Florida – The State that Holds My Favorite Places

Destin and Orlando, Florida. If we're being honest, I love everything about Florida – the warm weather, the beaches, the rain showers and my two favorite locations: Disney World and Destin.

Destin, Florida. While I have only been to Destin, Florida one time in my life, it's easily the favorite beach-city I've vacationed at. The small-town feel, beachfront views and laid back vibes make Destin a town that easily captured my heart and made me fall in love with all things about the beach and warm weather. This summer, my family and close friends took a covid-safe vacation to escape our homes and celebrate my best friend's mom getting married – woo hoo! 

(Beach front photo: Annie Spratt on Unsplash)

While we were in Destin, we seemed to squeeze all of my favorite things into one trip – tons of coffee shops and shopping, biking around the small town, a sunset dolphin cruise and then finished the whole trip with a wedding – the perfect happily-ever after ending to the trip of a lifetime. 

(Sunset over the ocean: Photo by Charlie Firth on Unsplash)

Orlando, Florida. My second favorite place is of course the "Happiest Place on Earth" – Disney World in Orlando, Florida! I have been to Disney World twice in my life, but only one time to fully remember and enjoy the trip. But, let me tell you, I had THE time of my life.

(Cinderella's Castle, Disney World: Photo by Benjamin Suter on Unsplash)

My favorite Disney park is Magic Kingdom, purely for the Disney princesses and all of the yummy treats you can snack on there. (If you can't tell, I love my coffee, snacks, and Rapunzel, the best Disney princess, hands-down.) Nothing compares to watching the fireworks pop over the castle on a warm Florida night, making for a surreal once-in-a-lifetime experience. On my next trip, my hope is to visit Universal Studios (when covid is over, of course)!

My favorite memory from the trip worth mentioning is the day we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. My family and I were walking around, completely lost and just trying to find our way around. Before we knew it, a Disney employee approached us, asked us what we were looking for, and then we were heading off to meet Chewbacca at the Star Wars area! We were deemed "family of the day" and cut about 100 people in line to meet Chewbacca, have our picture taken, and receive up to $100 worth of souvenirs for FREE. It definitely paid off to look lost in that situation!

(Universal Studios Hollywood welcome sign: Photo by Jared Lisack on Unsplash)