Disney New Years: Boardwalk & Celebration (Day 1)

“We’re almost there,” I exclaimed as we approached exit 64 on I-4 in Kissimmee, Florida. The exit sign noted this was the exit to Disney World but we were not here to visit the Magic Kingdom. Instead, we turned left onto 192 and headed for Celebration, the planned community built by the Walt Disney Company back in the mid 90’s inspired by the architecture and layout of small southern towns such as Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana. We were going to check out the town over the next few days exploring it as a potential new place to call home once my wife relocates here to accept a new job this summer. Later in the evening we would check into our hotel at the nearby Disney Boardwalk Resort where my wife would be attending a medical conference over the next few days and the highlight of our trip would be a visit to Epcot on New Year’s Eve.

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Rodeo at the Beach in Brunswick, GA

We had arrived at the Exchange Club Fair Grounds in Brunswick, Georgia for the second annual Rodeo at the Beach. Just weeks earlier we had attended the Cole Bros. Circus here and it was amazing how different the place looked as we entered the main grounds. Instead of a big top there was a rodeo ring surrounded by bleachers. And outside the ring was a variety of booths and tents with offerings like those typical of local street festivals.

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Easter on Jekyll Island, Georgia

As I pulled into the parking area for the Jekyll Island Easter Egg Stroll I saw purple and blue horses in the distance. “Oh good,” I thought, “the wagon rides are back again this year.” This was my second year to attend the Easter Egg Stroll in Jekyll Island, Georgia’s famed historic district. My daughter, now four, was beyond excited to arrive and the sight of the purple and blue horses just increased her excitement.

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Florida Aquarium in Tampa Bay, Florida

“This is our stop,” I said to my daughter as the streetcar came to a stop. I held her hand as she hopped onto the sidewalk. The streetcar drove away and we followed the family who had also gotten off at this stop. Soon we all realized we had gotten off one stop too early as we watched the streetcar stop right in front of the Florida Aquarium.

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Tampa Bay History Center

“What a beautiful area,” I thought as I stood on the riverwalk in downtown Tampa Bay, Florida. This was my second day in the Tampa Bay area having spent the previous day visiting the Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site and South Florida Museum in nearby Bradenton. The riverwalk looked newly constructed as did the Tampa Bay History Center. My (almost) four year old daughter played on a large alligator model while I took in the views of along the riverwalk.

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South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Florida

As I stepped into the South Florida Museum with my three year old daughter we were immediately confronted with a giant skeleton. The skeleton was of a giant tiger that once called Florida home over 10,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. Beyond this skeleton was another room with an even larger skeleton. This skeleton was of one of the giant elephants called mastodons that shared the Florida landscape with the giant tiger.

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Madira Bickel Mound near Tampa Bay, Florida

I was heading south of Tampa on Highway 19 to visit the South Florida Musuem in Bradenton when I saw brown signs stating “Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site.” I remembered reading something about this site and so I asked my almost-four year old daughter, “You wanna go to a park?” She responded, “Yeah!” so we decided to give it a look.

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