Travel Guide to North Florida

Everything you need to know about packing for the beach, where to stay, and what to do during a weekend with friends.

Hey ya'll! If you're looking for an action packed vacation AND some relaxing on the side, you have found the right blog. I will give recommendations for packing tips, and everything fun to do in the surrounding area with your friends.

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Gainesville, Florida

Our trip was set to begin on Thursday in Jacksonville, FL for a bachelorette party. When I started researching activities, my sister and I decided to travel a day early so that we could travel to multiple locations before landing at our final destination. On a Wednesday, we left Charleston, SC and headed towards Gainesville, FL.

Quality Inn:

• When looking for hotels close to the Devil's Den, I looked for safety, a well-known name, and breakfast included. My sister and I were only staying here one night, so we didn't need the best accommodations. It was only $80 for our room with double beds and the location was less than 30 minutes from the Devil's Den where we snorkeled the next morning.

*Packing tip: I packed a separate bag that housed all of the items that were essential for this portion of the trip. Everything that was packed specifically for the bachelorette party was packed in a larger suitcase. Organizing these bags separately made it easier for me at our first destination. I didn't have to go digging through multiple bags looking for items.

Gainesville Hotels

Swamp Head Brewery:

• We stopped at this brewery for dinner and drinks. I would highly recommend checking out this location - this would be a great spot during football season. You could sit on the deck and watch the games.

• We got 2 flights - 8 beers total to try and they were so yummy! 😋

- The Order

- Field Trip

- Honey Field Trip (Melanie’s fav🤍)

- Disco Dolphin 🐬

- Peach Cobbler (My favorite 🥧)

- Runny Nose

- Tropical Disturbance

• The food truck Wednesday evening was Taino Roots - also FABULOUS. We had the fish ceviche, pork hot sundae cup, and split the fish nachos.

Swamp Head Brewery

Devil's Den:

• One of the most exciting things that I found out about Florida is that it's filled with these crystal blue natural springs - until this year, I had no idea that these hidden gems existed.

  • There are so many choices and locations to travel to, but the Devil's Den really caught my attention. First off, it is $18 a person to snorkel (weekday price) and you can rent all of your equipment for only $12!

  • My suggestion is to book your snorkeling excursions in advance and not show up without a time slot. Secondly, if you have a waterproof camera, bring it with you!

  • The water was SO COLD but the experience made it worth it. You begin by walking down steel stairs onto the platform in the water. Once Melanie and I gained enough courage, we swam off the the platform into the icy water. There were a variety of fish swimming around the water and it was crystal clear/blue. The dive was so unique and exhilarating.

• There is a community shower in the restrooms for guests to use before leaving the location. (Wear your shower shoes!) This made it easier on us since we weren't able to check in to the house until 4:30 - we were able to head straight to St. Augustine for lunch and drinks.

Devil's Den

St. Augustine, Florida

Instead of traveling straight to Jacksonville once we completed our dive, we decided to take a little detour and visit St. Augustine for lunch. St. Augustine is about 45 minutes south of Jacksonville, so it didn't add too much time to our trip. I had never visited this location so I was very excited to see this quaint town. We parked our car at one of the public parking lots near St. George Street and walked around the old town. I love that everything was accessible by foot.

River & Fort Restaurant:

• This restaurant showcases beautiful views of the water and views of the Castillo de San Marcos. While taking in the breeze and the views, I sipped on a Manifestation - Manifest vodka, Zoco Pacharan, Crème de Violette,

• For lunch, I ordered the steak salad. I wanted something light since we had dinner reservations a few hours away. It was a medium Hand-cut filet with lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onion, radish, egg,

Jacksonville, Florida

Now onto our final destination! We had about a 45 minute drive to Jacksonville from St. Augustine. We drove on the A-1-A so we could coast by the beach and take the scenic route north. By 5pm, all of the guests were arriving to our fabulous AirBNB. With over 20 women traveling for this bachelorette party, we ended up in two houses side-by-side, with two pools. The layout was amazing and the house was beautiful.

Airbnb Houses

Restaurants:

Secret Tiki Temple

• Our first dinner in Jacksonville was at the Secret Tiki Temple - which felt a lot like going to a speak easy. It was located inside of another restaurant (Pagoda), had no sinage outside, and you needed a code word to gain access to your reservation. The staff were all very much in character and took the code word very seriously.

• There are 3 levels of drinks: mild, medium, and heavy - referencing the amount of liquor in each drink. I stuck to one drink and I ordered off of the light menu. The drinks came out in fun, themed glasses and were fruity and very refreshing. They were about $15 a piece - a little pricey, but you were paying for the experience. If you can handle your liquor better than me and you are taking an Uber, you should try one of the heavier drinks. The staff has an entire performance when they deliver the drink.

• The food was cheap yet very delicious! *Order the Hawaiian rice - I did not realize it was Spam, but I was glad that I tried something out of my comfort zone.

Secret Tiki Temple

Oaxaca Club:

• This restaurant is located about a block from the beach. We were seated on the patio, which was nice with the breeze. I'm glad that our reservation was outdoors - the inside of the restaurant was very loud.

• For drinks, I had the Panchito Punch and the Hit Chamoy Up - both had mezcal and a spicy rim.

• For appetizers, the table ordered the salsa trio and the guacamole. I'm not the biggest fan of guacamole but this restaurant changed my mind. The best I have ever had.

Oaxaca Club

Coffee Shops:

• Sago Coffee - my favorite coffee shop

• Bold Bean Coffee Roasters

Shopping:

• Beaches Town Center

• St. Johns Town Center

• Riverside Arts Market (Saturday Only)

• Downtown St. Augustine

Jacksonville Beach:

• There is plenty of parking in walking distance to the beach. I parked by Margaritaville and was able to pay for parking through my phone - very easy and convenient. I chose to bring my own beach chairs with me but you can also rent them from the attendants on the beach.

• The waves were a LOT rougher than what I am used to in Charleston. It's a great spot for surfers.

Bars:

• Lynch's Irish Pub - get the Irish Car Bomb

• Surfer - I snagged a sour from the brewery we visited on the first night: Swamp Head Brewery

• Mangoes: DIVE BAR with lots of fun games.

What to pack?

• Bathroom Products:

  • Straightener

  • Hair Dryer

  • Skin Care Products

  • Makeup

  • Makeup Remover

  • Razor

  • Lotion

  • Vitamins

  • Deodorant

  • Brush

  • Toothpaste & Toothbrush

  • Shampoo & Conditioner

• Clothing:

  • Sunglasses

  • Rain Jacket

  • Lazy House Clothes

  • Slippers

  • Swim Suits

  • Swim Suit Covers

  • Beach Hats

  • Bras & Underwear

  • PJs

  • Dinner Outfits & Heels

  • Flip Flops

• Beach/Pool Items:

  • Beach Chairs

  • Sun screen

  • Water Bottles

  • Beach Umbrella

• Misc.:

  • Phone Charger

  • Thermacell

  • Bug Spray

  • Sound Machine

  • Waterproof Camera

  • Nail Dashes redaspenlove.com/ShoppingCart/index.cfm?OwnerID=405484&PartyID=131394

Travel Essentials