Stump Pass Beach State Park, Manasota Key, Englewood, Florida

Today we visited Stump Pass Beach State Park. Cost to park here is $3 and oh so worth it! Sierra wanted a pool day at the RV Park with dad and stayed home. She was sad to see everything she missed while we were out. It was so much fun!

It didn't take long to hit the water! Oh that beautiful water!

Aayla is learning to like the waves.

Grammy takes the turtle float out in the waves.

And she tumbles...

There were dolphins swimming here pretty close to shore.

This Grey Heron was the perfect poser.

Examining a shell Aayla found

My water logged water baby.

After we were good and wet we walked the trail to the tip of the park. Well we didn't make it all the way but we saw some wonderful things along the way. Someone we asked said we were about half way.

This pair of lizards was quite fun to watch. I'm not sure if they were mating or staking territory but they did the funniest dance around each other. I should have recorded it.

All along this path there are spots to stop for a picnic lunch and a swim even, if you wanted to cool off again.

wood pecker

seed pods

cactus flower

 A gopher tortoise walked right across the trail.

Further down the trail when you go out to the beach it is more natural and less busy.

looking for lunch

 On our way back...little legs were getting tired.

We popped back over to the beach to walk partway back and I am so glad we did!

sea sponge that washed ashore

 This!!! This was truly amazing! We thought we scored the mother load of shells but soon realised they were mainly all alive. For some reason on this one small area of the beach, these snails were rolling in the surf.

Grammy trying to find an empty shell.

Aayla is really getting the hang of the waves now and has lost her fear of them.

Another great beach day. Somethings you can just never tire of! Or rather we can never tire of no matter how many we go to. They are all a little bit different and wonderful in their own ways.

Sun Splash Water Park, Cape Coral, Florida

Today Grammy Sue decided that it was treat day and took the girls to Sun Splash Water Park in Cape Coral Florida and they had a blast!

Since this is a water park I didn't get many photos but I got a few in the beginning. First up was Aayla on the younger kids water slides.

Sierra tried out the next smallest slides and loved them.

Aayla also really liked their rope course and did it many times throughout the day.

Next up was the lazy river so I could then go put my camera away and enjoy the day.

There were other bigger water slides but my girls are not fans of big slides so we didn't go on them. That fact made this park kind of expensive since we only used half the park. I will admit the lazy river was very fun and definitely more my pace. It would be nice if they had a "no big slides" price to make it more economical for families who just want some wet fun but not all the big slides. Non residents fees were kids $17.95 and adults $19.95, making this a $100 excursion. Thanks Grammy Sue!!! They do offer discounts for residents which is nice for locals.

We packed a lunch to take with us but when we arrived we were given a coupon for snacks (and their bad weather policy), which made their lunch very affordable and way less hassle. If we ever were to go again I'd just go with the pre-pay snack option.

Gasparilla Island State Park, Florida

I have to say this was one of my favourite beaches so far in Florida. We loved our day spent at Gasparilla Island State Park.

Beware though it is a popular place so if you want parking at the beach at the end of the island you should go early. We arrived just before lunch and barely found a spot anywhere on the island. Finally after about 45 minutes of searching and waiting we found parking by an old lighthouse. We ate lunch quickly and headed to the water.

The girls had a lot of fun here in the water and the small waves.

Sierra collected small clams and new creatures we had to google... which were called Mole Crabs or Sand Fleas and are apparently edible...see HERE. Don't worry we let all of ours go.

Wondering what a mole crab would taste like...knowing full well she would never try one!

 

 Sierra perfecting her Stoop and Scoop for shells on the beach.

Aayla kept busy by playing in the sand.

After a couple hours here we decided to get in the car and see if we could find parking near the end of the island...and we did. Off we go in search of Shark teeth.

 

Sierra was the first to find a sharks tooth. To be honest we were looking for white teeth and didn't realise they turn black.

She also found this old fishing pole.

I was determined not to leave until I found a sharks tooth...luckily for everyone else I did eventually find one.

 Aayla examining the shell tree she found on the beach near the fishing pier.

She also found a dead prawn she was very disappointed she couldn't eat! She is a little seafood monster.

My prized shell I had to put back because it had this handsome, curious fellow in it. I was happy to gently place him back in the water so he could continue on his way.

I am glad that Florida allows you to take shells. I can only hope that everyone is respectful of the ones they find with living creatures in them, and that they put them back too. Throwing live shells can actually kill them so please place them back gently into the surf. 

The girls has so much fun collecting here. Sierra especially. Her highlight: when she found a dried up blow fish.

Have you visited Gasparilla Island State Park? If not you should! It is well worth the bridge toll to get here. I could have stayed longer and definitely will visit again some day.

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Punta Gorda, Florida

Today we went for a walk at the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center (Alligator Creek location) in Punta Gorda.

The trail we were on was an easy walk with wonderful signs along the way which we stopped and read to learn about the native plants and animals.

 

We walked to the education centre which was all closed up. I think it may just be available for classes and rentals.

Beyond the centre was a pond with an alligator but he was hiding today and we could not find him.

After we walked along some more trails and saw many different plants and butterflies. The trails are a combination of wider and narrow paths. Some areas were quite mucky at this time of year but all the trails were well marked when we visited.

The Spring buds were emerging

An apparently air plants bloom??? I never knew!

Walking on the board walk with Grammy Sue

Aayla riding her palm frond "horsey"

Lots of lizards

This poor monarch has seen a better day

All in all we thought this was a great place to explore for a day and as a bonus it was just a few minutes from our campground.