner, and just kicked back for our final night in Florida. 

Spring Break ~ Day 6

We enjoyed Clearwater Beach so much, we extended our stay there for a day, and spent the whole day at either the beach or the pool. The town was very crowded with spring breakers, but we never had a hard time finding a spot anywhere. In the evening, we walked down the boardwalk and watched all the performers that come out to the evening celebration. We ate ice cream while we watched the sun set over the water, and it was a perfect vacation day. 

Spring Break ~ Day 5

We got up this morning before sunrise, to head out on our most anticipated adventure- swimming with manatees! We met up with our guide, got suited up in our wet suites, and headed over to the bay. Watching the sunrise while we rode the boat out to the swim spot was beautiful, and the water was warm and calm when we got in. We had barely gotten off the boat when some manatees swam by, and before we knew it, there were about 20 of them swimming and sleeping all around us. They are the most fantastic creatures! Absolutely enormous, but so gentle. We were careful not to bother them, and they didn't care one bit that we were there. They swam right under and next to us, sometimes even pushing us out of their way. The best part was seeing a mother nursing her calf! It was definitely a bucket list moment, and something we could have done all day!

After our time with the manatees was up, we went back to our hotel to shower and change, then went and checked out downtown Crystal River before driving down to Clearwater Beach. As soon as we got checked in to our next hotel, we went straight to the beach. The sand is so soft, and the water was perfect! The kids had so much fun building a sand snake, tossing a football, and just laying in the sun. After a quick dip in the pool, we walked around the downtown shops before dinner at Hooters- Brinley's choice!

Spring Break ~ Day 4

The next day we said goodbye to St Augustine, and headed west toward the Gulf. We hit Juniper Springs on our way, and stopped for lunch and a swim. The spring is beautiful, and perfectly hidden away! After swimming and playing, we took a short walk down the trail, until we ran into a huge water moccasin, and decided that was far enough!  

Once we had thoroughly enjoyed the spring, we got back in the car and drove the rest of the way over to Crystal River. We got checked into our hotel, found some delicious dinner, then the kids swam at the pool for a few hours before we all crashed for the night.