Kennedy Space Center

We visited the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Merritt Island (by Cape Canaveral) on the coast of Florida.

An interactive map of the area:

Selfie:

Selfie

Orbit Cafe:

Orbit Cafe

Orbit Cafe

Atlantis Space Shuttle building, with the booster rockets and fuel tank out front:

Atlantis Space Shuttle

The shuttle is suspended in the air:

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle

Space suit

Engine

Atlantis Space Shuttle

Space toilet:

Space toilet

Space bed:

Space bed

Challenger and Columbia memorial:

Challenger and Columbia memorial

Challenger and Columbia memorial

Shuttles:

Shuttles

Astrovan:

Astrovan

Bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V Center:

Bus tours

Rocket:

Rocket

Vertical assembly building:

Vertical assembly building

Saturn control room:

Saturn control room

Saturn control room

Saturn control room

Saturn V rocket:

Saturn V rocket

Saturn V rocket

Saturn V rocket

Saturn V rocket

Space suits:

Space suits

Capsule:

Capsule

Rocket garden:

Rocket garden

Green-screen pic:

Kennedy Space Center

An interesting place to visit, at least once. We probably won’t visit again, though.

Bok Tower Gardens

We visited Bok Tower Gardens on Iron Mountain in Florida. It is a 250-acre garden and bird sanctuary, with a tower that includes a 60-bell Carillon. The “mountain” on which it is built is one of the highest in Florida, at 295 feet elevation (yeah, Florida is very flat).

Here’s an interactive map of the gardens:

The brochure map:

Map

Tower cross-section:

Tower cross-section

Entrance:

Entrance

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Exhibits:

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Changing Florida:

Exhibits

Elevations of Florida:

Exhibits

Exhibits

Cafe:

Cafe

Gift store:

Gift store

Bok Tower:

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Bok Tower

Pond

Flowers

El Retiro historic home:

El Retiro historic home

Art boardwalk:

Art boardwalk

Art boardwalk

Art boardwalk

Window:

Window

Sundial:

Sundial

Bok quote: “Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you”:

Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you

A fascinating tower and nice gardens. Highly recommended.

Rainbow Springs State Park headsprings

We visited the headsprings part of Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon, Florida.

Their map:

Rainbow Springs map

The main part of the park is physically separated from the campground:

A sign with info about the history:

Info sign

Pond and waterfall:

Pond and waterfall

Natural Landmark since 1972:

Natural Landmark since 1972

Paths and the spring:

Paths and the spring

Caution, gators:

Gators

Info sign:

Info sign

Selfie:

Selfie

Swimming area:

Swimming area

Swimming area

Swimming area from other side:

Swimming area from other side

Bumpy path:

Bumpy path

Marshy area:

Weedy area

Marshy area

Bubbling sand GIF:

Bubbling sand

Waterfall GIF:

Waterfall

Waterfall long exposure:

Waterfall long exposure

A nice park. Apparently crazy busy in summer, but not so much in winter.

Seeing hundreds of manatees at Three Sisters Springs in Florida

We visited Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River, Florida, to see manatees. These fascinating creatures spend the winter gathered around warm springs connected to the gulf, as the springs maintain a temperature of 72° F year-round.

Here’s a map of the springs:

A map on the wall of the visitor center:

Map

350 manatees counted:

350 manatees counted

Entrance sign:

Crystal River Three Sisters Springs

Manatee manners signs:

Manatee manners

One of the springs:

Spring

Lots of manatees:

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

Manatees

The nearby Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center:

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

Florida’s Forgotten Coast

While staying at Ho-Hum RV Park, we did a few drives along the Forgotten Coast, in the panhandle of Florida. Amongst other things, we saw all four of the lighthouses on the coast.

A pamphlet for the lighthouse driving tour, with information about each lighthouse:

Lighthouse driving tour pamphlet

Lighthouse driving tour pamphlet

The first drive was west of the RV park, with lunch at the Blue Parrot Ocean Front Cafe (they have a live cam you can view, too), then St George Island Lighthouse.

Here’s the route on an interactive map:

Bridge to St George Island:

Bridge to St George Island

Blue Parrot for lunch:

Blue Parrot

Blue Parrot

Blue Parrot

Blue Parrot

Blue Parrot

Blue Parrot

Blue Parrot

St George Island Lighthouse; unfortunately the museum was closed when we visited:

St George Island Lighthouse

St George Island Lighthouse

St George Island beach:

St George Island beach

Further west, the Cape San Blas Lighthouse in Port St Joe:

Cape San Blas Lighthouse


The second drive was east of the RV park, to St Marks National Wildlife Refuge, St Mark’s Lighthouse, and Publix groceries on the way back.

Here’s the route on an interactive map:

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge:

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge visitor center, with info about the lighthouse too:

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge visitor center

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge visitor center

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge visitor center

The wildlife refuge:

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

St Marks Lighthouse:

St Marks Lighthouse

St Marks Lighthouse

St Marks Lighthouse

St Marks Lighthouse

St Marks Lighthouse

St Marks Lighthouse


The third drive was to have lunch at The Fisherman’s Wife restaurant in Carrabelle, then visit the nearby Crooked River Lighthouse.

Here’s the route on an interactive map:

The Fisherman’s Wife; we wanted to eat here last year, but they were closed for the holidays. They were closed again most of the time we were at Ho-Hum this time too, but opened a few days before our departure:

The Fisherman's Wife

The Fisherman's Wife

The Fisherman's Wife

The Fisherman's Wife

The Fisherman's Wife

Crooked River Lighthouse, the tallest of the four:

Crooked River Lighthouse

The old lighthouse keeper’s house, now a small free museum:

Crooked River Lighthouse

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Crooked River Lighthouse museum

Fascinating stuff. We really enjoy this area of Florida; much more laid-back than the more touristy and populated parts.

Red Bay food and shopping

Some food and shopping around Red Bay, Alabama.

Casa Fiesta Mexican Grill, not bad Mexican food:

Casa Fiesta Mexican Grill

Casa Fiesta Mexican Grill

Piggly Wiggly grocery store, pretty basic:

Piggly Wiggly grocery store

Piggly Wiggly grocery store

Holiday lights:

Holiday lights

Holiday lights

Holiday lights

Mia Marlie’s Hometown Pizza, fairly good and inexpensive:

Hometown Pizza

Hometown Pizza

Cardinal Drive-In, much like Sonic, but better:

Cardinal Drive-In

Cardinal Drive-In

Cardinal Drive In

Big Star grocery store, much nicer than Piggly Wiggly, and lots of super-tasty treats (of which we stocked up!):

Big Star grocery store

Big Star grocery store

Big Star grocery store

Big Star grocery store

Happy Hollow, home-goods and outdoors stuff, we always get some cat toys there:

Happy Hollow

Happy Hollow

Happy Hollow

Happy Hollow

Happy Hollow

Happy Hollow

Red Bay is a small town, but has some good food and shopping options.

Galveston Island State Park beach

Other than the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights (which was posted out of sequence, on Christmas Day last year), and going to a H-E-B grocery store, we didn’t do much while staying at Galveston Island State Park, in part due to rainy weather. But we did enjoy several walks along the beach.

An info sign:

Info sign

Beach

Empty beach, with regular garbage bins. The sand is quite nice, with very few shells:

Beach

Oil rig visible in the distance:

Beach

Beach

Jenn picking up garbage:

Jenn picking up garbage

Houses beyond the end of the park at the south end:

Houses beyond the end of the park

Park boundary:

Park boundary

No motorized vehicles beyond this point; people can drive on the beach, but not in the park:

No motorized vehicles beyond this point

Beach

Shells

Boardwalk to a day use area:

Boardwalk to day use area

Showers and changing rooms in the day use area:

Showers and changing rooms in day use area

Picnic shelters in the day use area:

Picnic shelters in day use area

Turtle sculpture:

Turtle sculpture

A ranger patrolling on the beach:

Ranger patroling on the beach

Houses beyond the end of the park at the north end:

Houses beyond the end of the park

Park boundary:

Park boundary

Big empty beach:

Beach