This trip was a little different than many Florida trips, as our recent places to stay in southwest Florida were unavailable in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. We made a visit as we often do at The Villages, but then made our first visit to Cedar Key the main destination for our trip.
Friday, February 17 - Amsterdam, New York, to I-95 in southern Virginia
We left home after school, made our usual Chick-fil-A stop in Flemington, New Jersey, for dinner, and continued our way down I-95 corridor into the night.
Saturday, February 18 - I-95 in southern Virginia, to The Villages, Florida
We drove through Pedro's in the early morning hours [3 Pictures], but saved our stop for Buc-ee's in Florence after 4 AM. The place is amazingly busy even at that hour [2 Pictures]. Further south, we stopped for some breakfast in Georgia, and continued on to enter Florida before 9 AM [Picture]. We stopped at The Orange Shop in Citra for a few items including some really good fresh squeezed orange juice [Picture]. We picked up subs from Publix on arrival at The Villages, then spent the rest of the day visiting there [4 Pictures].
Sunday, February 19 - The Villages, Florida
This was our full day at The Villages, visiting and spending some time at the recreation centers [3 Pictures], and finished off with Moe's takeout for dinner [Picture].
Monday, February 20 - The Villages, Florida, to Cedar Key, Florida, via Homosassa Springs
We spent the morning at The Villages, then got on our way toward the west coast. Our first destination was Homosassa Springs State Park, where we walked the main trail through the zoo-like setting and made a stop at the underwater viewing platform where manatees are often seen [7 Pictures][2 People Pictures]. We stopped at the Publix in the area to stock up on food to have in our rental unit for the next few days, then drove to Cedar Key. We moved into our unit at the Nature's Landing Condos, our home for the next few days [5 Pictures][2 People Pictures]. [17 Pictures from the Roads]
Tuesday, February 21 - Cedar Key, Florida
Our first full day in Cedar Key and at the Nature's Landing Condo [6 Pictures] included the bay at low tide [9 Pictures], walking around the village [Picture], checking out the beach at low tide [14 Pictures], a shark scientist [Picture], kayaking [3 Pictures][13 People Pictures], the pool [Picture], checking out the bay at high tide [3 Pictures], and dinner in the village at sunset [9 Pictures].
Wednesday, February 22 - Cedar Key, Florida
On our second full day in Cedar Key, there was a morning walk for breakfast [Picture], then time in the morning around the condo [19 Pictures] and on the path/pier behind [6 Pictures][2 People Pictures]. Later, we rented a golf cart [4 Pictures][3 People Pictures] to explore the rest of the area, including a ride by the airport [2 Pictures] and a stop at Cemetery Point Park [10 Pictures][5 People Pictures]. We went to the Bat House at the Lower Suwanee National Wildlife Refuge at sunset to see thousands of bats leave their house for the night [4 Pictures, 1 Movie][People Picture]. After that, we got dinner to take back to the condo from a local pizza place.
Thursday, February 23 - Cedar Key, Florida, to Folkston, Georgia
We had the first half of the morning to spend in Cedar Key [8 Pictures] and to move out of the condo [8 Pictures]. Then it was a fairly short ride on the day, mostly avoiding the interstates, with a lunch stop in Lake City. We got to Folkston in the afternoon [Picture][Picture], went over to see the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge [22 Pictures][7 People Pictures], then back for a tasty dinner of pulled pork with some Quik Chik added in just because we like it. [28 Pictures from the Roads]
Friday, February 24 - Folkston, Georgia, to somewhere on I-95 in Maryland
We headed north by mid-morning, and it was mostly I-95 again. Lunch near Savannah. Gas and snacks at Buc-ees. Dinner just north of Richmond. Midnight just north of Baltimore. [4 Pictures from the Roads]
Saturday, February 25 - somewhere on I-95 in Maryland to Amsterdam, New York
The rest of the ride was uneventful, and we arrived home just before 5:30 AM.
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