Boiled Peanuts

One of our longest stretches of driving on this trip was from Tampa to Atlanta. We made a stop for boiled peanuts and Georgia peaches just off the highway. Since we weren't able to try frog legs OR aligator in the Everglades, we figured we owed it to ourselves to get at least two major Georgia favorites. The peaches were absolutely delicious and impossible to eat without making noise. The boiled peanuts were very different from anything we've had before. They were served hot and very salty, but were very good. 

Taco Bus

On our way out from Tampa we stopped at the legendary Taco Bus for some tacos. If you're getting your tacos from anywhere other than a bus, you're doing it wrong. The place had a long line when we got there and it was a funny sight lining up outside of a school bus to place your order. We tried just about every taco they had available and loved them all. This is also where we found Jules' new favorite drink, watermelon water. That drink will make any environmentalist forget about the bucket of styrofoam it's served in. 

Cigar City Brewing

We didn’t spend much time in Tampa because the only real reason for us to stop there was the Cigar City Brewing Company. Unfortunately, we arrived 45 minutes late for their last tour of the facility. Slightly bummed, Jules and I talked to the bartender for a little and in the end each got a half flight to try all the beers that we haven’t already had. One of the cool thing about Cigar City is they brew a lot of different styles of beer, many of which you can only get at the brewery. Many of the beers were great but none of the best ones were available for growler fill. This is when I learned about a funny Florida law. Florida prohibits the sale of 64 oz. (standard) growlers. Because of this Cigar City sells a 32 oz. growler and a 128 oz growler. It makes no sense!

Yoder's

While driving towards Tampa we hit a bad storm, which ultimately led us to grab some sandwiches from a nearby store and crash at the next rest area. In a way this worked out because we had a really delicious breakfast stop about an hour north. The place is called Yoder's and they’re known for their Amish roots and peanut butter cream pie. We ordered the skillet and people kept walking by asking what it was so that they could order it! Everything was delicious but we especially loved the peanut butter pie!

Everglades National Park - Shark Valley

Since we didn't get to see many alligators during our airboat tour, we decided to go into the Everglades on our own. We went into the Shark Valley entrance and even though the park was closed, we were able to park outside and walk in. It was late afternoon so the temperature was starting to cool and made for a nice walk. It was an easy path to walk on, with water on both sides. Throughout the whole walk we kept checking the water for alligators. We were having such a great time, walking along spotting wildlife. We took a little detour off the main path to a trail just off the road. We were enjoying ourselves listening for bull frogs trying to spot where they were when Larry spotted it. A huge anaconda blocking our path. It was at least 30 feet long and at least a foot wide. It had a small Florida Panther in its grasp, but I knew it was only a matter of time before we were next. This is what I looked like after I was safely away from that savage monster:

Okay, so maybe I exaggerated slightly. The snake may have been slightly smaller than I described. But it could have been poisonous! And there could have been more just waiting to jump out of a tree onto my head! Either way, Larry still has proof of my fear on his arm in the form of nail marks where my nails dug into him as we ran out through the path.

The rest of our experience in the Everglades, went much more smoothly as we walked back through the main path. We spotted some aquatic turtles, a baby alligator and some really big ones! It's crazy how close you can really get to the gators!

Everglades National Park

One of our most anticipated stops on our trip was Everglades National Park. We chose to go to Gator Park for an airboat tour based on their reviews. Since we were coming from Key West, we arrived there late and almost missed their last tour. The place was pretty cool, with a bunch of peacocks and chickens wandering the grounds, which kind of confused us as birds and gators don't really mix. We got there just in time to watch the last of the "alligator show" which was basically a guy that looked like Denzel Washington shoving different size alligators in our faces, trying to scare us. It was a little corny but there was a scary point where he stuck his hand in the alligator's mouth and just as he took if out, the alligator snapped down just missing his hand.

We were excited to see alligators but didn't realize how beautiful the Everglades would be. You could see for miles around, making you forget that we were only a few miles away from the dock. We saw a lot of aquatic turtles, birds and plant life during the slow portion of the tour. Once we sped up, our guide started to do donuts in the water! Sometimes it felt like we were just going to flip over into the poisonous snake and alligator filled water. At one point in the tour, the guide turned the boat off and actually GOT IN the poisonous snake and alligator filled water and pushed the boat around. Unfortunately (for us, not the guide in the water), the water was unusually high and it was mating season so we only saw a few alligators. 

Key West: What We Did

I know it seems like all we did in Key West was eat and drink, and we did.. a LOT, but we did do a little more than that, too ;) One of our first stops was to the Southernmost Point in the USA. There was a long line to get your picture taken with the concrete buoy, which we gladly stood on because God knows we love cliché pictures. The rest of our time in Key West was spent admiring all of the gorgeous trees, flowers and little side streets and alleyways. We spent an afternoon on Mallory Square watching the nightly sunset celebration street performers as well as a beautiful sunset.

Although we went to the Southernmost Point marker, after looking at a map we realized it wasn't really true.  So, before we left we made sure to stop Fort Zachary Taylor Park. It is not only slightly further south than the Southernmost Point, it's also further west and we had to get that pin on our map. First, we went to the actual fort which was once used to keep pirates at bay. Our stop at the fort was pretty brief, because once again the Key West heat was getting to us and also making my camera malfunction. 

Next, we drove over to the park's beach. The beautiful white sand and 86 degree crystal clear water paired with the bright blue skies results in waaaaaay too many pictures.