St. Augustine Florida Trip
In December, we went to visit St. Augustine Florida. It was such a cute town. There is so much here from old forts, museums, trolley tours, ghost tours-it is one of the oldest Florida towns, the beach, great restaurants, and so much more. The holiday months bring the Night of Lights Festival, and it continues through to the end of January! Not only was the town itself cute, but the house we stayed at was just perfect. Sunshine Escapes owns three homes in the St. Augustine area, all of which are close to everything you could want to visit while staying in this town. Our trip consisted of visiting an old Fort, a pirate museum, checking out the beach, the night of lights festival, and I wish we could have fit in even more.
The home we stayed in is named Encanto. It is a three bedroom, two bath home, with an amazing backyard! The home was decorated so festively with a Christmas tree, beach Santa, and a few other Christmas touches. Two bedrooms had king size beds, and the “kids room” had two twin beds- perfect for two of my boys! The main part of the home was open setup, which was perfect for our family to enjoy cooking in the kitchen, and being together. The owners thought of every detail from the decor, the kitchen is fully stocked with what you need to cook with, a cute bar cart, board games to enjoy in the winter, and beach towels, a wagon, and all you could need in the summer months.
The first night we stayed here, we just enjoyed the home! A road trip with three wild boys typically calls for more of a lazy night. We utilized the outdoor area with the cute seating, hammock, and outdoor game. I took full advantage of the kitchen, and made homemade pizza trees. The recipe is live on YouTube, and Instagram to see the kitchen, and recipe. The next day was a fun day for us, and we went to the historic downtown area. We went to the Pirate Museum, Fort Castillo de San Marcos, lunch, the lighthouse, and then headed back to the house for dinner. The second night we planned to go to the big Christmas light festival-Night of lights. The home is only a few miles away from this!
My biggest tip for going at the holiday season is to plan ahead for parking. Luckily we weren’t far from the location, but we didn’t really plan for parking to be as hard as it was for the festival. The festival was amazing to see, and I highly recommend the market that is in the festival- fake snow goes off during the week for kids! I highly recommend visiting the Fort, and the historic lighthouse. They were both so interesting to see for us all! My boys ages 7, 6, and 3 loved the pirate museum too. I had even more on my list to try, but it just means we will have to go again! Definitely check out Sunshine Escapes homes. I got to visit their other Luxury Modern home which can accommodate a few more extra guests than Encanto. It was a stunning home as well. Encanto was clean, cozy, and just everything we needed for our first trip to St. Augustine Florida. Book direct with this link, and also make sure to follow them on Instagram. I also have more videos to give tours of these stunning homes on Instagram!
4th of July Movie Night Cups with Archer Mini Sticks
I am all about finding snacks for my boys, and myself that are of pure ingredients that I TRULY believe in. Country Archer is one of those few companies that falls in that category. These mini sticks are either 100% turkey, or grass-fed beef. Even the dang casing is pure ingredients. There is nothing weird added, and they are full of protein. The perfect on the go snack.
I added the mini sticks to a movie night cup for my boys by adding a festive toothpick and ribbon, making it like a little star wand. Big hit. These festive beef/turkey sticks would be a cute addition to a food setup for the fourth in a mason jar too! I am a sucker for all things festive, and so are my sweet boys. I took a festive stadium cup, adding a little decor, some little goodies I knew they would love, pajamas, popcorn, applesauce, and of course the beef sticks! Check out my Like to know it for all the links 🫶🏻
Dark Reflections Cabin || Ranger GA
My family recently stayed at the most perfect lakeside cabin in the north Georgia mountains. I really do not even know where to begin because it was all just perfect. The setup, the decor, kid friendly, or for the couples that want to get away- it just is everything you could want in a trip. The views were spectacular, and it is just its own little mountain oasis. It is a brand new built cabin in Ranger, Georgia, which is close to Blue Ridge right outside of the hustle and bustle of Atlanta, and their story is just so good. The owners bought house plans off Etsy, and built the cabin themselves. They continue to add things to the location, as if it wasn’t already perfect. Since we left they added a kayak rack, graded the area down by the lake with pebble rocks, and added a new pergola! My family had no reason to leave the cabin during our stay, and I know the community itself had even more to explore than what we did. Keep reading for more details, and the link to book at the end!
This 3 bed, 2 bath cabin, PLUS an extra mini cabin, had the perfect set up for a family. There is a loft upstairs with a master bedroom, with sitting area, and STUNNING bathroom. In the master bedroom there is a closet full of literally everything you could need as a family- a blow up mattress, highchair, playmat, bouncer seat, pack and play, even a little travel potty! It is hard to find cabins with these items. My boys favorite was the playroom nook upstairs too. It was loaded with toys, colored pencils and coloring books, books! It was the biggest hit for all my boys ranging from 6 years old to 3 years old. Downstairs there is a kids bunk bed room, and another master bedroom. Also, the cutest little laundry area. Perfect for someone like me with three wild boys. There is also a another mini cabin right next door to the main cabin, so you could take another family with you! The mini cabin had a wet bar, loaded with coffee, and a mini fridge, as well as a little living room area with games, tv, a Marvel video game, and a separate bedroom area. The cutest was how they decorated it- a disco ball, and posters all relating to music. It was just so fun.
The outdoor area had to be our favorite. There is a jacuzzi, and huge deck with furniture, firepit-perfect for s’mores, and a picnic table that we used for lunch outside. The view of the stunning lake just couldn’t be beat. We even had a rainy day on our stay, and the wall of windows in the home made it feel like you were still outside. My three boys loved exploring the “forest” as they called it, and going to the fishing deck every morning. There is a big fire pit area on the way down to the fishing deck as well. My husband and boys all caught lots of blue gill, and bass! We brought our own fishing poles, but the owners have poles to use as well.
My favorite was the kitchen, and living area. It was wide open, and exactly my dream of a cabin feel. I loved cooking all our meals in this fully stocked kitchen! It just allowed us to be together the whole trip. The couch was so cozy, and there were plenty of blankets to cozy up for a movie night. But if I have to give my all time favorite part, it was sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee each morning, and listening to the beautiful sounds of all kinds of birds chirping, seeing woodpeckers, chipmunks, turtles in the lake, and so much more. I can not recommend it enough. Place this cabin on your bucket list, because it is on mine to get back as soon as possible.
Linked below is my instagram for all the videos of this trip,Youtube for recipes from this trip, and the link to directly book this cabin. I'm already dying to get back! Use cod LIVINGSPUNKY for a discount on your stay!
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