Florida in December

Last year before Christmas we headed north to North Carolina to see the Outer Banks. This year we sort of teamed up with another family and headed south to Florida. Orlando is only about eight hours by car and has lots to do. No, we didn't go see the big mouse, not this time, but we did go to Seaworld and the newest theme park in Florida, Legoland.

We left early and managed to pack light for a change. I could even see out the back window for once! The trip down was uneventful until we got to I-95. Literally the first 10 cars we passed on the highway headed south were from Ontario or Quebec. I had heard of this mass migration of snowbirds to Florida in the winter but it was amazing to see. There were hundreds of cars from Canada and the northeastern states all headed for the sunny south. At the condo where we stayed we even saw Alaska and Newfoundland and Labrador!

We drove near Savannah, GA, through Jacksonville, FL, not far from Daytona Beach, and finally arrived on the other side of Orlando at about 4:00 or so. There was one close call as we passed an exit and spotted smoke, a pill-up, and some emergency vehicles ahead of us. I took the exit and Jane found a toll road that likely saved us some time standing still.

Day one was at Seaworld. This was our second time at a Seaworld park having visited the one in San Diego last year while in California. I think this one was bigger but they were both very nice. Given the weather and all the sun it was hard to imagine Christmas was around the corner, but the park simply would not let us forget it. There was fake snow, Christmas trees, elves, toy soldiers, the big red elf himself, and lots of Christmas themed shows and rides.

We saw the orca show, the dolphin and whale show, the sea lions and walruses, a Cirque du Soleil-esque production, and a Christmas pageant complete with real sheep, llamas, donkeys, and even camels. The rides were also pretty cool. On the second day we were there I did the Kraken and the Manta several times. Those were some serious G-forces. If you want to see what the Kraken was like click here. To see the Manta click here.

There were lots of rides for the little ones too. Isabelle took in some of those as well as the Polar Express virtual roller-coaster. Both days we stayed late, well after 9:00 and enjoyed the Lake of Trees and some outdoor figure skating on some questionable ice.

All in all a very good time was had by all. I must say it was nice to go with another family. Isabelle had someone to play with, which took some of the pressure of Papa and Mummy, and we didn't have to go on all the teacup spinny rides. It also meant we could watch some of the other little kids who were there while the other parents did stuff with the older kids. The Otto family have a daughter in Isabelle's class and two more little ones, one is four and the other is less than a year (he's also ridiculously happy, always smiling and goofing around). I think it worked out for everyone.

Here are some pictures of some of the things we did.

Legoland was a little different. We had two days there but really only needed the one. The park only opened at 10:00 and closed by 6:00 in the evening, maybe in part due to the family nature of it, maybe to make you go two days, I'm not sure. It was clearly targeted at the 4 to 14 crowd, and was not nearly as easy for me since the rides were difficult to get into. There was lots to do but my favorite things were Miniland USA and the Lego City. The village had boats, planes (sort of), and a driving school (Isabelle's favorite) for both kids and little kids. The Safari was also cool with the life sized Lego elephants, giraffes, and lions.

Legoland may be new but the park itself is actually an old theme park called Cypress Gardens. As the pictures show we had lots of fun on the rides and seeing the sights.

The safari was pretty cool with all the animals, including an elephant that sprayed water from his truck.

Isabelle went to driving school and got her driver's license in Lego City. It was neat to see what she had learned from our driving habits. She seemed to really like the traffic circle and nailed it every time.

I got to play with a Duplo giraffe...

...and so did Isabelle.

I think if I had to choose my favorite part it would be Miniland USA, where everything is made from Lego. There were little villages, pirates, the space shuttle, the races at Daytona, and lots of landmarks from all over. Have a look below.

In the little people area Jane fell in love with a giraffe.

We also took in some of the rides and roller coasters, but there aren't many pictures of those.

 

There were Lego people and animals everywhere. My favorite Lego construction was this huge octopus.

Isabelle took Jane on a ride in an old klunker.

There was also a Christmas tree they made a big deal of lighting every night.

On the trip back to Greenville left early and drove near Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the Space Center but it will be on my list for another time. We did drive through the Canaveral National Seashore, very near where the space shuttle lands, and saw a natural part of Florida with lots of wildlife. There were many birds and a few alligators just sitting by sunning themselves. At one point I think we saw a huge wild boar cross the road in front of the Jeep.

Two of the five gators we saw on our drive through the swamps.

We also stopped at a beach at Fort Matanzas national Monument. The water was cold but still manageable. We didn't swim but it was nice to be at the ocean again.

Below is a turtle (maybe a box turtle?) we watched at Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Our last stop was St. Augustine. It promised to be a neat little city but was sort of a disappointment. The city was nice enough but it seemed a little over commercialized for the oldest city in the Americas. There was entirely too much tourist trap type shopping for my liking. We did walk around town a little and saw of the city but the family was getting a little tired and we soon headed home.