I am one of those annoying people (according to my husband) who actually get to the airport on time. Meaning, two hours prior to departure for domestic flights. He has a field day with this; I receive constant eye rolls and lectures of how he arrives to the airport with less time and has no problem.
This particular morning, we arrived to the airport nice and early. We made our way to security. There was only one TSA line open due to the early morning hours. At first glance, the line looked manageable. But, after twenty minutes we had not moved. Twenty minutes became forty minutes and I proceeded to give the look. You know, when your head tilts down, your eyebrows are raised, and without having to say "I told you so", he knew. We ended up making the flight with no time to get food or drinks.
We were on our way to Amelia Island for a family vacation. Being so far from family, makes it all the more sweeter to see everyone when we get the chance.
When we arrived, the first thing we noticed were the trees. Oh, how I miss trees. Huge, moss covered trees that I kept gawking at. It's the little things.
Amelia Island is located on the northeast coast of Florida. It has a historic southern charm that I loved.
Our family rented a house in the Omni Plantation. We were the first to arrive to the house after following detailed instructions that I received from my mom before we left. While we waited for the others to arrive we made ourselves comfortable, and picked a few limes from the lime tree we discovered for Jer's Coronas.
The house came with bikes and a golf cart to make our way around the grounds. We wasted no time and grabbed the bikes to explore.
We made our way through the canopy of moss covered trees and passed small boutique shops, golf courses, restaurants, the spa, and could hear the sound of crashing waves in the distance. Placing our bikes in the designated bike racks, we proceeded to the miles of white sand beach. There is nothing quite like the first smell of salty air, sand between your toes, humidity smacking you in the face, and saying goodbye to good hair days. Bliss, I tell you.
Each morning consisted of being woken by the kids splashing in the pool. We would make ourselves a hearty breakfast of cereal and get ourselves ready for the beach. Meaning, slapping on a bathing suit and grabbing our boogie boards. We had to laugh watching my sister get ready. They packed the golf cart full with beach chairs, boogie boards, towels, bags filled with who knows what that they lugged from pool to beach and beach to pool. The kids never stayed in one place for too long. #parenthood
On one particular night, the Omni Resort had a small bonfire on the beach where the kids and adults could make smores.
The adults enjoyed some adult beverages while watching the sky change colors as the sun began to set.
With the sugar beginning to kick in...
The beach races began.
My mom is hard core and did not want to put her wine down. Which, may have caused the major upset that I placed on her.
The games came to an abrupt halt when I was wrongfully accused of pushing a small child (my nephew) causing sand burn to win a race. I would like to clear my name and say this is not what happened and I am in no way guilty of this accusation.
The next morning we had an early wake up call to go kayaking on the marsh. By this time, Jer had already flew back home due to work obligations. We had to leave another male behind on this adventure because he was scared of alligators lurking in the waters.
We pushed off and began to paddle. Left, right, left, right. The sun was beating down on us while we passed salt grass, jumping fish, cranes, dried up oyster beds, and anchored fishermen. My arms started to tire and I was thankful that I persuaded my sister to go tandem so I could have a much needed rest. Taking in the calmness of the area. We followed the map that was provided to the sandbars for a snack and to catch up with those that were falling behind. Then we were off again making our way back. Thank you to my aunt and uncle for a great day on the water.
Amelia Island is known for their shrimp and we fully indulged in this local staple. Downtown Fernandina has a plethora of food options. Timotis Seafood Shak being a crowd favorite. It's casual vibe and fresh seafood options make it a great lunch spot. My sister gave it extra brownie points because of the play area for the kids.
Make your way to Fantastic Fudge for some delicious ice cream. I highly recommend the salted caramel pecan in a waffle cone. It had me coming back for more. I also could not help myself and indulged in their fudge as well. Be prepared to wait.
For dinner, 29 South Eats was the best restaurant we stumbled upon. I sneaked bites of everyone's dishes and everything was so good. I would recommend the smokehouse mussels, fried chicken (I would usually never order chicken at a restaurant), short ribs, fish special, ok pretty much just order whatever you want because it was all good.
If you are into the bar scene. The Palace Saloon is the oldest continuously-operated drinking establishment in the state of Florida. Recommend coming for the history.
The Green Turtle has a nice laid back atmosphere. Play ping pong while listening to local bands.
Thank you mom, John, Lisa, and Bob for having us. We enjoyed every minute of it.
Like to see more--Press Play:
