FLORIDA
AND D.C
04/15/22 - 04/23/22
DAY 1
Day 1 - ROAD TRIP! In April of 2022, we decided very last minute to drive down the East coast for a few days in Amelia Island, Florida, and Washington D.C. We set our alarms for 3:00 AM and headed out! We quickly made it all the way to the Delaware Welcome Center for our first stop before 9:00 AM. After one or two food and fuel refills, we took a break from driving in Florence, SC. The next morning, we continued our drive (approximately 5 hours more) and arrived in beautiful Amelia Island, Florida! Our resort, the Omni Amelia Island, was gorgeous! We checked in and enjoyed the pool, beach, and resort restaurants. We ended our first night with a fun mini golf game at their onsite course. They even had a giant chess set to play while waiting for your start. It was nice to be in Florida!
DAY 3
Day 3 - Today we got even more adventurous! After a quick snack, we took a ride back to Amelia's Wheels and we traded in our bicycles for Segways! Segways are personal transportation devices and the Omni offers various tours on Segways. After a brief instructional video and some on-site training, we were off and running! Little Michael was an expert in no time! Our group took the Segways throughout the property ending at the pier (pictured to the right) with a brief history of the island given. Amelia Island is a very relaxing part of Florida; very low key, low stress, and beautiful! We would definitely go back. After the tour, we spent some time at the pool and enjoyed a nice BBQ dinner at the resort.
DAY 2
Day 2 - After breakfast, we headed over to "Amelia's Wheels", the Omni's on-site bicycle, Segway, and golf cart rental shed. Today, we rented bikes for the day. The property has approximately seven miles of trails that direct you to various points of interest. Our tour lead us around to check out a marshy area, a playground, and some of the local condominiums that you could purchase on property. We even took the bicycles for a brief ride on the beach. We were able to keep the bicycles for a full 24 hours, so we locked them in front of the hotel and headed off property for a quick dinner at the south's famous Zaxby's. Who doesn't enjoy some good fried chicken to end the day? We headed back to the hotel and watched the sunset from our balcony!
DAY 5
Day 5 - Today was mostly a relocation day! We had a little breakfast at our hotel, packed up our bags, and were on our way. The drive from Amelia Island to Washington D.C. was approximately 700 miles and took nearly 10 hours. Wow! We made it. We checked into our lovely hotel in Alexandria, VA, The Ritz Carlton Pentagon City, unloaded the car, and got some take out for dinner. This hotel is in a very convenient and central spot with direct access to a major mall and the Metro. We spent a little time getting our bearings on the area. Tomorrow, we were meeting some friends from Michael's school, so he was very excited about that!
DAY 4
Day 4 - What else could we possibly rent!?? How about a golf cart? Yes, on our last day on Amelia Island, we rented a golf cart. Little Michael and Karen started their day at the driving range, hitting a few balls! Dad stayed at the pool for some relaxing time. After they were done golfing they returned back to the main entranceway, with a golf cart! We all boarded and did some zig- zagging across property in the golf cart. Hold on to your hat and sunglasses! This ride gets wild. After a little organizing in the room, we ended our stay at the Omni's Verandah restaurant, a short golf cart ride away and retired early for the 2nd part of our adventure, Washington D.C.
DAY 6
Day 6 - We found a local bakery for breakfast and headed into central Washington D.C. for our first event. We met our friends at the International Spy Museum. Everyone enjoyed this one. The museum houses a collection of international espionage artifacts and lets you pick a secret identity to solve a mystery as you walk through the museum. Once done, we headed out for some ice cream and took a few pictures in front of the U.S. Capitol. We then headed to Washington's waterfront area for a nice outside late lunch at Hank's Oyster Bar. After lunch, we spent some time in the National Archives, where you can view the original Declaration of Independence, as well as many historical artifacts. Amazing! Another beautiful and fun day complete!
DAY 4
DAY 7
Day 7 - We have reached the last full day of our trip. After another quick Metro ride, we took a nice walk to cover many of the famous monuments. We viewed and took some photos of the Lincoln, Washington, MLK, Jr., and World War II monuments. After touring the monuments, we spent some time in one of the many Smithsonians (we chose the National Museum of American History). After seeing some of the highlights like Kermit and Dorothy's shoes, we met the group for a fantastic lunch at the historic Old Ebbitt Grill, aside from the White House. After lunch, we took a guided tour of Arlington National Cemetery. This is a site to see and ended the day, viewing the famous "Changing of the Guards". After dinner at the hotel, our trip is a wrap! In the AM, we headed back to Boston!
WHAT WE THOUGHT OF IT
MICHAEL
KAREN
MICHAEL S
