This is a very special Travel Thursday post since today is
our daughter’s 5th birthday. Can you believe it? She’s already five
freaking years old!!! Boy, has time flown by, which is why we couldn’t let this
birthday pass by without doing something special so when Mini Me asked to go on
a plane for her birthday, we decided to book a flight from New York to Orlando,
Florida. Who doesn’t want to enjoy some
fun in the sun any day, especially on their birthday? I know I wouldn’t mind it
so off to Florida we went.
Our first few days in Florida were spent in Fort Pierce.
You’re probably wondering what is there to do in Fort Pierce? Well, down by the
pier there’s Uncle Carlo’s Gelato. Carlo makes some of the best gelato we’ve
had, and in a variety of flavors even Corona! During this visit Carlo made a
batch of Corona-flavored gelato for my husband who visited Uncle Carlo’s every
single day at least twice per day for the duration of our time spent in Fort
Pierce.
While gelato was on our daily schedules, we also took an
almost three hour drive into Delray Beach to visit the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. The visit to this garden was done especially for my mom who loves
flowers and gardening. The Morikami is a horticulturalists dream. Mini me loved
it as well, especially being able to feed the Koi’s. After spending a few hours
walking around, taking in the sights, we worked up an appetite and luckily for
us, our favorite burger place, Shake Shack, was nearby.
Our stay in Fort Pierce concluded with a trip to the movies
to see Disney's Zootopia! We all loved the movie. As parents, we appreciated Zootopia
teaching children seeing this movie the importance of not giving up on your
dreams and settling. As adults we appreciated the more powerful messages
surrounding prejudice, discrimination and police brutality. Mini me was, of course, too young to
understand, but enjoyed the movie overall.
It was the perfect way to end our time in Fort Pierce, and prepare to
head back to Orlando.
At the midpoint of our mini vacation for our daughter’s
birthday, she stated, “I’m happy I chose Florida for our trip. It’s the best
place ever!” This was before we headed back to Orlando so that we could head to
LEGOALND Florida. Yes, she said she
chose Florida. Do you believe that? We couldn’t either, but since the
trip was for her birthday we let it slide. We are just happy that she enjoyed
her trip.
The last two days of our trip to Florida were spent in
Orlando. In the afternoon, after a two-hour drive we checked into our
two-bedroom villa at the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas. We rested, enjoyed a Chicago-style pizza from
Giordano’s, and then Mini Me and her dad spent time playing and swimming in the
indoor, heated pool. The next morning we
prepared for the hour long drive to LEGOLAND Florida.
Taking Mini Me to LEGOLAND Florida was the best way to end
the trip. We all enjoyed ourselves, even
my mom who even rode a rollercoaster. Yes, my mom rode a roller coaster,
y’all. She only got on one, which was enough
for her, but the fact that she got on one says a lot, but I digress. LEGOLAND
was perfect for an almost five year old. In a later post I will go into more
detail, but in the meantime just check out my instagram to see a few shots from
our visit.
Overall, this was a fun and much needed vacation away from
the cold, and a great way to spend time as a family enjoying each other’s
company. It was the perfect way to start off the celebration for our daughter’s
fifth birthday. We’re happy she’s happy
with her trip. She’s so happy that she has already planned to visit Florida for
her sixth and seventh birthdays. Oh, and she asked to go a cruise. What are we
going to do with this girl?
What are some of your places to visit when taking a family trip to Florida?