We decided to spend spring break in Clearwater on the Gulf coast, and we really enjoyed it! We stayed in a house a little bit inland, so we did a little beach hopping.
Day 0 - the drive down
On the way down, we decided we wanted to try to make Kate's dreams come true and go to a manatee sanctuary at Crystal River.
We rented 3 tandem kayaks and Jared brought his standup paddleboard. The beginning of the trip was through some waves in the harbor, and then we ended up in the shallower water and lagoons. We paddled around homes right on the water - such a cool place!
Unfortunately, the manatee area was closed and there weren't any manatees, but it was a super fun way to start our vacation!
Day 1 - Clearwater Beach
We went to Clearwater Beach, just a short drive from the house. We started the day at Kaia Bowl having acai bowls. The kids (especially Kate) LOVE acai bowls!
The sand at Clearwater Beach is amazing and the beach is huge! It really was a beautiful beach, and we had sunshine (and a nice breeze) the entire day.
We took all our toys and used all our toys. We made sand castles, played Kuub, frisbee, played in the water, and relaxed - and ate some yummy fish tacos. It was a great day!
We walked out to the pier a ways out above the ocean.
Day 2 - Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Honeymoon Island State Park
Our second day in Clearwater started at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where we could make another of Kate's dreams come true - seeing Winter the dolphin!
We watched Dolphin Tale a few weeks before our trip, which Kate LOVED, so this was a major highlight.
Winter did not have her prosthetic fin and was swimming all over the giant aquarium pool.
The aquarium also had other exhibits including a place to touch rays, lots of rescued sea turtles, some of which were being rehabilitated, others which were unable to return to the wild, and some other dolphins.
After the aquarium, we drove north to Honeymoon Island State Park, where we rented a family surrey to ride around the island.
There were lots of laughs (both from us and people we passed) and only a couple times where we had to bail because the sand got too deep.
After a long ride, we took a little rest on a big chair.
The beach was a lot of fun, too, and had beautiful white sand. We made sand castles, 
and there were some great shells to find and a few waves to ride. We stayed until the sun started to go down.
Day 3 - Mini Golf and Caspersen Beach (Shark Tooth, ooh ha-ha)
We started the day playing mini golf at Congo River Golf. It was a big place with over the top holes!
The highlight, though, was the alligators. Liam, Claire, and Torin all chose to feed the alligators, which involved putting freeze-dried chicken on poles for the little alligators to snap up. It was actually lots more entertaining than it sounds!
Kate and Jacob decided they wanted to hold alligators, which they bravely did. Kate's made a pretty quick motion at one point, which startled her just a little.
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After golfing, we headed to Caspersen beach, where we heard there was a chance of finding shark teeth.
Little did we know that there was a system - people brought different types of strainers of all sorts. We went for slow runs down the beach and back and made a drip castle city.
Dani spent so much time scooping and sifting sand that the small of her back got a 1-inch burn line that lasted for months after! We ended up finding only 1-2 shark teeth.
Day 4 - Clearwater Beach
We spend the last full day in Florida on the white sandy beaches at Clearwater Beach. We went a little further north to try to avoid the big crowds. After more good food, the day ended with some great sunset pictures
and some ice cream, of course!
Running in Clearwater
We all ran from the house to the pier a few times.
There were always pelicans on the pier. They're kind of scary (dad thinks, at least!)
The run all the way to the end of the pier (which cost an admission to get to the very end) was just under 3.5 miles and included a looping pedestrian ramp up to the bridge, a long uphill over the bridge, a long causeway, and a nice view of the ocean and the bay.
It was a pretty end (for some) or turnaround spot for others of a run!
The House
The kids had a lot of fun on the pop-a-shot at the house. There were nearly constant contests - and occasional tears! The house worked out perfectly for us and was a nice dinner place most nights.
The Return
On the 15 hour drive home, we stopped by the famed Buc-ee's, and, as advertised, it was AMAZING! It is huge, so many gas pumps, and inside is giant too. The bathrooms are spectacular.
And, best of all, the brisket sandwiches were AMAZING! They were delicious, and we were in and out of Buc-ee's with lunch in hand in record time.
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