St. Augustine, Florida, would be such a cool place to visit! Having been a school teacher, I love to visit places with my family that are not only fun but have educational learning experiences as well, and this city in Florida would be one of those places. Not only is St. Augustine the nation’s oldest city, but it also has the nation’s oldest street there. Just imagine all the rich history that would make the visit something the family would always remember. When someone visits historical places, it’s like a live history lesson that is actually experienced. There are all sorts of things to see and touch from the past.

Being the nation’s oldest city makes it no surprise that there are numerous antique shops to visit. I must tell you that years ago when my husband and I were first married, my mother-in-law took me on almost weekly shopping excursions in the area. We had some of our best shopping trips to antique stores, and that’s when I developed my interest in antiques. Well, St. Augustine would be an antique lover’s paradise. In fact, on October 27 and November 24, Uptown Saturday Night takes place from 5pm to 9pm. Antique stores, galleries, and unique shops remain open, and there’s live street music and refreshments. What fun!

Events in St. Augustine vary from antique shopping, workshops about antique related topics, book signings, train tours, interesting historical places, fun places for kids such as Ripley’s Museum, as well as many other events. There should be something of interest for everyone in the family!

Our daughter’s sister-in-law took dance classes since she was very young.  When she was in high school, the dance team would go on these wonderful cruises.  They would perform while they were on the cruise. Her mother and brother (our son-in-law) would go with her, and they said the food was wonderful.  I’ve never been on a cruise, but I can imagine it would be fun eating all those great meals. I would want to go for a walk outside on the deck after every meal since I would be eating more than ususal.  Now where would I want to go?  There are caribbean cruises that sound nice.  If I went, I know one thing…there would be activities, beautiful beaches, places of historical and cultural interest, plus plenty of great food!

We have been on vacations to several states including our home state of Texas.  We’ve been to Alabama, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, and Hawaii.   If you count all the states we’ve been to, that list would be a lot more extensive.  Besides the states mentioned, we’ve been to Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Lousiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan.  That’s 18 states.  Now if I count the states I also went to as a child, then that would be 20.  I’ve been close to Nevado but not actually in the state.  My in-laws have, though.  (I wonder if they stayed at the Rio Las Vegas?)   It’s fun to count up how many states you’ve visited.

I love going on vacations in our mini-van. We have so much room for everybody and everything and even the dog. Since we have three drivers we can take turns driving and that makes it nice. I mostly sit in the front but sometimes move to the middle section. Actually, the captains seats in the middle are more comfortable than the ones in the front, so I need to start riding more in the middle. I want to look at some auto accessories and see if maybe there are some things that would make our trips even better.

Traveling to various parts of our country is so interesting. There’s such a vast array of scenery. You can travel to Florida and watch the ocean tide coming in or the beautiful sunset. What a relaxing way to spend an evening! In Colorado you can view the majestic mountains and snowcapped peaks. That’s an awesome experience! Or you can drive through the flatlands of Kansas or the northwestern part of Texas close to Lubbock and it seems like you can see forever. (Some driving through this area might use the best radar detector they can find because there are speed traps in even the tiniest of towns.) And if you cross the Mississippi, then you witness a grand river that flows through our land. Imagine the early explorers who traveled along that river! There’s such a variety of scenery in our great land and surely something to please everyone.

We have been to Disneyworld in Florida two different years.  We had a blast both times.  We went to the different parks in Disneyworld plus we went to Universal Studios.   One year we rented a car and drove to the Kennedy Space Center and several beaches on the east coast.  Another year we rented a car and drove to the beach at St. Petersburg on the west coast.   If you’re planning to go to Florida, you might consider a Florida rental vacation.    Whatever you do, plan to spend several days (we spent a week) because there’s so much to see and do.

I have never been to Branson but I’d like to go. My in-laws went a couple of times and really enjoyed it. In fact, I know quite a few people who’ve been and have really liked it. Branson is famous for world-class entertainment, fun parks, and other attractions. They have a museum based on the Titanic. I’d like to see that. Maybe some day we’ll get to go there on one of our family vacations. Who knows, maybe Baby J (and our daughter and son-in-law) will get to go too. That would be fun! 🙂

Where is your absolutely most favorite place you’ve ever been on a vacation?   Please leave a comment below and share.

My favorite is almost a tie between Hawaii and Colorado.  We’ve been to four of the Hawaiian islands and they’re absolutely gorgeous, but Colorado wins out every time.  I have a passion about being up in the Rocky Mountains.  It is so beautiful up there, especially in early summer and early fall.  I love the drive from Salida up to Leadville and on up to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Leadville, Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne, and Estes Park are our favorite towns.  Rocky Mountain National Park is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

We used to go on family vacations there when I was a child, so I fell in love with the Rocky Mountains at an early age. I even went to summer camp there once when I was in high school. Throughout my life, I have visited there maybe a dozen times. The awesome majesty of the mountains reminds me of the awesome power and majesty of God. There’s nothing like being up high and looking out over the mountain tops.

If you have the time, the site below is worth the visit. It has beautiful pictures of our country. You can probably relate to a few of them, and if you travel a lot then you may relate to many of them.

http://oldbluewebdesigns.com/mybeautifulamerica.htm