Mother’s Day is coming up next month, and according to one of my friends, age seven, Mom does NOT want the same old stuff. Breakfast in bed? A flower in a vase? Another boring spa massage? Uh-uh. Mom would rather go somewhere for real adventure. She’d like to see soldiers shooting muskets, he said, the louder and smokier the better. She’d just love to go fishing for sharks and stuff. Or slide down a super-twisty water slide, ride bikes, and maybe take a zip line over a crocodile-infested river. Just kidding. I made this kid up, but as a mom who once had seven-year-olds (who later morphed into preteens and then teens), some of my best memories were made by taking an alternative route.
Consider St. Augustine, for example. The oldest city in the United States (found-ed half a century ahead of the Mayflower, thank you very much) is stuck in a surreal 500-year Spanish/French/Colonial time warp a mere six-hour drive from Naples. People walk around the Old City in period dress from the 1500s to the 1800s like it’s a totally normal thing to do. Horse-drawn carriages rattle around the cobblestone lanes, and there are musket firings every weekend at the ancient Spanish fortress, Castillo de San Marcos.
Just outside the city is a surprisingly cool Old Florida attraction called the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. In May, its rookery is awash in pink roseate spoonbills. And as my fictional kid sug-gested, one really can go zip lining over the Crocodile Crossing (alligatorfarm.com).
Ten miles north is a wilderness preserve unlike anything you’d expect to experience in Florida. The wildlife-rich Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM for short) offers outdoor adventures like hiking, biking, horseback riding, and kayaking through its unique ecosystem of salt marshes, uplands, and estuaries (dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/gtm).
The first weekend in May is a great time to visit St. Augustine. The Romanza Festivale begins Friday, May 5 with an 18th century changing of the guard by the San Augustin Garrison. Afterward, the guards hang around for photo ops. Saturday is the grand procession, in which costumed re-enactors, Spanish dancers, conquistadors, pirates, and assorted rogues, drummers, and other entertainers process from the City Gates to the Aviles Street Festival. All weekend there are street performances, as well as full-regalia musket firings at the for-tress, where members of the militia charm and engage young visitors with hands-on fort experiences.
The Festivale ends with a day-long Harry Potter event on May 13. The real Percy Weasley from the movies will be there, along with the sorting hat, wizardly wands, and everything else Harry Potter. Of course there are always trolley tours, carriage rides, ghostly tours (some spookier than others), and the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, where Ponce de Leon landed.
Attention, history buffs! Ponce de Leon was definitely not looking for any fountain of youth. The truth is that in 1513, King Ferdinand told the Conquistador that he could have the island of Bimini if he could find it. So off he sailed, and ended up in the land he named La Florida. He never made it to Bimini. He was wounded by a poisoned Calusa arrow right here in Southwest Florida. That fountain of youth story was concocted long after Ponce died, by a court historian with a mean streak. How-ever, why not have a sip anyway, from the ancient fountain that still trickles up from the Floridan Spring. It can’t hurt, right? The attraction also features living history exhibits and a planetarium where you can see the exact alignment of the stars the night Ponce de Leon landed in 1513.
A small indulgence for Mom
St. Augustine is a bed & breakfast lover’s dream, and some of the historic inns offer family suites or separate cottages. And about Mom’s massage: I recommend a nur-turing treatment at the intimate Small In-dulgences Day Spa (visitstaugustine.com).
Island weekend: pirate included
Closer to home, I know a sweet little island less than two hours from Naples, where Mom can go shark fishing if she likes, or tarpon fishing in legendary Boca Grande Pass. Or she could just snuggle into her beachfront hammock or veranda with a book while the kids hang out with that not-so-dastardly pirate, Captain Red Beard. The 130-acre Palm Island Resort is just north of Cape Coral, accessible by ferry at Cape Haze. Once on the island, most guests get around by golf cart or bicycle.
There are tons of family activities, like sandcastle contests, scavenger hunts, arts & crafts, and nature cruises. Also, kayak, boogie board, and beach stuff rentals, tennis courts, a fitness center, playgrounds, and a pool. And yes, Mom can get her totally-not-boring massage.
Palm Island’s Mother’s Day package includes a 20% discount at one of the Old Florida-style villas (two nights or more), and various golf cart rental, gift shop, and restaurant discounts. Pssst… you might want to order a tropical arrangement for Mom to be waiting in the villa when you arrive. Use the package code M20 (palm-island.com).
Mom’s favorites: waterslide and all
But wait. What if you could take Mom out of town to someplace exciting that’s just a few minutes from home? You’ve seen the sign, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, a gazillion times on your way to the mall, but have you ever turned west instead of east, and followed Coconut Road to the very end? It looks like a really nice hotel from the outside (which it is), but wait till you see the awesomeness that lies beyond.
Mom can get pampered with a choice of exotic treatments at Stillwater Spa (one of my personal faves), while the big kids and Dad do the super-fun140-foot waterslide (there is a smaller one for the little kids), float on the new lazy river, and play in the pool. Afterward, the whole family can take a boat ride to a private island for some beach time. The next day, maybe kayak around the estuaries of Estero Bay in search of manatees and dolphins, and get back in time for toasted marshmallow, graham cracker, and chocolate s’mores at the fire pit. That’s just one idea, of course. Girls 5-12 can have the Spa Girl Manicure and Pedicure beside Mom in the salon. There’s also a rock wall to climb (grownups and kids at least 42 inches tall), golf, tennis, eco-tours, Camp Hyatt kids’ activities, bike rentals, and tons more.
Or, back to the original plan: Mom can have breakfast in bed (with a flower in a vase) get a massage, and then float along the lazy river all day long (coconutpoint. regency.hyatt.com).