The trio wanted to go to the beach for spring break, but we encountered some difficulty with our usual destinations. First, Destin and Rosemary Beach were a little expensive for that very coveted week, whereas Marco Island was essentially booked, what with March closing out its peak season. When the usual options proved problematical, we expanded our horizons and decided to explore some new-to-us locations in (ironically) "Old Florida". Skip pinpointed Port St. Joe, just past Mexico Beach (or an hour East of Panama City). This is largely undeveloped area with one grocery store, a few restaurants and local business that benefit from faithful locals and a few tourists. We loved the beach and bay access from Port St. Joe, and the spacious cottage we rented was ridiculously reasonable.
From Port St. Joe, we went to my favorite spot of the week, Cape San Blas. There are accommodations on the Cape, but we went to the very tip of the Cape and explored the state park. Cape San Blas has the distinction of being voted "Best Beach" by TripAdvisor, and I fully concur. We had a cloudy day on the Cape, but it was beautiful.
We took this little lady with us and nothing could have made the trio happier, and the milder temperatures in March make the trip Grammie-friendly.
The water was a little chilly, but not too brisk.
Grace enjoyed some good shelling...
...and William George quickly acclimated to the cool water.
A day at the beach wouldn't be complete without throwing the football around...
...even if it happens to get "loose" and splash into the water, creating the need for a four-person rescue. Grace sacrificed her shells, dropped them and scooped the football out of the water. Excellent save, Grace!
Even with clouds, the day was still very bright, causing a squinty family photo. This is the only one in which all of our eyes are (partially) open.
We also explored the local beaches. We were told there was tons of wildlife to observe... seahorses, starfish, crab, and lots of fish. As it turns out, we are too squeamish for that. Lauren preferred her stuffed sea turtle to any up close and personal wildlife encounters.
We also explored Mexico Beach and the pier. The beaches have public access every quarter of mile or so, with lots of parking and easy beach access. There were no crowds to speak of, making it kind of delightful. Except for locals fishing, the beach was very quiet.
Mostly, we did our usual beach/pool combo each day, but on our last day we explored Appalachicola and St. George Island. We were expecting a rain-out but instead had lunch at the Owl Cafe and did some shopping.
Other highlights include bicycling... we finally tackled taking some bikes to the beach. However, we took the adult bikes and the bike trailer and had planned to rent kids' bikes and an adult tricycle for mom (our current bike rack will not safely accommodate five bikes). We were far removed from the usual tourist traps, including bike rental, but we made do with scrunching the trio in the trailer. I think Grammie may have been secretly relieved, not having to ride.
The trio also swam daily at the pool and made several friends. As a funny aside, they were thrown out of the hot tub by a crotchety older gentleman from New York, and the situation became comical when we thought he was kidding. Ha! We had to quickly reframe the discussion and explain, "No, they aren't getting out." Fortunately, his bombastic style was funny, and the children thought he was joking, too. Unintentionally, he gave us a lot of inside-joke material for the remainder of the trip.
I think that's about it. We had a very quiet, relaxing week at an off-the-beaten-path location. We will return to the more dense areas, but we will also remember this hidden gem.
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