Little Talbot Island

While the important reason for our long Memorial Day weekend here in America is to remember those who have fallen to protect our country, it is also a time synonymous with beaches and barbecues.  Hubby happened to be off as well (he doesn't always get holidays off with his job), so we decided to not worry about crowds and head somewhere sunny.  Little Talbot Island State Park in Florida is not far from us, and it sounded lovely, so we hopped in the car. 

After a picnic lunch, we trekked past the sand dunes and onto the beach. 

Luckily, it seemed like we picked a spot most families wouldn't think of, considering it is surrounded by more popular spots.  We had passed a park on our way that had a really long line of cars just trying to get in and park.  Here we had plenty of room to frolic.

I wouldn't say Little Talbot Island was the most picturesque beach I've ever been to, but I loved it nonetheless.  During low tide, the ocean leaves a tide pool to wade in and find sea creatures.

The water was not this green.  I have no idea what my camera was doing.

A trip to the beach is not complete without jumping in the waves!

It is only $5 per car to get in and there are a lot of pavilions to barbecue or have a picnic.  We were sad to leave, but we departed with a pocket full of seashells and minds full of memories.  We will be back, Little Talbot Island!

Quick Stops To Make In Tampa

One last post about our time in Tampa!  We had to make a pit stop for hubby's work (since that was the primary reason we went), so we did a little more exploring while we were there. 

If you are as big of a book lover as I am, stop by the Old Tampa Book Company on your way out of town.  Hubby's boss mentioned that we should stop by, and I'm so glad he did.  The rain was about to get serious when we pulled up, so we just popped our heads in for a minute, but we could tell there were many treasures just waiting to be uncovered. 

Hubby's boss also mentioned how whenever he is in Tampa, he has to grab this soup from Bamboozle Cafe to bring home to his wife. What soup could be so good that he would bring it on the long car ride home?  Well, the place happened to be right across the street from the bookstore, so we scampered over to find out!  Now, I'm not always very into Asian food, but I was willing to give it a shot.  I'm really trying to be better at saying yes to things instead of being scared of stepping out of my comfort zone.  I grabbed the vegan pho soup boat and hubby got the beef.  This stuff really was awesome!  It had just the right amount of kick without being overpowering, and the spices were spot on.  We loved it!

If you're ever in the Tampa area, definitely stop on by!

So ends our trip to Tampa.  It was lovely and I hope we can make it back soon to discover more of it... perhaps the beach areas!

The Florida Aquarium

For our first full day in Tampa, we headed to the Florida Aquarium.

My daughter (you know, for simplicity's sake, let's call her "A" for this blog, shall we?) had never been to a proper aquarium.  She's been to Sea World, but she was about 2 months old, so I'm not counting that.  :) 

We spent plenty of time with my favorite animal, the river otter!  (Okay, if I'm going to be honest, my favorite animal is the SEA otter, but I'm not too picky. ;) )

This big guy, the Goliath Grouper, was pretty much as big as A.  So we told her to look like he was going to eat her.

Maybe she should have been more concerned about this charming fellow.

There is a dolphin cruise that leaves from the aquarium every day and you know we had to join in!  It was a beautiful day for a boat ride, and we even had a few friends come over to say hi.

Growing up, I wanted to be a marine biologist (and a singer, actress, veterinarian, and princess, but that's neither here nor there) so I was in my element.  A adored it, too, and couldn't wait to tell her fish back home what she saw.  :)

Tampa, Florida

We live in the Southern United States.  The Northern bit of Florida, to be a bit more precise.  About a month ago, my husband, Aaron, had to make a business trip down to Tampa, Florida.  Since it isn't too bad of a drive from where we live, we were lucky enough to be able to go down with him.  We made this trip when I had no thought of starting this blog, so any future trips I will make sure to take pictures of things like the front of the hotel, food at the restaurant, stuff of that nature.  :)

I had never been down there, and Aaron had only been on a quick trip for business once before, so we did a  bit of research before booking a hotel.  We decided on the Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn.  It was close to where Aaron had to go for work as well as the aquarium which was the most important thing we wanted to see as a family.  Walking up, the entrance way was nice, with wrought-iron tables and chairs and potted plants.

The charm and beauty comes when you walk in, however!

It is a small inn with only 16 guest rooms and a great event space.  They are known for wedding receptions and we even saw a bridal party there during our visit. The staff is very nice and helped us right away when we discovered our air conditioner wasn't working properly.  There was only one staff member who was a bit stand offish, but the others made up for it.  One person wasn't quite as helpful as the others, but I believe he hadn't been working there for long yet, so he was probably still learning all the ins and outs. 

Generally we try to get a room with two beds, since there are three of us, but apparently the inn only had a room with one king-sized bed available.  Luckily my daughter is small, so we all fit just fine.

What I loved about the room was the small balcony.  Each room has one and I spent most of our hotel time just enjoying the sunshine.

 

For some reason we did get a kick out of the fact that we were right in front of a Scientology building.

The inn, like many others, has a free continental breakfast.  I made sure to enjoy my coffee each morning on their front porch.

The Don Vicente is within walking distance to historic Centro Ybor and we made a point of visiting shortly after arriving to get some dinner.

We decided on Hamburger Mary's.  The food is incredible.  We enjoyed every last bit.  I got the "Queen Mary": melted cheddar and jack cheeses with grilled onions, bacon, sauce, lettuce, tomato, and pickles.  I went the veggie route, though, and went sans bacon and substituted the meat for a portabello mushroom cap that they marinate in a homemade raspberry vinaigrette.  Delicious!  I wish I would have taken more pictures of it all, but I will do so next time now that I have this blog.  ;)  I did get a couple pictures of the "make your own s'mores" dessert.  This was way too much fun.  lol

Hamburger Mary's does have drag shows, karaoke, and the like in the evenings, but not in the afternoon/early evening like when we went.

Tampa had officially won me over.  :)