July 2022
Sunshine Holiday Daytona

I booked 14 nights at an Encore resort which is an extension of my Thousand Trails membership. Sunshine Holiday Daytona is a Tale of Two Circles. The east circle where you enter has mainly traveling, road worthy RVs whereas the west circle is predominately permanent trailers and mobile homes some of which are in varying degrees of disrepair. 30 hours prior to check-in I was notified that I was assigned site H07 which looked on google earth to be a bit of green space around the west circle Hub converted into a camp site. Being Sunday morning I left a message and was reassigned the next morning to pull-through site 84 in the traveling RV circle. Problem solved before I even checked out at Three Flags. Fantastic! I found Sunshine Holiday to be nice and didn't experience any of the hardships that I saw on some negative YouTube reviews. There are a couple of places where it's tight to navigate but there is no shortage of very large rigs here so plan your route and take it easy.

My site is 50 feet from a nice and large dog park and walking along the pond and canal was nice for Barron. There are alligator signs so keep that in mind. There is a clubhouse, a very nice pool, showers in the main building, Playground, Volleyball, Mini Golf, and more. The Laundry Room has Brand New Machines that can be paid with the Laundryvalue App or I elected to buy the $5 card and load it with funds. There is cable TV with over 60 channels and countless over-the-air channels available. The cable wasn't a perfect picture but it certainly beats destroying your data plan streaming cable TV. Over-the-air channels were mostly HD. There are several fast food joints in the immediate area and the RV park is next door to Destination Daytona with restaurants including Houligan's, Daytona Pig Stand, Big Scoop Ice Cream, and Wild Hog Cafe. The closest Walmart is 7 miles south just off I95 at exit 268. All in all I enjoyed my stay at Sunshine Holiday Daytona being centrally located to a ton of beaches and attractions. I noted most if not all the issues I saw on negative reviews have been resolved, and I will most definitely return!

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Collapsible 9 L Dish Washing Tub with Drain Plug

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July 2022
St.Augustine

If you're a history buff and enjoy museums, St. Augustine is the place for you. I had Barron with me on this day trip so museums were not an option. Our first stop in St. Augustine was the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. Next I honed in on the Spanish St. Augustine historic district remembering that this is the nation's oldest city. Barron and I took a long walk around Castillo de San Marcos National Monument which is the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States overlooking Matanzas Bay. Construction began in 1672 and the fort was built by the Spanish to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route. Just across the street is the original Spanish colony town with the famous Old City Gate and historic St. George Street. There is The Oldest Wooden School House here just south of the Old City Gate on George St. As usual, I got here early before tourist traffic made photos impossible. Just me, Barron, and a dozen or so homeless folks setting up their tip jars for the day.

The restoration of this historic district is amazing and actually functional so plan to have a walk about this area when in St. Augustine. There is public parking at the fort that is $2.50 per hour. Lastly, we headed just down the road to the Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. I plan to board Barron for the day on my next trip to St. Augustine and visit some of the attractions and museums such as:

July 2022
Ponce Inlet, FL

If you're in the Daytona Beach area and want to enjoy the beach without the crowds and $20 parking lot fees, consider Ponce Inlet just 11 miles to the south of the Daytona Beach Main Street Pier. Not only are the beaches really nice but there is a lot more to this little town. The town sits between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway and is highlighted by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse & Museum. There are a number of seafood restaurants and pubs around the inlet waterway as well as a number of boat launches. There are Manatee & Dolphin Boat Tours as well as fishing charters. Lighthouse Point County Park, $10 day use fee, has a dedicated Dog Beach, an Atlantic Beach for people only, and an 800 foot jetty deck. Ponce Preserve is a 41-acre Free park with a 1.6 mile round-trip dog friendly hike under an incredible tropical canopy. The Preserve also has an archaeological site, the Green Mound, which is one of the largest shell mounds in the US and was built by local Native Americans. Ponce Inlet Beach like many other beaches in Volusia County allow vehicles on the beach at a charge of $20. This is my favorite destination in this blog.

July 2022
TPC Sawgrass Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Being in this area I had to drop by TPC Sawgrass, home of The Player's Championship, and have a quick look. I pulled up to the front gate and asked the security guard if I could go to the clubhouse and buy a golf shirt. She asked my name, looked at her paperwork, and said have a nice time Roddy. Easy enough. I walked around the 77,000 sq ft clubhouse a bit and made my way to the Pro Shop. I pickup up a shirt I liked, it was $121 and I quickly put it back. I bought a hat instead. It's a fine hat and I really like it. From there I walked through the restaurant to the rear balcony for a few photos. I wanted to zoom in on the iconic 17th island green but it wasn't happening. One day I will return and play because Sawgrass is one of the few courses that host Championship Golf and allows average hackers like me to play. Bring your BIG checkbook because it's $600 per player September - May to play the Stadium Course and $450 June - August.
Book a Tee Time at TPC Sawgrass

July 2022
Riviera Oaks Dog Park
980 Alabama Ave, Holly Hill, FL

On several of our trips to beaches & attractions south of Sunshine Holiday Daytona we stopped by Riviera Oaks Dog Park. This place is massive and Barron was in heaven there. There is NO FEE, plenty of parking spaces, benches and chairs under the trees, watering stations, and a restroom building for people. It's 8.8 miles from Sunshine Holiday Daytona but not really out of the way if you're headed to some of the beaches & attractions to the south.

July 2022
Northeast Florida Beaches
Being a lifetime beach goer on the Emerald Coast in the Florida Panhandle, I guess I'm spoiled but these Atlantic Coast beaches in Northeast Florida are a close second. Brilliant Sunrises!