As I look back on our 2021 recap, I’m amazed at how much we managed to see and do in the midst of a global pandemic! In all honesty, I thought the year was going to be a wash as far as travel goes. Boy, was I wrong! The kids are now 3, 3, and 7, and we have been having so much fun exploring with them! We are spent a lot of time time at parks, forts, and other outdoor attractions.
This year, we started making more YouTube videos because our kids are infatuated with watching themselves run around forts and parks. It’s been so fun watching those videos over and over again and reliving our adventures.
Here's Our 2021 Recap....
January
We kicked off the New Year by hitting the beach on January 1st. Florida living definitely has its perks! The boys ended up getting sick mid-January so we didn’t get to do much. Smiley and I had to reschedule our kayaking trip to Blue Spring State Park.
Towards the end of the month they started to feel a bit better, so we took a daytrip down to historic St. Augustine. We visited our favorite donut shop, The Donut Experiment, where they custom make your orders right in front of you. Afterwards, we spent some time at the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum. The kids had a blast playing with the interactive exhibits. There were several touch screen maps and computers, replicats of cannons and even a scavenger hunt for us to participate in! The museum is more geared towards older kids, but we still had a lot of fun during our visit.
We were hoping to visit Castillo de San Marcos while we were there but it was a bit too crowded for our liking so we skipped it and strolled down historic St. George Street, instead. We visited the Old City Gates and the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in the USA. The kids also got to see where I went to college (Flagler College).
February
With the kids finally healthy, we were able to get out and start exploring again. We spent some time at the Jacksonville Zoo for the first time in months. We did a bit of hiking at one of our favorite local green spaces, the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. It was so nice to get out of the house! The kids loved interacting with the animals and riding the train around the complex.
Afterwards, we went to Fort Caroline, which is a place I have been visiting since I was Smiley’s age. Fort Caroline is a replica of a Huguenot settlement that was established in Jacksonville in 1564. The kids had so much fun running around the fort and playing with the cannons.
February is Black History Month so we wanted to make sure we took the time to have conversations about slavery, segregation, and equality. Smiley and I took a trip to Kingsley Plantation which is the oldest standing plantation in the state of Florida. Not only is the main house still standing, but there are also the remnants of 25 slave quarters that remain.
We had a family picnic at the historic American Beach. During the time of segregation, people of color were not allowed to swim at most beaches in Jacksonville. As a result, several black-only areas were created. American Beach was the largest and most popular of these designated beaches. It was established by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida’s first black millionaire.
We scoped out the latest downtown mural on Jacksonville’s Northbank. An entire bridge, leading up to the Locks of Love (a bridge with locks attached to the fence), has been covered in a vibrantly colored geometric pattern. On one side of the bridge is Corkscrew Park, an outdoor workout area. We tried out the weights, medicine balls, and other workout equipment. The kids had so much fun!
We rounded out the month with a trip to our local hangout, Huguenot Beach. The water was much too cold (and it was jellyfish season), but the kids got in ankle deep to reload their water guns and full up their sand buckets.
March
On March 1st we found out Smiley had to quarantine after being exposed to COVID. She tested negative but we kept her out of school as a precaution. Lucky for us, our favorite beach is dead during the week (when school is in session). On the first day of quarantine, had a whole mile-long stretch of beach to ourselves. We took the paddleboard out for a spin and combed the beach for sharks teeth.
March is peak season for azaleas (a gorgeous flowering southern plant) so we made the trek to hike the Azalea Trail at Ravine Gardens State Park. The park was covered with azaleas that were in full-bloom! It was absolutely beautiful! The park has two suspension bridges, a spring that runs through it, and several miles of trails.
Spring Break 2021
The next week kicked of Smiley’s Spring Break. Since I teach, it meant that we both had a whole week off. I had a special activity/day trip planned for each day of the week to keep us busy! On Monday, we headed to Cumberland Island National Seashore with a friend of the family. We hiked more than 7 miles on this historic island! During our visit we saw several horses, explored the Dungeness Ruins, walked the beach, and even visited the gravesite of one of our ancestors, “Lighthorse” Harry Lee, the father of Robert E. Lee. Smiley hung in there and was a total trooper for the whole hike. I was so impressed!
The next day, we took a day trip to a small town in central Florida where we picked the most gorgeous, plump strawberries. It was a much more relaxing day and was a great way to break up our week.
On Wednesday, we headed back down to central Florida to check out some springs. We started off at De Leon Springs home of the famous Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant. The Old Sugar Mill Restaurant is known for their unique approach to breakfast. Their menu features all you can eat pancakes that you prepare yourself. After a delicious breakfast, we explore the beautiful park. Next, we hit up Alexander Springs. It was absolutely gorgeous! In fact, we loved it so much that we went home and booked an Airbnb nearby for a long weekend in April.
We ended our Spring Break by attending a candy making class at Sweet Pete’s, a local candy store. Pete himself showed us how to make lollipops! It was a pretty sweet way to close out our Spring Break.
Soon, it was back to school and work for us, but that doesn’t mean it was the end of our adventures! Later in the month, we squeezed in a few more trips to the beach. It turns out that Spring Break came at the perfect time! The following week a nor’easter blew into town and cooled things down tremendously. While it was cold and rainy here in Jacksonville, it was a little warmer and dry up in Georgia’s Golden Isles. We took a day trip to Saint Simons Island.
While in SSI, we took a trip to Fort Frederica National Monument. The site is the remnants of an old British fort and town that was built by Oglethorpe to protect the colony from Spanish Florida. As you can see in the video below, the kids spent all morning literally running all around the town. Afterwards, we went across the street to the Wesley Memorial Gardens for a picnic. I was hoping to stop by Christ’s Church (but there was a wedding) and the Hamilton Slave Cabins (they were closed) but we didn’t get a chance to. Next time!
One of the coolest and quirkiest things on Saint Simons Island is the Tree Spirits. Tree Spirits are faces carved into trees. There are seven scattered throughout public spaces on the island. We headed to Mallery Park to search for two of the Tree Spirits and to hit up their playground before heading back to JAX.
MOSH (the Museum of Science and History) just so happens to be the perfect place to spend a rainy day. While the bad weather continued, we headed to the museum to check out the temporary exhibit Toytopia. Smiley had been to the museum before, but it was the boys (and Ashley’s!) first time so she was excited to be able to show them around. They all seemed to enjoy the hands-on exhibits.
We rounded out the month with more visits to Sheffield Park and Huguenot Beach. The kids were eager to hop on the paddleboard and spend some time on the water.
April
In April we became ambassadors for Visit Jacksonville, our local tourist board. We were so excited to be given the opportunity to show all of the incredible things that our city has to offer!
April is Adoption Month in our home! On 4.7.2020 we officially became a family of 5. To celebrate our one year anniversary of officially being a family, we took a road trip down to central Florida to visit Alexander Springs and De Leon Springs (the same springs Smiley and I scoped out the month before). In fact, Smiley chose where she wanted to go. We rented an eclectic Airbnb and spent Easter Weekend at the springs.
@5suitcases Visiting Alexander Springs and De Leon Springs. #florida #floridasprings #vacation #familyvacation #springs #deleonsprings #deleonspringfl
We began our trip with a visit to an amazing construction themed playground called the North Lake Community Park. The boys were in heaven! The next morning, we first visited De Leon Springs where we had a pancake breakfast, explored the Visitor Center, and did a bit of hiking. We dipped our toes in the water, but the outside temperature was still in the 50s so it was a bit too cold for a swim. Next up, we went to nearby Alexander Springs. We inflated the paddle board and spent some time paddle around the spring. We spotted countless turtles and a couple of alligators. While the boys were all about riding the nose of the board, Smiley wanted to hop in the water. The springs have a constant temperature of 72 degrees and with the outdoor temp being 66 degrees, it was warmer in the water than it was on land. We had a great afternoon swimming at the spring. Let me tell you, visiting the springs in the spring is the way to go!
Just a few miles from our house is an animal rescue called Celestial Farms. The farm is home to sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, horses, cows, ducks, chickens, and other animals that have been rescued and cared for. The kids each brought along a bag of fruits, vegetables, and crackers to feed the animals. What a great way to spend the morning!
We recently learned about a park called Pirate’s Playground in Fernandina Beach so we took a trip to scope it out. The park was awesome! There were a ton of interactive elements. The boys were huge fans of the sandbox (complete with treasure!) and Smiley was obsessed with the musical instruments. The sensory park was perfect for our little ones. We will be back!
Next door to the playground was Egan’s Creek Greenway. The Greenway features 5.6 miles of trails that wind through some of northeast Florida’s finest marshland. There was tons of wildlife and (as always!) the kids loved being able to run around freely. Both of these locations were a great find!
May
May is the beginning of our warmer days- aka 85 degrees+. The first weekend of May we headed westward to Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park– one of Florida’s newest State Parks. We got to the park by 9:30 and it was pretty dead. By the time we left at 12:30, it was closed because they were at capacity.
We spent the morning swimming, snorkeling, and paddleboarding. We even rented a canoe ($27/2 hours). The kids seemed to really enjoy the canoe ride…and WE DIDN’T TIP! We saw a ton of turtles basking in the sun and several fish- but no gators.
The springs were stunning. I have a feeling we’ll be back!
We spent all of the other May weekend at the beach hanging out with my brothers and their kids. The kids introduced my nieces (7, 4, 3) to paddleboarding and they absolutely loved it! We’re definitely a family of water babies!
June
Each June we head up to the mountains to visit family. In the past, we’ve just rented an AirBNB but this time, we decided to try something new; we rented a cabin at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Golden Valley, NC. The campground resort is within 30 minutes of the 4 different houses we visit when we are in the area making it the absolute perfect place to stay.
Let me just say, this place exceeded all of our expectations. There were so many amenities at the park! There was a water park, pool, a lake with water rentals, pillow pads, a dog park for LB and Parker, an awesome playground, and lots of planned activities. We had so much fun that we’ve already booked a cabin for next summer!
July
[Museum of Contemporary Art] [St. Augustine Alligator Farm] [Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens] [Georgia Sea Turtle Center] [Summer Waves Water Park] [Sweet Pete’s]
@5suitcases Today we hit up the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. The kids were super impressed with their croc and gator habitats. @staugalligatorfarmzoo
♬ Crocodile Rock - Remastered - Elton John
The beginning of July was a very wet month for us. With Hurricane Elsa and daily storms, we spent a lot of time indoors. We hung out at our local library, Sweet Pete’s Candy Shop (the largest candy store in the southeast), took painting classes, and went to the Museum of Contemporary Art.
One weekend, we headed down south to St. Augustine to visit the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. It was hot…extremely hot but the zoological park was still enjoyable. They have a large collection of alligators, crocodiles, snakes, birds, and other animals.
Later in the month, we headed to the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens for their IllumiZoo event. [See our TikTok video] The kids had so much fun with all of the interactive exhibits. Smiley especially enjoyed the new ultra-modern art section that combines art and technology. The boys loved dancing in the multi-colored lights. It was a great night!
We closed out the month of July with not one but two roadtrips to Jekyll Island, Georgia. On our first roadtrip, Smiley and I paid a visit the the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. This facility serves as an education center and a hospital for sick or injured sea turtles. While we were there, we got to watch a veterinarian perform an operation of an injured sea turtle. We also spent some time visiting some of the sick creatures in the hospital. It was a very enlightening day.
A couple of days later, we hopped back in the car to head back to the island. This time, our destination was Summer Waves, a water park that I’ve been visiting since I was a child. Last month, we visited a waterpark in North Carolina and the boys were very apprehensive about the splash area. Miraculously, they weren’t at all scared of the splash area at Summer Waves! It’s amazing how much more brave they were this month! All three kids had an absolute blast playing in the fountains and sliding down the slides. My favorite part will always be the lazy river.
@5suitcases ☀️☀️Summer isn’t over until we say it is! ☀️ ☀️ We squeezed in one more road trip before school starts. ##SummerWaves ##JekyllIsland ##Waterpark ##Family
♬ Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
August
We closed out the summer with a BANG! August is one of our hottest months with the feel-like temperatures ranging from 105-115. We spent most of the month doing indoor activities at the house. We did manage to have a few outdoor adventures, though.
We kicked off August with a trip to our favorite swimming hole. LB (our black lab) was in HEAVEN. She loves it there!
Although Smiley and I headed back to school (she started the 2nd Grade!!), we didn’t let it slow us down. We continued our tradition of visiting the local library after Smiley’s swimming lessons each Saturday.
We booked a bioluminescent kayaking trip in Merritt Island for my birthday. The kids weren’t old enough to join the tour so they spent the night with their grandparents. The kayaking was awesome! We booked our trip for the darkest part of the month so the bioluminescence would be more visible. We also rented clear kayaks so we could see the glowing water bounce off the vessel. Our favorite part of the trip was coming across a massive school of whiting fish. Thousands of fish swam under our kayaks and leapt through the air. Several people had fish jump into their kayaks. It was so cool! We also got to see a bobcat fishing, which was really neat.
Later in the month, we went boating with our good friends. Scoop and Smiley had so much fun jumping off the boat and swimming. Stinky isn’t a huge fan of swimming in open water, but he loved the boating aspect of it.
September
September was a wet month here in Florida. Unfortunately, in our family with the rain comes sickness. One of the twins has really bad asthma and the rain causes it to flair up for several days. Because of this, we spent a lot of time playing indoors.
We did manage to take the kids grandparents to Celestial Farms, one of our favorite hangouts. We introduced them to our favorite goats, horses, rabbits, and BK the cow. One of the best things about the farm is that the piglets, chickens, goats, and some of the rabbits are free to roam around. The kids enjoyed being able to pick up and cuddle the animals.
October
@5suitcases this morning we explored the Santa Maria, and learned about the true history of Columbus Day. ##themoreyouknow ##fyp ##travel ##history ##family
♬ Stranger - Official Sound Studio
October was another slow month for us. With upcoming trips booked for November, December, and January, we stuck close to home.
A replica of Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria pulled into port just in time for Columbus Day. We made the trek from JAX to Fernandina to take a tour of the vessel. The ship, itself, was tiny. It is extremely hard to imagine over 500 people and several animals living on board the ship. It’s no wonder so many sailors got sick and died on the voyages across the Atlantic to the New World.
The Santa Maria is a traveling exhibition that pulls into various ports along the eastern seaboard. The self-guided tour cost was $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. There is also a family package available for $35.
While I’m not sure if I would say the cost was worth it, it was still a pretty cool way of teaching the kids about some of the first Europeans that came to America.
After touring the ship, we did some shopping in the historic district and enjoyed lunch at The Salty Pelican.
With the weather cooling down (high 70s, low 80s) we’ve been spending more time outdoors. We spent some time at Castaway Island Preserve, which has a remarkable trail featuring stunning views of the marshland.
This month was another first for our family! We visited the fair for the very first time! We spent an evening at the Callahan Fair riding tons of rides, eating fair food, and the kids even participated in a show! The kids were obsessed with the whole fair vibe. Smiley is a huge thrill seeker and wanted to go on all of the wild, fast, and spinny rides. Scoop and Stinky tend to be a bit more apprehensive, so it was great to see them stepping out of their comfort zones and trying new things. Hopefully this means that they’ll be just as willing to try out the rides at LegoLand next month!
We ended the month with the kids first ferry ride. After one of the boys soccer games, we took the ferry to cross the river rather than taking the highway. It was quite a hit!
November
In November the boys celebrated their 4th birthday. We gave the boys the choice of having a big party or going on “an adventure”. They selected an adventure so we tossed a few different ideas at them. They decided they wanted to go to Legoland- although Jellystone in Golden Valley, NC was a close second!
Our trip to Legoland was awesome! We booked a room at the Legoland Hotel. There are several different room options, but we went with the Kingdom Room which had a medieval theme. The room was super cute and the hotel was a ton of fun. Staying at the Legoland Hotel was definitely the icing on the cake.
All three kids were obsessed with Legoland. Stinky must have said, “This is the best day EVER!” at least 30 times. The kids were all super brave on the rides. The park wasn’t crowded at all so we got to ride several different rides while we were there. We also saw this super cool water stunt show. As we were walking out of the park, we were gifted with 5 more tickets for a return visit. We cannot wait to go back! Smiley has already decided that she wants to spend her birthday at Legoland, as well.
You won’t believe what we did next! We found out that there was an alpaca farm not too far from our house. They hosted a Small Business Saturday right after Thanksgiving, so we obviously had to check it out. The farm was super small, and not what we expected at all, but it was a really cool experience. The farm does private tours, so we’ll have to look into booking one of those after the New Year!
December
Oh. My. God. I cannot believe it is the end of the year! At the beginning of the month, we were invited by Visit Jax to check out the city’s latest holiday event: Dazzling Nights at the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens. This is one of our favorite local attractions, so we were really excited to check out their inaugural event. The arboretum was all decked out with holiday décor, Christmas lights, laser lights, and even a super fun interactive light-up path. We strolled 3/4 a mile of illuminated trails, signing and dancing to the music as we meandered through the woods. It was a lot of fun! It will be interesting to see what this event evolves into in the future!
Later in the week, we went to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to visit the animals. With the weather being a bit cooler, the animals were a bit more active. The rhinos and elephants, in particular, were super friendly! We even got a chance to see Santa!
Sadly, shortly after that our world got SHOOK. While we were sleeping, someone broke into our home, stole our electronics, snagged our keys, and stole 3 of our vehicles. Afterwards, we tried as best we could to keep things as normal as possible, for the kids sake.
We went to see our local hockey team, visited the El Faro Memorial, and visited nearby Civil War Era earthworks known as Yellow Bluff Fort.
As part of the kids Christmas present, we gave them a trip to see snow for the very first time. The Margaritaville at Lanier Islands puts on a winter event called Snow Island that has ice skating, snow tubing, a snow ball pit, a light show, and carnival rides. On the 27th, we hit the highway to head to Snow Island. On the way, we stopped by the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. The park represents 17,000 years worth of human habitation.
It features the oldest Earth Lodge in the USA. We even got to go inside the mound to see where important ceremonies were held. Stopping at the mounds was a great way to break up our trip to Lake Lanier.
While at Lanier Island, we stayed at the Legacy Lodge which offered a free shuttle to the Snow Island attraction. We purchased the all-access pass so we could enjoy all of the attractions throughout the day! Before leaving, we asked the kids what they were most excited about. Smiley wanted to go snow tubing (check!), Stinky wanted to throw snowballs (check!), and Scoop wanted to go ice skating (check!). The park also had a lot of carnival rides- I swear we rode each one at least twice. We ended the day by checking out the walk-through light show.
The kids had so much fun at Snow Island. We’re talking about going back during the summer to see how Margaritaville measures up in the summer. We’ve been to Margaritaville’s throughout the Caribbean (we also have one in Jacksonville that we’ve never been to!), so it’ll be fun to compare it with the others.
Sites Visited in 2021
Florida
- Legoland Florida
- St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum
- Historic St. George Street (St. Augustine)
- St. Augustine Alligator Farm
- Jacksonville Zoo
- Kingsley Plantation
- MOSH Jax
- MOCA Jax
- Fort Caroline
- Celestial Farms
- Sweet Pete’s Candy Store
- Pirates Playground (Fernandina Beach)
- Egan’s Creek Greenway
- Shady Rest Alpaca Farm
Florida
- Ravine Gardens State Park
- De Leon Springs
- Alexander Springs
- Gilchrist Blue Springs
- Callahan Fair
- NAO’s Santa Maria
- El Faro Memorial
- Yellow Bluff Fort
- Local Parks:
- Corkscrew Park
- Sheffield Park
- Ed Austin Park
- American Beach
- Castaway Island Preserve
- Huguenot Beach
- Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens
Georgia
- Cumberland Island
- Fort Frederica
- Wesley Memorial Gardens
- Mallery Park
- Georgia Sea Turtle Center
- Summer Waves Water Park
- Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
- Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
The 2021 Recap for The Blog
Top 5 Posts
Nerdy Numbers
New Posts: 69
Traffic Increase: 140+%
Estimated Miles Driven: 4500 (for family adventures only)
Annual Focus
New Pages
And now on to 2022...
We hope you’ve enjoyed our 2021 recap as much as we have enjoyed writing it! It’s been a fun way to look back and reflect on all of the fun we had, despite the state of the world.
So…now it’s on to 2022. What will the future hold? What are our goals, resolutions, dreams, and plans for 5 Suitcases? Check out our goals post to see what we have in store for 2022.
