Canaveral National Seashore, New Symrna Beach

So it is Thursday morning, and I get a text from Andy that says…”I know what we are doing on Saturday, it’s a surprise, date day…but you have to be ready bright and early…and I’ll take care of everything!”  I was so excited!  We love having our weekends planned and not wasted.  We love taking the boys to new places and doing new things.

Andy decided that he wanted to take the boys to see the ocean, Matty’s first trip to the ocean.  There are so many beaches that we haven’t been too, so he decided on New Symrna Beach.  He packed the car for us, got us up nice and early, stopped for donuts on the way out, and we were off.  The drive didn’t take us long at all, and actually when we got there it was sprinkling a little bit (a typical summer shower that passes in 15 minutes) so we decided to just go for a drive.  And low and behold…what did we find???  Canaveral National Seashore.  Now if you know us, then you know that we LOVE National Parks.

Canaveral National Seashore is located on a barrier island off the east coast of Florida and NASA holds the title to the land, but not all of it is used for the operation of Kennedy Space Center. 

Here’s a little information that I found on the National Parks website.  The earliest evidence of man at Canaveral is found in the numerous mounds and middens within its boundaries.  More than 14,000 years ago, small nomadic bands of Indians entered Florida.  As time passed, regional cultures evolved in response to local environmental conditions. By the time the Europeans came various distinct Indian groups were distributed throughout Florida and southeast Georgia. Living in the vicinity of Turtle Mound were the Timucuan people, the first known inhabitants.  In their 2,000 years of occupation along the coast, the Timucuans did little to alter the natural landscape.  Their few remaining burial mounds and shell middens (Castle Windy) are like an unwritten book about the people who lived here.  By protecting it, we are assuring that future generations will learn of the Timucuan people. The large shell mounds hold undisclosed information to their way of life. From 800 to 1400 A.D., generation after generation left evidence behind to tell of their lifestyle at Turtle Mound.

The NPS has provided a nice boardwalk so visitors can walk up the 50 foot high mound to see the gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean and Mosquito Lagoon.  What surprised us the most…were the Banana Spriders…  EEKKK!!!!  They were everywhere!!!

For lunch we stopped at a hole in the wall place off of the side of the road called J Bs Fish Camp and Restaurant.  The weather was so gorgeous today that we sat outside and enjoyed some of the best peel-n-eat shrimp we have ever had.  Andy also ordered some blackened gator bites and we bought a container of the shrimp spice to take home…. Yum Yum! 

All in all we had a wonderful day.  After lunch we headed back to the beach for a little while longer.  The boys went for a walk and then we packed up for the drive home.  We were home by dinner, the boys swam in the pool, and we were grateful for the beautiful day.