Orlando Local Summer Bucket List | 2024

Orlando Local Summer Bucket List | 2024

We have lived here for just under four years and we decided it was time to finally check some of the things we have always wanted to do here in Orlando off of the list! Since summer is in full swing we as Orlando locals know that this season is filled with endless possibilities and adventures and we need to be taking full advantage of them. SO many things from theme parks to outdoor water activities, our city is bursting with opportunities to make memories and soak up the sunshine. With that being said, there are so many options, it is hard to know where to even begin? We decided to write them down and actually try to check off items from our Summer Bucket List. Honestly this list can be for anyone, whether you're a long-time resident or a first-time visitor here on vacation, this bucket list has anything and everything you need to make the most out of your summer in Orlando. From hidden gems to must-see attractions, I feel like this list will keep you entertained all season long. So grab your sunscreen and get ready to explore our city like a true local!

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Glass Bottom Kayak Tour at Rainbow Springs -

I have always wanted to do this, all of the videos I see on Instagram look so pretty! You can go in a 1 person or a 2 person kayak and the website that I found looks like it will be $70 a person! They also had a ton of availability which was awesome because this kind of thing seems like it could fill up pretty quick.

Spend an afternoon at Lakeridge Winery -

I have wanted to come to this winery since we moved here and we’ve driven past it a bunch but never stopped in. This one seems like it will be an easy one to check off! They have live entertainment on the weekends as well as a food court and then obviously the wine bar!

Go in the hot air balloon at Disney Springs -

For those of you who don’t know, Dustin and I actually got married in this balloon and we have never been back up in it. We will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary on July 1st so that seems like the perfect time to do it again! For those who are curious it is $30 a person to go up in the balloon!

Beach day at St. Pete Beach -

Not all of the things on this bucket list are huge, we have been to this beach many times before but not too often. The beach feels juuuuuust out of reach for us to go often with the puppies being at home, so planning a beach day for us will be much more likely that we end up going!

Winter Garden Farmers Market Date -

Again not a huge thing, we have been a few times but I wanted to add it to the list because it’s something not to miss! We love spending at Saturday in Winter Garden at the farmers market and then getting lunch somewhere and doing a bit of shopping! We love eating at Urban on plant and we also love the bookstore that they have there called Writers Block! I also feel like I should share that we also love going to the Clermont Farmers market! Both are awesome for their own reasons! Like the Clermont area has really cool shops like the record store!

Swim with the manatees at Blue Springs State Park -

This has been on my list since before we moved down to Florida and I am shocked that we haven’t been yet. I REALLY want to make it happen this summer!

Spend the day at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon -

Our Disney passes include the Disney water parks and we’ve been passholders for two years, this might even be our third year of being passholders, and I can’t believe that we’ve never been to one of the water parks! I’m not a huge waterpark person, but I do think that I would enjoy spending time at a waterpark that was Disney themed!

Watch the 4th of July fireworks from Lake Minneola -

We actually do have plans to do this this summer, our friends invited us out on their boat to watch the fireworks and I’m so excited! I think it’s gonna be so cool watching them from the water!

Brunch at Root and Branch -

This is one of those smaller bucket list items but eating at this restaurant has been on my list for awhile now so I want to make it happen this summer!

Morning hike at Lake Louisa State Park -

We love going to Lake Louisa, but we’ve never actually gone hiking there, I am excited too go though! There are so many pretty in the state park and I think hiking through it will be a fun way to see them!

Visit the Clearwater Aquarium -

Again, I have followed the Clearwater aquarium on Instagram since we lived in Boston and have always wanted to go that I’m surprised that we haven’t been yet. But much like the beach it is just far enough away that we haven’t made the trip yet. Definitely hoping to cross this off the list this summer.

Concert date night at Epcot Eat to the Beat -

This will be a late summer activity, we love going to the concerts that are in the American Pavilion at Epcot. It’s such a fun date night and there are usually some pretty cool bands to watch! We will most likely go to more than one of these concerts but such a fun and easy night out if you are a Disney pass holder!

Spend time at The Acre -

I’m pretty sure this opened up in the fall of last year and so many people have made such cool videos about the acre, from what I understand it’s like an outdoor food live music hang out picnic situation… Lots of people bring their dogs. It looks like such a fun time!

Bioluminescence Stand Up Paddle Tour at Indian River lagoon -

I’ve heard that this is such a fun thing to see, it’s standup paddle boarding but at night and there is bioluminescent algae that makes the river/lagoon light up… I’m not even sure if I’m explaining it correctly but my geeky science loving heart is so excited for this

Weekend Trip to the Everglades National Park -

I would absolutely love to make this happen this summer, the Everglades is a topic that I learn about a lot in my school and classes… The Florida Panther has come to be one of my favorite things to learn more about and I have done many projects over the topic. Seeing this in person would be such a cool experience.

Disney World - 4 Parks in 1 Day -

I’m pretty sure we’ve done this before, but not in an intentional way and with a lack of organization… I would love to do this again though and make goals for each park to really be able to say that we’ve done four parks in one day! But definitely something I want to do!

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As Orlando locals, we are no strangers to the heat and humidity of summer and truly there is some level of embracing the heat and still enjoying summer activities that need to happen! We are so looking forward to getting outside and exploring all that this city we call home has to offer. Like I mentioned before, there are so many options from theme park adventures to hidden gems off the beaten path, our summer bucket list has something for everyone and we can’t wait to start checking these off the list. Are any of these things on your bucket list in Orlando? Or did you add anything from this list to your own list? I would love to hear if there are things that I should add as well! Comment below or you can always email me at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you as quickly as possible!

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9 Destinations on our 2024 Travel Bucket List

9 Destinations on our 2024 Travel Bucket List

I always like creating a travel bucket list, I don’t do it every year but when I do I like to think that it sets the tone and focus for what I want to get out of my year. I like to think that having a travel bucket list is important because it also keeps me motivated with something to look forward to. When I first started my travel blog back in 2017, I made a travel bucket list and I think it was one of our biggest travel years that we ever had, we were so excited to have those trips to look forward to! This year we have talked about what we wanted our year to look like and what kind of travel year we wanted to have, things like a bigger trip with some of our dream destinations, smaller destinations in the USA, road trips, etc. We decided to do one bigger trip with a couple of dream destinations and then some USA weekend adventure trips sprinkled here and there, I am really excited for what this year has in store. Without further ado, here is our travel bucket list for 2024. I will start with spots that are already booked and then end the list with places we’d like to book later!

Mackinac Island

Last year when we went to Arizona it was a big family reunion to honor my grandpa who passed away in February of 2021. My grandpa absolutely loved traveling and did it his whole life as often as he could. When he passed away, the one thing that my grandpa asked us to do as a family was to continue traveling and he wanted us to do it as a big family. So that is what we started last year and it was the most special trip. I honestly have memories that I will remember forever. After last year we decided that every other year we wanted to do a bigger trip and the opposite years we would still get together away but on a smaller scale. This year I think we might do Mackinac Island in Michigan. I went there with my grandpa when I was about 12 and still have memories from that. When Dustin and I moved to Boston back in 2019 we stopped there on our drive out to the east coast and again, I have some of the best memories from that trip as well. I’m hoping that this trip happens but in my close family two babies are being born (January and March) so it might not happen, we will see but I still wanted to add it to this year’s bucket list!

Mexico - at some point

We have gone to Mexico at some point each year over the last three years since moving to Florida and we love it. When we do vacations in Mexico, they lean more towards the relaxing type of trip and it’s time for us to be able to sit and do nothing. We are both pretty go, go, go and this gives us a chance to do nothing if we want. We are members of the Unlimited Vacation Club with Secrets and Hyatt and have been since 2020, we have really enjoyed it so far! If you have questions about it I would be more than happy to share more about our experience with the Unlimited Vacation Club so far! I think if we go to Mexico this year it will most likely be in the fall and I would guess that we try a new resort this time, there are so many to choose from!

Here are a few on our list

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya

Secrets Bahia Mita Surf & Spa

Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun

The Everglades

This is a place that I have obviously always known about and heard about and thought was so cool. But since I started getting my degree in Wildlife Conservation this National Park has been a topic that I do a lot of research on in my classes and I have grown to love it, I love learning about it and getting emails about park updates and conservation efforts. I am hoping to check it off of my bucket list this year! It seems like a trip that we could take possibly in the fall once Florida cools off a bit again. The Everglades would be the perfect long weekend getaway from the Orlando area, it is about a three-hour drive to the middle of the park!

Iowa

We will be making lots of trips (per usual) to Iowa this year, I mean we usually travel here a ton because both of our families live there but this year my sister is having a baby and I can imagine there will be many weekends spent there snuggling that nugget! My other sister also graduates high school this year and we will be back for that as well which we are so excited for!

Denmark

Denmark is another stop on our cruise, it is actually the last stop on our cruise this summer and I am soooooo excited to see the iconic sights that are in Copenhagen! I didn’t know this but Copenhagen was originally a fishing town which makes sense with the canal that runs through the colorful buildings! I’m looking forward to riding bikes and the cobblestone roads and architecture. We are also staying here for a couple of days after the cruise so send any recommendations that you might have our way!

Sweden

This is a special place to us because Dustin travels here 1-2 times a year for work and this will be the first time that I get to go with him to see the area. I’m not going to lie, Sweden wasn’t ever really high on my list but now that Dustin has been there a few times I think it would be cool to visit!

Scotland

This is a stop on the cruise that we are going on this summer with my parents. We have one stop in Scotland and we will only be there for a day. But we will be going back at some point within the next couple of years with Dustin’s parents and that will be fun. It will be cool to see it but I know we will be thankful that we will get to spend more time there in the future. My sister (who is having the baby) lived in Scotland for two years so we will have some awesome insider tips to have an amazing trip!

Iceland

I’m sure everyone has a story like this but we had been planning a trip here in 2020 and obviously didn’t end up going but we had always wanted to go and it was at the top of both of our lists as a dream destination. Well, this summer we are making it happen. I mentioned that we are going on a cruise with my parents and this is where the cruise starts (it ends in Denmark) and we are going to stay in Iceland for a few days before the cruise starts to see some sights and I can’t wait! If you have any recommendations please send them my way!

New Orleans

When this post goes live we will just be getting back from our weekend away in New Orleans. This town has been on my bucket list for at least ten years and I am so excited to be checking it off. This trip was my Christmas gift from Dustin. If you were around last year you might remember that we went to New York around Valentine’s Day and that was my gift to him for Christmas. I should start brainstorming destinations for his Christmas gift because it will be my turn to plan it next! Any destinations in the US that I should look into?! Let me know! I will be sharing all the things soon, gluten-free foods, what we did, where we stayed- the works!

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I think everyone should plan their travel bucket list, even if it is just one place that you would like to go to this year, it’s so great to have something to look forward to, especially if any of the following things were on your resolutions for the year, “more adventure”, “visiting a dream destination”, “creating more memories” or something along those lines that go with travel goals. I would love to hear your travel bucket list for 2024 in the comments! I hope that this list gave you some inspiration and you can follow me on Instagram for more travel inspiration and updates for when we are in our bucket list destinations.

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Navigating Disney's Animal Kingdom: Insider Tips for an Unforgettable Visit

My top 10 tips for visiting Animal Kingdom at Disney 

Hi friends! 🐭✨ 

Happy Tuesday! We just recently back from a visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom and I figured it was a great time to share some updated tips. Animal Kindom at Disney is full of wildlife, rides, and awe-inspiring experiences. From the best time to ride Flight of Passage to hidden gems like Rafiki's Planet Watch, here are some essential tips for exploring the Animal Kingdom.

1. Beat the Crowds at Flight of Passage

   To maximize your chances of experiencing the mind-blowing Flight of Passage, aim to visit between 12:00 and 12:30. I found that typically this is when most visitors are taking a lunch break so you will get to experience shorter lines, allowing you to soar through the breathtaking world of Pandora with minimal wait times!

2. The Tree of Life is a hidden gem

   Don't rush past the iconic Tree of Life when you are walking into Discovery Island. Did you know there over 300 animals are intricately carved into the tree's bark? It's a stunning work of art that you won’t want to miss because you are rushing in the gates. You definitely get lost spending some time looking at it!

3.Do Kilimanjaro Safari in the morning for extra excitement

For an up-close animal encounter, embark on the Kilimanjaro Safari in the morning. Why the morning you ask? Well, this is when the animals tend to be more active, providing an authentic safari experience. Keep your camera ready because you won’t want to miss some amazing pics!

4. Get an extra thrill if you do Expedition Everest at night

If you are a thrill seeker, this one is for you. Expedition Everest feels even faster and more exhilarating when experienced at night. The combination of darkness and surprise twists and turns adds an extra layer of excitement to this roller coaster!

5. Creature Comforts: Animal Kingdom's Starbucks

When you need a caffeine boost, head to the Starbucks in Animal Kingdom, known as “Creature Comforts”. It's conveniently located on Discovery Island, making it an ideal pitstop during your adventures.

6. Bring a ziplock at Kali River Rapids to keep your belongings dry

If you plan to take on Kali River Rapids, a ziplock bag is your best friend. Safeguard your phone and any other belongings you don't want to get wet. This is one of my favorite pro tips!

7. If you are gluten-free, eat breakfast before you arrive at Animal Kingdom

For those with dietary preferences like gluten-free (GF), it's essential to note that breakfast options are limited in Animal Kingdom. Plan ahead and have a satisfying breakfast before entering the park to keep your energy up throughout the day.

8. The best way to beat the heat is by seeing the shows in the afternoon

When it comes to shows, you will thank yourself if you plan to catch them in the afternoon when the sun is at its peak. One must-see show is the "Festival of the Lion King" offering an entertaining and air-conditioned escape from the Florida heat and humidity. Another one we like is Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond!

9. Don’t miss out on Trilo-bites’  Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Foodies, make sure to sample the buffalo chicken nachos at Trilo-bites, located at the entrance of Dinoland. They are a taste sensation that's not to be missed. Not to mention, they are gluten-free!

10. Create some animation at Rafiki's Planet Watch

Don't overlook Rafiki's Planet Watch, a hidden gem within Animal Kingdom. You get to participate in the drawing animation experience, which is not only fun but also a fantastic way to do something you wouldn't normally have access to with it being more of a behind-the-scenes activity that happens at the parks!

I hope these tips for  Disney's Animal Kingdom are ones that make your trip an unforgettable one. Whether you're into fun rides, wildlife, or simply soaking up the park's unique atmosphere, there's something for everyone. Comment below with any questions that you might have or let me know if these tips worked for you and your trip to Disney! Also, if you're planning a trip to Hollywood Studios, I've got some valuable insider tips that you can read here to make your visit even more enjoyable.

Much Love,
Emma
XO

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Harry Potter London Checklist

When my sister and I visited London last summer we checked off so many Harry Potter bucket list items from our lists. When we were looking for everything that we needed to visit, it didn’t seem like there was one collective list, we needed to find a couple to get the whole list of items! I have created a Harry Potter checklist for you to take on your next trip to London. I will also be creating a map of all of the locations so you can see exactly where you are going and make it very easy to navigate all of these new places for you!

With the time that we had there were some of the places that we didn’t have time to get to. But We did manage to get a lot seen in the time that we had which was so incredible! One of our favorite things was seeing platform 3/4 quarters in Kings Cross Station. There was a line to take a picture with the cart which we opted out of but still fun to see and we spent a ton of time in the shop that was right next to it. We were also surprised to see that it wasn’t on an actual platform it was just in the middle of the station. But in hindsight that makes sense due to traffic control!

St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Millennium Bridge were so fun to walk by and actually went to Millennium Bridge during the day and at night. They are right next to each other so its easy to lump these two together. But we spent a whole afternoon between the two!

These markets were absolutely amazing to walk through, we spend about 3 hours wandering Borough Market one morning and the people watching alone was amazing. Not to mention the music that was playing, the foods and all the delicious smells there were!

Have you been to any of these locations? I would also love to know which Harry Potter movie is your favorite? My is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix!

Mayfield Lavender Field Day Trip From London

When I traveled to London with my sister last summer we had SO many things on our to-do list, we had so much to cram into five days but we did it! Now there are always things that you get home and find out you missed something but all the more reason to go back. We talked a lot about taking a day trip somewhere while we were in London but weren’t sure where to begin and we really wanted to be able to only be gone for the day. After a TON of research, we found this gorgeous lavender field that was only about an hour and 20 minute drive from where we stayed. We were pretty much sold! The photos were gorgeous and we didn’t really need more reason after that to go.

It was in Banstead, England. We left at 10:00 am and were there by 11:20. The Uber ride cost us about $40 there and $40 back. We justified the price because it was $80 for the both of us and originally we planned to leave London for the day all together and that would have cost more. To get in it cost 2.50 euros a person and totally worth it. This gave us access to the fields to take pictures and walk around all day long {which we took full advantage of}.

We ate lunch at their cafe and each got a grilled sandwich of sorts, very yummy and not too expensive. We spent in total probably 5 hours at the lavender fields and it was so much fun to just walk around and enjoy being outside. I will say that we went on a weekday and it was a bit crowded, although the crowd came and went in waves. It says on their website that on the weekends it can be very crowded and they can run out of parking. We were able to get all of the shots that we wanted without people in them. The further we walked to the back of the field, the less people there were around us.

They had a little store that sold so many goodies! Lavender cookies, teas, chocolates, lavender lemonade, so many things! Other things like jams and jellies and homemade items were for sale as well. We bought a bundle of lavender to use as a prop in pictures because you can’t pick the lavender in the field. I think this is great because it allows so many more people to enjoy it!

We were able to take so many pictures here and it was such a fun day. It was also great to be able to relax a little but and get out of the hustle and bustle of London. It was good too because we got home at about 6:30 and we were still able to go explore in the city at night and enjoy our time in London. All in all it was such a fun day and these pictures that we took will honestly last a lifetime and the memories we made there just goofing around! Oh and beware of the bees! Haha they weren’t everywhere in the fields, but there were areas where they would congregate that we avoided.

Six Day Fast Pass Guide

You guys I am so EXCITED! In the morning I get to pick my fast passes for my August trip and I CANT WAIT. I always make a game plan before selection day(lol sounds so official). I like to write out each day, which park we will be at each day, and which fast passes we are trying to get for that day.

We are going to be in the parks for 6 days straight and we decided that we want to go to Magic Kingdom twice and Animal Kingdom twice. In my opinion, these two parks are the biggest with the most to do, see and eat. Yes, Epcot has a lot of foods don’t get me wrong but the foods and the amount of rides balance each other out. Just a personal preference!

DAY 1

Park: Magic Kingdom

1. Space Mountain - This is my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom so we will be getting this for both days!

2. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - This is a fun ride, I love the line to get in but it is always a long line so I try to get a fast pass for it! This is also a good ride to end your night on, get in line about 5-10 minutes before park close and you can stay in line until you ride it! I think that this ride is faster at night!

3. Peter Pans Flight - This is such a good ride, I never understood the hype or why there is always a long line but I went on it last time was there and now I will get a fast pass for it so I can skip the long line!

DAY 2

Park: Animal Kingdom

1. Flight of Passage - The last couple of times I have went to get this fast pass, I have literally just taken whatever I can get for them, any time of day. I’m talking like 6pm and 7pm

2. Kilimanjaro Safari - I recommend getting this fast pass earlier in the day because the animals are up and moving around in the morning!

3. Dinosaur - We love this ride, but the wait time is always hit or miss for it and for that I get a fast pass for it.

DAY 3

Park: Epcot

1. Test Track - Definitely add this to your fast pass list! It’s a ride but it is also a very cool experience as well.

2. Spaceship Earth - Before the first time I rode this, I was pretty much like why are we going on this(because I didn’t know what it was). Now I think it is such a fascinating ride, definitely a must!

3. The Seas with Nemo and Friends - A cute ride and a great way to get out of the heat.

DAY 4

Park: Hollywood Studios

1. Slinky Dog Dash - This is Hollywood Studios’ latest rollercoaster and it was so much fun! Definitely add it to your plans for the day.

2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster - This ride alllllways has a long line and its so good!

3. Frozen Sing-a-long Celebration - This is such a funny show even for adults! Try to get a fast pass for the 2pm or 3pm show because it is a great break from the heat!

DAY 5

Park: Magic Kingdom

1. Splash Mountain - The perfect ride to cool off on a hot day!

2. Space Mountain - Like I said before, this is my favorite ride and I always try to go on it as much as possible!

3. Jungle Cruise - Such a funny ride.. so many puns haha

DAY 6

Park: Animal Kingdom

1. Flight of Passage - So nice you’ve got to do it twice haha but seriously, try to get this fast pass for both days!

2. Kali River Rapids - Much like Splash Mountain, this is a fun way to cool off on a hot afternoon.

3. Expedition Everest - such a fun ride! Get the fast pass but then go on it again at night, it feels faster!

Santorini Travel Guide

SANTORINI TRAVEL GUIDE

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GETTING THERE

We took another ferry from Direct Ferries to get from Mykonos to Santorini. This time instead of taking the slower boat we took the fast boat for a little bit more money. This wasn’t planned but looking back we were happy to have a shorter boat trip. It was about 2 hours to get to Santorini. Prior to the trip we had no idea how we were going to get from the boat to the hotel but once we arrived to the island, everyone and their mom wanted to take us. AKA it was easy to figure out. We just sort of shuffled off the boat and into a bus line(there were probably 50 companies wanting to take us). We basically decided we just needed to pick one because they were all really the same price. We paid $45 to get us both dropped off at our hotel. We just told them the hotel name and they knew where to go! Easy, just how I like it! I put a lot of tips for Direct Ferries in this post here!

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed at Aeolos Studios and Suites, it was so perfect! The staff was honestly incredible and so willing to help us. They called and made reservations for us, they brought us breakfast to our room every morning, brought us treats and drinks every night. We seriously came home to something cute every night! They were so happy that we were there and ready to help us at the drop of a hat. The only downside was that our jetted tub that was out on our patio wasn’t heated at all, so it was chilly for a May vacation! Also, a tip for arriving, it’s a little difficult to find. We had to go down the steps to find the reception, but once we found it, they came up and got our luggage for us, so we didn’t have to take it down any steps.

ISLAND VIBE

I think Santorini had just as many people on it as Mykonos but it was much more spread out. Oia was very crowded in the evenings! The vibe of the island was MUCH calmer though, we really enjoyed the slowness that the island had. But when I say that I don’t mean service was slow or anything, just slower paced than Mykonos and definitely slower than Athens. We loved it and it was absolutely gorgeous. Basically, lots of food, wine, relaxing and laughing! The best kind of trip!

WHERE WE ATE

Avocado - lunch here, watch out, you will start and end your meal with a shot of tequila haha lunch here was so yummy though! I got the chicken caesar salad and a side of French fries lol and Dustin got the Seafood pasta! Both were delish!

Vanilla - we ate here two times! The pizza was to die for, the views were breathtaking, and they kept the wine coming! When it’s good, it’s good.. ya know?! haha we ate on the rooftop and it was just perfect! It was chilly from the wind, but they gave us blankets to keep warm!

Da Vinci - again, I ate all the pizza that was in Greece.. if you go there and aren’t able to eat pizza it’s because I ate it all. We had lunch here and it was very good! Dustin got the Risotto Agli Scampi. When we were eating here a couple was trying to get their ATV to start and they just couldn’t figure out how to get it to move forward.. We felt horrible and Dustin was going to go help but then they started arguing so we didn’t. It was sooo awkward but so funny to watch.. haha are we horrible?!

Buddha Bar Beach Santorini - Another restaurant with STUNNING views! Absolutely gorgeous views of the caldera. We sat outside at this restaurant as well. They had fun drinks and even better appetizers! We recommend the calamari!

Skiza Cafe - We stopped in here one night when we were in Oia, the sun had just set we were so freaking hungry lol we sat on the roof and ate pizza.. I literally ate pizza every day in Greece, no I don’t see the problem. haha

GETTING AROUND

When we were in Santorini we rented an ATV to get around, this was a bit pricier than the moped in Mykonos but definitely worth it! Plus, we could go faster on the ATV, which was good for going from one side of the island to the other! It cost us about $70 for two days, but they let us park it there whenever we needed. It was perfect, we parked there and walked like two minutes to our hotel room!

SITES TO SEE/THINGS TO DO

Kissing Fish - WHAT AN EXPERIENCE haha I had done a fish spa prior to Greece but Dustin hadn’t. It was hilarious! Yes, you will be nervous, yes it will tickle, yes you will laugh until you cry. Hands down you need to add this to the list of activities!! It was also a beautiful facility and the staff were so nice! Update: unfortunately, when I was updating links in 2022, I found out this place has closed.

Santo Winery- It was beautiful here! We ended up bringing a couple of bottles home from this winery! The staff was so knowledgable of the wines and really helped us figure out what to order based on what we liked! We sat there for at least three hours drinking all the wine, eating all the cheese and looking at the breathtaking views of the caldera!

Perissa Beach - This was a more publicized beach, there were more people and tons of restaurants and bars. We only spent about an hour here. It looked like you could rent jet skis here as well, lots to do on this beach!

Akrotiri Lighthouse- This was a fun unplanned half day trip! It was the cutest lighthouse called the Akrotiri lighthouse. It was first built in 1892!🤓 This wasn't even something we planned on doing, we just sort of stumbled upon it on our search for lunch, but we ended up spending so much time here(disregarding our hungry stomachs) lol 

Vlichada Beach - We got stuck at this beach.. literally our ATV broke down here(the company was so awesome, they came and brought us a new AVT). BUT if we were going to break down anywhere I would prefer it to be on this gorgeous beach! It had a cute little restaurant here too but we didn’t stop because we were preoccupied with getting off the beach.. lol we definitely recommend visiting this one! It was also fun because we found so so many clay tiles (we think from old buildings) that had washed up on the beach. This is also the beach where the dock was for Caldera Yachting day trip!

Caldera Yachting - this was one of our favorite days of the entire 11 day Greece vacation. It was so relaxing and beautiful. We went snorkeling, and swimming in multiple spots. Plus, they would get you beer or wine, just ask and it’s yours! Also, there was a chef on board who made the most incredible assortment of foods for lunch. It was seriously so much more amazing than you could have ever imagined having food prepared on a boat. Plus you could smell the delicious food the whole time you were swimming! It was also so much fun to get to know the people that were on the boat with us, like where they were from, how their vacation was going and things like that. We love meeting new people! You can get 15% off your tour by using the code caldera2019 when you pre-book your cruise! We would definitely recommend the day trip just because its warm enough to swim and you can dry off in the sun! I think if we would have taken the sunset trip it would have been very cold, especially in May. While it would have been romantic, I think we would have been over it after the sun went down.. ha just being honest!

I hope you guys enjoy this Santorini Travel Guide and you find it useful for planing your own trips! Be sure to check out the posts from Athens and Mykonos as well! As always, let me know what you think and if you have any questions at all!

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San Francisco Travel Diary: Day Two

ABOUT OUR DAY

Day 2 began very early, we set off around 8 and we had no real plan for the morning. We decided to stop when our noses could no longer handle the fabulous smells coming from Beach Street Grill Organics. Dustin had the Fresh Crab Benedict- LOOKED awesome, tasted better, but I will let you guys be the judge of how it looks! We ate outside and the weather was perfect. February is actually a surprisingly great time to visit San Francisco. Of course, we were coming from the arctic soooo….. UPDATE: Unfortunately when checking links in 2022, Beach Street Grill has permanently closed.

OUR ALCATRAZ TOUR

After breakfast, we headed to check in for our reservations at the Alcatraz Excursions tour. From breakfast to Pier 33 it was about a 15-minute walk, perfect to undo the yummy food we couldn’t tear ourselves away from. With a little time to spare we stopped at Pier 39 to watch the sea lions- they were hilarious to watch! I am in love with them….they are an attraction all on their own!

The Alcatraz tour is streamlined and organized a definite plus when your time is limited. It is a short boat ride over to the island and then we were able to walk around the island on our own. They had an audio tour, I usually don’t love the audio tours but this one was interesting and informative. We learned so much about the prison itself and the day to day life of the prisoners and guards. This tour was not one to miss, take the time to book a tour with them. Just make sure you do it a couple of weeks in advance because they fill up fast! They also have a night tour, and I was told that needed to be booked even further in advance. The cost was worth the experience for sure, we would recommend doing it to anyone. Has anyone ever done the night tour? I'm not sure it would be for me…..ghosts…spoooooky!

The tour took 3 hours from start to finish including the boat ride times. We starting walking back towards Pier 39 to find some grub. We stopped at Eagle Cafe. We sat outside at the bar on the patio and saw the most amazing views of Alcatraz, the bay and Pier 39. A great place for people watching if I might add. The french fries were great, we both got the Crab Salad sandwhich. It wasn't what we were expecting but it was fine.

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OUR LUNCH AND AFTERNOON

After lunch we walked by the bay all the way to the beach in front of the Maritime Museum. We took our shoes off and walked in the sand. They had a foot shower to wash off the sand and then we headed to Ghiradelli Square for a sweet treat. We got our chocolate squares and sat on the grassy hill for almost 3 hours. Being from Minnesota, the sun was a stranger and we couldn't be happier to be laying in the sun. There were dogs and people everywhere just relaxing, it was perfect! We headed back to the hotel to change for dinner.

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DINNER TIME

We started our evening with oysters on the half shell and a glass of wine at the Wines of California Wine Bar. It was the perfect setting, we sat on the patio and watched the boats on the water. They had the prettiest lights and it was peaceful in the middle of the busy pier. Further down the pier at Hana Zen is where we had dinner, the sushi was amazing! We reccommend the Lion King roll, only a bit obsessed with Disney....its fine.... We ended our night by sitting on the benches listening to the sea lions on the pier, amazing! UPDATE: Unfortunately when checking links in 2022, both of these places have closed.

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San Francisco Travel Diary: Day One

WHERE WE STAYED

When we were planning our weekend getaway to San Francisco, we knew we wanted to stay in Fishermans Warf. Most of what we wanted to do and see were there so we decided to stay at Holiday Inn Fishermans Wharf. This hotel was perfect for what we needed it for. It was close to everything, and it was a great place to crash for the night, with such short trip- we knew we wouldn’t be in the room often. It was reasonably priced and the staff was great, they let us check in at 10 AM rather than the standard 3 PM- for free I might add!

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ABOUT OUR DAY

We knew we wanted to maximize our time in San Francisco so we booked the earliest flight Friday morning. We arrived around 9:15 and got to our hotel at 10:00, we were hungry because our stomachs thought it was lunchtime for sure. We checked into our hotel and immediately went to find food. I had never been to In & Out Burger so obviously we ate lunch there. 

After lunch, we set off to explore. As a rookie mistake we started walking uphill (we seriously recommend NOT doing that)! We started walking and walking and walking...and while it was fun, we ended up wearing ourselves out from too much walking. We should have utilized some public transportation and saved our feet from the abuse. We ended up taking the trolley from Fishermans Wharf to downtown San Francisco. The trolley took us right to the center of Union Square, where we found one of my favorite activities a plenty....shopping.

We didn’t spend much time in downtown, we did a bit of window shopping and then took the trolly back to Fishermans Wharf. We waited for about 30 minutes to get on the trolley but could have saved a lot of time walked up the street a bit and just hopped on. TIP: Just make sure you have your ticket ready if you go that route! We got off the trolley and headed back to the hotel to change for dinner. 

We basically ate our way through San Francisco and we weren’t mad about it. We headed out from the hotel on the hunt for drinks. We stopped at Franciscan Crab Restaurant for drinks and calamari. We sat at the bar and the views were amazing. Drinks, Calamari and views...the trifecta of awesomeness. After we walked further to the pier, and stopped to eat dinner at Fog Harbor Fish House! Our service was fantastic and so was the food. Dustin had an entire Dungeness crab and I had the lobster mac n’ cheese. YUM! Can you really go wrong with lobster mac n' cheese? After all this yummieness and being completly full.... we were exhausted from traveling and walking {and eating} so we headed back to our hotel to pass out in a splendid food coma. 

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