Trip update for October 1 to October 7

Just got back in this evening from our vacation and I can honestly say, it was the best vacation we have ever had! We stayed at the Summit and rented from Tillie Cohen. She was wonderful to rent from. The room was not lavish but then, we were not expecting lavish. Perfect for the time we stayed in the condo. It was not crowded at all! We got into town about 5pm on Sunday and the kids wanted to eat at Sharky%26#39;s (their favorite). We sat outside, listened to some great live entertainment (Jimmy Buffet songs of course), drank margaritas while the kids played on the beach and watched the sunset! I could not have thought of a better way to start our vacation. The food was expensive for what we ordered but the atmosphere was great!

Monday we planned on going to Shell Island but the shuttle was not running on Monday so we went back to the condo and spent the day on the beach. We ended up playing putt-putt at Emerald Falls that evening and had a blast, only one other group playing the entire time we were there! On Tuesday, we finally got to take the shuttle to Shell Island. The kids had a wonderful time. We spent the entire day there and came home with bags of shells and two hermit crabs! Our son even caught a large crab which we watched for a while and then let him go. We also caught a small jellyfish! The kids loved it! On the return trip back to the park we saw dolphins everywhere! Our daughter loved it. We tried to go to Ripley%26#39;s that night but found out after we got there that they closed at 8PM even though the recorded message says 11PM. That has to be my only gripe about our trip. Most of the places have different hours in the fall but their signs and recorded messages aren%26#39;t always updated!

On Wednesday, we went to Ripley%26#39;s. The nice part about fall is the fact that rates are cheaper! We got into the museum and the theater for the same price as the regular museum price! I guess I can%26#39;t fuss too much about changed schedules! :) We spent most of our time inside since we did the really touristy thing and got sunburned the day before! We did however take the sunset cruise on the Sea Dragon. I would almost say that was the highlight of my son%26#39;s trip. Both kids REALLY enjoyed this and it was nice to be able to sit back and not worry about what they were into. The crew was great! We WILL take this cruise again.

Thursday was beach day for us again. We spent the day just playing on the beach until about 12:30 when they cleared the water. We later found out from the Summit beach service guy that they had spotted a 9 ft bull shark that swam over the sand bar. He showed me where he saw the shark and it was about 50 ft from where we had been playing in the water just a few minutes before they cleared the water! That was really scary but it%26#39;s like he said, ';Those sharks have always been there.'; Just glad we got out a few minutes before they spotted the shark! We got back in the water about 2:30 that afternoon and just spent the rest of the day relaxing. We even found another jellyfish that washed up on the beach in front of us. This one was much bigger then the one we caught off Shell Island. I have to say, we saw more ';critters'; this time around! :)

Friday was fishing day! We took a 6 hour trip aboard the Ocean Queen. Lots of fun! This was the first time for our kids. Our daughter was too small to handle the fishing pole so she just rode but our son fell in love with deep sea fishing, especially after he reeled in a 26 inch Amberjack! The biggest fish caught on our boat! Unfortunatly, we had to throw it back. It was 2 inches shy of being legal! He was sooooo disappointed! But he also caught a large red snapper! I think we may have created a monster! Our daughter got her fill of dolphin sighting on this trip! They followed the boat all day long. Great for her but bad for fishing. You had to be quick getting your fish up before the dolphins took it off your hook! And they are quick little rascals!

As far as food was concerned, we tried many of the places that were suggested on the forum. You all are a wealth of information! Sharky%26#39;s was OK but we had been there before and knew what to expect. We ate at the Boar%26#39;s Head and my husband WILL be back. The absolute BEST prime rib and service was terrific! We ate at Hammerhead Fred%26#39;s just because it was close and the kid%26#39;s thought it looked cool. The food was good but we felt like we could get the same things at placed like Applebee%26#39;s. Not bad just nothing exciting. We also ventured out to the Boondock%26#39;s. When I say ventured, I really mean ventured! Watch all the bridge construction and know that you turn the opposite way of the large blinking sign! The food was well worth the thirty minutes it took us to find the place though! We also ate at the Boatyard. The bacon, lobster and tomatoe sandwich was wonderful. Lilbunnygirl, I think you were the one that mentioned it. It was fabulous!!!!! We also did Spinnakers for lunch one day since we had a discount and it was close. Not bad for lunch. Good crabcakes. Last but certainly not least, we ate at Hungy Howie%26#39;s one night just to be a little money conscious. My kids really wish there was a Hungry Howie%26#39;s in Tennessee! Fabulous pizza!

All in all, we had a wonderful trip. The weather was beautiful, the water was clear as a bell and best of all, it wasn%26#39;t crowded! I%26#39;m already planning our next trip down! I can%26#39;t wait. Thanks everyone for all the great advice! You know, we never got around to the fair or found any horseback riding but I don%26#39;t think any of us missed it! We were too busy doing all the things we said we didn%26#39;t want to do! :)

Melissa

Trip update for October 1 to October 7

Hi Melissa - it sounds like you had a really lovely vacation, thanks for telling us all about it. I%26#39;m really glad you enjoyed the BLT at Boatyard, I just adore that sandwich and of course the nice atmosphere at the restaurant. And Hungry Howies is really some of th best delivery pizza I have ever had, I%26#39;m really happy to hear y%26#39;all liked it too!

Trip update for October 1 to October 7

Wow, what a review, awesome and thanks for sharing.