Falling in love with the Cinnamon Beach Florida coast
I love sharing new places we visit and explore as a family and Cinnamon Beach Florida along the state’s Palm Coast is a gem we recently enjoyed. It’s just a few minutes from St. Augustine, FL, another spot we love.
Hanging out on at Cinnamon Beach
Why visit Northeast Florida including Cinnamon Beach and St. Augustine?
It’s picturesque and not overly developed
My in-laws usually head to Key Largo for a few weeks around this time every year and we like to tag along for a long weekend. This year, they decided to try a new spot and we’re all about that. We flew from Louisville to Jacksonville, Florida. Then we drove the hour and 20 minutes to Cinnamon Beach along Palm Coast.
It’s a quick 15 minute drive from St. Augustine in Northeast Florida which is a place we’ve come to love as well. The beach really does look like cinnamon so it’s appropriately named. The in-laws stayed in a gated community and rented one of the condominiums overlooking the water.
It has all the amenities including a fitness center. I used the fitness center once. I prefer to run outside where it is scenic and I can admire all the beautiful homes. The condo we rented had 3 bedrooms, a balcony, access to the spa, tennis and golf in the quiet community.
We loved going out fishing along the Intracoastal
The first full day there we took a charter boat to do some fishing. Captain Brian with Palm Coast Fishing Trips took the six of us out first thing in the morning. My husband and four kids ages 10, 7, 5 and 3 and I had been looking forward to it for some time. We launched from Bing’s Landing which is an historic 8-acre country park along the Intracoastal Waterway of Flagler County.
We didn’t go far out, just mostly along the shoreline of the Intracoastal but it was perfect. We didn’t catch anything in the first two spots we tried and I started to get a little nervous we were going to go all morning without catching anything. At our 3rd spot, again along the shoreline, where there was grass and the water kind of wove like a snake, we found a good area.
My 7 year-old daughter was the first to finally get a bite. She reeled in a nice Redfish and was thrilled. It was too small to keep but we got a keeper of a picture with it. She caught another one shortly thereafter, much to my 10 year-old’s chagrin, because he’s immensely competitive.
We loved boating and catching redfish and Flounder along the Intracoastal Waterway
Fishing Continued
We moved locations again and this time we all started reeling them in. Again, it was mostly Redfish that we had to send back. My oldest son caught a nice Flounder that was big enough to keep and he was overjoyed. Even our 5 year-old reeled one in and was so excited. Captain Brian was great and even took us to his favorite “honey hole” spot and that’s where we had all the luck!
On our ride back we encountered dolphins that were fishing. One was circling fast kicking up dirt and confusing the fish while the other dolphin grabbed the fish and ate them during the chaos. On the way back, I noticed what looked like a massive driftwood piece hanging from a dock. Captain Brian circled around to show us the piece and to recommend we pop in later. It was an art gallery and the owner carves large tree trunks and driftwood into massive and intricate pieces of art and furniture.
The local Fisheries are a treasure trove of deliciousness
Later that day I popped in to a local fishery spot that Captain Brian had endorsed. It’s called A1A Fisheries on North Oceanshore Boulevard and it must have had a list of 10 fish or more that were local catches of the day. It’s a sweet hole-in-the wall spot that has great fresh options. It boasts that everything is fresh and local; nothing farm raised or imported.
Perfect! I was looking for some fresh Flounder to supplement what my son had caught. I asked if they had a good rub in there for our Flounder and they recommended a citrus one but suggested we only use a small amount. Instead they offered the idea of a white wine, garlic, lemon, butter, capers sauce gently poured over the fish. I appreciated their knowledge and suggestions and we followed their advice. Dinner was delicious that night and my son couldn’t have been prouder that he was able to eat what he caught earlier that day.
I added some fresh Flounder from A1A Fisheries to the one my son caught for our dinner
Marineland is a unique spot to take the family
The next day was chilly so we decided to check out Marineland. It was about a 10 minute drive from the condo in the town of Marineland, Florida. It’s just south of St. Augustine. They offer a military discount so take advantage of that if you’ve served. It has an interesting back story.
It’s billed as the world first underwater motion picture studio. A new word, “oceanarium,” was coined to describe it which is a saltwater aquarium where various species of sea life live together as they do in the ocean rather than being separated.
In 1938, Marineland opened as Marine Studios and quickly became a popular tourist destination. It was founded by a couple of movie makers to shoot underwater footage and marine life for Hollywood. Our tour guide told us up until then, film-makers had to rent a submarines to get underwater footage.
It was costly, time consuming and laborious. The owners decided there had to be a better way to capture those pictures. They built what was essentially a large tank with with windows surrounding so they could get a variety of different angles. Our tour guide said that each window was strategically situated so it that they wouldn’t be visible to the camera shooting from another window.
Visiting Marineland- the world’s first oceanarium
Marineland is full of history
Our tour guide told us the founders wanted a place where fresh ocean water could be piped into the tanks regularly. They considered locations in California but the cliffs at the places they scouted prevented them from going that route. They finally settled on St. Augustine, Florida. Some of the more famous movies filmed there include Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Revenge of the Creature.
At the time, not a lot was known about marine life to the general pubic. In 1947, the first dolphin to be born in captivity was birthed there. There is also a tribute section to Nellie, the oldest dolphin to live under human care. She lived to age 61. They came up with a number of techniques for recording and maintaining dolphins and other marine life in an artificial environment. A shark repellant was also developed there during World War II to help shipwrecked sailors survive.
We’re told when Sea World opened in the 70s it became difficult for Marineland to compete. There are no mind-blowing dolphin shows or jumping Orcas; it’s now mostly an educational and conservation facility. I think we spent about 2 hours there and saw everything. They do offer dolphin encounters though where you can get in the water with them. If we return, I’d love to do that with the kids.
Loads of sea creatures so enjoy
The kids enjoyed watching Rocky, a Loggerhead Sea Turtle swim around in the outdoor tank. Rocky was rescued in 2014 after a boat propeller sliced his head. He’s lost some vision in his left eye but swims like he rules the sea. We also saw Sand Tiger Sharks, dolphins, a moray eel and a couple of red footed tortoises.
Oh, I picked up a cool idea from another mom at the park. She said when in order for her kids to get a small prize from the gift shop, they each had a to recite a fun fact they had learned that day at the park. I thought that was clever. We told each of ours they could pick out a small prize
$15 or less, but they had to each tell us something they’d learned about the creatures they saw. What a neat idea to help facilitate retaining some of the info they were given!
Rocky the Loggerhead Sea Turtle flirting with us
Visit the Baliker Art Gallery to see driftwood made into one-of-a-kind art
Of course we had to pop into the Baliker Art Gallery on the way back. This is the place I spotted during our fishing charter. Paul Baliker is a sculptor and his pieces are something to see in person. He mostly uses wood and bronze often taking the bottom of red cedar driftwood, along with the roots, from the Gulf of Mexico to create his masterpieces.
Paul Baliker’s beauty of a piece called “Into the Wild”PO
His finished work can be seen locally and abroad. It’s been selected for the entryways of hospitals and hotels alike and it’s no wonder. It’s beautiful. His love for wildlife and nature is apparent in every piece in his gallery. One of my favorite pieces is called “Into the Wild.”
Of course, visiting from Kentucky, I was instantly drawn to the 3 carved horses, their manes seemingly blowing in the wind. A woman working at the gallery told me it took him 10 weeks to create the piece but some pieces take six months to create. She said he’s usually working on several different pieces at a time.
One of the pieces sculptor Paul Baliker was working on when we visited
Many of his findings and works in progress are stockpiled in the front side of his gallery. Some of the works of art take time to take it all in as the longer you stare, the more details you notice. He’s been working for more than 35 years and his talent shows. I asked him if he ever lets people watch him as he works.
He said he usually closes the gates of his gallery during the week and works away from the public eye so he can focus. I can’t say I blame him. The piece in the entryway was originally carved out of wood according to the lady working there. She said he then made a mold of the piece and then finished it off with bronze. It cost $18k so to say I was nervous with my young kids walking around the place is quite the understatement!
Depending on where you go, the beaches can be shelly
The next few days were spent floating between the beach and pool. The beaches are quite shelly and there are some large rocks along the shoreline so my kids wore Crocs and beach shoes some to prevent foot pain. The February water was cold so I don’t know that anyone went deeper than their knees.
We ate at a cute local spot named JT’s Seafood Shack.
My son and I both ordered the crab legs which are our favorite. The entire family enjoyed their meals. I especially appreciated the live music. The restaurant boasts that it has live music every Friday and Saturday year round and nearly every day February through August. When we were there we enjoyed music by Tyme the Band. They played a lot of classic rock and fun beach music.
Visit the St. Augustine Alligator Farm if you like seeing tons of gators
When we visited St. Augustine, about 15 minutes away, over spring break last year we found a few other spots that were fun. We stayed at our friend’s beach house and when the weather is crummy, they like to hit up the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park.
It’s exactly what you’re picturing and it’s a reptile lover’s dream. It boasts 24 species of crocodilians and other reptiles and birds. The kids loved the Komodo dragon, the demonstrations and especially the alligator feeding they got to watch.
There are plenty of golf options, but while in St. Augustine, we went putt-putting for the kids. They adored it and we also ate dinner at the Conch House Restaurant. It’s part of a marina resort so you can walk around and look at the boats. It’s a relaxed atmosphere that offers Caribbean style food and fun waterside patio dining.
There are circular grass huts for some of the tables at various levels. They feature live music in the summer over the weekends. There is also a glass enclosure on the patio displaying a couple of live alligators so that entertained the kids while we waited for our table.
If you build it, they will come- a beach bon fire that is…
One of our favorite activities happened on our last evening while we visited Cinnamon Beach when we built a beach bonfire. Many of beaches that we usually visit during family vacations don’t allow fires on the beach. I’m talking places in South Carolina, North Carolina and New Jersey.
That’s something I really miss about the San Diego beaches we frequented when we lived there. I loved building a fire along Coronado and watching the sun go down over the West Coast shoreline. In Flagler County, Florida, they ask that you fill out a permit the day of your bonfire letting the fire department know about your intentions. My husband did that online and it took about 2 minutes.
We built our fire pit from some large nearby rocks and dug a little out of the middle. I got firewood, fire starter and the makings for s’mores from the grocery store.
Beach bon fire our last night
Nothing like bonding with the family
We built our fire as they sun went down and the evening sky was something out of a painting. My son and I threw the football and the others roasted marshmallows on the sticks we found in the grass nearby. It couldn’t have been prettier and the perfect way to end a long weekend in a new place. We would love to go back soon.
See some of our other travel adventures including our family getaway to The Greenbrier in West Virginia as well kid-free getaway to The Kentucky Castle.
Hi I’m Erica! TV news anchor and mom to 4 littles. I’m obsessed with creating those “wow” moments in life through crafting at home, cool travel adventures and special celebrations with loved ones. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!
