I just got back last night from my spring break vacation from Florida. What a treat! Living in New Jersey, the spring has not yet sprung, even in the beginning of April. The local temperatures here are still below average, usually in the 40’s. And did I mention it snowed last week on April 1st! Noooooo. I am so tired of the cold gloomy weather. So this latest trip to Florida was exactly what I needed. We all need the sunshine desperately!
Total miles driving from Weehawken, Nj to Ft. Lauderdale is 1,272 miles. My husband and I packed up our Chevy Malibu rental car and our 2 children (ages 11 and 6) and hit the road. We left around noon on Saturday March 31st. We drove until a small town in Wilson, North Carolina. I am surprised how well my kids handled this road trip. Since this was our first one, I was not sure how they were going to do! But I made sure before we left we had new library books and a fully charged Ipad.
We slept in Wilson North Carolina and woke early to hit the road again. I was not comfortable with driving at night because of the highways. My husband and I only wanted to drive during the day for safety reasons.
Best travelers!
Yep, they are good travelers!
Our next stop was Savannah Georgia. Savannah GA is about 6 hours away north of Fort Lauderdale. I wanted to be sure we stopped there to see the trees. I LOVE me some southern trees lol.
Savannah was beautiful. I loved this quaint little town. There was a cool ecclectic vibe to it. Young adults riding around on bikes and skateboards. Cool local coffee shops. Definitely a cool spot.
Me and the kids
Our green escape
LOVE these Southern Trees!
A semi-romantic shot of me and my hubby
GREEN SPACE! Yes! Haven’t seen this in a while, coming from New Jersey.
These homes next to Forsyth Park are so beautiful. I could live in one of those.
Yes, I am a proud tree hugger! I am mother nature’s #1 fan.
Alright, everyone back in the car.
Next stop- Fort Lauderdale.
We booked an apartment rental called Soleado. It was a 1 bedroom complete with full kitchen and outdoor pool. 2 blocks from the beach. I recommend this place to stay! Lots to walk to, a nice sidewalk next to the beach to skateboard or bike on, and an outdoor barbeque. This hotel also had beach towels, chairs, and an umbrella for us to use. No need to bring yours!
Address: 2901 Belmar St, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Phone: (954) 565-5559
The pool. Also has rafts/boogie boards for your use.
A skateboarding venture to a local ice cream spot. Only a couple of blocks away.
So for the first day in Florida we just hung out at the pool and beach.
The next day we went jet skiing in Miami. Definitely fun for the kids (and us adults!) This was the first time for the kids and they did great. Even my 11 year old daughter got to drive. GIRL POWER!
The sunshine streets of downtown miami
The water is so turquoise blue in miami I loved it!
Although my 6 year old son prefers a pool, he enjoyed picking rocks and shells from this beach.
Because I love trees! Look I have a tan already. Yes!
For the 3rd day, we drove to Florida Keys. Most of the beaches were closed due to the hurricane, but the best one was still open… Sombrero Beach. Sombrero Beach is on Marathon. There was considerable damage to this area, but still very enjoyable!! Best part was there is bathrooms, cold water, and the best lagoon. My son loved this area for practicing his swimming. He is not so good yet so the no waves, soft sand, and shallow water made it perfect conditions for learning how to swim. My 11 year old daughter loved it because she could snorkel…. WIN WIN for mom. Happy wife, happy life right! This place was HEAVEN on earth.
A local came to say hello
Isn’t he a beauty!
I see long legs on both these beauties!
Can’t catch me!
Don’t worry, he’s safe
This day was incredible! We needed this day in the sun and seclusion. We loved seeing all the wildlife. Dogs are also allowed on the beach so bring the pups!
Because it was only 2 1/2 hours back to our hotel in Fort Lauderdale from the Keys, we went back for the night. There are plenty of hotels on the Florida Keys, but we loved our hotel so much we decided to book another night at Soleado. Florida Keys… check!
This spring break of 2018 was one to remember. Now for the trip back. 2 days drive and we are safe and sound back in Weehawken, Nj. We collected many rocks from this trip and lots of sunshine!
Florida rules!