National Park Day 2010-St. Augustine, FL

Today was National Park Day!  One of my favorites, it is a free day at any National Park.  We look through the list and decided to go to St. Augustine since the husband had never been.  The Castillo San Marco is not expensive on a regular day, but we figured that today would be a good day to visit.  They had cannon firings planned, along with reenactments that we thought would be fun for the kids.

The Castillo is rather large and many parts (such as the gun deck) are not handicap and stroller accessible.  There are lots of little rooms to explore and peek into.  There is a map room which tells the story of the different flags that have flown over the Castillo through out history.  The fort was never taken by force, but it has withstood many battles.  There are several cannon ball impressions left in the rock wall from battles past.    This the oldest fort standing in the US, so it is rather unique in construction and layout.

The Fort is located on a bit of grassy hill.  It is a perfect spot to throw down a blanket for a nice picnic and watch the boats in the bay.  In the past there has been a historic ship in the harbor, although I was unable to see one on this trip.

We spent about an hour or two wandering through the fort, watching the reenactments and got to watch and hear a real cannon fire. We later took a leisurely stroll through the historic downtown and treated ourselves to some ice cream.

The four of us absolutely loved it and hope we can come back again for another wonderful trip.  For more information please visit their website at; http://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm.

Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts

I was not impressed at all. This was an extremely small festival and not very well put together. I was disappointed with the parking situation and the fact that you had to pay $5 to park, then walk across the street dodging cars. Yes, they did have officers directing traffic, but the cars did not pay any attention to them, and I saw a Seminole Deputy almost get ran over twice.


The art was arranged in a maze, and vendors were thrown in next to art. When I come to an Art Show, I don't want to be harressed to purchase a subscribition to the NY Times or the evaulate my cable needs.

The kids things were thrown into the back like an afterthought, and it was very difficult to find, and it turned out to be a few bouncy houses and nothing else.

The car show was crap. I have seen much larger shows in a Taco Bell parking lot on a Friday night.

On the plus side, I did see several good new local artists, and several that I have seen and enjoy seeing at other festivals each year.

Next year, I will be headed to Halifax to see what Volusia County has to offer. Also, for any art lovers, the Deland Festival is coming again next week.

Volusia County Fair

I got a chance to check out the Volusia County Fair.  We had a lot of fun, as fairs go.  Thursday night was free admission and $1 rides, so the place was packed.  Check out the website for more information and the various prices through out the week.  Little tip... The funnel cake is cheaper at the gates then it is at the midway, you will save $1.  Have a great week and great adventures!

Halloween Weekend

Unfortunately, we were unable to go out this weekend due to a sick child, but I heard there were several great haunted houses and activities! 

This weekend, the Volusia County Fair is back and the Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts.  We will be attending the Art Festival this weekend since it is only available for one weekend.  I hope to see you out and about.

Deltona Spooktacular

Spooktacular this year was OK.  There was a lot of games for the kids and tons of candy to be won.  My son enjoyed the bouncy house and the giant slide.  The haunted trail was good, they always have one that is adult only and then one for the kids, and they are always enjoyable.  There were lots of cute costumes to see on the kids, but I wish the costume contests would not have been so late.

All I have to say is, I'm sick of Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop only.  Deltona really needs to learn how to diversify it's events.  This year the main stage was dominated by a Hip Hop group named Super Sonic.  They were good, but I would have liked to see more.  They pushed the costume contests back so they could have even more time on stage.  It got to the point that my son was so sick of them that he begged to leave.  I would have been happier to see a country or a rock group share the stage. 

We will probably not attend next years event in favor of something more versatile.

Deltona Library and Lyonia Preserve

Wow! The new Deltona Library is huge! The Adult or main area of the library has more than doubled in size. There is a store in the back that sells used books at a reduced rate. They have also added enclosed study rooms for more comfort and WiFi through out. I found great interest in the expanded DVD library that included many newly released movies.


There are plenty of new things for the kids to do in the children's area. There are educational board games, puzzles, and exercises all neatly packed in little backpacks each labeled with the course and age group that they are geared for. A large "Tree" stands in the middle of the area with plenty of little chairs to curl up on and read. There are is lots of open spaces and a special room devoted to story time. There is also a Teen Zone, geared towards the older children with computers, older books, a homework help area and two Wii's.


The Lyonia Preserve is attached to the library and includes a café that serves bagels and coffee, a gift shop that specializes in eco-friendly goods, and a large auditorium for events. The exhibit area is geared towards education children of all ages about Volusia County's eco systems from the ocean, the scrub and the springs.

I look forward to seeing concerts in the new outside amphitheater and taking leisurely hikes on the three trails in the Scrub. Indoor and out, this project seems well worth the 11 million spent by local tax payers. I highly suggest taking the kids and checking it out for yourself. It doesn't cost a thing and the kids will learn while having fun in the process.

The Grand Opening was a hit with my family. There were lots of fun crafts and a guided tour of the preserve. Unfortunately, October 17th was the only day for the festivities. Deltona's next event is Spooktaular, which is scheduled for the weekend of October 24 and 25th. Last years was a lot of fun with games for the kids and two "haunted trails" (one is for kids and one is adults only). The event is free and my family will be attending.

Discover Lyonia Preserve, Deltona

This Saturday is Discover Lyonia, http://lyoniapreserve.com/.  Lyonia Preserve is Volusia

County’s newest Wildlife Preserve and Conservation Effort. The Saturday event is free and open to the public.  After the open house on Saturday, there will be a charge to explore the Lyonia Preserve (they have not released the proposed admission price, but I will let you know as soon as it becomes available).  Check out the website, and I look forward to meeting new explorers this weekend.