Florida Trip #1 – St. George Island

June 12th – June 15th, 2019

Florida - Round one!

Our first trip to Florida was actually kind of last minute. My 12-year-old nephew, Nathan, was visiting. He mentioned he hadn’t seen the ocean since he was tiny, and didn’t remember it. Since we only lived about four hours away from the Florida panhandle, that was the perfect excuse to test out the camper and all the work we’d done to renovate it.

We researched a few options for where to stay, and were drawn to St. George Island State Park. It’s on the pristine beaches of St. George Island, and they do a ton to conserve the wildlife and natural dunes! After reading about sea turtle nests and seeing photos of the long, beautiful beaches, we knew it’d be the perfect spot.

Since it was last minute, the State Park campground barely had any sites available. We were able to book two nights there though, even if that meant we had to switch camping spots halfway through our stay. 

Two nights wasn’t enough, so we decided to leave a day early and dry camp for free in Apalachicola National Forest - Florida's largest forest. Many National Forests allow dispersed camping which lets you camp there for up to 14 days. No hook-ups of course, but we could deal.

The drive down was smooth, but we noticed increasing hurricane damage as we got closer to the ocean. Some areas were still closed off from the effects of Hurricane Michael, and many of the tall pine trees had been knocked over.

After driving through the forest for what seemed like forever, we found a very private spot right beside a large river. It was a small cul-de-sac with a few marked campsites and a tiny dock jutting out into the water. It was also a SWAMP. Between each campsite was a shallow pond with interesting plants, frogs, and tons of bugs.

We picked our spot and parked, then got out to check out the area. The nearby dock was just big enough for the bench that sat on it. It was the perfect peaceful spot on the water for morning coffee and late-night fishing. The dogs liked the easy access to water but I found myself watching for gators most of the time.

There was one other travel trailer there. The closer we looked at it, the weirder it got. The camper was obviously in disrepair. Windows were broken and there was writing on the door.

Someone had drawn a hand getting chopped off, and written the words “I’m watching” and other random ominous things. The inside showed it was definitely abandoned but made us wonder all night about the kind of person who did live there.

After a long drive, we had some energy to burn. When we finished exploring the campground and making sure it was safe, we cooled off with a quick jump into the river. The water was cool, clean, and felt amazing in the Florida heat.

We got to swim, but were still itching to see the ocean. We had no power at this site, so that meant no A/C for the dogs if we had to leave them. Luckily, St. George Island is very dog friendly and has a public beach area that allows dogs to swim. Both dogs love the beach, so we were excited that it was so easy for them to enjoy it too! We unhitched the truck and headed toward St. George Island.

Getting there was an adventure in itself. The route we took had water crossing the road in a few areas. The puddles were no more than two feet deep and the truck did just fine. Nathan got a kick out of it too.

As we got closer, we saw a bridge that seemed to go on forever into the water and realized it was the one we’d be taking to reach St. George Island!

It was the longest bridge I’ve ever seen. It’s about 5 miles across, and you’re completely surrounded with water the entire time. It was such an awesome view – like we were driving on water.

We watched the island come into view and I felt a little better to be on solid ground. Since the island is so long and narrow, the views are awesome from anywhere along the drive. I was constantly reminded of just how huge the ocean is and how small we are! There’s a cute little lighthouse near the center of the island that you can go into, some beachy souvenir shops, and great restaurants too.

We stopped at the public beach to complete our main quest – getting my nephew to the ocean! The white sand was so fine it felt soft and squeaky on our feet. The beach was beautifully natural, as the rest of the island is, and still so clean – didn’t even have seaweed in the water. Nathan was all smiles as we got closer to the water. He stood on the edge for a while with the waves washing over his feet.
 

The boys got in and I held the dogs who hopped through the waves looking for crabs. Everyone had a blast.

I was SO excited for some fresh seafood on the beach! There were many options for dinner, but we were specifically looking for dog-friendly restaurants. We picked Blue Parrot Ocean Front Cafe.

They were right on the beach that we’d been swimming on, and had a large outdoor seating area that welcomed dogs. They even have a bar on the beach and rent out jet skis, which is pretty epic.

We stayed by the water until our table was ready. The food was delicious and fresh. The sunset over the water was stunning and the gentle breeze from the ocean was the cherry on top.

After dinner we drove back to our spot in the swamp. Outside of the camper, we struggled to ward off the hungry mosquitoes with bug spray, but that night, the sounds of the frogs and bugs lulled us to sleep.

The next morning, we packed up camp and drove back to the island – this time with the camper! We officially had a house on an island! It was such a cool experience to bring our home with us to the beach. We stopped right after the bridge and checked out the sound area. The casting net didn’t catch anything, but we found hundreds of hermit crabs just hanging out in the shallow water.

It was time to check-in, so we made our way to St. George Island State Park. The park rangers and staff were kind and really cared about their park! They have conservation projects going on that you can get involved in.

The beach was pristine, and we saw marked sea turtle nest areas as well as protected bird nests. It was great to see nature being preserved and cared for.

Inside the park, the beach was much less crowded. The dogs were not allowed on the beach inside of the State Park, but they did enjoy the A/C since we had hookups!

The campground was full but still quiet. The bathhouse was nice and clean. There were kids riding bikes but other than that we didn’t see many people.

My favorite part was going for a walk down to the beach in the early morning or late night and being the only people there. In the morning we found cool shells and watched the world wake up. At night, we gazed at the stars, waded through waves, and felt totally at peace.
 

The park had a few trails that were a really interesting look into the flora and fauna of Florida. There are signs everywhere that tell you to watch out for gators, but we didn’t see any near the campground.

We loved the campground and beach so much that we decided to extend our stay. On our last night on the island, we tried a place called The Beach Pit. Their baked beans were the best I’ve ever had, and the food was high quality and fairly priced. We even went back the next day to get some lunch before we hit the road.

After 4 days of water, sand, and sun, we were spent. I loved having a beach house for a few days. Everything was covered in sand, but we felt accomplished and relaxed at the same time. It was hard to leave and Kyle & I ended up coming back to Florida less than 2 weeks later!