Florida & Disney World - Day 6

Warning: Travelogue ahead!

Monday was Labor Day and we wanted to avoid the theme park crowds if we could.  We started the morning off with a buffet breakfast at Golden Corral with Jordan, Morgan and their girls.

We were fortunate that the Tampa Bay Rays had a daytime home game for Labor Day against the Yankees.  Alison and I were excited to make it to another MLB ballpark.  This was her 10th and my 16th.  It was a good thing that the ballpark was indoors, because it was unbelievably hot and humid and would have been miserable at an outdoor ballpark.

On the drive over to St. Petersburg (the Tampa Bay Rays play at Tropicana Field, which is actually in St. Petersburg), Kate and Ada were drawing with some markers.  Ada had accidentally made a tiny black mark on her leg with one of the markers, Kate saw it and thought it was a great idea, so she started drawing all over her hands, legs and face.  Alison turned around and nearly shrieked when she saw her.  It was hilarious, but at the same time you just can't help but wonder what on earth goes on inside those little developing brains sometimes.

The Devil Rays beat the Yankees so we were in a good mood as we made our way across the magnificent Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Florida.  I saw an article about this beach on a travel website and it was listed as the #1 beach in the United States, and arguably the #1 beach in the world.

With buildup like that, we had high expectations and we were not disappointed.  The beach is about 45 minutes south of St. Petersburg on the Florida Gulf Coast.  The water was beautiful and the perfect temperature.  Most of the people at the beach were just hanging out in groups in the water with their cocktails instead of on the beach because it was so pleasant in the water.

Whether by nature or with man's help I'm not sure, but the beach was separated by the gulf waters by a warm tide pool that got about one foot deep before rising up again to where the sand was right at the waters height.  Beyond that the beach was a gradual slope to the deeper waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

This beach is mainly known for it's concentration of pure sand.  The sand is very white and is more than 99% pure quartz.  This means that the sand does not retain heat and is soft to the touch.  It actually squeaks when you walk. 

Alison and I have added this area of Florida onto our list of places to visit again, but next time we'd like to spend some real relaxation time on this beautiful beach.

Next up: Disney's Hollywood Studios.