Road Trip Florida: Gulf County Adventure

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Visit Gulf County for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

We’re going to Florida this fall! Hello Universal Studios, here we come. While we are down there I am hoping to add a few extra days and visit Gulf County in Florida. Since the weather will be turning cold here in the northeast I thought it would be fun to extend summer and have some outdoor learning adventures while we are there.

We took a peek at the Gulf County Adventure Guide and discovered a wide array of things to do in Gulf County and since the weather should still be gorgeous, I want to squeeze everything I can out of our road trip. Think we can cover a lot in 3 days?

We are a homeschooling family who loves to extend learning ‘outside the books’, so Gulf County Florida is perfect. It has so many outdoor adventures, many of them free or low cost. Here’s my plan for how a family of five can make a lifetime of memories on a frugal budget.

Gulf County Adventure Road Trip

Photo used with permission from Gulf County Florida Tourism.

Day 1

The one absolute ‘must do’ on this trip is visit the turtles. Turtle season is May – October and we will be there in September. This mama and her middle child will be ecstatic if we actually get to see some baby turtles. Crossing our fingers and hoping, but either way, we will be checking out the turtle stomping grounds and learning all about turtle habitats. Sometimes the best learning is hands on experience, and no, I don’t mean actually touching the turtles, but exploring where they live.

Meal on the Go: We are going to take a picnic dinner so we can enjoy afternoon and evening on the beach. One of my favorite picnic meals is to take a loaf of Italian bread, slice it open, stuff it with deli meats,  cheeses, and veggies. Then I slather on the mayo and Italian dressing, wrap it tight in plastic and let it absorb all the flavors. Slice it and serve at dinnertime. We will finish off the meal with water bottles, baby carrots, and apples.

Photo used with permission from Gulf County Florida Tourism.

Day 2

We’re checking out St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. We are going to hike and study plants and wildlife in the park. I am making up journals for the kids to record their findings. Little do they know they will be doing age appropriate projects for school when we get home.

Meal on the Go: We’re falling back on good old PB&J today. We are packing everything in containers so we don’t risk dropping any trash. Add some celery and pepper sticks and oranges, along with our trusty water bottles, and we are set.

Photo used with permission from Gulf County Florida Tourism.

Day 3

We’re off to Indian Pass Lagoon. We are feeling adventurous so perhaps we will go out on the water so we can really explore everything the lagoon has to offer. We’re tying science and history together as we learn about the ecosystem of the lagoon and the history of the people who first used it as a resource. We are also going to explore legends of the area.

Meal on the Go: We’re making salads in jars for this adventure.

Check out Gulf County Adventure Guide and plan your very own outdoor learning adventure.

Where will your next adventure take you?

Enter the contest below for your chance to win a $50 gift card to embark on your own adventure. 10 winners will be chosen each week and contest ends 4/13/2015.

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