St. Augustine, Florida

The kids were off school Friday for a teacher work day so Josh took off too. To get away from the cold rain in Charlotte, we drove 6.5 hours south to Florida! Crossing a bridge near Savannah, GA.

First stop, and one of our favorites, St Augustine Alligator Farm! We got half off the price with our AZA passes. YAY!

Look at this unique crocodile! It's one of only 100 in the world.

I've never seen so many HUGE alligators together in the same place. And we could get so close to them.

This is one of the largest crocodiles, Maximus, fitting name.

Extreme close up! So prehistoric looking.

The most dangerous bird in the world! Another animal that looked so similar to a dinosaur.

And WOW, I couldn't believe the amount of herons & pink spoonbills. My VERY favorite bird!

Stopping for a snack. The grounds were beautiful, just like a tropical island.

What's everyone looking at?

The BEST part of the day, alligator feeding!!!

To see 200 gators come swimming towards food was so crazy. Highest jumper gets the rat! The sound was so scary, grunts and splashes. Wow!

We stayed at La Fiesta Ocean Inn & Suites, walking distance to the beach. So that we could enjoy the morning sunrises!

And we were not disappointed. Most evenings it rained but during the day it was sunny & warm. Typical FL spring weather.

Family pic! Everyone enjoys the morning in our family.

Never had this before, complimentary room service breakfast!! We chose egg & bacon croissants the 1st day. And blueberry scones with fruit the 2nd. Yum.

Castillo de San Marcos, the popular fort in town. Aaron got us in for FREE with his 4th grader pass. He gets us into all National Parks for free with it!

The kids always enjoy exploring. They are talking to Josh in the room below. He reads every plague and moves much slower.

The view from one of the watchtowers on top. My favorite picture!

Every room of the fort served a different purpose and they could each be explored.

We took a stroll down St George street in the middle of the old town district and stopped in a few shops including the pirate & weapon stores.

We also went into the candy store and got some yummy taffy samples. The stores and architecture were really neat.

Flagner College was in a gorgeous building but we only had time to walk through their courtyard.

Next stop, Whetstone Chocolate Tasting Tour.

We learned how chocolate is made and got to sample a few.

The afternoon brought rain but it didn't stop these 4 from playing at the beach & swimming in the pool.

On our last day we headed to Washington Oaks Garden State Park.

The place was gorgeous. Addy found a few creatures. This baby turtle being the coolest.

On the other side of the park was Coquina Beach, a hidden gem, and my very favorite part of the trip.

This place was just so unique. After walking along a gorgeous beach with clear water, you came to these neat rock formations.

This is what I imagine some of the west coast looking like.

There were some with perfect circles. Addy found a sea anemone is one.

The moss was so green and soft.

Lots of places to explore. Notice Benny in one of the holes.

These 2 guys were buddies the entire day. They got pretty wet and sandy.

Blessed to see dolphins playing in the distance.

The water was so clear we could see jellyfish floating in it.

The view from the natural dunes. Good bye beautiful beach!