Me and my husband were finally able to get some time off from our work and we made plans to spend the short amount of time experiencing something we have never done before. Looking for some short weekend getaways, I stumbled upon the Utopia Of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. An oasis class ship that is set to do it's inaugural sail on July 19. It is the second largest cruise ship in the world next to it's sister, the Icon of the seas. What better way to experience and be introduced to the cruise life than being able to sail on a new ship. So in June 2024, we booked a reservation on what will be known as the World's biggest weekend, the Utopia of the Seas. The booking process was a breeze, choose your available dates, pick a room and pay. Can't be anymore straightforward than that. We chose our sail dates of August 9 to August 12, booked a balcony room with ocean view. For t...
This weekend, we were craving for one of our favorite fast food so we planned to wake up bright and early on a Sunday to brave the 5 hour drive to Jacksonville, Florida to visit Jollibee USA, Home of the famous chickenjoy! Woke up around 4am not knowing it was actually daylight savings time so we lost an hour of sleep but it was all good since we went to bed early anyways. Left home at 5am(CST) and got to Jacksonville around 11am(EST). Filled up our tummies with some Burger steaks, Chickenjoy, spaghetti and peach mango pies! We were a little upset because they didn't have a full menu because of the pandemic so we didn't get to have our favorite Halo-halo, sundaes and pearl coolers!
Jollibee's famous peach mango pie
After eating lunch we didn't want to drive back home right away so we looked for a nice place where we could maybe kill some time and sight see. 45 minutes drive from Jacksonville, we headed towards St. Augustine. We read that this is the oldest town in the United states and since we already visited the second oldest town in the US which is Santa Fe, New Mexico, might as well see the oldest!
The 1886 old drug store, now it is the Potter's wax museum, America's oldest wax museum
I'm not going to do a history lesson on Saint Augustine, since I don't really know much about it aside from what I've read through google searches, one thing I know is that it is indeed the oldest town in the US and also located in downtown on St. George street stands the oldest wooden school which I got to see, and that alone makes me happy. A brief walk through downtown we were greeted by crowds of people and a little disclosure, we were wearing our masks and I only took mine off when I was getting my pictures taken and of course we also practiced social distancing. Most of the other people there were doing the same, but of course you will see a few others who didn't really care much about the pandemic.
The oldest wooden school house in the USA
I'm not sure if this area is this busy everyday or if it was because it was a Sunday. We spent a few minutes driving around looking for a parking spot but we just ended up going to a paid parking structure next to the visitors center which had ample parking. It was $15 for the day.
We walked around St. George and nearby streets and it was beautiful. Streets were lined up with different bars and restaurants, fortune tellers, massage places, churches, ice cream parlors and whatnot's. There were so many people, mostly tourists like us doing their own thing that the place just seemed too crowded.
One sweet thing about walking around this area is right outside of the historic downtown area is the fort right next to the marina, we saw alot of trolleys and horse-draw carriages, also little tricycles, but you really don't need to spend to explore the city, just your own two feet should be good.
St. George street
St. Augustine Marinas
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Long line of people wanting to see the fort.
That is all with our brief visit to St. Augustine, I will include our video walking through the streets of Saint Augustine so you get to feel that first person vibe. I hope you enjoy!
Do you know any places worth visiting in Florida, I know there are alot but are there any places that stand out and left great memories while you were there? Let me know, I really want to discover America, one day at a time. Thanks for reading!
Traveling doesn't have to be a break from reality, from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life. You don't have to spend a fortune to go places, and you don't need excuses that you don't have much time to do these, it only takes a little to do alot.
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