Another Great Day in Florida

Today we headed out to Egmont Key Island for a fun adventure!

We took a scenic tour through the Gulf of Mexico near St. Petersburg and enjoyed beautiful coastal views. 

Along the way, we saw several dolphins swimming and playing near the boat, making the experience even more memorable.

On our Gulf of Mexico cruise near St. Petersburg, I spotted the Don CeSar—the “Pink Palace”—clearly along the shoreline. 

It took me right back to 2011, when Jason and I stayed there for a few days while he attended a conference; I spent most of my time on the beach.  It was such a great vacation!

Ever since t hen. I have always wanted to go back to that area of Florida because of the amazing beaches!

Egmont Key is a remote island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, reachable only by boat, which made arriving there feel especially special. We climbed down a ladder and waded through the water to step off the boat onto the island.

The island is rich with history and wildlife, including the 1858 lighthouse, the ruins of Fort Dade from the Spanish-American War era.

We explored the island on foot taking in the quiet, natural beauty.       

Egmont Key Island  also serves as a refuge for 

gopher tortoises and nesting sea turtles.

As we explored the island, we spotted a gopher tortoise!

We did some shelling.  I didn't find anything too spectacular.

But I did find this heart shaped rock!

After we explored, we got back on to the boat and headed to another spot to do some snorkeling.  

Snorkeling made me feel a bit anxious, so I stayed closer to the shore and just walked around in the ocean instead. 

The girls said I wasn’t missing much since there wasn’t a lot to see while they were snorkeling, and that honestly made me feel a lot better about my choice.

After the snorkeling adventure, we headed back to Clearwater. It was a really fun and relaxed morning for all of us.

We were all pretty hungry, so we found a spot for lunch that made fresh empanadas and also tried fried plantains. 

I really liked the empanada, but I wasn’t much of a fan of the plantains.

After lunch, we headed back to St. Pete's beach. 

We spent another relaxing afternoon and evening at the beautiful beach, staying until sunset. 

We were completely in awe of the beauty all around us!

We headed back to the Airbnb, made a plan for the next day, and stayed up late chatting. It was another great day in Florida!