Tag: farm

Link Love February: Cookie Monster, Mr. Darcy, and the Florida Everglades

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Does anyone else feel like February came and went in the blink of an eye? This month has been an especially busy one for me, with a weekend vacation to Tampa and St. Pete, a day of park-hopping at Disney, a Breakfast at Tiffany’s themed dinner, the Orlando Apollos launch game, and a trip to Wonderworks, along with a two-week bout of laryngitis. My happiness project is still going strong, and I’m excited to share my recap of Month 2 on tomorrow’s blog. 🙂

What links are you loving this month? Check out my latest favorite reads below and share your own in the comments!

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What links are you loving lately? Sound off in the comments!

Adventures in the Garden City: How to Spend Your Day Trip to Victoria, BC

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During last month’s trip to Seattle, I crossed an extra travel destination off my list: British Columbia! As much as I love to travel, this was actually my first visit to Canada, and Victoria, BC, was the perfect place to start. From Seattle, we hopped aboard the Clipper Ferry to embark on our three-hour cruise to Canada.

For those interested in traveling from Seattle to Victoria, I cannot recommend the Clipper Ferry enough. From safe and reliable transportation to friendly service, Clipper Vacations truly outdid themselves. (As an added bonus, we even passed by a few whales on our return trip!) We arrived in the city around 10 a.m. with an evening departure around 7.

Disclaimer: As much as I loved our day trip to Victoria, I wish we had booked a hotel to stay the night and spend a little more time in the city. There are a lot of exciting things to see and do in the Garden City, and because of my injuries on the trip, my mobility was somewhat limited and I wasn’t able to cover as much ground as I would have liked in one day. Therefore, this recap post will not only include the sightseeing we did and the restaurants we visited, but also a short wish list of suggested places I’d like to see when I return.

How to Spend Your Day Trip to Victoria, BC

What We Did

  • Beacon Hill Park
    Just a mile from the port, we began our day wandering around Beacon Hill. This 200-acre park features beautiful gardens, one of the world’s tallest totem poles (the tallest at the time it was built), playgrounds, and a farm (but we’ll get to that later). The views at Beacon Hill were absolutely breathtaking. Our path ultimately led us to the rocky Spiral Beach, where I quickly remembered that we were not in Florida anymore. Spiral Beach is not the most friendly for injured walkers, but it’s certainly worth a quick trip to the waterfront.
  • Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
    British Columbia offers free parliamentary tours at the Legislative Assembly, which are well worth the trip. Our tour featured a cameo from the late Queen Victoria, along with British Columbia’s rich history and some background into Canada’s constitutional monarchy structure. Tours are only an hour, but they provide great insight, especially for first-time visitors like myself.

How To Spend Your Day Trip to Victoria, BC

  • Beacon Hill Children’s Farm
    This part of the trip was a highlight for me as an animal lover! For a small donation, you can visit the many animals at the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm from 10-5 p.m. in the summer. I was especially excited to visit the goats! Twice a day, the farm hosts the daily “goat stampede,” which is exactly what it sounds like — about 40 goats running out in a stampede across the farm! It is an absolute must-see, and as expected, the goats are incredibly sweet. 🙂

Where We Ate

  • Sam’s Deli & Bistro
    Conveniently located on Government Street, Sam’s Deli & Bistro was our first stop off the ferry. We were able to grab quick breakfast sandwiches and hot coffee and tea to start our day, all while enjoying the beautiful weather and people-watching from the outdoor seating. They also serve soups and salads, and the food is made-to-order.
  • The Sticky Wicket Pub
    This restaurant is a cricket-themed pub and a part of the Strathcona Hotel. It was the perfect spot for a quiet, late lunch in between activities. I ordered the chicken strips and salad with a delicious plum sauce, and now wish I could pour that plum sauce on everything I eat.

Future Visits

The next time I’m in Victoria, I plan to do the following (and suggest these activities for those of you who have enough time to see it all!):

  • Victoria Afternoon Tea at The Empress
    As a tea enthusiast, I would love to book an afternoon tea service at The Empress, located in the iconic Fairmont Hotel. The Empress offers its own special tea blends, as well as signature scones and pastries, and has been serving tea since 1908.
  • Butchart Gardens
    When I told friends and family that I was visiting Victoria, nearly everyone who had been there suggested visiting Butchart Gardens. The trip would have required some planning in terms of transportation and we ultimately didn’t make it out there, but those who have visited said there is nothing like it. With 900 plant varieties, the Sunken Garden, fountains and other sights to be seen, Butchart Gardens will be the perfect place to explore on a summer day.
  • Craigdarroch Castle
    This castle, a National Historic Site, is a Victorian mansion known as a “bonanza castle.” They offer extended summer hours and provide self-guided tours for visitors. I love visiting historic mansions, and look forward to returning to Victoria to tour this castle!
  • Hop On/Hop Off Tour
    As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I think hop on/hop off tours are a great way to explore a new city for the first time. Next time I visit, I look forward to embarking on one of these tours! Not only will the transportation be helpful if I’m experiencing any injuries next time, but the tours often provide valuable insights and a unique twist depending on the guide.

Have you been to Victoria? What are your upcoming travel plans? Share in the comments section below!

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Adventures in Florida: A Trip to the Christmas Tree Forest

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Santa's Christmas Tree ForestAs part of my 26 at 26 bucket list, I was dying to visit a pumpkin patch this year. Like most young women between the ages of 18 and 35, I absolutely love autumn and everything that comes with it: the drop in temperature, the cuter clothing options (I live in Florida but somehow have an entire drawer dedicated to scarves), the seasonal flavors, and especially Halloween. In fact, I love this time of the year so much that I redecorated my apartment with fall/Halloween décor back in mid-September. 🙂

In spite of my love for all things autumnal, I haven’t been to a pumpkin patch in years, so this year, I decided it was time to pick out a pumpkin of my own. Of course, I wasn’t going to go to just any old church or high school to do this. Instead, I decided to visit Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest in Eustis.

My sister and I made the trip out to Eustis and were surprised at how much fun we had. Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest had free admission, along with family-friendly activities that required ticket purchases, such as a zip-line, hayrides, and pony rides. We did purchase a pumpkin from their abundant patch, but we actually discovered something better: the petting zoo.

Santa's Christmas Tree Forest

Without a doubt, one of the happiest moments of my whole life!

Anyone who has ever come into contact with me knows about my love for animals, so our trip to the farm was a dream come true. At first, Julie and I visited the goats, my absolute favorite farm animals, and the pigs. We learned the hard way that pigs bite (sorry, Julie!) and that goats can bite a little bit too if they think you have food. Of course, our favorite part of the whole trip was when we had the chance to hold the baby goats!

One of my dreams in the next five years is to adopt a dog, but now I will need to get a baby goat as well. The one that I held was incredibly sweet (even though she loved to gnaw on my hair!) and clearly my favorite animal on the whole farm. I definitely plan to return, if only to play with the baby animals!

Yes, I’m a crazy animal lover, but for those of you who live in Central Florida, I fully recommend Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm for your next weekend excursion. The farm not only hosts events and attractions throughout the year, but is friendly for all ages (families included). I know I’ll be back in the near future!

What’s on your bucket list for this year? Share in the comments section below!

How is my bucket list progressing? Click here for links to recaps and to see what I’ve been up to!

 

Adventures in Florida: Blueberry Picking in Ocoee

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Hey there, readers – it’s been a while! A lot has happened since my last post, most notably that I started an MBA program and seem to know more about regression analysis these days than who’s who on The Bachelorette. It has been a wild ride so far, hopefully to be shared in another blog post soon!

Last month, as a much-needed break from studying, I decided to knock another item off my 25 at 25 bucket list. Just days before the season’s end, I took a little road trip out to Ocoee and stopped at the Tom West Blueberries U-Pick Farm.

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I may stumble in and out of the world of paleo living, but one thing is for certain: I will always love my fruits and veggies. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that – as someone who lives in a warm climate hospitable to many types of produce – I would have to go berry picking someday.

In Florida, the peak strawberry and blueberry seasons run in the early springtime from around March to May, depending on your farm and crop of choice. Tom West Blueberries is a family owned and operated farm, offering activities for all ages during the U-Pick season.

TomWestBlueberriesThe process, while simple enough, was a whole lot of fun. Once I arrived, I grabbed a bucket and hopped on a tractor, which dropped me off in the nearby blueberry fields. There I had the opportunity to taste and pick the emerald blueberries, a very large and sweet variety of blueberry that I would highly recommend to anyone who visits in the future.

Tom West Blueberries

By the end of my blueberry-picking adventure, I picked and purchased about 3 pounds of delicious, perfectly blue blueberries, which I shared with friends, classmates and family over the next week. In hindsight, I wish I’d picked more so I could freeze them and enjoy even longer! Not only were the blueberries perfectly in season, but there was something so rewarding about eating something I had personally hand-picked at the farm, rather than in the grocery store. (Sorry, Publix – I still love you!)

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Whether you’re looking for fresh produce or simply a fun way to spend the afternoon, I highly recommend visiting a local U-Pick farm! The experience really does appeal to all age groups, and if I ever have children, this will be a must-visit for them too. I look forward to returning to Tom West next season, and can’t wait to visit other local farms for different U-Pick experiences soon!

What types of U-Pick farms have you visited? Share in the comments section below. 🙂

For recaps of my other bucket list adventures, click here!