Our family loves Florida. We visit every year, usually alternating between beach vacays and Disney. We’ve been all over the state enjoying beaches on both the Gulf and the Atlantic. This week we headed back to one of our favorite beaches for our last family trip before our son heads off to college at UGA (Go Dawgs!)

We love the Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area for so many reasons. It’s famous for its NASA launch center and cruise ship port. We watched the Space X Falcon launch this week and watched the largest cruise ship in the world, the Carnival Mardi Gras, arrive in port too. But the laid back, no fuss beach vibe of Cocoa Beach is what brings us back over the years. It offers a low stress escape with plenty of hole in the wall dining options, fun shopping and some of the best waves in Florida.

Old Florida history and multiple cultures are abundant here. The locals are friendly and quick to strike up conversation. In the few days we visited, we met Hawaiian, Cuban and native Floridian cafe/restaurant owners who welcomed us with their friendly smiles and delicious meals. At Maui Girl Cafe, we were greeted by the owners and seated immediately. Friday nights they host a luau complete with live music and authentic Hawaiian dishes. To say we were treated like part of the family is an understatement. We joined the buffet line filled with family members, locals and other tourists and piled our paper plates high with delicious Kalbi ribs, Huli-huli chicken and Kalua pork and cabbage while sipping Hawaiian Suns and singing along to the festive Hawaiian tunes.
Another one of our favorite things to do in Cocoa is shop at the Ron Jon Surf Shop. It’s definitely touristy, but it’s THE original Florida surf shop and is a must see. Our kids love browsing through the massive Ron Jon logo t-shirt collection and shopping the surfer brands that aren’t as easy to find at home. The store is amazing and we never leave without a few bags full from Ron Jon.
Our vacations to Cocoa Beach are always great and we know we will return again and again.
As we left Cocoa Beach this go round, we decided we’d stop and spend the morning in another Old Florida town—St. Augustine. We fell in love with this beautiful Spanish town. The history, the architecture, the food, the shopping—it has it all.
We enjoyed a lovely brunch of charcuterie, croissants, berry nut salad, monte cristo and short ribs at Sainte George Restaurant. Everything was delicious! Then we strolled in and out of the shops and galleries along the oldest streets in America and admired the beautiful Spanish architecture. We saw the oldest wooden school house and the oldest home as well. Then we made our way over to the Castillo de San Marcos. It is the oldest stone fort in America and is truly an impressive sight. Our quick visit just wasn’t long enough to see and do everything St. Augustine has to offer. We’ll definitely be planning a trip back!
There are so many great places to visit in Florida. We love them all for different reasons. But if you’ve never experienced the vintage, charming feel of “Old Florida,” consider a trip to one of these wonderful beach towns.

Off Aviles Street (oldest street in America)

Visiting Old Florida