I rearranged the trip to accommodate Ine's swim team schedule because we were originally due to go at the end of January, and so now even though Leah would miss some school, we were planning to go for Ine's winter break. Now, for some reason, I booked the trip for us to arrive at Disney on Monday, February 23, but as the winter wore on, I decided "NO WAY!" and called Disney. They happily, for a relatively small fee, gave us an extra day in the hotel and at the parks, so we revised our travel plans to leave on Saturday the 21st and arrive on the 22nd. I told the girls I would wake them up when I got up, but ultimately I let them sleep till around 5AM before rousting them out of bed. There was a snowstorm due on the 21st, and I was surely going to leave before that.
We were on the road by 6AM, and had absolutely beautiful travel conditions. There was no traffic and no bad weather the entire way for the first leg of the trip. The plan was to drive into Florida the first night, but to stop on the way in Savannah GA for lunch and a trip to the beach at Tybee Island. I also decided that this trip we would stop at every state border to get a picture of Ine with the welcome signs, as I was disappointed not to have done that with Penny--we got to so many states while she was here, something like 14 and I didn't get welcome signs. They're a fun bit of Americana. So our first stops on the trip were to the welcome signs in North and South Carolina.
When we got out in South Carolina, it was still cool (maybe 40*F), but it was much warmer than it had been, and we were happy not to see snow any more!
Because of our detour into Savannah, we wound up not getting a picture of the Welcome to Georgia sign until the way back, so you'll have to wait. We pulled into Savannah around 1:00, which was what I was expecting. My decision was to take the girls to the Pirate House restaurant for lunch. The Pirate House is the first place I ate in Savannah when my parents drove us to Florida, and it is a neat place. It is rumored to be the oldest house in the state of Georgia, dating back to 1734 and has been serving food to travelers since 1753. You can read more about it here. They give the kids a pirate hat menu, which Ine was kind of sad she didn't get one, so I wound up getting her one on the way out.
Ine enjoyed a pimento cheese burger, and we ate happily before departing. I was able to show Ine some of Savannah's famous ironwork and the Spanish moss in the trees before heading out.
Our next stop was Tybee Island. I am a beach girl--Ine is tired of hearing this already. But I am my best self at the beach. The minute my feet touch the sand, it is like all my troubles melt away and I can just relax and enjoy myself. Since driving is hard work, I wanted to stop at the Tybee beach for a few hours. Ine's sister Lise collects lighthouses and there is a beautiful lighthouse on Tybee, so I also thought it would be fun for Ine to see that.
So the lighthouse was our first stop. We didn't climb it, Leah had fallen asleep in the car and was quiet for a little while, so we just pulled into the parking lot, took some pictures and left.
Now, usually when I am in Savannah, I have tour guides in the form of my friends the Wellses, who will get me where I need to go. Unfortunately (for me), last year they left Savannah and moved to Louisville KY, so I was on my own. I wound up plugging "Tybee Beach" into Google Maps and although it didn't give me a satisfactory answer, it showed me an area with water, so we decided to follow its sage wisdom. As we were driving around, following it, we found a beach access ramp and some parking and decided to take a chance. We parked, paid for the parking, woke Leah up, and headed to the beach.
It was a lovely day, maybe 70*F, and the minute we got down there, my cares disappeared. We started collecting seashells immediately, and Leah soon amassed a collection of several hundred. Leah and I walked down and stuck our feet in the Atlantic (I can assure you, it is FREEZING in February), and then she just started running, chasing seagulls, and having a grand time. Ine was beachcombing and drawing pictures in the sand, and eventually Leah caught up with her and the two of them began running around and having fun.
Leah was agitated that I hadn't made hotel reservations for the first night. I took a "wait and see" attitude and decided to drive till I got tired and I knew we would find a place. But as we got back in the car, Ine started to feel a bit carsick. She said she had eaten too many onions at lunch and she was feeling really unwell, so ultimately we decided to stop in Brunswick GA, about 40 miles from the Florida border. We got a room at one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed in, the Econolodge, after getting lost trying to find the stupid place and driving in circles. I kept Leah entertained by running to get ice, which took some doing as the ice machine on our floor was broken. The bathtub was broken, so I was too afraid to take a shower, but ultimately I was so tired, I fell asleep with no trouble at all.
The next morning, we went down to breakfast at the continental freebie they offered. There was a waffle maker, which was difficult to know how to use, but we ultimately figured it out. There was fruit, cereal, pastries, and juice, so everyone was able to eat up and enjoy themselves.Then we hit the road, ready to see the Sunshine State! It only took us about 30 minutes to cross the border, and we made the obligatory stop for pictures.
The room wasn't going to be ready for us till 3:00 at the Disney Resort, but that was OK because I had some plans first. The first snag we hit was that the Daytona 500 was on that day. So we got stuck in traffic in Daytona for quite some time. But because we were so early, I didn't actually mind. We got through that and pressed on into Orlando. It was lunchtime when we got there and my initial decision was to take Ine to Waffle House, since that is the great American road food--fast, cheap, and unique. However, there was a heck of a line at Waffle House. Now, my second favorite place to eat on road trips south is Steak N Shake, and happily, there was one nearby and they were able to seat us immediately. The girls loved it and we were happy to have a great lunch!
After lunch, it was time to go to Walmart. I needed a new bathing suit, and we also needed to stock up on food for our trip. The food at Disney is extremely expensive and I am on a budget like anyone else, so I decided we would brown bag two meals per day and eat one nice meal per day at the park. Like all my other plans, this didn't really pan out, but it was worth a shot. So we picked up snacks, sandwich fixings, fruit, water, juice, and breakfast goodies. It was still only 2:00, but I figured I would drive slowly and we would get to the resort at 3:00. We were supposed to get a text when the room was ready since we had Magic Bands and wouldn't need to go through the check in at the front desk, but we arrived at the resort at only 2:30. I decided to take a chance and see if they'd let us in early. Happily, they did! We were staying at Disney's Pop Century Resort and honestly it could not have been nicer. The people were so friendly and kind, and when we checked in, the guy gave Ine her "First Visit" button to celebrate. We got our room information and I was very happy to note we were put in the 80's building since I'm a child of the 80's. It took two trips, but we hauled everything up to the room and Leah took charge of putting all the food in the mini fridge. By which I mean to say she commanded Ine on what to do.
Afterwards, we put on bathing suits and headed to the pool!!! It was beautiful weather, although it was late afternoon and starting to cool off, so we only swam for about an hour, but it was a perfect way to end the driving.
After swimming, we changed back into regular clothes and decided to do some exploring before dinner. The resort is amazing, all kinds of fun things to see! Each area is a different decade and decorated just beautifully. It was so fun to see.
It may be the 'budget' end of Disney's resorts, but I really don't think they skimp any on what they do.
We finally went into the main building and had dinner. There was a large food court with lots of options and we got refillable mugs for the duration of our visit. The girls opted for pizza and I got a meatball sandwich, I think.
Afterwards, it was getting late and we had a big day hitting EPCOT the next day, so I decided to put Leah to bed. I told Ine she could go and wander the resort and explore on her own for a bit if she wanted to, and she decided she would. Leah and I watched The Rescuers and then she fell asleep almost immediately. Ine came back with tales of finding a rabbit out on the trail and having enjoyed a walk. We fell asleep pretty quickly ourselves, and were ready for our first day the next morning.
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