A Leisurely Start

April 13 – 22

Normally when we start our summer trip we hop on I-75 or cross over to I-95 and drive for what seems like forever. This year we asked ourselves why – why not slow down and enjoy some Florida stops as destinations? In fact, why not make the first stop nearby so that, after setting in one place for six months, we have a bit of a “shake-down cruise”.

First Stop – Venice, Florida

Located along the west coast of Florida about an hour north of Ft. Myers, Venice was named one of the “best places to live along the coast” in 2020 by Coastal Living magazine. The town has a charming main street with abundant shops and dining opportunities as well as a picturesque pier and jetty.

We had actually driven via car to Venice in January. At that time we walked out on the pier and jetty and then investigated the downtown area. It was then that we decided we had to come back here.

Base camp for this area was Camp Venice Retreat – an RV park set in an old growth live oak forest along the bank of the Myakka River. To reach the RV park Bill had to navigate a two lane dirt road between overhanging tree branches.

After arrival and set up, we drove into Venice for dinner at Cassariano Italian Eatery (a restaurant we had discovered on our earlier visit). There’s no better way to start a trip than with a great dinner!

The next day we walked the park’s nature trail and then decided to check out Snook Haven, an old Florida type restaurant within walking distance of the campground. Snook Haven would make a great destination for the motorcycle group from Cypress Woods as they have good food, a big outside seating area with live music and take-out service plus an inside dining room and rear deck with full-service.

Second Stop – Cedar Key

Neither of us had been to Cedar Key so we decided it would be fun to check it out.

Cedar Key is a quiet island community nestled among many tiny keys on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Long admired for its natural beauty and abundant supply of seafood, it is a tranquil village, rich with the almost forgotten history of old Florida.  It sits three miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. Highway 24 is only one road coming into town. It crosses over the salt marshes and channels on four small, low bridges. There are no high rises or huge apartment complexes. Cedar Key is a community of quaint cottages, single-family homes, working water front and aquaculture structures. 

cedarkey.org

Nearby campgrounds were full during our planning stage so, we stayed a bit further out in Chiefland, Florida at a new campground named Strawberry Fields for RV’ers. The owners are still in the process of building this park but the amenities and pull-thru sites are very well done.

On Friday, we drove into Cedar Key. We didn’t know exactly what we would find as this area has been ravaged by so many hurricanes. They are still in the process of bridge replacement but otherwise we didn’t see much damage. There were signs everywhere warning that the main streets needed to be clear by 3 p.m. that day in preparation for the two day art show starting on Saturday. As we walked around the downtown area, we considered ourselves lucky to be able to enjoy the area without the extra traffic and crowds. From downtown, we walked over the temporary bridge to the fishing pier and Dock Street where we eventually had lunch at Duncan’s on the Gulf.

Third Stop – Sugar Sand and Emerald Water

From Chiefland we continued up US-98 through Perry to US-19 and then eventually on to I-10 west. Our next destination was Freeport, Florida not far from Destin.

We had been to the area around Destin several times and wanted to return. You just can’t beat the beautiful white sugar sand and emerald green water. Our first choice (Topsail Preserve State Park) was already full, so were returned to Live Oak Landing where we set up in the rain. It rained that night and into the morning of the next day.

What does one do on a rainy day? How about laundry? Not fun but necessary, as the basket was already full. Unfortunately I found the “laundry” at the RV park a bit lacking so poor Bill had to drop everything and take me to a regular laundry mat.

Luckily the next day dawned bright and sunny so we decided to hit the beach. We found a public beach with plenty of space where we could park our big truck and spend some time walking on the beach. Afterward, we stopped at Pompano Joe’s adjacent to the parking lot for a libation and appetizer. It was a perfect day in paradise!

What do you do following a perfect beach day? How about a pool day at one of the resorts? It sounded like a good idea at the time, so we purchased resort passes for the Hilton Garden Inn in Ft. Walton Beach (almost an hour away). Unfortunately, some things just don’t live up to expectation. Our passes actually gave us access to the amenities at the Hilton and the Holiday Inn next door (with it’s own outdoor and indoor pool) but the tiki bar between the two properties was closed. We never saw any wait-staff around the pool we chose, the restaurant choices were minimal, and the hot tub was not working so we were a bit bummed. Oh well, perhaps we should have just enjoyed the beach.

For our final day here, we decided to just be lazy and stay around the campground until dinner at a favorite Greek restaurant – Aegean. Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Florida for a while.