Florida
- bradleighmartin
- Dec 14, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Dec 17, 2020
Florida is the state my family and I travel to at least once a year. We love the beach and now we have an excuse to go every summer since my younger sister is in pageants. Read along to find out about all of the fun activities to do and restaurants to eat at!
Every summer for the past several years my family and I have been taking trips to Florida. We have gone to multiple cities and stayed at different places along the way. We always drive the 1,291 miles from Oklahoma City to Orlando. The drive takes us two days and we spend the night at a hotel along the way. I ended up always booking Hilton Hotels on vacation because I would get rooms for $35 a night. This year we decided to stop along the way in Fort Walton Beach, located between Pensacola and Panama City, just 9 miles away from Destin. This was our second time visiting, it is one of our favorite locations in Florida! We spent a few hours relaxing at the beach and eating at our favorite taco joint, Rockin Tacos. This place has always been packed with people when we came so make sure to arrive early or relax outside if you do not mind waiting. This restaurant is located on The Boardwalk right on Okaloosa Island. It features beachfront dining, a walk-up bar, and a DJ. I ordered the pineapple margarita, it was my first time trying one, and it did not disappoint. The pineapple chunk was soaked in tequila! I also ordered the Rockin Shrimp Tacos, so good! Served with lightly fried bay shrimp, rockin sweet and spicy sauce, red peppers, greens onions, and house slaw. For $16.99, the meal is served with two tacos and no sides. My family ordered the Rockin Nachos, on the menu is listed as an appetizer, but big enough to feed three people! Tortilla chips piled high and loaded with queso, cilantro lime grilled chicken, shrimp, pinto beans, lettuce, pico, jalapenos, guacamole, and sour cream. They were HUGE and delicious!
Once in Orlando, we arrived at the Rosen Centre Hotel. This hotel is equipped with six restaurants, three of which were only open when we stayed, a spa, a fitness center, a shopping center, and a tropical outdoor pool. We enjoyed staying at this hotel, it was our first time, and we booked it because this is where the pageant was being held. The hotel was busy due to the international pageant going on. Once settled in, the next day my brother and I took a drive to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive in Apopka, located 26 miles from the hotel. This is a free wildlife drive you can do in the comfort of your vehicle. This one-way, 11-mile drive, is only open Friday- Sundays so plan accordingly. We arrived shortly after it opened, before 10:00 am, to beat any crowds that might arrive. The drive is on a gravel road with grass and Lake Apopka located on either side of you. The speed limit is around 10 miles an hour and took us over an hour to drive through. There were so many animals that could be seen from the car even alligators! They were the main reason we wanted to come to check this place out and I am so glad we got to see some! I think we saw almost twenty alligators! If you are looking for something free to do and close to the city I highly recommend this place!
Next on our list was Disney Springs. This was my first time visiting so I wanted to check out all the go-to restaurants. This outdoor attraction is free to the public, just park in the parking garage and follow the signs and soon you will be in the outdoor shopping and dining area with 103 shops, 63 restaurants, and 22 types of attractions or shows. You will want to arrive early to beat the crowds and heat if you visit during the summer. I decided I wanted to try Guy Fieri's quick-service restaurant, Chicken Guy! Everything on the menu sounded so good and it was reasonably priced.
I ordered the Loaded Mac Daddy Mac 'N' Cheese because of course, that is all I seem to order anywhere I go, and some chicken tenders. The macaroni and cheese is topped with fried chicken, bacon, and green onions. It was SO good! I also enjoyed the chicken tenders and you got to choose whatever sauces you wanted, out of 22 to be exact. Not pictured is a great sandwich place called, Earl of Sandwich, known for their, "World's Greatest Hot Sandwich". They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even omelets! This place is reasonably priced with all sandwiches under $10. Last on our stop was the Coca-Cola Rooftop Beverage Bar, which I was very excited about. Through the two-story gift shop, located on the third floor is the rooftop bar. You can bring children up to the rooftop since they serve not only alcohol but different sodas from around the world. I ordered the Cherry Coke Riper, made with Malibu Rum, Cherry Whiskey, and Cherry Coke. I love Malibu rum. but this drink was not for me. My brother and I got the "Around the World Tray", served with sixteen sparkling and still beverages from around the world. They hand you two trays with labels so you can see what country the beverage is from and the name of it. I loved trying the drinks! Some were very bad and some were good, for $15 you can not beat it! Especially if you are sharing with someone.
And finally, I want to talk, Universal Studios City Walk! In 2019, we had the pleasure of enjoying Universal Studios and all its wonders, and right after we went straight to the City Walk to explore. The City Walk is free and open to the public, just follow city walk signs and make sure to park in the correct area. Parking is free after 6:00 pm, but any other time you have to pay standard parking fees. You also have to walk through metal detectors like you are entering the park and walk awhile before entering. The first picture to the left was taken at Voodoo Doughnuts, a unique doughnut shop serving over 50 different flavors. Pictured, "The Old Dirty Bastard" doughnut made with chocolate frosting, Oreos, and peanut butter. Yum! I was so excited to try a milkshake at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium! Be prepared to wait in line no matter what time you arrive! This is a full-service restaurant, bar, and bakery, but for the people who just want dessert you can walk in and order from the counter. They have one of a kind chocolate gourmet chocolates or you can try their amazing milkshakes! These pricey milkshakes are well worth it with over thirteen flavors. They range in price from $13-$15.00 and most shakes have a piece of cake or some kind of treat on top. Pictured is the confetti shake made with vanilla ice cream, confetti cake, buttercream frosting, and sprinkles. I will say I was disappointed with the flavor that I chose. All I tasted was the whipped cream and nothing else, but the cake was good! I am sure their other flavors are good! Some are gingerbread, red velvet, cookie jar, and strawberry cheesecake.
When we were at Universal Studios in 2019 we went to Harry Potter World and I got to try their infamous butterbeer drink. A cream soda made with butterscotch foam. It was SO good I need to find a copycat recipe as soon as possible! One of the last two of my favorite places we visited was, Tabla Indian Restaurant, located in Orlando. This is an authentic Indian food place and it did not disappoint. My brother loves trying new foods so we decided on this place and I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, made with tomato sauce flavored with bell peppers and onions, served with naan, and jasmine rice. This has been one of my favorite Indian food restaurants and I wish we would have eaten here again in 2020! And last but not least if you have never been to a Shake Shack I recommend it and I think it is better than In and Out. Pictured above were the bacon cheeseburger and cheese crinkle fries! Yum!
I hope this blog can give you great recommendations on where to eat and fun activities to explore when visiting Florida! Everything I post in my blogs is family-friendly and in safe areas to travel alone or with family. If you try anything out please let me know! I hope your experience is as good as mine! I have posted all links to hotels and restaurants below. Hope you enjoyed reading!!
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