Vacation to Florida {summer bucket list}

We just returned from our trip to Pensacola, Florida and the Gulf Coast. I have to admit I'm a bit sleepy after all the early mornings (really!), heat, and adjusting to different time zones.  The whole week went off without a hitch. As I said in my introduction post, our family is all about adventures and new experiences. Our trip was nothing short of those!

Two things to note about our travel style: #1 we are definitely kid-friendly travelers. We always try to do things interesting or entertaining for the kids. If we do adult-focused things, then we follow it up with a kid-focused thing. We push the boundary at times to see if the kids are up for it. #2 we cut costs when possible. I think this is important to do with family travel because you are multiplying almost everything by 4, 5 or 6.


We spent most of our time in Pensacola on the beach. We would wake up at 6:30am to walk the beaches for shells and end up in the water. We walked the beaches at night and end up in the water. Such a great memory for this trip.

"no pin"

One morning we even met up with some friends we were stationed with in Japan. I've always been told the military is small. Eventually, you will meet up with people you knew from another duty station. 

We picked up a ton of seashells.

And saw some sea life up close.

We also took advantage of some touristy things on NAS Pensacola. We toured the lighthouse (a first for us) and the National Aviation Museum which was free. I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area.

Not only did we have a great time in Pensacola but we ventured to Gulf Shores, Alabama to the beach.
We found a great miniature golf course called Pirate's Island Miniature Golf. Another check on the summer bucket list.

Such a cute pirate-theme course. We all had lots of fun.

To finish our trip, we spent two days in the New Orleans area to check out a swamp tour, the French Quarter, and Audubon Zoo.

Absolutely loved the South and definitely want to make the trip again soon!