Returning from Florida- a stopover in Savannah

February 18-19

On our way back from Florida we stopped at Camp Lake Jasper campground in Hardeeville, S.C., about 30 minutes outside of Savannah. We actually tried to get a camping spot at Tybee Island but they were booked. But now we are glad we found Camp Lake Jasper and would visit again. They had big spots, a nice office/camp store, very clean restrooms and laundry, and a lake. The campground was pretty booked but it was nice and quiet.

We went into Savannah on Sunday. Of course we ate at Lady and Sons again  - our favorite place.

We walked the streets of downtown Savannah for a couple of hours. It was a lovely day and also pretty crowded. But this was the weekend before Presidents Day so we assumed many people had a three day weekend.

We drove into Tybee Island afterward to take a look around. It was PACKED! Lots of weekenders and teenagers. Again - we assumed it was because of the three day weekend and upcoming holiday. But - we didn't take pictures (bummer).

Florida trip - Topsail Hill - final days

A few final notes about the state park campgrounds we stayed at on this trip:

We would highly recommend any of these campgrounds. Our personal favorite was Grayton Beach for it's smaller size, proximity to the beach, and ease of getting around to Seaside and Grayton Beach. But we still hope to stay at each of them again! We also saw people from each of the states with the exception of North and South Dakota, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii. There were several people from Canada at each of the campgrounds. We saw campers of all shapes and sizes- motorhomes, fifth wheels, regular pull along campers, camper vans, tent campers. We saw several airstreams. We even saw one tiny house at Grayton Beach and really saw how cumbersome it was to set up. We met a few full timers and some of these were actually staying in smaller campers.  Most of the people were retirees but we saw a few families with smaller children. We realized how popular Florida was in the winter! And even though the weather was mild at each of the campgrounds and not really swimming weather, that may be what many prefer (we do!)

A few days before our Florida trip was over we visited the Crab Trap in Destin again - this time for dinner. We saw the sunset from our table and it was lovely.

The day before we left we went back to Seaside to eat at Pickles- which claims to be famous for their fried pickles. We didn't try them but we did have an awesome burger and fries. I also had their milkshake, for which I paid a hefty price of $7.99. Still, it was delicious.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Feb 8 to Feb 18, 2017

After Grayton Beach, we moved on down the road just a bit and camped at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park for 10 days. Topsail is close to Miramar Beach and Destin but still located on highway 30A.

The campground is called Gregory E. Moore RV Resort, which is rated at the top 1% of the nation. When you stay here you can see why. The amenities are great. There is a camp store that is open daily all year round. There is a separate building for laundry with ample washers and dryers and it is open 24 hours a day. The campground has horseshoes, shuffleboard, a pool for warm weather, two lakes for canoeing and fishing, several nature trails, a tram to take guests back and forth to the beach, cable t.v., and Wi-Fi hot spots. There are 140 RV sites, 20 tent sites, and several cabins. The campsites are very roomy and many have concrete pads.

We loved the paths and trails at this campground and spent quite a bit of time biking around.  We had some quality beach time here as well as as several days reached mid to high 70s.

Pictures of our campsite:

Pictures of the beach and dunes:

Pictures of us on camping time:

Pictures of the cabins:

Recreation hall, lakes, camp store at campground.

 

Wildlife we encountered:

 

 

 

this squirrel kept hanging around our campsite and wanted to be fed

 

 

 



Pensacola Day Trip Feb 10

Pensacola Day trip from Topsail Hill Preserve Sate Park

Friday  February 10 we took a day trip to Pensacola. Ben hadn’t been there since  his daughter Shaunte was little and mostly remembers the naval base. I don’t remember ever visiting. Pensacola is 58 miles from Topsail but with traffic takes about 1 ½ hours to get there. It was a very nice drive onUS 98 the entire way. We drove through Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Navarre Beach. We got to see more communities along the water and more of Eglin Air force base.  We decided since time was limited we would visit only historic Pensacola and take in a tour.  

Pensacola is truly the first settlement in the U.S. as the Spanish had a short-lived settlement here in 1559. It is the city of five flags as it has been ruled by Spain, Great Britain, France, confederate US and USA.

We had an excellent young guide who gave us a thorough history of Pensacola. We toured the pioneer kitchen and Weaver’s cottage 

Pioneer Kitchen with live demonstrations inside

early kitchen - Weaver's cottage

 Old Christ Church

Lavalle House

Dorr House

 

woven human hair - framed

 

and the Lear/Rocheblave House

Early recliner

This gave us a good overview of homes and lifestyle of the different periods between 1600 – early 1900s.

Afterward we toured the Museum of Industry

and TT Wentworth Museum. TT Wentworth had a large portion of the second floor dedicated to Trader Jon, a former bar/restaurant that was visited by many famous people over the years and also many of the Blue Angels. The Naval Air Station at Pensacola is home to the Blue Angels.

Afterward we went a few blocks over to the wharf and took in a great view.