And we’re back with Part Two of our Anna Maria Island vacation.
By Day 5, we were officially in our island routine; morning walks, beach time, swimming, golf cart rides and finding absolutely any excuse possible to get ice cream. The second half of our trip was a mix of lazy beach days, some really good food, and a Florida thunderstorm, lots more golf cart cruising and those little random vacation moments that always end up being some of my favorites.
If you missed part one, you can see it here, and our by the numbers post is here!
Here’s how we spent Days 5 – 9!
Day 5 | Wednesday August 12: Beach Day + The Wicked Cantina
Started Wednesday with another morning walk, and then Kevin, Hadley, Huxley, my mom and I headed to the beach. My dad decided to stay back at the house and enjoy some peace and quiet. Honestly, probably a solid vacation decision.
After the kids ate lunch, an ice cream boat came by! Because apparently Anna Maria Island knows exactly what vacation dreams are made of. Hadley got a strawberry shortcake ice cream, while Huxley decided he didn’t want anything. Kevin actually swam over from where we were swimming to get a snickers ice cream bar!
Unfortunately, Huxley was still having issues with the blister on his mouth, and the poor guy was just over it. Kevin got a little frustrated and decided we should pack everything up and head back to the house, while my mom stayed at the beach by herself.
Once we got back, we did some swimming at the house and then took another golf cart ride to a gas station so Kevin could get some nasty dip. He also came out with peanut M&M’s and Nerd gummy clusters for the kids, because no gas station run on vacation can involve purchasing only the thing you actually went there for.
Then it was back to the house for more swimming before dinner!
For dinner, we went to The Wicked Cantina, and it was so so good! We sat outside, my mom and I both got the house margarita which did not disappoint, and the chips were delicious. Hadley and Huxley shared queso, Hadley got a burrito, and Mom and I both ordered chicken sandwiches but basically made up our own version with chips and margaritas. At the table next to us was my Aunt Linda’s doppelganger. This lady looked exactly like my Aunt Linda it was insane!
After dinner, Kevin and the kids swam before bed while my dad, my mom and I sat outside and got absolutely eaten alive by bugs. Vacation paradise, with a side of mosquito buffet.
Kevin gave Huxley a bath while I laid with him until he fell asleep. He woke back up when Kevin came outside to sit with us for a hot second, but eventually both kids were in bed by 9:30pm or so. I ended up staying up with my dad watching John Wick and journaling about our trip. Such a random ending to a beach vacation day, but I loved it.
Day 6 | Thursday August 13: The Perfect Beach Day
Thursday started with another morning walk, followed by a golf cart ride to Publix because we needed more ice. I don’t know what it is about Florida ice, it’s just not the same as Cincinnati Home City Ice! I came back to the house, made sandwiches to take with us, and then we headed to the beach. And this ended up being one of those really good beach days!
The kids played Memory before heading to the beach, the ocean had some little waves, and Hadley and Kevin had the best time riding them. Huxley was being so chill and content. After he ate lunch, he hung out in a beach chair watching YouTube on Kevin’s phone.
Sometimes with a four-year-old, you simply accept the peaceful beach chair + YouTube situation and do not disturb the magic. Everyday at the beach can get overwhelming to little ones. We came back to the house later, and Kevin grilled burgers topped with eggs, bacon, and cheese. Meanwhile, the kids were back in the pool, and Huxley was doing belly smackers into the water that had all of us cracking up.
Nothing super elaborate happened this day, and honestly, I think that is why I loved it. Beach, swimming, good food and nowhere to be. Exactly what vacation should feel like.
Day 7 | Friday August 14: Beach Storm + A Random Adventure.
Friday morning started with another walk and you guessed it, another golf cart ride to Publix. One piece of advice, find a place that is close to a grocery store so you can run to get things quickly. We needed more ice, and Hadley wanted more Kool-Aid drinks. Then we headed back to the beach while my dad stayed home.
Huxley decided he had officially reached his beach limit because he planted himself in the shade and had absolutely zero interest in going in the ocean. And that’s okay! Then another ice cream truck came long, in the ocean, and Hadley immediately ran over to as if she could get something. She chose cookies and cream, and we got Huxley a snow cone that he happily ate underneath the canopy.
After lunch, the clouds started getting darker. Then came the thunder, and some lightning. Do we pack everything up? Do we wait? Is it passing? Are we about to haul all of this stuff back for absolutely no reason? We stayed for a little bit before finally deciding to pack it up. Don’t want to mess with lightning at the beach.
Huxley got a late nap, and while he slept, we played ping pong and swam for awhile as the thunder continued off and on. Kevin and Hadley were being hilarious in the pool, which made our rainy afternoon at the house pretty entertaining. For dinner, we randomly decided to try Skinny’s, a little burger place across from the beach.
After dinner, naturally, we needed another golf cart mission to find ice cream. This time we ended up at Sweet Willy’s, took a few pictures at the beach and then headed back to the house. Kevin, Hadley, and Huxley swam for a little while longer, Huxley took a quick bath and put his PJ’s on, and we squeezed in one last golf cart ride before bed.
We also ended up talking to the guy across the street who had a black truck with Ohio plates and a Union fire sticker on it. Turns out he had a house near Cleveland and a daughter living near UC. Of all the places to randomly meet another Ohio connection. He even invited us over for dinner!
Day 8 | Saturday August 15: Our Last Full Day
And somehow…we were already at our last full day.
Why does vacation time move forty seven times faster than regular life?
Started the morning with a YouTube workout in the garage while Huxley played with the ladder and toys out there. Around noon, we headed to the beach. Huxley spent the beginning of the afternoon underneath the canopy playing with his cars and metal detector, while the water was super clear and calm.
I played paddle ball with Hadley, and we just soaked up our final beach day. Back at the house, we swam again. Huxley skipped his nap and actually did pretty well considering he had been living his bast vacation life for an entire week. We kept dinner easy and ate at the house, grilled chicken and rice.
Afterward, we took the golf cart ride over to The Sandbar so Hadley could exchange a shirt, and then obviously we neede dto try one more ice cream place before leaving the island. This time we tried AMI Creamery & Bakery. Kevin got a strawberry milkshake, I got mint chocolate chip, Hadley got oreo, and my mom got a latte ice cream. It was good, but Dips is still our #1!
We drove around a little more afterward, watched the sunset and took some pictures. Then it was back to the house to pack. Before the night was over, Kevin took our unopened groceries over to a neighbor’s house across the street, which I loved because at least the food wasn’t going to waste.
And just like that, our last full day on Anna Maria Island was over.
Day 9 | Sunday August 16: Heading Home
Sunday morning came way too quickly. We woke up around 7am, got showered and finished getting everything packed. the kids slept in for the first time the entire vacation. Of course they did. Kevin packed the car with what felt like our entire earthly belongings , and we headed to the airport. We returned the rental car, made it through to our gate and settled in to wait for our flight.
Naturally, the kids wanted more snacks. My dad got Hadley a cheeseburger, which she decided to save for the plane. Once we boarded, the six of us ended up sitting across in the same row, and as soon as we were in the air, Hadley happily chowed down on the cheeseburger she had saved. And with that, we were officially headed home.
Until next time, Anna Maria Island.
This trip was exactly what I hoped it would be: lots of beach and pool time, slow mornings, golf cart rides, good food, an almost ridiculous amount of ice cream, and so many little family moments I know I’ll be glad I wrote down.
I think that’s my favorite thing about vacations like this. It’s not necessarily the big plans that I remember the most. It’s Hadley chasing down the ice cream boat, Huxley refusing to leave the shade, random Publix runs on the golf cart, sitting around the pool, watching sunsets and laughing about things that probably wouldn’t be funny anywhere else.
Anna Maria Island, you were so good to us.
And yes, in case anyone is wondering, after a very thorough and completely necessary week-long investigation of the islands ice cream options…
Dips is still #1.
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