Florida’s Best Winter
Getaways For Families!
WORDS: Kara Chalmers
You’ve got one week with your
kids after the holidays and before
school starts again in January. So,
plan an adventure to a Florida destination
best visited in winter. Trade in theme parks
for natural wonders, wildlife, and historic
treasures. Your kids will make amazing
memories and get to do what they like
best - spend quality time with you!
See St. Augustine’s
Lights and Sights
Time from Bradenton: 3 hours 45 minutes
St. Augustine, with its fun-yet-educational
at tractions and Spanish Colonial
architecture that makes you feel you’ve
stepped back in time, is great for families
any time of year. But through January
31st, the city is especially lovely, as it puts
on Nights of Lights, one of the world’s
best holiday lighting dis-plays. Stroll the
charming streets of the historic district,
or take a horse-drawn carriage ride, and
view millions of sparkling white lights,
strung throughout the city.
A few miles away are Atlantic beaches,
where, even if it’s too chilly to swim, you
can walk the unspoiled shores.
Take your St. Augustine
vacation up a notch by
tacking a few days
at a luxury beach resort on to the end of
it. Drive north on scenic A1A and you’ll
reach Ponte Vedra Beach, home to the
lavish yet family-oriented Ponte Vedra
Inn and Club, boasting several diverse
restau-rants, heated pools, activities just
for kids, and beach bikes and ocean
kayaks for rent.
PLAY: Get a feel for St. Augustine, and
an idea of the attractions you want to
visit later, on a sight-seeing tour. A quick
study shows there are some two dozen
attractions, ranging from walking to a
pirate ship. The hop on/ hop off trolley
and train tours take you all over the
city, giving you a history lesson along
the way. Ghost tours abound here. The
(from
Believe It or Not!), which focuses on the
paranormal rather than ghost stories, is
likely best for kids. While there are simply
too many family-friendly attractions in St.
Augustine to list, locals say “must-dos”
include Castillo de San Marcos, the
Colonial Quarter, the Oldest Wooden
School House, the Pirate and Treasure
.
STAY: Truly immerse yourself in the St.
Augustine culture by staying at a bedand
breakfast inn in the historic district.
Although some don’t allow kids, the
gorgeous Kenwood Inn does. Also, the
Pirate Haus Inn, with its free breakfast
and themed rooms, including “map,”
“pirate” and “tree,” is a budg-et-friendly
option for families. Or, splurge on the