Where It All Began: the Birth of This Florida Travel Blog

Last Updated on April 17, 2024 by Marybeth

We didn’t quit our jobs and sell all our stuff to travel the world. We shy from selfies, and even if I was young and fit I wouldn’t be posting bathing suit pics on Instagram.

We’re regular people, just like you. We have jobs, bills, a car that my sweet talented husband is underneath right now trying to fix, and Millennial kids we still worry about. I had cancer. We’ve experienced the loss of loved ones way too soon. And we sometimes feel the challenge of fitting into each day all those things that matter: remembering to touch base with family and friends who are struggling; working smart not hard; doing the right thing even when no one is looking. Avoiding potato chips. Exercising. Viewing our days, when we do our best to be all-in but sometimes wind up just being the Two Stooges, as industrious, and not tumultuous.

We explore Florida because here we are. This is our beloved home state and though it is made much fun of, it’s what we have. We choose to hold our heads high and be proud amid all the Florida Man stories – the ones we secretly admire, as well as those that render us aghast. After all, every state has its buffoons and fugitives. It’s just that the size of Florida is in direct proportion to its stories.

And let’s be honest. Besides that other large U.S. state that gets so much positive press (if I hear “Cali-cool” one more time… ) Florida is where everyone wants to either visit or live out their days, stretched out under a palm tree as the sun drops into the sea.

Ten years ago the concept of Beaches, Bars & Bungalows was born. Visiting one of Dr. Beach‘s favorites, Siesta Key, we checked into our charmingly old-Florida Siesta Key Bungalow, the lagoon front “Ringling”. We had our own private deck sheltered by Sea Grapes, with no one across the way, just silence and more lush foliage. Somehow, back then, we’d never heard of the Siesta Key Oyster Bar (I know! Babes in the woods we were!) and after dumping our stuff and testing/bouncing on the mattress for a second, we set out to explore.

Fate drew us there, to SKOB. Sitting at a high-top with the warm sun on our shoulders and a cold one served up with efficiency, a low-key rich-voiced guitarist playing a few feet away, we decided everyone should do this. Visit a coastal town, stay somewhere clean, cozy and cute (and not owned by a giant conglomerate) and spend time in a walkable downtown where food and drink choices abound. All near the beach.

In the early days I was too shy to tell anyone we were there to write about them. Also in those early days I thought a yellowish filter for all my photos would be cool. That old-timey, nostalgic tone that some of the first color photos had, hearkening back to the days when life was slower, less complicated, and people respected each other’s opposite political views. Those days when your grandparents (…. parents…. you?) got in their (your) big old roadster/rambler, put the kids in the way back with no seat belts, and exposed them to secondhand smoke for the entire trip to the beach.

You may be surprised to know I still hesitate to tell people who I am and what I do (introverted, it’s called these days) but dang am I glad I stopped using that filter.

A little more about where we were when we decided to start Beaches, Bars and Bungalows:

Siesta Key Oyster Bar

SKOB is a family owned and operated business – one of the oldest in town – located in the center of Siesta Key Village, which is lined with shops, restaurants and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks. The beach is a few blocks away. Sit outside and watch happy people stroll by. Sit anywhere, really, and you’ll feel the welcoming atmosphere. For us it was like “coming home,” even for our first visit.

Choose from a huge selection of fresh seafood, award winning wings, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and burgers. Though “bar” is in its name, you can expect more beyond typical bar food. Scallops and Risotto, Bone in Short Rib, and Crab Stuffed Grouper Piccata are just a few of the more upmarket offerings here.

Siesta Key Bungalows

Siesta Key Bungalows are located mid-island and so you’re within easy access of all three of Siesta Key’s beaches. A free trolley – The Siesta Breeze – will take you all over the island, so you can park your car for the duration. The bungalows are now owned by a property management company, which may sound like a large conglomerate but the owner is local, and available for questions. An innkeeper is on site as well.

If you’ve been with us for awhile you may have noticed we don’t talk about ourselves a lot. Some travel bloggers share their travels with “This is where we are! Watch as we (fill in the blank with enviable excursions and meals)” with a myriad of photos of them posing in front of amazing landscapes or lovely retreats, and that’s their style, and everyone is different. And we love to see what they’re up to, and admire how comfortable they are in front of the camera. Us, not so much. And we’d like for you to imagine yourself at the amazing places we encourage you to experience.

What floats our boat is guiding you to explore the coastal Florida that’s not necessarily touted on the big websites or glossy publications. The local businesses whose advertising budgets are small but their hearts for hosting and hospitality are huge. Unique destinations where people just like you and I have put their creative spin and hard work into giving that singular experience that travelers seek.

Some things we’ve learned traveling and writing about the Sunshine State:

Yes the drivers here remind us of that fun-ruining relative. For whatever reason they’re mad at creation and hell-bent on scaring us so that we’ll just decide to stay home. We’re learning to travel during non-peak days and hours, and also to remember we’re not in a hurry.

Traveling during off season is altogether glorious – the prices are good and the tourists are gone – and the temps are soul scorching. We get up early to explore and then spend midday in our room with the a/c blasting, or brainstorming over a cocktail in the shade, or submerged in the ocean, covered in waterproof SPF 50.

Almost everyone we’ve met loves Florida just as much as we do or more. It’s like your favorite madcap aunt who tells the best stories about her checkered past, wears vintage Lilly Pulitzer and leave you such long voicemails you feel like you’ve actually talked to her. You love her for all of that. And you wouldn’t change a thing.

And just a few random things about us because:

We do everything most people hire people to do, and have for the eighteen years we’ve been married, including painting the interior and exterior of our house, laying sod, pool maintenance (Robert), electrical and plumbing fixes (Robert), building furniture (Robert), polishing the terrazzo floors (yes, again, Robert.) My DIY expertise lies in the arenas of cooking, redesigning rooms, and planting too many flowers when no one is looking.

We volunteer with the Marine Resources Council and have helped build oyster reefs (so fascinating how that works!) and fostered baby oysters for almost a year, which made us feel proud to be helping but also so responsible and not always in a good way: we were so worried about those babies! Were we washing them correctly and often enough? They were growing but then sometimes they looked stressed and so many barnacles were taking up residence and crowding them out! The kind coordinators and technicians at the MRC reassured us we were doing fine but to be honest it was a relief when they came and took our babies onto their next adventure. Made me almost rethink wanting to be a grandparent someday… glad I didn’t. Our sparklingly bright and hilarious granddaughter, Ellis, is about to turn four, and she’ll have a baby sister this fall! Would not trade this grandparent thing for the world.

We crew on our friend’s 30 foot sailboat and participate in races, which aren’t my favorite thing because boats come so close to ramming into each other! Swear words fly through the air like fish at Pike Place and while I’m a firm believer in a well-placed bad word (my motto being Work Like a Captain Swear Like a Sailor) it just feels so dangerous and I’m constantly saying “Why is this fun??” and also sailing in a race is hard work! I’m still new at it but I’ve decided leisurely cruising is more my thing. My favorite part of racing is the exact moment we round the last marker (or whatever it’s called) and the sails come down and the wine comes out.

I’m on a roll and could make this long story longer and tell you that all I ever really wanted to be was a mom, and my kids are my best friends, and that I’m a graphic designer but don’t practice anymore because everyone (thinks they) can design their own work. Instead I channel my desire to make things look good into my blog, photos, and home, and still do some graphic art for friends. That my favorite pastimes are curling up on the couch with my beloved husband, our cranky rescue Chihuahua Puppet; reading; taking photos for my blog; writing my blog; having wine with friends, and laughing with my husband.

But as it’s not all about me – it’s really all about you all who ask us travel advice and share your vacation destination stories with us so we can be better informed; thank you for that, all our friends and followers – so instead I’ll just post a few pics of us and leave you with just a couple more slices of our life so you can see we’re regular people, just like you.

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