2023 Feb 22-24, Amelia Island, Kingsley Plantation, Fernandian Beach, St Augustine, FL. and Fountain of Youth (Diamond Travel ) 5 Days with Anderson Travels, Hueytown, AL

Day 3: Wednesday, February 22

Breakfast at the hotel consisted of a cinnamon roll, sausage, milk, and cranberry juice.

Meet our guide, who is loaded onto the bus for an hour-long ride to Kingsley Plantation, which is located on Fort George Island along the St John's River. Two roads lead to the site: Palmetto Avenue, a dirt road that is often in rough condition, and Fort George Road, a paved road that is subject to flooding during weather events and extreme tides.

 Kingsley Plantation  and our guide

The birds we heard were House Finch,  Yellow-rump Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throat Warbler, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Boat-tailed Grackle, and a couple of Peacocks.

We had about 45 minutes to tour the house, barn, gift shop, and gardens, during which we spotted a gopher tortoise.

Loaded back onto the bus and headed to Amelia Island, where we walked along the sandy beach.

Amelia Island Beach and sand

Loaded back onto the bus and headed to Fernandina Beach, where we walked through the town and stopped to eat lunch at "The Happy Tomato," where Hubby and I split a club sandwich, potato chips, and a couple of bottles of water.

Club Sandwich with Lay's Chips

We walked along the pier, where we saw a great gray heron and heard several grackles.

We saw several House sparrows and a yellow-tailed warbler.

Wall of Gray Butterflies 

Town of Fernandina Beach 

Loaded back onto the bus and headed back to the hotel to freshen up.

Our last stop for dinner was Apple Bees, where I had grilled Chicken, a Caesar salad, and Chicken.

FIESTA LIME CHICKEN

Grilled chicken glazed with zesty lime sauce and drizzled with tangy Mexi-ranch is smothered with a rich blend of Cheddar cheeses on a bed of crispy tortilla strips. It is served with Spanish rice and house-made pico de gallo.

Day 4: Thursday, February 23, 

Breakfast at the hotel is a cinnamon roll, biscuit, and gravy, accompanied by juice.

Loaded onto the bus and headed to St Augustine.

We stopped at the Visitor Center to pick up our guide. Inside the visitor center, we also shopped and toured the museum.

Our tour Guide

We reboarded the bus, and our guide told us about the many historic sites in St. Augustine.

We stopped at Flagler College (the former Ponce de Leon Hotel) and several churches.

Flager College

We rode back to the Visitor Center and were alone for a few hours. 

We walked to St George Street, a pedestrian-only street filled with unique shops and restaurants.

We ate lunch at  St. Augustine Seafood Company. We ordered a shrimp plate with fries, cole slaw, and water. I also bought 2 bottles of their hot sauce to take home to my son. 

Shrimp, Fries, and Cole Slaw at St Augustine Seafood Company

We walked several blocks on St George Street, stopping to take pictures of historic markers and sites.

We walked through the Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine and Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine.

Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

We walked into a mall area where we saw several people dressed up like pirates.

I got my picture taken with them a few minutes later.

Me with the pirates

We walked back to the visitor center and did a little shopping. Hubby bought a hat, and I bought a kitchen towel. 

We loaded back onto the bus and headed to the Fountain of Youth.

At the Fountain of Youth, we walked around and stopped to taste the spring, suffer water, watch a show, watch a blacksmith at work, and watch the firing of a cannon.

A couple taking a sip from the Fountain of Youth 

Loaded back onto the bus and rode to Cucina Giovanni for dinner.

It took forever for them to take our orders, and the food was overcooked.

Salad 

Chicken Parmigiana topped with marinara sauce& mozzarella served with Spaghetti. 

Pasta Alfredo with creamy Alfredo sauce 

Cannoli

The salad and dessert were good. We were there too long to enjoy our meal.

Day 5: Friday, February 24, Travel Home 

Packed our bags and took them downstairs to be loaded onto the bus.

Ate breakfast and watched a couple of Scottish men play Amazing Grace on bagpipes.

Loaded onto the bus and headed for Hueytown, AL.

We stopped in Perry, GA, and ate lunch at Firehouse Subs.

Club sub 

Small Philly Sub 

Stopped at the Rest Area at Lake Park, Suwanee River Valley, Ga 

Rest Area at Lake Park Suwanee River Valley, Ga 

Arrived in Birmingham around 4:49 P.M.

We loaded our luggage into the car and headed home, a 2 1/2-hour drive away.

I stopped at KFC in Athens at 7:01 P.M. and went home around 8 P.M.

I had a great trip, but woke up Monday morning with COVID.

 

2019 Mar 23, 🚎Faith of our Fathers Trolley Tour of Tuscumbia, Alabama

March 23, 2019 

Everyone met at Coldwater Books and began boarding the trolley at 9:30 A.M.

Lt. Col. Arthur Graves is talking to a couple of tourists

The trolley was taking a group on a "Tour of the Faith of our Fathers" Historic Churches of Tuscumbia.

Ron Hudson said that the Georgian Gothic-style First Presbyterian Church was Alabama's oldest house of continual worship, and where the Keller Family worshiped for over a century.
Helen Keller was a Baptist here.
Notable Tuscumbians who attended her were Brig. Gen. James Deshler, CSA; Alabama Governor Robert Burns Lindsay; Judge John Anthony Steele, delegate to the State Secession Convention; and Thomas Limerick, first mayor of Tuscumbia and original trustee of the church. 

We explored the architecture and history of the First Presbyterian Church, Lesley Temple, and First Baptist Church, three of Tuscumbia's oldest and most historic churches. We examined how the faith of our ancestors influenced the growth of Tuscumbia. 

Lesley Temple (built around a log cabin, the original building)
Mr. Graves is a devoted member of Lesley Temple C.M.E. Church, where he is proudly the oldest male member of the church. He serves on the Steward Board and teaches Sunday school. He is also the host of his Sunday morning radio program on WZZA.

Lesley Temple (original light fixture from Presbyterian Church 

Our tour guides were Ron Hudson and Lt. Col. Arthur Graves, the oldest member of Lesley Temple, who was very knowledgeable about the history of Tuscumbia.