After eating all the good things in and around Disney property, it was time to try something different! Make sure to check out the first two installments of our family road trip; part one and part two. Since we were watching the bank a bit on this trip, we decided to try SeaWorld, Orlando since they had a free ticket promotion going on for Military (and veteran) families. Read on for all the details in Family Road Trip: Nashville to Orlando Part Three.
Seaworld
Our family enjoyed a nice breakfast at Boma in the morning, then headed back to Margaritaville for a much-needed nap. After the nap, we were ready for adventure! We headed to SeaWorld to spend the afternoon. We weren’t sure what we to expect other than we wanted to check out the Sesame Street area for our kiddo. He loves Elmo!
Once we got there it was HOT (no surprises there, Orlando in July is no joke). We parked an ungodly distance from the main gate since we had no idea where anything was. Luckily, a nice staff member who was running the kids’ camp at SeaWorld directed us to the main gate and gave our little man a stuffed animal! We were grateful for the extra magic. =)
Sesame Street
Once inside the park, we headed straight to the Sesame Street area. We rode the train, which was fun for our little man (even if we were kind of melting in the heat). Then we watched a parade go through the area with all the Sesame Street characters dancing their hearts out! That parade really made the whole trip for us as our music-loving kiddo danced and clapped along. It was pretty darn adorable. Then we rode the merry-go-round, which was not super exciting, but our child said he HAD to ride it.
More SeaWorld
After we left the Sesame Street area we were all borderline hangry, and definitely sweaty. We found a place to eat near the white water raft ride. We got a chicken platter, which was completely fine and filled us up. Since we didn’t know the park (at all) it was a bit confusing to navigate. Though my husband apparently knew where we were going the whole time, I was completely lost. The one thing I was interested in checking out was the penguin exhibit. We found it and it had a gigantic line, so we decided to call it a day.
SeaWorld seems like an amazing park for people who love big roller coasters. Since we were not interested in riding any of them, it wasn’t a huge hit for us. The Sesame Street area is adorable, and if you have kiddos that love Sesame Street they will go crazy for it.
Honestly, it kind of just reminded me why I love Disney parks so much. I can go into a Disney park and literally do nothing and still be happy. It’s got something special that most parks do not have. I’m sure I would enjoy SeaWorld more if it hadn’t been a million degrees out, or if I had more time to explore. However I am glad we checked it out, and our kiddo loved the kids’ area. Overall, it was worth the stop!
Universal City Walk
The next morning we headed out to our next destination, Amelia Island! One last foodie stop that I requested was VooDoo Doughnuts located in the Universal City Walk. We talked about going to Universal Studios (instead of SeaWorld) when we planned this trip but decided that Universal would need its own separate adventure. Therefore, I was super excited to check out the City Walk area, even just for a short stop. Plus, I got to grab my ultimate favorite doughnuts, VooDoo Doughnuts!
The drive into Universal was a bit crazy. All the parks share the same parking garage as the City Walk area. We went right as the theme parks were opening, thus the line to get into the parking garage was nuts. Luckily, our kiddo was still in his parking garage obsession phase, so it was all VERY exciting entering the garage. Also note, that this garage is not free, so it was a bit of a silly stop for us, but I’m happy we did it!
We checked out the Universal Studios Store and loved all the Harry Potter merch! Then we grabbed our online order at VooDoo Doughnuts. There is a VooDoo in Austin Texas, that I used to get when I lived there. I had been missing them SO MUCH (especially when I was pregnant, it was a craving that I never could fill), so I was delighted to get them in Orlando! We tried some of our treats (my favorite is still the Boston Cream), then headed on our way to Amelia Island.
Amelia Island
So… funny story… I 100% thought we were going to Anna Maria Island until about a week out from our trip. I don’t know why I thought this, possibly because I had watched The Tim Tracker’s video about going there, and at the same time looked into a Half Marathon on Amelia Island. Either way, I had no idea what to expect from Amelia Island since I hadn’t been thinking we were going there. 
Our hotel the, Residence Inn Amelia Island, was nice, the staff was amazing, and we loved the breakfast in the morning! Check out our YouTube video above for the one-bedroom suite review!
We also went to the beach twice, just to put our feet in the sand. Our kiddo LOVED the beach, much more than he has on past vacations We are looking forward to more beach trips in the future! One of my favorite things from this stop was the little bagel shop, Aloha Bagel and Deli, we went to on our way out of town. The breakfast sandwich was incredible! I still dream about that thing! Overall, it was a fun stop, even if it wasn’t exactly what I had thought I’d planned.
Atlanta
Once again we stopped at the same Airbnb in Atlanta that we had stopped at on the way down to Orlando. Everything was great, and we ordered some food to be delivered because we were all wiped out and ready to be home.
The next day we stopped at Ria’s Bluebird Cafe for breakfast. It was SO GOOD! I had their famous pancakes, and they lived up to the hype. We were there early, and they filled up FAST. It’s a very popular place! Tummies full, we headed back home to Tennessee!
Was The Road Trip Worth It?
This impromptu vacation was such a wonderful break from reality. I was a little worried about how the kiddo would handle all the driving, but he was a champ! It wasn’t always perfect, but it always worked out in the end. We truly felt like we were on vacation, exploring things we would usually never get the chance to see. Sometimes you just need to take the vacation, and carve out that time with your family, even if you aren’t sure how it’s all going to turn out. I will cherish this trip, and hopefully plan many more road trips in the future!
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