Our 2026 30A Summer Beach Trip - Days 6, 7, & 8

Happy Monday, y’all!  Today I’m recapping our final days at the beach.  If you missed the first two recaps you can see them here and here.

Thursday, June 4

Monday morning, we were up at 8 AM our time (7 AM beach time), but I dozed a little more while Brian put out our beach chairs and picked up our second round of donuts because I hadn’t slept well the night before.

When he got back, we had breakfast, and then we went down to the beach.  It was sunny and gorgeous.  There was a single red flag, though, so we did have to be careful in the water, but other than that, it was a perfect beach day.  We spent the morning lounging and walking, and we also took a lot of pictures.  We walk by a beach house on our route, and they have a giant statue of a slumped over purple bear.  We’ve always thought it was the strangest thing, and the kids asked me to take a picture of it.  Haha.

We went up for lunch at the condo, went back down to the beach for the afternoon, and the kids played in the sand and lounged in the shade. 

We all got showered and ready, mid-afternoon, and then we headed to Blue Mountain Beach for our dinner reservation at Mimmo’s.  We ended up leaving a little earlier than needed, so we stopped at a souvenir shop just outside of Seaside, and then we continued our drive. 

On the way through Seaside, I happened to see a famous influencer that I follow – Amber Massey.  I knew she and her family were there the same time we were since she’d been posting on social media, so it was funny that we actually saw her. 

We discovered Mimmo’s last year on our trip, and I declared it to be the best pasta of my life.  Well, y’all, it was even better than I remembered despite having HUGE expectations the second time around.

Brian and I started with a round of cocktails (an Old Fashioned for him and a Black Manhattan for me), and we also ordered some of their garlic rolls for the table.  They’re topped with an abundance of garlic butter and parmesan, and they are delicious.  Brian opted for the chicken marsala for dinner, and I had to get the rigatoni broccoli & sausage as I did the last time we were there.  It was exquisite, and I don’t use that word often.  Olivia agreed, too, because she ended up eating many bites of my pasta.

On the way out, I had to snap a picture of Olivia’s menu, because she left it on the table and look what she wrote across the top for our server.  The sweetest!

We were positively STUFFED by the time dinner was over, but the kids miraculously had room for ice cream.  We walked next door to Ice Cream Shoppe since we’d never been, and we were amazed to see just how many unique flavors they have.  It was truly impressive.  Brian hadn’t intended to get ice cream at all, but he was intrigued by their Brown Butter Bourbon Truffle, so he had to try it.  I tasted a bite, and it was heavenly.  I think it’s safe to say we’ll be adding that to our usual list of places to visit while we’re there, and next time I need to remember to leave room in my belly!

We made the drive back to the condo after that, and I read for a bit.  Then, we headed out for a sunset beach walk and to walk off all that food we’d eaten!  We also squeezed in a few family pictures unexpectedly since someone offered to take our picture!

After our walk, we finished My Girl, and the kids handled it surprisingly well.  Me, on the other hand?  Well, it still breaks my heart even all these years later.  Clearly, it traumatized me as a child.  Haha.

When the movie was over, we all went to bed… I think it was only about 10:15 PM our time / 9:15 PM beach time, but we were all exhausted.  All that sun will do that to you!

 

Friday, June 5

Friday was our last day there, so we had to make it count!  We were up at 8 AM our time again, Brian got the last spot on the beach by the water in front of our condo (whew!) and we had leftover donuts before heading down.  The water was beautiful, but the waves were a bit bigger, so there was a single red flag again.

The kids built a large sand castle with a moat, but it got washed away before I got could get a good picture of it.  And then we went for a family walk.

We headed up to the condo for lunch and while we were up there, I did a little tidying, and I packed up some of the food that I knew we were done with.  Then, we headed back down for our last few hours on the beach. 

While we were down there, a guy came through selling ice cream right there on the beach!  He had a cool little cart with big plastic wheels, so he was able to pull it right down the water line and he took electronic payments since nobody ever has cash on the beach.  We let the kids get something because we couldn’t pass that up!  We’d never seen anything like that before, so it was really special… the perfect way to end our last day at the beach.

We headed back up to the condo a little before 3 beach time because we were all tired of the sun and sand at that point.  We had a dinner reservation, but it wasn’t until 7:15 beach time (8:15 our time, which is late for us to be eating), so we had a long time to spend in the condo.  I was able to do some laundry and start packing, so that was nice!

I got all the swimsuits and towels washed and dried so we didn’t have to transport anything wet or sticky from the sandy, salty air, and I got everything packed that could possibly be packed.

After that, we all got showered and ready for the day, and then I read for a while since we still had some time to spare. 

We arrived at Old Florida Fish House at 6:45 PM beach time, which was 30 minutes before our reservation, and they were able to seat us 15 minutes later.  While we waited, we walked in and out of the little shops and we took some pictures. 

They seated us just after 7 PM beach time, and though there were umbrellas to shade most of the area from the sun, part of our table was in the sun, so the kids moved around to sit in different spots so they could be in the shade.  The sun finally dipped behind the trees at 7:26 PM beach time (LOL, we paid attention to this and wanted to document it for future reference, so we’ll know what time to make our reservations) and then it was nice and cool.

It was truly a beautiful evening, weather wise.  It wasn’t too hot, there was no humidity, and it was just perfect.  And the ambience at Old Florida Fish House is unmatched.  Sitting outside is a must… it is just beautiful.

Brian and I ordered Old Fashioneds and they were delicious.  Then, B opted for the filet, and I got the Joyce Farms Grilled Chicken as I did last year.  It was so delicious last year, and it was good again this year.  However, instead of serving it with creamy whipped potatoes and veggies like last year, this year it was over a bed of quinoa, so it wasn’t nearly as good.  It was definitely healthier, though.  Haha.

After dinner, we walked to the dock and then we stopped to listen to the live music.  There was an artist playing acoustic guitar and singing familiar songs the whole time we ate, and he sounded really good, so we wanted to check him out.  His voice reminded us of a cross between Luke Combs and Teddy Swims and so you know we loved that.  He sang a little bit of everything, too… lots of 90s music, some country, some current hits, etc.

Brian and the kids played cornhole for a bit and the kids and I wanted to play the hook game that’s attached to the tree, and then we took some final pictures before Brian and Olivia grabbed ice cream on the way out.  Jacob and I were too full.

When we got to the condo, it was after 10 our time, so we all got ready for bed and called it a night.

 

Saturday, June 6

Saturday morning, we were up at 8 AM our time, we got showered and ready and packed, we ate leftover donuts, and everyone helped load the car so we could get out of there quickly. 

I finished another book and cleaned out my camera roll on the way home, and then we made it home just in time to grab Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  Olivia felt pretty bad all the way home and she ended up being sick for the next few days, and we’re grateful that she didn’t get sick during the trip!

It ended up being another wonderful trip full of relaxation, sand, sun, good food, beach walks, and sunsets, and we are so thankful for the memories that we’ll keep going forward.    

Happy Monday, y’all!  Thanks for following along!

Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned Inspired by 50s Primetime Cafe in Disney World’s Hollywood Studios

 *This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When we were at Disney World this past spring break, Brian and I tried the best cocktail we’ve ever had in our entire lives, and it lives in 50’s Primetime Café inside Hollywood Studios at Disney World.

If you are a fan of whiskey, then this Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned is a must try.  It is so unique, so delicious, and its equal parts traditional and sweet, making it the perfect cocktail to serve any time – at happy hour, at dinner, with dessert (or AS dessert, haha), or as a nightcap. 

Brian was able to find a couple of threads online that suggested which ingredients it included, he purchased them, and I can officially say that he has perfected the recipe.  We cannot get enough, and we have made these so many times that I can’t even count. 

We purchased fancy ice molds, garnish picks, and a kitchen torch to elevate our drinks, and we can now make the most perfect cocktail right at home for a fraction of the cost at a bar. 

 

Use It

Whiskey glasses (I’m obsessed with a good icon glass!)

Ice molds (we love these, but they come in loads of different shapes)

Kitchen torch (you could use matches or a lighter if you don’t have a torch)

Garnish picks (we love these)

 

Buy It

3 oz. Bourbon Whiskey (Woodford Reserve is the absolute best for this drink but you could use what you have on hand… it won’t taste quite as good, though)

1/2 oz. Torani Toasted Marshmallow Syrup

3 shakes Hella Cocktail Co. Smoked Chili Bitters

2 Marshmallows (Standard size, not mini)

 

Make It

1.    Add ice to a whiskey glass.

2.    Combine whiskey, toasted marshmallow syrup, and chili bitters over ice.

3.    Stir well.

4.    Roast marshmallows with kitchen torch and use as garnish.

 

This recipe makes one cocktail, but you may want to keep enough ingredients on hand for a second round, because I promise you are going to want another.  They are that good!

Cheers!