In March of 2021, we booked a spontaneous flight to go visit family! We spent a week down in the Gulf soaking up some much needed sun and swimming in the water. This was a much needed relief from the current events and our dreary Michigan winter (at the time we were living in Metro-Detroit and not receiving any sun nor snow). For the first half of the trip, we stayed in Port Charlotte which you can read about: here.

For the second half, we headed north to the area of Weeki Wachee to stay with my other grandparents! They took us to relive some of the many places they would always take me, but now so they could take our daughter, Evelyn. My husband did have to work through the whole trip, so a lot of things had to be planned around that. Nonetheless, we had an amazing time!

Day 1

Our first full day, we headed out to the Alfred A McKethan Pine Island Park. We had hoped to play a little longer on the playground and enjoy the sandy beaches, but the wind was quite chilly (and the food stand made our bellies grumble). Plus, we had a limited time before we had to get back so my husband could clock back in. I love to spend my time lounging in my grandparent’s sunroom - which is a main reason as to why I wanted one at the new house! I love being able to look out over nature, read in a room dedicated to nature, and the warm lighting that is constantly coming through my Grandmother’s condo is always stunning.

Day 2

We headed out on a few trips for our second day! It was a Saturday, so we had plenty of time to adventure without the restrictions of work. We started our day at the Homosassa Springs State Park. This is a personal favorite of mine and we visit every time we are down! I love seeing if there is any new wildlife or checking to see if the manatee are at the park for the day. We were hoping to take Evelyn across the water rides, but those weren’t running at that time. Afterwards, we headed to Cajun Jimmy’s Seafood Seller for outstanding po’boys, hushpuppies, and other exotic marine life. Then we headed back out for the sunset! I had a goal of seeing many sunsets this trip (they are my favorite). We swung into the Dawn Observation Tower for a quick climb and walk around the beautiful park before heading to the Bayport Pier to watch the sunset. Afterwards, my grandpa loves to spoil the grandkids (and now great-grandkids) with stovetop popcorn and a movie.

Day 3

We spent Sunday morning relaxing at the Condo, then headed to Whiskey Joe’s for some lunch. This is a spot I had previously gone during a trip visiting with my cousin, and I had to show my husband! It was quite chilly, and I insisted on eating outside, so we headed to a trail to warm up. This was a trail that had amazing reviews, but the drive there was making us a little nervous. It ended up being a very beautiful nature preserve with a new playground! This was the Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve, and although much of the trails were closed for construction, the trail we were able to hike was stunning.

Day 4

This was our last full day and we decided to have a little fun! We left our daughter with my grandparents and headed out on the Weeki Wachee Springs kayaking. There were two manatees on our adventure too! The first one was being crowded, so we kept our distance, but I did try to get some pictures with my daughter’s waterproof film camera (we still haven’t got it developed - oops!). That was a super fun lunch break and if you have the chance to film on any Florida spring, I suggest you do it! It was so breathtaking, and the water was much cleaner than Michigan rivers. Later that evening, we went for a walk around the complex as well, but spent much of Monday getting some final work in before our Tuesday flight home.

Our Trip to Weeki Wachee To Visit Family + What We Did

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4