Just yesterday we were putting up with humidity and clouds of biting sand gnats. Hours later, we woke up to a world where the chilly wind whistled down our coat collars. Today we had a wealth of beaches, historic forts or plantations, lighthouse tours, piers, and hiking trails for our choosing. Sigh. None seemed very attractive on the first truly cold day of the season. Then I found a blurb on the web about the St. Marys Submarine Museum. Why not?
They had the expected glass cases full of submarine models, medals, construction plans, and the like. But they had other tidbits too...
Here's a Styrofoam cup that a submarine crew sent down into the crushing depths of the ocean. When it reached the surface again, it was wrinkled and about half its original size. It looked like a deflated shot glass.
After we first arrived, I feared that the museum wouldn't have much appeal for a preschooler. But then Eli discovered a control panel where he could sit down and pretend to command a sub. Captain Eli pushed buttons and peered at gauges for quite a while.
And then -- oh, bliss -- he discovered that the museum has a real working periscope that pops out of the top of its two-story building. It was a quiet day at the museum, so Eli could endlessly search the streets and waterway outside for all signs of life. Eli also loved their 45-minute kids' documentary called The Big Submarine (Little Mammoth Media's Big Adventure series). We learned a lot from the film and it may turn up in Eli's Christmas stocking.
Click HERE for web information on the museum.
After the museum, we strolled the streets of St. Mary's historic district. The Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum is also located there, but it was closed today. We still enjoyed popping into the various shops and strolling along the waterway.
We left St. Marys and got back to Interstate 95. We planned to stop for a snack, and I suddenly got a crazy idea to get a little something to eat in Florida. It is a state Eli had never been to before, the border was just a few miles away, and the Visitor's Center gives away free orange juice. Mmmm.
The Visitor's Center has a little photo booth where they superimpose an image of an alligator in the foreground of your picture. The catch is that the photo must be emailed to you -- and thus they have your email address for spamming you with Florida vacation information. But I have a junk email box just for such purposes anyway...
So we ended up having a lovely day despite the chill. In addition to the adventures outlined above, we had a nice lunch (including treats from a cupcake bakery) in Brunswick's historic district. We found a few antique stores. In the late afternoon we braved the beach for a few minutes, marveling at the rough waves. (Eli looked at the pounding surf for a moment and said, "If any sand gnats come out tonight, I bet they get blown away by the wind and smack into a tree.")
But as the sun began to set, the wind settled a little and the foam along the water took on a soft glow.
It wasn't the coastal vacation day I planned, but it sure was fun anyway.
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