Southeast to Sunshine Recap

Southeast to Sunshine 2025
Sikeston, MO (1 night) Comfort Inn & Suites. Everything was a drive-by on our way to New Orleans, LA (6 nights) The Marquee. We had a wonderful evening at the Saenger Theatre for some Motown. It was a beautiful theatre with fantastic old tunes, within walking distance of our condo.

The Music of New Orleans
Our stay in New Orleans continues on a walkabout to visit Molly Marine, the Carousel Bar, and Abbott’s. We thoroughly enjoyed some Dixieland Jazz at Preservation Hall and dinner at Felix’s. Next day we were off to the Algiers Mardi Gras Festival for more music and great food.

A Change of Scenery
Panama City Beach, FL (5 nights) Bayside Resort & Spa. En route we made a stop in Mobile at the USS Alabama for a little history. We took a tour of our new digs and found some fun things to do on our stay. The waterfront was beautiful and the temps were even improving!

Historic Panama City
Our stay in PCB continues. After a few snafus, it took us two day trips to Panama City for two perfect days of sightseeing, window shopping, beautiful murals, great beers and music, and a fantastic seafood boil. What more could we ask for?

On the Waterfront
Matlacha, FL (4 nights) Angler’s Inn. Four nights in this funky little town were not enough with bright colors, great restaurants, and water all around. Our unit had a screened-in patio with lots of bird action across the canal which provided plenty of down time!

Seafood and Sunsets
Our stay in Matlacha continues with a short trip to Little Pine Island and some exploring on foot to see the bling of this colorful island. Community Park offered a look at the other side of our canal and some fishermen trying to catch their dinner in the open waters of Matlacha Pass.

Laid Back in Orlando
Fort Lauderdale, FL (3 nights) Family visit, then to Orlando, FL (7 nights) Sheraton Vistana Resort. If there’s a place where we can just take it easy and enjoy the resort – this is it. Where this post gets interesting, is on moving day when we visit Winter Park.

Return to St. Augustine
St. Augustine, FL (5 nights) World Golf Village. Today we had self-guided tours at Presbyterian Memorial Church and then San Sebastian Winery, where we grabbed a table on the rooftop and enjoyed some appetizers and live music by a local singer. Another relaxing day on this road trip.

Henry Flagler’s Legacy
Our stay in St. Augustine continues with lots of Henry Flagler. We had a nice tour of Flagler College (Ponce de Leon Hotel), the Lightener Museum (The Alcazar Hotel), and The Hotel Monica (The Hotel Cordova). Top that off with fantastic fish sandwiches, and it’s another great day on vacation.

A Beautiful Transition
As our winter road trip continues, we transition to Savannah with a stop at our favorite visitor center to date! So much more than a visitor center, the GTM Research Center is educational, fascinating, and absolutely beautiful. And we were able to crack open our Playmate cooler for lunch!

Georgia’s Oldest City
Savannah, GA (5 nights) The Studio Homes at Ellis Square. Savannah was very welcoming and we admired the lovely homes on our walkabouts. The magnolias were emerging in lovely clusters and historic venues and specialty cocktails kept us entertained for our second four-day visit.

To Drink or not to Drink?
As our trip continues in Savannah, we toured the American Prohibition Museum for a little history lesson. Our tour ended with the craft cocktail of choice from a list that “captured the essence of the 1920s”. I guess we know where this establishment stands on this question!

Tybee Island Farewell
As our winter road trip winds down in Savannah, today we visited Tybee Island for a lighthouse/museum, a gorgeous sunset/dolphin cruise, and a delicious seafood boil. I will finish this series here – and what a beautiful place to end – since we were with friends at our last stops at their house and then Banner Elk, NC (7 nights) Blue Ridge Village.