Small Town Charm

My pick of Destinations:

For the readers that have been following my blog since day one, you know that I started writing this blog to share our adventures of traveling in our motorhome (thus the title, Six Wheels Down.) It’s been an amazing experience dating back to my first trip over a long weekend in August of 2011 at Mohican Reservation on the river in Loudonville, OH. We took our first big trip to Maine that September and slowly became addicted to RV travel. Our trips led us to our eventual snow birding over a period of five – six months during the winters starting in 2013, which gave way to full time RVing in 2017 after selling our home.

It was our goal in each location to find the most charming spots in every town that we visited that would eventually lead us to make a decision on our retirement place to call home. I would literally Google the most “charming small towns” in the states we traveled in and we would take day trips in our car to see them. As I mentioned in my last blog, I dubbed these little excursions as “day tripping.” We have continued this tradition even though we now live in a stationary location in Florida. I am only going to focus on the deep south for the purpose of sharing some of the most charming destinations in today’s blog.

If you find yourself traveling South and you have some time to enjoy local food and atmosphere, here is a short list of must-see towns along the East coast:

Savannah and Tybee Island in Georgia are quaint and definitely a good host to southern charm.

St. Mary’s, GA is well known for the beautiful Crooked River State Park, gateway to the Cumberland Island National Seashore- and Georgia’s best kept secret.

Amelia Island, FL is definitely fun to walk around. There is plenty of street side shopping and eateries. Our favorite casual restaurant with a view was the Salty Pelican. Fernandina Beach is beautiful (although there is a bare minimum of public places to enjoy the views.)

St. Augustine, FL lays claim to being the oldest city in the US and known for beautiful Spanish architecture. I fell in love with walking around and eating with great views. A day pass trolley ticket is the way to get around and will take you to the lighthouse location well worth seeing.

Ormond Beach, FL (just north of Daytona beach) with a drive along Ormond By-The-Sea coast. One of the more quiet and quaint towns along the beach and not as populated as Daytona- which is more geared to tourist activities.

On the Gulf coast, Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach (34 miles apart) are among my favorites in the Panhandle area of Florida. I am not sure what Mexico Beach is like post hurricane Michael (devastated in October 2018), but it was so quaint and far less touristy than the beautiful Ft. Walton/Destin areas and the water has the same deep emerald color with white sand as the Emerald Coast.

We also love the drive from Key Largo to Key West and it’s a must-see for anyone that has not done it. However, Key West is not a “family” destination, in my opinion. It is an adult playground of fun, food and adult beverages. If you find yourself there, we enjoyed the local hang outs much more than anything on the famous Duval Street. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach is the best beach on the Island. Great local spots would include: Geiger Key Marina- The Fish Camp (bar & restaurant), Hogfish Bar & Grill on Stock Island, No Name Pub and Boondocks Grille on Big Pine Key. For downtown Key West, everyone loves the true experience of Blue Heavan and First Flight Island Restaurant/Brewery, but we also enjoyed the locals and entertainment at Schooner Wharf Bar located in the Key West Bight Seaport and the Boat House Bar & Grill. For the most charming parts of town, you have to walk or ride a bike all around the small streets and neighborhoods where all the houses bare the most charming verandas and white post front porches laden with rich lush foliage.

The places in the North Central areas of Florida have some of the most charming little towns that we visit on our day tripping adventures. Ocala is famous for the horses that are born, bred and trained in this region and home to over 1100 thoroughbred farms. I love the ocean and I love the countryside, so I have the best of both worlds within a 60 – 90 minute drive. The Ocala National Forest offers 387,000 acres of sand pine forest- the southernmost forest in the continental US.

For today’s pick, the town of Micanopy is “The Town that Time Forgot” settled in 1821 and is one of my favorites with a population of about 658 people. The downtown is designated as a Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic places. It is truly full of “Old Florida” charm and home to Antique shops, ice cream and an outdoor Café under the moss covered live oaks.

There is the famous Herlong Mansion Bed & Breakfast (Circa 1845), which is the highlight of Cholokka Blvd. I have never seen the inside because you have to be a guest there to enter, but the pictures on their website show exactly how that old time period with vintage wood and décor would appear.

I mentioned in my last blog that I was working on a Christmas series of paintings that I will be posting here upon completion. A few of these charming places will be featured in the series with a theme of Christmas. If all goes well, you will be able to purchase high quality prints in several sizes of the originals with the touch of a button on this website.

I hope that my paintings will stir a little something in everyone for the upcoming Holiday Season.

“Memories of the past evoke emotions in the present, which lend to future traditions.”

Lorraine Turner