florida experience …so far
About 5 months ago we made a spontaneous choice to leave Washington state after over a decade of living in the PNW and move to Florida - a month and half later our house was packed and we were on our way south!
We hadn’t planned on moving when my husband popped the question of us relocating to Florida, which made the idea even more exciting! Within 5 minutes of him asking me the question I was on Zillow. With the help of our amazing family and friends our belongings were picked up a few weeks later and we were on the road to see our new home that we rented sight unseen.
From Washington to Florida
With our belongings on their way to Florida and our new house waiting we didn’t have much time to do sightseeing on the way but there were some things that were worth the detour - like Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota!
One state that positively surprised us was Iowa! The drive through the state was beautiful with lush green nature surrounding us the entire time and the cities were beautiful. Not to mention everywhere we would stop for bathroom breaks and snacks we would meet the nicest people!
The drive was long but exciting, and when we first pulled into Palm Coast our expectations were immediately exceeded. The city was even more beautiful in person than it was in pictures!
Excited for the new chapter in our lives we have spent the last few months exploring our new home and the new activities we now have access to like shelling and fishing at the ocean!
Flagler and Rattlesnake Island
So far my favorite part of living in Florida are the stunning sunrises! Flagler beach is a beautiful spot to go watch the sunrise and swim in the ocean. The beach is always clean with lots of shells around, and during sunrise when the ocean is at low tide you can see the cool rock formations that are covered by water during the day.
While the Flagler beach is stunning it carries a heavy history. Back in the mid 1500s Flagler beach was occupied by Timucuan Indians with a population of approximately 14,000 people. Around that time French explorers were staying in the area now known as Jacksonville and Spanish explorers arrived in the area in 1567. Because of disputes escalating between the Indians and the European explorers they eventually led into horrible outcomes; one of them being the Matanzas massacre on the beach of northern Flagler county. The wars destroyed most of the Indians artifacts and the tribe itself got wiped out from the diseases the Europeans brought with them.
Right by the Matanzas beach where the massacre happened lies a little island called Rattlesnake island. For finding seashells this island won’t let you down! This little oasis is a fun place to go swim with minimal waves, which is why this little piece of paradise became one of our go-to family spots for shelling!
Tips For Finding The Best Shells
The absolute best conditions for finding sea shells is early in the morning during low tide, during new moon or post storm. Moon phases affect how far back the water pulls which can unfold treasures that are usually out of reach, and post storm is perfect time to see what the waves brought on the shore! Combine all three and you are almost guaranteed to find all kinds of treasures!
Keep track of your favorite spots for a personalized treasure map! Much like with huckleberries in PNW some spots are more fruitful than others for shelling!
Bring a bucket for your shells to keep them safe and your hands free!
Kelly Park/Rock Springs
Speaking of paradise - Rock springs are one of the most beautiful springs I have ever seen! The springs are separated into two areas; one for tubing/swimming which is inside the Kelly Park and past the bridge you’re able to kayak down the springs where there is no swimming allowed. These springs crystal clear water stays at 68f degrees year round and Kelly park makes a beautiful location to spend a day with friends and family. This popular spot usually hits maximum occupancy within an hour after opening at 8am so make sure to get there first thing in the morning. While cards are accepted at the gate cash is always a good idea in case the machines are down!
Being from Finland floating down a jungle is not something I’ve done a lot in my life which made my first time in this natural lazy river even more exotic feeling! The crystal clear water feels refreshing in the hot sun and the scenery is almost dream-like. While there were a lot of people in the park with us, there was plenty of room to float and have solitude.
Besides the stunning springs, the park itself is very well kept and a perfect place to spend a day at with friends and family. There is a large parking lot, clean bathrooms, and picnic areas with bbq stands. Right before you enter the park there is a tube rental spot for those that want to float but didn’t grab tubes - which was extremely convenient for us being new to the area!
Bulow Plantation Ruins & Historic Park
One thing I was not expecting to find 20 minutes from our new home is sugar mill ruins and an old plantation - so of course we had to go check it out! This historic park contains the ruins of an ante-bellum plantation and sugar mill built from coquina, which is a sedimentary rock that is composed of shells.
Mixture of folklore and natural beauty is what I’m all about which is why we had to stop by and see the famous Fairchild Oak tree in the Burrows Creek National Park. The picture of this majestic tree doesn’t do it justice - the tree is one of the biggest oaks in the southeast and it’s hard to do it justice in just a picture. Over the past 400 years this beautiful oak has witnessed the destruction of the nearby plantation during the Second Seminole War and two deaths. The first death this tree witnessed was James Ormond II whose body was found under his house located by the majestic oak. His cause of death remains unknown. The second mysterious death the oak witnessed was of a man named Norman Harwood, who purchased the property around 1880. Harwood was said to be many things - a hulking man, a cattle farmer and some described him as a dry-goods business man. Many said he was swimming in debt which caused him to kill himself under the tree. Whether or not the folklores are true, the site remains beautiful with a slight eerie feel in the air from the stories told!
Before being destroyed by the Second Seminole War in 1836 the Bulow Plantation grew sugar cane, cotton and rice. What’s left of the plantation tells a dark story among with the random tools and artifacts displayed with a brief history of each ones purpose.
The Bulow plantation was created in 1821 by a merchant from South Carolina named Charles Bulow. Just a few years after starting the plantation Charles died and his teenage son John Bulow inherited the business. Despite his young age, John continued to run the sugar mill business successfully. While the government was fighting to forcibly remove Seminoles the Bulows maintained a good relationship with the tribe and would even fire at the troops attempting to come to his property to remove them. In the end the troops ended up arresting John and making his property into an outpost for the militia. Not understanding what had happened with the Bulows and the militia the Seminoles burnt down the plantation and mill in 1836. After losing everything John was devastated and passed away the following year.
The old sugar mill ruins had multiple trails leading to it as well as a few small ones which were fun to explore! However, my clothing choice being a dress we decided to stick to the few short trails.
Florida Keys
Florida Keys are a string of islands located at the tip of Florida. The tropical islands stretch about 120 miles total and are connected by bridges. At the very tip lies the ever-famous Key West.
Driving through the Keys you pass through many adorable towns as well as pull over spots for picture perfect beaches. The surrounding water is clear blue with palm trees beautifully accenting the beaches creating magical spots at almost every exit!
A “key” is a small low elevation island above a coral reef that was exposed overtime from the changing sea levels. Key Largo is the longest key at 30 miles long and 0.5 miles wide, besides Largo the Florida Keys are created of over 800 keys!
While in Key West we stopped at DJ’s Clam Shack on Duval street and had lobster rolls with cold beers. The buttery rolls were filled with huge chunks of lobster, the coleslaw was absolutely perfect and fries were delicious. My only other time having lobster rolls was in the Hamptons at LUNCH so my expectations for this dish were high and this restaurant not only met them but exceeded them. Besides the food being absolutely amazing, the staff was so friendly and even welcomed our dog to come sit by our table while we ate!
Big part of Key West charm is the eclectic architecture featuring pastel colors and quirky deep covered porches. The unusual colorful houses surrounded by beaches and chickens creates a laid-back vibe that easily puts anyone into vacation mode! I also loved the unique bohemian style clothing and eclectic art pieces the stores are filled with in Key West!
While Key West is known for iguanas running around and their chickens, the amount of chickens frolicking around town surprised me! The reason there is so many chickens in Key West is a combination of two key events; cockfights becoming illegal and Key West getting connected to mainland. When there was a 10 year long war in Cuba in 1860 many of its citizens moved to Key West and brought cockfighting with them. The game was made illegal in 1986 which lead to many people releasing their roosters. Also, prior to Key West being connected to mainland with bridges and railroads the early settlers would have backyard chickens for meat. Once Key West got connected to mainland many of them didn’t need the chickens for food anymore and made the choice to release them. Chickens are now considered a huge part of the Key West culture same as their beaches and sun, but because of their high population the city has still banned feeding the wild chickens.
Driving on the Seven Mile Bridge was a breathtaking experience and the perfect beginning and ending for the Florida Keys adventure. Surrounded by beautiful blue water as far as eyes can see with the road going across it like a ribbon, the scenery is so remarkable that this is considered a bucket list drive for many!
Everyday Things
So far our life in the sunshine state has been filled with positive experiences and vibes! Being surrounded by beautiful jungle it’s easy to flow into a creative mode and try out new art projects and feel inspired to go do little adventures in the surrounding areas. Moose, our dog, is usually tagging along as well!
We absolutely love seeing Mooses reaction to all the new and fun experiences like seeing the ocean for the first time. Our little boy has a wild life so far - he was stray puppy that ended up at humane society in Spokane and now came along across the states to Florida with us! He fell in love with beaches and little lizards as fast as we did!
Going to watch the sunrise at beach feels special every time. The skies are like live oil paintings with stunning vibrant colors and walking along the beach you can spot some small yoga classes going and people looking for sea shells.
Being surrounded by beaches loaded with shells has taught me many new crafts - one of them is decoupage! Decoupage is an art where you attach a paper design to surface with glue and decorate it with paint and/or other elements. To decorate this shell I found at the Matanza inlet I painted the inside with white paint, then with a layer of Mod Podge. While the Mod Podge was still wet I pressed the first layer of a decorative tissue firmly against the shell and let it dry. Once it had fully dried I brushed on one more layer of Mod Podge and once that had dried added a gold detail to the shell.
As we expected Florida’s diverse food culture is inspiring and exciting! Being a self-titled foodie I am always looking for new dishes to try and the exotic foods and unique cultural dishes present in this area are thrilling. Some of my favorite discoveries so far are fresh jackfruit which inspired my jackfruit curry recipe, and guava & cheese ice cream I got from a gas station of all places and did a homemade version of! I am also in awe with the delicious freshly pressed sugar cane juice they have at every farmers market and other exotic fruit juices like soursop juice.
So far I feel like we have barely scratched the surface of what Florida has to offer and I can’t wait to explore this state even more!