East Coast Road Trip!

Living in New Jersey, and taking advantage of the overnight auto-train from Virginia to Florida meant that we could avoid driving both north and south on this epic east coast trip…something I had wanted to do for a long time. We boarded the train, just outside Washington DC, late afternoon and settled into our family cabin before meeting some friends (also taking the train!) in the lounge car for cheese and wine tasting. Meals are included when taking cabin accommodation…and it was pretty good. Wine was included with the three course meal and a movie was playing in the lounge car to keep the children amused until bed time.

We arrived into Sanford, Florida in the morning and drove straight to ‘Aquatica’ – a fantastic water park in Orlando! We spent the day at the Park enjoying all the rides before checking into our hotel (the Residence Inn) just a ten minute drive away. We had a kitchen so were able to self-cater and with complimentary breakfast at the hotel this offered a huge saving for those few days in Orlando.

It was Archie’s birthday and we were up and off early to Universal’s ‘Islands of Adventure’ and the ‘Wizarding World of Harry Potter’. What better way to spend your 11th birthday than in Hogsmead, eating fish and chips at the Three Broomsticks! The butter beer was pretty yummy too!

Day three and after a fairly dull five hour drive down the Florida turnpike we arrived in Key Largo in time for a delicious lunch al fresco at the Big Chill. The drive from Key Largo across the Keys to Lime Tree Bay resort was more interesting and we arrived late afternoon to enjoy a refreshing swim in the newly built decked pool overlooking the Gulf. We enjoyed an amazing sunset from the hammocks that evening!

The following day, we spent the morning snorkelling in the warm waters of a small local beach on the adjacent Key. In the afternoon we drove down to Key West and to the most southernmost point of the USA. Key West has quite a unique atmosphere and it felt more like the Caribbean than America. With many open cafes and bars, music spills out onto the pavements, horse and carriage rides, trolley buses and people getting around on bikes and mopeds – it was buzzing and had such a fun atmosphere!

After three nights in the laid back Keys, we began the long journey home stopping over in some fun and interesting places en route. We spent our first night on the Space coast and enjoyed a great day exploring the Kennedy Space Centre. We were lucky to see Endeavour on the launch pad ready for the last mission.

We then went on to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the America. The St. George Inn was full of character and situated right in the heart of the old town. After a fun and informative trolley bus tour of the town we continued our journey into Georgia and had a fish supper on Tybee Island before checking into our hotel on the outskirts of Savannah.

Savannah is a very compact and pretty city, steeped in historic sites and homes and it is very easy to walk and explore the city’s 22 squares, riverside and waterfront.

Late afternoon, we crossed another State border into South Carolina for a two night stay in Charleston. We stayed in the Springfield Suites Riverview, not central to the city itself however they did run a very convenient shuttle bus into the city each evening and breakfast was included. I had waited a long time to visit this wonderful city and I wasn’t disappointed. We spent the day wandering around the cobbled streets and the French quarter, window shopping on Broad St and admiring the many mansions and houses. It is a wonderful city with great shopping and a lovely atmosphere including the market a huge choice of bars and restaurants.

And so to our final and longest single trip of the holiday. We drove all the way from Charleston to New Jersey in thirteen hours!

We only scratched the surface in Savannah and Charleston with both cities and surrounding areas offering so much more than we had time for. We loved the business of the parks in Orlando followed by the laid back and relaxing atmosphere of the Keys. I was delighted to have visited the Southern states on the east coast and would not hesitate to return in the future.