Category: Various

Trip reports/posts are recorded in chronological order on last day of each segment.

March 23 – 29

We started the trip several days late and worried about hot weather and all manatees moving out to sea.

First day was just fast driving to Nashville. We checked-in to old college (Scarritt) residence hall converted to hotel/airbnb. It has good location in Music Row neighborhood, still walking distance to downtown. We spent the following day walking around, first to RCA Studio B which unfortunately was only accessible for tours from different location – we just walked there. We stopped at Gibson Garage (guitar center). After first take at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum we took shuttle to RCA Studio B for a short tour and back. We then spent more time at the museum. Even though it is not our favorite music, we felt connection to the artists. Nashville was full of tourist but not crowded, very clean and nice to walk in perfect spring weather.

Days 3 and 4 were about civil rights history in Alabama. We stopped in Birmingham at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, visited Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (museum) learning details about not so distant past, and walked in Kelly Ingram Park, stopped for coffee at Alicia’s Coffee in A.G. Gaston Motel. We arrived in Montgomery in late afternoon, found our airbnb and made it to Dreamland BBQ for dinner (very tasty). Next day we spent several hours visiting Legacy Museum, Freedom Monument Sculpture Park and National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Important for us reminder of history we learned from afar.

In the afternoon we drove across Apalachicola National Forest in north Florida where we stayed at nice and quiet Tate’s Hell State Forest Cash Creek Campground.

Day 5. After a short, morning walk along Crash Creek in pine flatwoods and saw palmettos, we spent the rest of the day walking on dunes and beaches of St George Island. Island had very relaxed vacation feel, state park with long beaches and woodlands was almost empty – still low season.

Settled at Magnolia 1 Campground in Manatee Springs State Park and immediately went for a walk to look for manatees (no luck that evening). Here it was high season, campground was full and neighbors very loud, but springs were not very crowded and trails empty.

Day 7 started with another walk to the springs and we continued to Crystal River looking for water activity and place to swim – too crowded/noisy vacation spot, disappointing beach, so we decided to visit Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. It is refuge for rescued Florida animals (we are not great enthusiasts of zoo-type set-ups, but the walk was educational). They had 3 or 4 manatees in large enclosure, one possibly ready for release. We could see up close how huge they are. One more attempt to find swimming beach ended with just a walk at Sunset Beach in Tarpon Spring. We had good dinner at nearby H’ours Creole Smokehouse (second take on southern food) and stayed at Tarpon Springs Quality Inn & Suites.