Tag Archives: local fun

Some More Local Activities

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While trying to plan the big move and such, we have discovered some new local activities!
In Winter Park, they had a duck derby! Which I admit, looked to be mostly for kids, but my boyfriend and I had a ton of fun. They had fresh coconuts, you could decorate and race your duck, there were little crafts table; it was great. Then, we went to Zaru for dinner in Mills50 district which had amazing fresh udon noodles and tempura.
More locally, we took a sunset beach walk, collected shells, and took pictures of jellyfish! Highly recommend downloading the Volusia beaches app that gives you information such as a live map of which beach entrances are open to vehicles and/or people.

New Semi-Local Adventure Discovery + Small Local Businesses

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Ok! So, I want to split this blogpost into two little parts. The first will detail a little adventure with some recommendations about it. The second will detail a few local businesses that I’ve found recently around campus.

Firstly, my boyfriend and I took a little day trip to Savannah, GA the other day. I was born/raised in Florida and never knew that Savannah was THAT close or that fun!! Driving from around campus, it was only about 3 hours each way which is the perfect length for a fun road trip. We left around 7am and got home by around 11pm. The historic area is the perfect few streets to have some good food and walk around little shops. The JW Marriott on the waterfront has an enormous lobby that is open to the public where you can see tons of fossils, rocks, and other cool displays for free. You can also drive a few minutes from the historic downtown to see a few local forts, walk on the beach, see the lighthouse, or visit the marine museum/aquarium. Those attractions usually close around 4:30pm though, so I would time your activities carefully. For dinner, we went to a restaurant that was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives called Sea Wolf on Tybee Island. The day trip was so fun, and surprisingly not too far from Daytona! I highly recommend doing this with some friends.

Secondly, I wanted to offer a list of some local, small businesses that I’ve discovered lately for you all to support if you would like. This ranges from fun activities and fitness classes to restaurants.

  • Pho To Luv
    • Their food is the BEST Vietnamese food that I’ve had in the area. It seems to be family owned and JUST opened about one month ago. They are so nice, and their pho is my comfort meal. All the prices are super reasonable too. They are right next to the Starbucks on ISB near the high school on the corner.
  • Art Rageous
    • They have a website where you can sign up for a bunch of different art classes. My boyfriend and I made some custom glass bowls. They also have some pottery and painting classes among other things. The instructor was so nice, and it was a great way to spend an evening.
  • CORE Pilates
    • This is a smaller local Pilates studio run by a really nice lady. As a hypermobile person, I can also testify that she really knows how to modify anything if needed, even for injuries. Her classes are a ton of fun and a really good workout (plus sometimes she brings her dogs).
  • Bounce and Bang
    • This is a cute place that does things like drum and bungee fitness. It has a cool night-club vibe with the lights inside, and they do a bunch of fun fitness classes throughout the week. This is a great way to do a little cardio with a fun spin, and the people are really kind.
  • Don Giovanni’s
    • This is a semi-local Italian place. They have 2 locations, one in Port Orange and one in Ormond I think. I go to the one in Port Orange which seems to be run by a family. Their food is SO GOOD, and the people the work there are fun and extremely nice. I come here super often with my family.
  • Beauty Lounge
    • I go here to get my nails done (highly recommend getting luminary gel). I personally go to Milan, but all of the people here are extremely good at what they do. This place is right next door to Home Depot on ISB, and they even have a little cafe next door that you can order from while you get your nails done.

More Semi-Local Activities

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I’ll start with the most local activity that my boyfriend and I did recently: glass bowl making. There is a place about 5-10 minutes away from campus in Port Orange called Art Rageous. We took a class that guided us through cutting our own glass pieces and arranging them into a pattern for a glass bowl (mine, of course, is the one with the planet in the middle). They will now take about 2 weeks for processing where the studio puts them in a kiln and melts it into a bowl basically. This was a great local, fun activity to do for date night; it is a small business that is good to support as well.
Then, my boyfriend did a 5k that was for St. Patty’s Day and hosted by a church in Orlando. Although we didn’t stay for all of the festivities, there was a whole St. Patty’s Day festival that day with dancers and food and other activities.
The day after, we went to Magic Kingdom which was so fun!! Again, if you don’t already know, the ICI sells Disney tickets. I got mine for about $100 which is very worth it compared to normal pricing. They also offer discounted tickets for other places like Universal, Busch Gardens, KSCVC, etc.

Hollywood Studios

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I am born and raised in Florida. I am almost done with my time in college here. And the last time I was at Disney (not counting Disney Springs), I think I was maybe four????? I have really been wanting to go to the Star Wars area too, so my boyfriend took me the other day!! The food, I have to say, was way better than I thought it would be. Blue milk is not really my thing…..I think it tastes a bit like the bubblegum flavoring that they use in kids’ mouthwash. All the rides were SO COOL, and it was so nice to do something fun like this for a day to take a break from school and work. AND ERAU offers discounted tickets through the ICI office. My boyfriend has an annual pass from his family, but my day pass that I got through campus was only $125 after tax which is really good. If you are an ERAU student and want to do something local (Bush Gardens, KSC, Disney, Universal, a race, etc.), check the ICI office website first for discounted tickets because we get REALLY good prices.

Simply Living Life

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Hey there! Took some time away from blogging due to finals week, spending Winter break with family, and taking care of some health stuff. That being said, as a new semester begins, always remember to prioritize your mental and physical health! It may not seem efficient now but will help you operate better, faster, and more efficiently in the long run. This can include scheduling times to do things with friends but also scheduling time to relax, read a book, or, my favorite, take some leisurely textbook notes in a little coffee shop.

Speaking of fun things, I have done a few things recently around the area that I wanted to share! There are so many places around Florida that are GREAT for a day trip or even just an evening activity. Here are some places that I have gone the past week or so:

The Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is only about 1.5 hours by car from campus! They have some really cool concerts there for relatively cheap prices. My boyfriend and I recently attended a Bowling for Soup concert there with Lit as an opener, and the tickets were only $35 each! The venue is super small as well, so any seat or standing space you get provides a really good view of the stage. I have also seen some classical music concerts there and a concert by Jake Shimabukuro (the ukulele legend, highly recommend). That area also has many good restaurants within a 10-minute radius to turn it into a fun evening.
My friend from LA visited for a few days, so of course I had to take her to Kennedy Space Center! It is only about an hour drive from campus, and you can get VERY discounted tickets through the ICI Center on campus. Plus, if you go during a weekday, there are little to no wait times for any rides and interactive experiences. This is a space nerd’s Disneyland; at least, I know it is for me. And of course you have to dress in all your finest NASA merch…..and subsequently get mistaken for an employee a few times hahaha
Before this, I had never tried an escape room, but now I think it is one of my favorite things to do. It is like a big interactive puzzle! I forgot exactly where this one was but went recently for a friend’s birthday. Great plan for a birthday or special occasion. They can get pricy, but when split among a few friends it usually is not too bad.
St. Augustine is my home, so I am a bit biased. However, it is only about an hour away from campus and FULL of fun things to do. I should really write another post on available St. Augustine activities. I have spent my whole life there and am still discovering new things to do. My friends and I walked around the Nights of Lights before they were shut off. During Winter, the entire downtown area is lit up with decorations and light for the holidays; it is breathtaking (and internationally known)! This is a picture of us at a little place downtown. Half of it is a duck-themed soap/spa sort of store. The other half is a bar! They specialized in old-fashioned sodas and drinks with ducks in them that you can take home! The entire place is duck-themed and so adorable. Great for photo ops.