Daytona Beach & Cape Canaveral

After leaving Saint Augustine and stopping off at the fort our goal for today is to get to Daytona beach which is enroute to Key Largo which signifies the third and final stage of our adventure.

Enroute we pass a pretty pier which is deserves a venture and a picture. We only stopped for 30-40mins to take a walk down the long pier. Near to Daytona we see a English style pub and head in for lunch, going classic with dishes of bangers and mash and liver, bacon & onion. Interestingly the owner came over hearing our voices, he was a Londoner, broad cockney and he seemed to like the fact we were British, the food was okay….

In Daytona we know not much of this place other than it’s known for a very long beach and the home of NASCAR, not that we are interested in racing. We have booked in a hotel on the beach front hoping for an afternoon on the beach or pool depending on weather. We check into our sea view room which is actually located on the side of building and you can see the sea if you put your head out of the window, good job is was only $60 a night!

That afternoon we did as planned, hitting the beach and pool, building a sandcastle but the sea was very rough and no one but me was in it, I took the hint and settled for the calm pool. The beach was very long, as far as you could see in both directions, cars could also drive on it which we thought was odd. At the side of the pool it had a type of dry curling without the scrubbing. We played this for a good hour or so as it was great fun, we were both pretty average.

That evening we went for a pizza, getting one each which turns out to be a mistake. The pizza was very tasty but we ended up going home with nearly a full pizza in a doggy bag. That night we did some more planning and booked somewhere to stay after visiting NASA, the last place we go before hitting the Keys.

Following our breakfast of re-heated pizza we checkout and hit the road. Our goal is West Palm beach but first we head to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre. We arrive about 11ish, got in and started exploring. I visited this place when I was a kid, some things brought back memories like the massive Apollo spacecraft laying on its side but a lot had changed and had been americanised and mare tourist friendly which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After a brief tour we jumped on a bus and headed of around the huge site. The site itself is impressive but our tour guide we had was mediocre tbh. We get off to see the Saturn V rocket and after a interesting video we get to see it. It's massive, the largest rocket ever made at 360ft! We explore, get some good photos and head back on the bus back to the main visitors centre.

At the visitors centre we head for Atlantis which flew its last mission in 2011, cost 196 bn dollars in 2011 and could fly nearly 17600 mph, impressive!. Again we explore this, the hubble aircraft and other attractions on mars and the moon landings. We have already been 4+ hours just seeing 4-5 attractions so we head off to find the last one which sounds good, a launch simulator.

After only a 5-10 min queue we get in the simulator, strap ourselves in and prepare for take off. The countdown begins and the simulator kicks into action. Its shakes, it screams, goes at what feels like a 180 degree angle, feeling like you're actually moving however this is just tricks of the mind with huge screens, loud noises and well timed shaking and jerking! After leaving we check and the floor inclines by 7 degrees and the seat declines 62.5 degrees which is nearly close to being laid on your back. Eventually we reach out of space, which is hard to simulate I guess, and the simulator ends. We have had our fill of space, Izzi obviously had and we set of the West Palm beach. The goal is to drive 2-3 hours further south before crashing for the night to then do the same the next day until we hit Key Largo!

Savannah & Saint Augustine

A short drive south from Hilton Head is Savannah, one of the oldest city in the USA, tainted as a quaint and classically colonial town with vast quantities of character and a quintessentially British stemming from its roots as a British colony establishment is in early 1700’s.

We arrive with a plan to spend the full day stomping around soaking up the sights in the Historic District but to stay just out of town in a motel complex. The first thing we do is park up at the visitors center, pick up a map and head for The Wilkes House, something which lonely planet and Vic both mentioned to us so we thought this must been seen. We arrive and as detailed in the guide book we see the queue from the end of the street, not to be put off we join the queue. The Wilkes House is a very old home style restaurant which serves food daily and is very well known and rated. We queue for an hour before getting to the front. We walk in not knowing what to expect and are seated by big friendly black women speaking in a thick southern tone. The tables seat about 10 people, once filled the feast begins. They bring out more food than you can comprehend from chicken, beef stew, BBQ pork, several types of veg and squash, mac’n’cheese, mash potatoes, savannah rice, gravy and cornbread. We all passed the food around and loaded up our plates taking more than all could eat and still having huge amounts left over. We sat next to and got talking to a couple from Alabama who were amased when we told them we are from England. We spoke about sport, rugby and food. We felt like they had never met a foreigner before with some of the things they were saying, also we felt like like we had properly travelled more of the states than they had already :-). Either way they were very pleasant and inquisitive and hope we portrayed a good view of the English.

After a delicious dinner we head out around the town. We do a lap down through the old town seeing some of the classical colonial architecture and buildings. Through a cemetery and park where a lone jazz trumpet is playing in front of a water fountain, this felt very authentic and charming. We carry on stopping to take in the sights and locals before landing at a large cathedral. The cathedral was good but unfortunately didn't have the same charm or impact as some of the European gothic style cathedrals that we have seen so much of when visiting European cities.

We finish the day down on the waterfront picking up a few presents for people and visiting a massive candy shop and picking up some dessert for later on. We have only been in the town about 5 hours but have seen enough of it for its charm to rub off on us. We head back to the car and set off to find out motel for the evening. We drive about 10 miles out of town and onto a large hotel complex which seem to be prevalent on the interstates, housing several common hotel chains as well as gas stations and several chain restaurants. We check in and head the ‘cracker barrel’ for some food. A home style menu we get meat and two veg style, ‘obviously some of the veg is coated in butter as without it it would be too healthy & the American’s wouldn’t eat it!

The next day we awoke to another rubbish breakfast, surprisingly the breakfasts we have encountered have not been all that great but the other food we have eaten is usually good. Today we drive to Saint Augustine, another town further south which has similar properties to Savannah however Spanish in origin.

The drive isn't too bad and we arrive late morning ready for another full day's exploring. The day is wet and overcast but the temperatures are high and it's feeling very humid. We park up again at the visitors centre, get a map and head out around town. Our first stop is lunch, heading to ‘Hot Shot Cafe’ for a tasty sandwich and sauteed potatoes. We walk through the pedestrianised square past all the old buildings and universities which are all decorated in Spanish flags. Luckily everywhere is quiet due to the time of year and maybe the weather so is feels like we have the town to ourselves. We head to St Augustine Distillery after reading good reviews online. We luckily arrived 10 minutes before a tour starts so familiarize ourselves in the museum. They make Gin, Vodka and Bourbon using locally farmed produce in small quantities focusing on quality not quantity. Our guide was an engaging and knowledgeable young lady who talked in detail about the brew processes. The best bit came at the end when we got to try a gin and tonic and a moscow mule style drink with the distilleries vodka. Both were delicious and lubricated us up enough to purchase some more small gifts in the shop at the end. It was great fun and it's all free with the idea that after a drink and informative tour you purchase something from the shop which we did.

We head down from the distillery through the old town and headed for a large cathedral. The cathedral was the first and oldest cathedral in the USA, founded and built in the late 1600’s after the british burnt the original saint augustine to the ground which was founded in the late 1500’s. Again the cathedral was very well kept and nice to visit but both of us prefer the gothic style of European cathedrals.

The heavens opened and we took shelter in a nearby arcade. Eventually we purchase ponchos and carry on, sods law the rain soon ending once we leave and never returns that day. The few stops are to visit an old greek orthodox shrine and to head to a fort.

On the way out of town we stop at a lighthouse which turned out to be one of the best bits of saint augustine. For $10 p/p you get to go around the keeper's house, visit an historic ship building yard where they re-build boats using handtools and also head up all 219 steps to the top for great views of the area. A great way to finish off the afternoon.

Just a few miles down the road we check in a local hotel, heading for top rated local italian restaurant. Both our dishes tasting great with fresh ingredients and good portions. We settled down to a good night's sleep before moving on down to Daytona beach for a fleeting visit enroute to the keys.

The morning of checkout we set off with one planned stop at Matanza fort, purposely not properly visiting the fort in Saint Augustine the day before hoping for a better trip to the further out and off the beaten track fort we had read about, we were not disappointed. The fort is situated on a island you need to get a boat to and in a large conservation area. We saw some great bird life and again felt like it was all ours with a total of only 6 people on the boat over and the guide giving us a tour and history lesson as we went around. The fort itself was small and well maintained never having actually seen battle only having to fire warning shots several times in its history. We got to go to the top for good views of the swap area it sits on, having to squeeze through a small hole and climb a ladder to the top, I could barely fit through it! After the fort we walked on a wildlife trail spotting which looked like a baby raccoon and some other curious bits. All this was free so we left a small donation for the upkeep of the fort and park.

Hilton Head

We left Charleston for Hilton head, a golfing mecca known for its beaches and golf but we’re not interested in golf one bit. After a 2hr drive we arrived and checked in, annoyingly the hotel we had booked the night before was exactly where it said on the map but the rooms were 5 minutes further back from the beach, a bit of rip really. We checked in and the room was decent, a standard double bed with air con, coffee, fridge etc, we head straight to the pool to cool off in the remaining afternoon heat. The pool was nice and clean, cool and set of a large man made pool but this proved interesting with the large gator signs, many turtles and occasion large herron which would stalk fish during the day.

The evening we headed to the beach in search of a bite to eat and a few drinks. We were drawn towards some live music and sat at a hotel bar casually strolling through its reception like we were staying there. The bar was nice and served some local IPA’s. We soon got talking to a very friendly chap from Trinidad named Darryl, he was over for a few days on work but was more than willing to trade travel stories and questions about each other’s countries and cultures. We also got some tasty food, Izzi got deep fried mac’n’cheese balls and I got shrimp 'n' grits, a traditional southern dish which was basically prawn and porridge style grits but it tasted really good. After several beers we made our way home saying goodbye to Darryl, I think he enjoyed our company just as much as we did his enthusiastic and knowledgeable chats about the USA and Trinidad.

The next day we woke to head to breakfast which happens to be the worst breakfast we had been served yet. It consisted of some form of non-edible microwaved eggs, possibly microwaved barely edible bacon and some forms of bread to toast. Izzi nearly set the room on fire but getting some bread stuck in the toaster, something most enjoyable to encounter.

After a most unenjoyable breakfast we headed to the beach. The beach was really long and stretch as far as you could see in both directions, the sand was nice and it wasn't too busy that time of day. We settled for making some deck chairs out of sand and settled down for a few hours. The sea was nice, quite warm but not very clear, maybe due to the weather, it was also calm, maybe a bit too calm so I swam up and down in search of some waves.

After a few hours and as the beach became to fill, in the early afternoon we took refuge from the heat back at the hotel pool. Both of us after just a few hours were a bit burnt, maybe not enough cream, or maybe it just came off in the sea. We finished off the afternoon playing in the pool and catching the last few rays before a busy few days ahead.

That evening we headed for some food at a local restaurant, it was good with taste local beer and wine, live music but only mediocre food really. The next day we travel on to the next destination Savannah which takes us closer to the florida, the final state we will travel through.

Charleston & Magnolia Plantation

So we had an easy flight from DC on a spacious and friendly plane.  Landing in Charleston we luckily asked the help desk about our hotel and a taxi when she highlighted our hotel do free airport pickup which she immediately rang, bonus! After being picked we checked-in and got ready for a few days in Charleston. The hotel had a pool which was the first one we had come across so far so it felt rude to not go down and have a quick dip. The pool itself is located at the rear of the hotel pretty much in the car park but this was fine as cars rarely went by. It feels a lot hotter in charleston than anywhere else, hitting highs of 32+ during the day and only going down to the low 20’s at night, this is only set to get hotter the further south we go. We looked on tripadvisor and a highly rated BBQ joint was about 20 mins walk so we headed out for a stroll and what proceeded to be a damn fine BBQ with ribs, sausage, pulled pork, brisket, chips, coleslaw served with cheese biscuits for starter which was more like a sweet cheese fairycakes. We had a great feast and a few drinks, izzi on the wine and me on the local IPA’s and Bourbons. We headed back and slept well ready for a full day out the next day.

The next day we awoke and headed down for a particularly average breakfast, luckily not needing much from the feast we ate the night before. We headed into Charleston old town attempting to catch a bus but whilst waiting got talking to some women from Texas who we eventually shared a taxi with. We walked around and soaked up Charleston which is a quiat and charming town feeling quite different than anywhere else we had visited. On the list of things to do was to head to Fort Sumter, the place where the first shots of the civil war were fired. We boarded a boat with lots of other tourists and headed off to the fort which is located in the middle of the estuary. En-route we watched for dolphins unfortunately spotting only a few fins in the far distance.

Once at the fort we walked around occasionally taking shelter in old lookout towers from a brief rainstorm. The fort was average tbh, rebuilt several times and now housing a large black WWII bunker in the middle, I didn’t think it felt or retaining anything which felt very historic or old. We jumped on the boat home and headed back to Charleston harbor.

After getting a drink we headed for a series of old churches and paths which were original, one of the churches was the oldest church in the USA. Unfortunately after walking to all 4 of them they were all closed but still the paths and gardens were nice and proved idyllic for some good photos. We decided against the bus home and got a Uber, the first one we had used since arriving, luckily using a voucher to get us home for FREE! That evening after another quick dip in the pool we went to ‘Big Billys Burger Joint’, not bad but by now we are both craving something which isn’t fried, battered or breaded so it wasn’t the best food to eat and didn’t really leave us feeling great.

The final day we checked out, used the hotel free shuttle and went back to the airport. Today we pick up the car, after checking in and getting the keys we arrived at the car finding it was a tiny little hybrid which we couldn’t even get our suitcases in. We went back and moaned a bit which luckily they swapped it for a larger car which was good. After a little lap of the car park we set off, our destination is a plantation in between Charleston and our next destination Hilton Head.

We arrived after about an hour at Magnolia Plantation, parked up pleased with ourselves after our first outing on American roads. The plantation itself is famous and well known for its gardens and history. Originally a rice plantation, the rice also known as “carolina gold”, supplied at one point a ⅓ of all rice production in the world. It was also famous for is slavery and the way the owners campaigned for slave & women rights, at one point teaching slaves the 3 R’s even though it was against the law. We had booked on a “From Slavery to Freedom” tour which lasted only an hour or so but still interesting and we visited several old slave dwellings which had been preserved. The gardens were the main attraction, housing huge ancient oak trees covered in s

Spanish Moss from head to toe, both providing good photo opportunities.

Along with the trees and landscaped gardens there was a maze and petting zoo housing orphaned animals, both were enjoyable. The final part was a swap walk we took hoping to see alligators however we only saw woodpeckers, turtles and many insects.

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We now set of out for our next destination, about a 2hr drive further south to Hilton Head, a large island known for its golfing and beaches.