Chasing Cars: Homestead (and Florida)

[Willyh]

I like the sound of the jetski!! Might do that :)

Hi UKCraig

If time allows definately rent the skis. They are hoot, you'll get a kick out of them. And since you're a Nascar fan you'll enjoy the speed. Over water the speed seems multiplied, it's amazing. It's definately worth the cost.

It sounds like you have a full itinerary....you'll have a great time :)

Have fun!
Willy

[UKCraig]

Thanks, Willy. And thanks for the tips on renting a bike also.

Spoke to Katie in Sarasota yesterday. I've been invited for Thanksgiving on the Thursday which is kinda cool!! It means squeezing up the Tuesday and Wednesday a little but it also means I will likely be leaving there a day earlier so I will have a little more time to explore for the final couple of days.

I'm just becoming a little nervous about my tickets. They were supposed to be sent 4 weeks before departure but haven't arrived yet. I just tried to ring the agent but they've closed early for the day! Bah.

[lhuff]

Neat on the Thansgiving invite. Hopefully your tickets will come in soon. That's kind of frightening that they haven't.

What are you thinking about doing with your extra time? I've always had the need to see this. Of course I'm insane and give you leave to completely ignore anything I suggest. :)

Laura

[UKCraig]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'll probably give it a miss :)

I'll probably head over to Daytona the previous evening and meet up with Olly for that beer. This'll give me a little more time on the Sunday to head down the coast towards Titusville. I'll then have loads of time to do what I want to do the next day.

Has anyone visited Ron Jon Surf Shop at Cocoa Beach? It looks huge (52,000 sq/ft) but - most importantly - is it cheap? :)

[Willyh]

I've always had the need to see this.

Weeki Wachee Springs is cool attraction. My parents took us there in the mid 70's and I thought it was the greatest thing since my Evel Knievel wind up stunt bike.

I could not believe that I was staring at REAL mermaids. I remember being smitten with a particular blond mermaid and I made the mistake of telling my brother and sister that the mermaid was my girlfriend. They made fun of me the remainder of the day. The trip back to Miami sucked!

The natural springs of central Florida are worth a visit. They have some of the deepest, clearest lagoons in the world. Some reach depths of 300 feet with crystal clear water that afford divers visibility of 100' or more.

There are dive tour guides in the area that take you into the springs and through a network of underwater caves. These dives are dangerous and should only be done with someone who knows the caves intimately. Every so ofter we would hear a news report about a lone diver that would enter the caves, become disoriented, run out of oxygen and unfortunately drown.

Central and Northern Florida has some wonderful attractions and the crystal clear springs are among the prettiest.

[Willyh]

Has anyone visited Ron Jon Surf Shop at Cocoa Beach? It looks huge (52,000 sq/ft) but - most importantly - is it cheap? :)

You're right Craig, Ron Jon in Cocoa is HUGE HUGE HUGE! On a trip from Miami to Bowling Green, Ky I stopped in Cocoa Beach and visited the store. It's a neat place. If you're a surfer or a surfer wanna be this is the place to visit.

As for cheap...well....they have to pay the lease on that 50k+ square foot facility :) They have several other stores throughout the state but pricing is pretty consistent...even at the outlet stores. So no, they're not exactly cheap. They offer close outs and sales from time to time. But as a whole, they're not what you would consider inexpensive.

Funny thing is that Florida is not known for great surfing. Surfing is a little better in the northern and central part of the state, but nothing compared to California or Hawaii. The South Florida surfing scene is practically non-existent. The only time you see people out is when there is a storm, preferably a hurricane, approaching. But even so, the swells are inconsistent.

[UKCraig]

Well, I'm no surfer, but I do like to pick up a nice selection of Animal, Quiksilver, etc. clothing when in the US - it's hugely cheap compared to what we pay in the UK. I will probably look to see if I can find a decent outlet center in Miami, Tampa or Orlando to pick these up but will likely visit Ron Jons place as well :) Thanks for the tips.

[Willyh]

I will probably look to see if I can find a decent outlet center in Miami, Tampa or Orlando to pick these up but will likely visit Ron Jons place as well :) Thanks for the tips.

If you head west from Fort Lauderdale on I-595 then hop on the Sawgrass Expressway northbound you'll come across Sawgrass Mills in the western edges of Broward County. The Mills is an outlet shopping center with a Ron Jon and all sorts of other stores. It's huge. They also have a Rain Forest Cafe, a touristy eatery with a rain forest theme. The food is not that great, but it's a nice attraction.

Sawgrass Mills is massive. You can walk for hours in that place and not see the same store twice. According to wikipedia it's the largest outlet shopping mall in the world.


Since you'll be along the eastern edges of the Everglades you could bundle a day of shopping Ron Jon at the mall with your visit to Shark Valley and the bike tour.

[UKCraig]

Fantastic suggestion - it is indeed huge but, believe it or not, I didn't find that one whilst searching online this afternoon! I will probably go there on my first full day before I go to Homestead for the evening Busch race. I'll likely pop in and have a nose at Dolphin Stadium whilst heading out there.

[Willyh]

I'll likely pop in and have a nose at Dolphin Stadium whilst heading out there.

..."the Dolphins make me cry". What a horrible season we're having....0-8 so far. The only reason we're not loosing this week is because we have a bye week.

Dolphin Stadium (I still call it Joe Robbie Stadium...old habits) is a nice short side trip, but not much to it unless there's a game in town. It's on the Miami-Dade / Broward County line on NW 27th Avenue. You can drive around the stadium and walk up to it, that's about it. There really isn't much else to see in the immediate area. It's mostly residential with a smattering of strip malls (and a couple of strip clubs if I remember correctly).

Baseball games are fun to see in that stadium. The Marlin's hardly ever sell out and all seats offer a good view of the field. Too bad the Baseball season is over.