A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

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Stanczyk
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A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Stanczyk »

My wife and kids (7/8) often travelled to Europe, MX, or the West Coast. However, with Covid, and having 2 unvaccinated kids we do not want to fly. My kids have a week off at the beginning of October and we have family in Jacksonville (who we have never visited). We will be driving from Houston. In short, we have 9 days total (let's say 3-4 in Jacksonville). For the rest, where should we stop? What should we do? We want to stick to the North of Florida, to not go farther from home, and plan to avoid crowded places (e.g. Orlando- though my son would LOVE Legoland- it is not in the cards now with Covid).

In short, is there somewhere specific we should stop or visit? Destin? Panama City? Amelia Island? We love beaches, parks, and hiking; the kids love wildlife- and dream of seeing manatees. Any advice will be much appreciated as we have never ventured in that direction- thank you.
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celia
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by celia »

I’d wait till covid dies down before going to Florida. Invite the relatives to visit you! I’m sure there are places within an hour of you that you haven’t seen yet. If your kids were over 12, my answer might be different.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Mel Lindauer »

In addition to the cities you mentioned, just a little south of JAX is the historic and charming city of St. Augustine, supposedly the oldest inhabited city in the US. Definitely worth a day trip.
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Taz
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Taz »

Off the top of my head -- The Jacksonville Zoo is pretty nice -- with manatees :D . The water temp in Jax will not be great in Oct to see manatees in the wild. There are several small forts in the area: Fort Caroline (Jax), Castillo de San Marcos (St Aug), Fort Matanzas (a few miles south of St Aug which has a short boat ride to get to the small structure). There is a lighthouse in St Augustine. Of course there is the Alligator Farm as well.

There is an education center at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve between Jax and St Augustine. The reserve has hiking trails. More beach side trails north of Jax on Ameila Island.

On the drive to NE Florida, you can stop at the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola. No military ID required.
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Conch55
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Conch55 »

Definitely recommend Crescent Beach, just south of St Augustine. Great place to take younger kids in the off season. Water temp should be fine, we've been there in November the ocean was still pretty warm.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Spike Holland »

If you're into golf at all, the World Golf Hall of Fame (near St. Augustine) is well worth seeing. It has some interactive stuff that kids might enjoy. You can try your hand at hitting toward an island green in a lake outside the main building. The beaches in the Panhandle of Florida (Pensacola to Panama City) are the nicest I've ever seen and the water is warm. Not good for surfing, however.

I echo the recommendation to see the Navy Air Museum in Pensacola. I believe there is at least one Civil War era fort in the Mobile, Al - Pensacola area the the kids might enjoy as well as the USS Alabama WWII era battleship in Mobile.

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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by KaskadeForever »

I highly recommend Ichetuknee Springs State Park. It’s beautiful crystal clear spring water. You can rent paddle boards or tubes and float down the river. It’s a beautiful idyllic place that’s popular. The only thing is the water is cold, you need to go when it’s hot out, I don’t know if the weather in October would be a little too chilly.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by dukeblue219 »

Since you mentioned concern about COVID, I assume you understand that it seems like nobody in Florida masks or distances. My FIL is a doctor in FL and remains utterly appalled at the way the state has handled COVID.

I personally would rather fly in a clean airplane with masked passengers to a safe location than drive to Florida right now, but I'm not trying to shame you into that either.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Barkingsparrow »

dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:10 am Since you mentioned concern about COVID, I assume you understand that it seems like nobody in Florida masks or distances. My FIL is a doctor in FL and remains utterly appalled at the way the state has handled COVID.

I personally would rather fly in a clean airplane with masked passengers to a safe location than drive to Florida right now, but I'm not trying to shame you into that either.
Exactly. Which is why we are going to New Mexico which has 71.5% of the population with at least one dose, and takes Covid seriously.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by LoveTheBogle »

dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:10 am Since you mentioned concern about COVID, I assume you understand that it seems like nobody in Florida masks or distances. My FIL is a doctor in FL and remains utterly appalled at the way the state has handled COVID.

I personally would rather fly in a clean airplane with masked passengers to a safe location than drive to Florida right now, but I'm not trying to shame you into that either.
The statistics disagree with your FIL’s opinion.

The statistics agree with your air travel vs automobile travel opinion.
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Brianmcg321
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Brianmcg321 »

dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:10 am Since you mentioned concern about COVID, I assume you understand that it seems like nobody in Florida masks or distances. My FIL is a doctor in FL and remains utterly appalled at the way the state has handled COVID.

I personally would rather fly in a clean airplane with masked passengers to a safe location than drive to Florida right now, but I'm not trying to shame you into that either.
This isn’t true at all. Everywhere I go in Florida, everyone is following social distancing and wearing masks. That’s in around highland beach and new Smyrna. Pretty much the same as I’ve seen anywhere.
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dukeblue219
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by dukeblue219 »

Brianmcg321 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 4:54 pm
dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:10 am Since you mentioned concern about COVID, I assume you understand that it seems like nobody in Florida masks or distances. My FIL is a doctor in FL and remains utterly appalled at the way the state has handled COVID.

I personally would rather fly in a clean airplane with masked passengers to a safe location than drive to Florida right now, but I'm not trying to shame you into that either.
This isn’t true at all. Everywhere I go in Florida, everyone is following social distancing and wearing masks. That’s in around highland beach and new Smyrna. Pretty much the same as I’ve seen anywhere.
Glad to hear it isn't the whole state.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by garland_briggs »

The Naval Aviation Museum is closed to civilians right now.
Unless sponsored through the Trusted Traveler program, no civilians will be granted access onto the base until further notice, and thus will not be able to access the National Naval Aviation Museum.
I've lived on the Florida Gulf Coast for 5 years and I would skip Panama City Beach unless you are looking for something cheaper. Pensacola, Navarre, Okaloosa Island, and Destin all have great beaches. McGuire's is a very popular and good Irish Pub in Destin.

As others have said, COVID is not treated seriously around here. Almost nobody wears masks and the vaccination rates are very low.
blackburnian
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by blackburnian »

There are so many beautiful natural areas in North Florida.
Around Tallahassee, many hiking opportunities in Apalachicola National Forest.
On the coast south of Tallahassee, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is a great spot, and you can get seafood at nearby Panacea.
Also wonderful is Wakulla Springs State Park, where you can take a boat tour in the crystal clear spring and also swim.
And St Joseph Peninsula State Park is another gorgeous spot. You can rent a cabin and stay overnight there.
Or you could go north from Jacksonville and visit the Okefenokee Swamp and take a boat tour.
For manatees, try Crystal River.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Random Musings »

Barkingsparrow wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 11:01 am
dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:10 am Since you mentioned concern about COVID, I assume you understand that it seems like nobody in Florida masks or distances. My FIL is a doctor in FL and remains utterly appalled at the way the state has handled COVID.

I personally would rather fly in a clean airplane with masked passengers to a safe location than drive to Florida right now, but I'm not trying to shame you into that either.
Exactly. Which is why we are going to New Mexico which has 71.5% of the population with at least one dose, and takes Covid seriously.
From the CDC site today, I see the national average at 76.4% for at least one dose (over 16 years of age). So not sure if we are comparing apples to apples, but if so, New Mexico would be below average.

To the OP. Go to FL. As mentioned, St. Augustine is nice. Regardless of where you go, there is some level of risk. I avoid areas where people are stuffed like sardines, but I don't go to clubs, bars, indoor sports events or concerts. I prefer the great outdoors, but that has been my preference anyway.

RM
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SchruteB&B
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by SchruteB&B »

garland_briggs wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:49 pm
the vaccination rates are very low.
Comparatively the vaccination rates in Florida are not “very low.” Florida is currrently ranked 21 of the states in terms of percentage of population fully vaccinated. So it’s a bit above average.


https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/p ... ch-15.html
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by JBTX »

KaskadeForever wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:00 am I highly recommend Ichetuknee Springs State Park. It’s beautiful crystal clear spring water. You can rent paddle boards or tubes and float down the river. It’s a beautiful idyllic place that’s popular. The only thing is the water is cold, you need to go when it’s hot out, I don’t know if the weather in October would be a little too chilly.
It is spring fed, so the water will almost always be 68-72 degrees. While weather can vary, outside should be comfortable, and for the most part you are tubing.

https://ichetuckneesprings.com/park-history/

It can flood this time of year, and the water will be slower, higher and not quite as clean. No idea what that means for October.

Other ideas in the Gainesville area: there are some parks where you can literally walk right by alligators and other wildlife. Even though I spent much of my life in FL it still freaked me out- they sometimes lay right up on the trail. At one point we were within 4-5 feet of a reasonably large one. If it's cool outside they are pretty dormant. It was somewhere east gainesville, perhaps Sweetwater or North Paynes Prairie.

There is a rainforest butterfly museum at university of florida

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/exhib ... ainforest/

My kids always enjoyed it. It's not something that takes a long time to get through. It is part of a natural history museum.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by JBTX »

SchruteB&B wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:31 pm
garland_briggs wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:49 pm
the vaccination rates are very low.
Comparatively the vaccination rates in Florida are not “very low.” Florida is currrently ranked 21 of the states in terms of percentage of population fully vaccinated. So it’s a bit above average.


https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/p ... ch-15.html
Just for context, and don't want to turn it into covid debate, but to help OP decide. FL currently does have one of the higher infection rates, but is seems to have plateued and by Oct may be looking somewhat better. I had read a couple of things that predicted "herd immunity" would be reached there mid September. Practically I don't know what that means.

The vax rate there is about average, but it is higher than others because the average age in the state is higher than normal, and vax rates are higher as you get older.

Personally I wouldn't be too worried with 7/8 year olds, the danger for them is comparable to the flu. I'd probably just avoid any overly crowded areas. With so much outdoor stuff to do that will help.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by garland_briggs »

SchruteB&B wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 8:31 pm
garland_briggs wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:49 pm
the vaccination rates are very low.
Comparatively the vaccination rates in Florida are not “very low.” Florida is currrently ranked 21 of the states in terms of percentage of population fully vaccinated. So it’s a bit above average.


https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/p ... ch-15.html
I specified that vaccination rates are low in the panhandle. Escambia (44.1%), Santa Rosa (41%), Okaloosa (46.7%), Walton (39.2%), and Bay (41.2%) counties are very low compared to the FL (55.57%) and national average (54.5%) of those fully vaccinated.
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Taz »

garland_briggs wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:49 pm The Naval Aviation Museum is closed to civilians right now.
Unless sponsored through the Trusted Traveler program, no civilians will be granted access onto the base until further notice, and thus will not be able to access the National Naval Aviation Museum.
Garland - Thanks for the update. Not a sensitive facility so not sure why the policy change. I'm visiting in Oct - but I have access as a retiree.

Taz
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Silk McCue
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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by Silk McCue »

The Florida Covid hysteria posts are laughable. Everything is local and it is very easy for you to be safe just like any other state by making good choices about where you go and what you do.

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Re: A week in Northern Florida with kids 7 and 8- where to go?

Post by northtexan »

If your kids enjoy treasure hunts or finding things, micklers beach is great for shells and specifically shark teeth, they are very small but can be found in large numbers. My family and I have found upwards of 100 in a single day. The shells there are pretty great also compared to jax beach. St Augustine is also pretty cool, one of the oldest town in the US. They have a fort that you can tour. It will be busy during most of the day but I imagine early morning would be good to explore with less people.

When at jax beach you will have to stop and get ritas italian ice. It is a staple for my family and after a long day at the beach ritas is awesome.
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