The hardest part of starting this post was deciding what to name it because technically, we visited several places during this trip. This was also the longest beach trip we've ever taken so by the end of it I forgot all the details of what happened in the beginning. Ultimately, I decided to group it all together and share the highlights!
Days 1-6 of our trip were spent in Orange Beach playing in the Perfect Game Gulf Coast World Series. This year was our first travel ball experience and this was our first baseball World Series experience as well. It started with a pinning ceremony at The Wharf. My oldest son may look exactly like me, but don't be fooled. He is his daddy made over. His ability to make friends quickly and his outgoing personality made him a GOAT at pin trading. I think he traded all 20 pins within the first 10 minutes, and then proceeded to help some teammates trade theirs as well. It was so HOT in that amphitheater but so fun to watch the kids socialize and meet new people. The next few days were full of mornings spent at the Foley Sports Complex and afternoons spent at the beach or pool. My boy and his team played some of their best games to date. It was fun to watch them rise up to the level needed to compete against some pretty amazing teams. It was equally as fun to watch them bond after the games at the beach and in the pool. We were lucky enough to almost all be able to stay at the same condo complex and the boys loved every minute of that. They always had a friend ready and willing to swim, play wiffle ball, play racquetball, or go get ice cream with them. I can't say enough good things about his team, the coaches, and the parents. This has been such a great experience for us and I'm excited that we get to continue to 9U with our select family. One big added plus to the trip was that Grammy, Poppa, Mawmaw, Pop, and our cousins got to share in this experience with us! We couldn't do half the things we do without their love and support!
While in Orange Beach, we visited:
-Lambert's Cafe (for the sole reason of thinking my kids would get a kick out of having their bread thrown to them from across the room. They did, and the bread was delicious)
-The Perfect Game Store in the Foley Outlet (because my boys are finally at the age where they care a little about what they wear and I'm here for it)
- The Gulf (awesome spot for lunch with a large group as it is a seat yourself and order at the window type of place)
Day 7 was the day baseball officially ended and our relaxing beach vacation could begin. We packed up all our things at the condo, scooped up our fabulous babysitter (who's family was nice enough to bring her to meet us) then headed towards 30A where we planned to stay another week. On the way we made a pit stop at the Pensacola Lighthouse and National Naval Aviation Museum. We climbed all 177 steps to the top of the lighthouse sweating profusely the whole time. I'm pretty sure our sitter immediately regretted coming on the trip 🤣 The view at the top was beautiful but we quickly found out our kiddos have a little fear of heights so we didn't stay up there for long. The aviation museum however, is a MUST DO if you have kids that are into planes! Bonus, it was free to enter. We all had a blast and the boys loved being able to climb into the cockpit of quite a few of the planes. We grabbed some lunch in the cafe before heading down to Santa Rosa, grabbing some groceries for the week, and settling in with just enough time to barbecue and watch the tigers play in the CWS.
Day 8 was Father's Day and we started the day with gifting the guys matching shirts, with their faces- stepbrothers style. They loved it, maybe too much. We decided to explore Grayton Beach for the day. We drove to Grayton Beach State Park around 9am and were gifted free access to the park since it was Father's Day. We were able to find a parking spot real close to the beach and set up our things for the day. The water was beautiful, as always. The kids played all morning. Around lunchtime we decided to take the bikes through the state park and into town for lunch. We ate at Beach Camp Brewing , a place that we have been to before but had NO IDEA how good the food was. Two years ago, we stopped for a beer and ice cream but this was the first time we ate off the menu. Quite possibly the best food I have had in 30A 👀. After lunch we made the ride back to the beach and played for the rest of the afternoon. We later drove back to the house and then decided we wanted to see more of Grayton Beach but without our kids! We were able to take the golf cart into town once more, through the cutest neighborhoods, to the coolest bars- The Red Bar and Chiringo. We had some drinks, talked, and searched the local real estate market only to realize it's a pipe dream🤣.
On Day 9 we decided to take a break from the beach and explore Morrison Spring . It was about a 50 minute drive from our house but had heard it was worth it if the water was clear (check clarity online before going). The water did not disappoint. What was surprising was that it was FREEZING, 68 degrees year round I'm told. It did not bother the boys or stop them from jumping in over and over again. It did however cause the women to enter VERY slowly and cautiously. We would 100% visit again however we would bring snorkel gear and paddle boards next time. There was so much to explore but we could only go so far in our floats. We packed up and headed home earlier than expected due to rain, which was the perfect excuse to go to Pecan Jacks and get their Bailey's Salted Caramel Ice Cream- my absolute favorite. We had reservations at Old Florida Fish House that night. The food was delicious and the vibe is always great. Overall, we enjoyed dinner but we did feel rushed. We would have rather take our time and enjoy the setting for the amount of money that was spent there! Also, my kid now request oysters as an appetizer 🙃 My checkbook does not approve.
On day 11, the guys decided to give us the morning off. They took the kids to the nearby park to hit some baseballs and play while we did a little shopping. We visited a mercantile called The Stalls of 30A where I got a few small souvenirs. We stopped at a store called Lola's where we quickly realized that maybe we are Alvin's Island type girls, lol. So we headed to Alvin's Island where we all left with a few more souvenirs for all our people! By the time we were done shopping the kids were back and we all headed to the beach. Let it be known that I rode my bike a half mile with a beach chair on my back and beach bag on my shoulder, without complaint. The nerve of my husband to call me a bougie traveler. After the beach we ordered pizza from Pizza By The Sea and were seated and ready to cheer on our tigers yet again. The little guy couldn't make it and fell asleep before the game was over.
I was not prepared to wake up on Day 12 to my husband telling me to pack up, we need to head home a day early. Apparently overnight my little guy's baseball tournament schedule was changed and we now had the early morning games that weekend. He made the executive decision that we should head home in order to unpack, have practice, and get ready for the weekend of Allstar baseball. At the time I was not happy that my vacation was coming to an end, but looking back it was for the best! Much gratitude to our friends who, for two years now, have allowed us to join them on this 30A trip. Cheers to doing this crazy life together!
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