We decided to drive this trip since we live only 8 hours away and knew we would want our car for touring. Orlando is a lot more spread out that some of the other cities we've visited, so we were glad to have our own transportation. We left out on a Wednesday morning, grabbed breakfast on the way, and didn't stop again until the Georgia/Florida border for lunch. We continued on and hit the first bit of traffic in Jacksonville, then it was smooth sailing into Orlando. The drive was easy, and tempts me to make this trip again soon!
After checking into our hotel, DoubleTree Orlando Seaworld, we walked across the street to grab dinner at a nice Italian restaurant called Ciao Italia Ristorante. Connor had the seafood pasta, I had cheese ravioli, and we shared cheesecake for dessert; it was all delicious! This is a great spot to dress up for date night.
On Thursday morning we woke early to eat breakfast at Village Inn (again just across the street) before riding the shuttle to Orange County Convention Center for the hardware show. We spent all day meeting with vendors, placing orders, and learning about new programs to implement at Burdette's. We've attended 4 of these large shows since we bought the store in Fall 2018, so we've got a routine down to where we can make the most of our time working and save a little extra time for fun. We decided to dedicate all of Thursday to work, knock out all of our meetings, and then have all day Friday to play. After a grueling day on our feet, dinner and a nightcap at Delmonico's was the perfect way to end the day. (Please note, even with a reservation we had to wait an hour for a table -- this place is very busy!)
On the day we were there, TODAY was broadcasting from inside the park which made for heavier foot traffic than normal. I'd guess on an average February morning you would have no problem parking and getting to the gates quickly. When we originally planned this trip, all we really cared about seeing was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We went back and forth about which tickets to purchase, and ultimately got the park-to-park pass so we could visit both sections: Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. If you are a "potter head" you really need to splurge so you can take the Hogwarts Express and see both sides!
Of course with a new ride debuting, HP World was packed, but the rest of the park was pretty empty. We were able to ride all of the big name rides with wait times less than 30 minutes. Some of our favorites were: Fast & Furious, Transformers, and Harry Potter: Escape from Gringotts. The only ride we chose to skip out on was Jurassic Park (which had a 0 min wait time) because it was cold and we didn't want to get wet. We also weren't able to ride King Kong because it was closed for repairs.
We had a blast walking every square inch of the parks. We decided to eat lunch at the Three Broomsticks and grabbed an afternoon snack at a pretzel stand. Since we were there for Mardi Gras, we watched a fun parade through main street and by the water. When the park closed at 9pm we walked back through City Walk and ate a late dinner at Big Fire. Every meal we ate was delicious, and this was no exception. We loved the burgers and our waiter gave us a complimentary fondue s'mores dessert!
We didn't even unload the car before we drove across the Bridge of Lions into the heart of downtown. We found a parking spot along the water and walked down to the Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos. It's a beautiful area right on the water and so fun to walk around. From there we walked down the city streets and marveled at the historic architecture. St. Augustine is truly one of the most gorgeous (and oldest!) cities. One of my favorite shops we popped into was Two Sparrows, a Christian based women's boutique. Definitely check it out if you're visiting!
After the sun set, we drove out to the marsh to a restaurant I've eaten at many times called Saltwater Cowboys. We ate here every summer when my family vacationed in St. Augustine, specifically for the fried gator tail! I'll be honest, we did not have a great experience this year. The service and food were both lack luster, but I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt since it was late at night and during the off season. I hope next time we're in town it's better because I have so much nostalgia for this place.
Sunday morning we rose early, packed our bags, grabbed breakfast in the hotel, and then hit the beach on the way out of town. There was a public boardwalk right across the street, so we had easy access. There's just something about early morning by the water! We walked into Anastasia State Park and enjoyed the view while picking through shells. We can't wait to have more than a day in this beautiful city and enjoy the beach in warmer weather.