mmsown

St. Augustine is:

historic, quaint, beautiful, touristy, fun, peaceful, warm, and inviting.

My family is from the area so I grew up going there. Then as an adult I lived there for several years.

I love St. Augustine, from the dolphins in the bay to the ghost tours downtown; from the beautiful beaches to the alligator farm. I just love it!

I enjoy taking my family to New Smyrna Beach on vacation. Our first time there we discovered a tiny little community park on the south end of New Smyrna Beach that is filled with manatees.

We were smitten, and have been back several times to see them again.

New Smyrna Beach is quiet, clean, and peaceful but close enough to Daytona for a little night life.

Thanks to season passes, the “Q-Bot”, and living nearby, my husband and I have ridden Mystery Mine at least 15 times.

It was recently rated the best new rollercoaster.

It is truly excellent.

It is a compact coaster with some very tight turns. The lifts up are straight up and the drops are straight down. The majority of the ride is indoors with some fun and interesting scenery.

I’m a big chicken on coasters and get sick easily, but I love this one. Not that it’s gentle, because it’s not. However the seats hold you in tight so there is no need to worry about falling out (especially when the coaster takes you through a very slow upside down section).

We are very proud of our little Dollywood. It is very clean and the people are much more mature than most parks – and clearly they enjoy their jobs.

One more word on Q-bots, these are like “fast passes” to help you get on the rides quicker. They are a better bargain at Dollywood than most parks by a long shot. They are completely worth the price, helping you get on at least 4 times the number of rides you would get on with out it.