Nothing like a last minute trip to Washington Oaks State Park!

     Sitting on the couch around 2 ish this afternoon looking at my kids parked in front of the T.V. , made me make a spur of the moment decision to get moving!  Come on people, it is a beautiful 80 degree, sun so bright I gotta wear shades, Sunday afternoon kinda day.  By 3:00 I had them loaded after a few attempts to dismiss me and my crazy, fly by the seat of my pants plan to visit, yes, you guessed it, another state park!  And yes, I had to bribe them with dinner.
       So, I had heard a lot of good things about Washington Oaks State Park.  It took me about an hour to get there.  We got lost but found A1A and took a scenic route.  Which was very nice.  I enjoyed the ride with the ocean on my right side and it kept the kids busy for a while.
        Washington Oaks is on the Matanzas River side of A1A AND on the beach side.  Word to those with small kids who love the beach, DO NOT tell your kids about the beach until you have had a chance to explore the river side.  The river side has beautiful gardens and paths and nature trails, which I was barely able to see because they could not wait to get to the beach.  We did find a bench on the river where I was able to sit and enjoy the views while they played on the rocks at the edge of the water.
         I was able to convince them to walk the path around the gardens to get back to the car.  So much beauty.  I could have wondered around the tree shaded paths, under the majestic oaks for hours, snapping pictures.  The formal rose gardens were not in bloom at this time, but I look forward to seeing them later in the year.  The azaleas were pretty much gone, but a few still lingered along with some roses of which I am not sure of the name, but they were gorgeous.  Lots of little ponds with huge fish and a gazebo, which was nice.
         I will revisit this part of the park in the future, it had so much to offer.
         We headed over to the beach side and oh boy! now, that is a paradise for kids who love to climb, jump, explore and find shells.  The coquina rocks!  So cool.  So much to explore.  There were little caves you could crawl in and pop up in various spots, like the game with the mole you have to pop on the head.  We found some star fish and tons of shells.   I would definitely recommend water shoes to help with all the climbing.  Some of the rocks were covered in green slime which made it very slippery.  Probably not the best place for little ones unsteady on their feet.  But my kids LOVED it.  They all gave it a two thumbs up and want to go back soon.. probably when it warms up a little.
           A few side notes.  There was a restroom on the river side back by the river, but everywhere else was good ol porta potties... which thankfully, it was a good day and no one had to use.  I know on the river side they had picnic areas etc...there were no picnic facilities on the beach side and no life guard.  There was a $5.00 car load fee to get into the park.
           I definitely give this park a two thumbs up myself.  Loved it and look forward to returning soon! 

    

Ravine Gardens State Park

     In my quest to visit the State Parks in Florida we ventured out this past weekend to Ravine Gardens State park in Palatka Florida.  I really enjoyed our visit to Ravine Gardens.  The whole family came this time and my In-laws joined us,which made it even nicer! 
      There is a lot of walking at this park.  It had a paved walking path that was close to 2 miles, very nicely done and a lot of people taking advantage of this trail.  There was also two nature trails that we ventured on.  There was a lot of up and down climbing.  In some areas there were stone stairs to help you.   The trails were defined and there were signs so no worries of getting lost. 
       The gardens were lovely and the azalea's were in bloom.  There was a spring and a couple of suspension bridges that the kids enjoyed.  A playground at the top of the hill, which was quite a hike to.  After we got there we realized we could have taken the paved walking trail, but hey, the kids enjoyed the climbing and wore themselves out! 
        All in all this was just a nice park.  Really enjoyed it and would definitely venture there again, probably in the spring time to enjoy the blooms and cooler temps.

P.S.  The restrooms were clean, there were some by the parking lot with snack machines then again at the top of the hill near the playground, which made me very happy after an hour of climbing up and down and all around :)   There was a charge to get in $5.00 for a car load.

 A pretty little gazebo near the front by the parking lot.

Loved the rock walls.

 The suspension bridge.  Kids loved making it rock.

 The little spring below the bridge.

Nice trails to follow.  Thankful for the stairs in some areas to help us along.

 Just lovely!

 That is a fountain.

There was a flag for every state.  I thought this was really cool.