Little Talbot Island State Park

Little Talbot Island State Park is just a short drive from downtown Jacksonville and it is absolutely stunning. For $5/car, you can enjoy 5 miles of pristine white sand beaches. It isn't nearly as crowded as the beaches from Neptune to Jax Beach and parking is a lot easier to obtain :) Make sure you bring the following: loads of sunscreen, even more water, snacks, and bug spray! I didn't see any mosquitoes on the beach, but when we tried to go to the trail at the entrance of the park, I was quickly bitten by about 7 in 30 seconds....and these ones hurt!! There are a few vending machines and a restroom in the park, but other than a few pavilions it is pure, unadulterated wildnerness! Switch up your normal beach routine and check it out.

***Make sure to pick up any trash you bring with you...there are bins for trash and recycling!  If you're feeling extra nice, you could also pick up a few pieces of trash that inconsiderate past visitors left behind***

St. Marys, Georgia

(Mr. Freezes and parades...yeah summer!)

This 4th of July all that I wanted to do was to see a parade in a small town.  Growing up in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan (practically Canada), I get nostalgic and misty eyed during the summer months, which were my absolute favorite in the North. Summertime in the UP is amazing for several reasons: 1. No snow!; 2. Many families have cabins or "camps" on lakes and rivers and even if you don't have one, there is no shortage of hospitality in the UP! Sooner or later, an invitation to a BBQ and swimming or jet skiing/boating in the river/lake is sure to come; 3. Each town has their own festival and  they are usually during different times in the summer so you can attend all of them...they usually have fireworks too; 4. and last but certainly not least PARADES. I don't think I appreciated parades until recently but, especially in a small town, they are a shining display of a community's pride and sense of togetherness that can be hard to find elsewhere.

St. Marys, Georgia did not disappoint! We arrived about 20 minutes before the start of the parade, parked along the side of Osborne Street and walked a few blocks to a shaded area along the parade route. They really went all out for their parade and it was awesome! I kept saying "I'm so glad we came here" to Ryan and he just nodded and smiled and kept his thoughts about how crazy I am to himself. After the parade, they had a street festival and if we had stayed until evening, we would have seen the fireworks show after dark.

Swinging on the porch swings by the water

Even though you may not be able to recreate my perfect small town 4th of July parade and experience, you can still visit St. Marys! While they have been hit by the recession just like everybody else, it seems as though efforts have been made to keep the immediate downtown area looking very nice. There are many well kept Victorian style houses and B&B's, restaurants and a charming park near the water with porch swings that overlook the river. We went to Captain Seagle's outdoor patio area and enjoyed a delicious shrimp basket with hush puppies and seasoned fries....the drinks were inexpensive and it was lovely to sit out there and enjoy the view.

I highly recommend taking the short (45 min-1 hr) drive from Jacksonville to St. Marys, GA to take a break and get a taste of small town life!

Walking the pier in the only red, white and blue shirt I own...thanks Bex :)

Budweiser Tour

This weekend we had a friend in town and after a sailing expedition failed (engine and wind trouble) we realized that the very thought of doing anything else outside in the 700 degree weather made us very depressed. We decided to finally take a tour of the Budweiser Brewery in Jacksonville (Ryan has been wanting to do this tour forever and insisted that I was keeping him from his delicious beer).  They offer complimentary tours every 45 minutes and there are also two other, more in depth, tours that you can pay for. The complimentary tour was just fine for us though and we were able to see the various stages of their brewing process and finally end with two free beers in their Hospitality Room, which was pretty nice. They also offer free pretzels and soda for those, like me, who don't drink beer :) 

It was an interesting way to spend a few hours and here's the best part: it was FREEEEE (pronounced like you would say "wheeee"). Sorry for the crappy quality of the photos...I never bring my camera with me because I constantly forget that my cell phone takes terrible pictures...but you get the general idea...now it's your turn to head out there and take your own terrible photos!