Taking a 15-hour road trip to Destin, Florida with 3 other groups during a pandemic was risky but it ended up being the best family (and friendly) vacation!
Road Tripping to Destin, Florida
The best way to travel to Destin, Florida? With friends, of course!
I’ve resurrected the blog and am slowly catching up documenting our travels over the last few years. In May 2020 – in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic – we packed up and headed to Destin, FL with a group of friends.
It was touch-and-go at first; the state of Florida had shut down vacation rentals and we were waiting to hear whether or not they’d be back open by the time our trip was scheduled. Luckily, they opened back up a day or two before we were set to leave so it all worked out.
The group we were traveling with all happen to be our neighbors and were in our Covid “bubble” at the time which made it feel safe to go as well. Everyone was healthy – and most importantly STAYED healthy!
8 Day Destin, FL Itinerary
We had big plans to spend our days on the beach letting the kids run around the house – and that’s exactly what we did!
With that, this won’t be the most exciting travel itinerary but there is plenty to do in the area if you aren’t going during a pandemic so I’ll try to include some additional info as we go!
Day 1 – Drive Time
We left bright and early knowing we had a ~12 hour drive day ahead of us. We surprised the girls after we got on the road that we were headed to the beach with friends. (They previously thought we were going to visit Uncle Tyler in Minneapolis). They were definitely very excited!
We took our first official family road trip to Gulf Shores, AL the previous year so we felt confident they could handle another long drive. They ended up riding well all day. Praise! Our caravan (4 families totaling 19 people!) pulled into our overnight stop in Birmingham, AL that evening.
Day 2 – Florida!!!
Birmingham to Destin is only about 4 hours so we had plenty of time to gather ourselves the next morning and get back on the road. We rented a fabulous house that slept all of us but couldn’t check in until later that afternoon.
That meant our first stop after pulling into town was LuLu’s. The kids ran around, the parents had much-deserved cocktails. When the house was ready, we gathered everyone to head and get settled at the house.
Day 3 & Day 4 – Beach!
Remember, it was Covid and there were almost 20 of us so we spent a lot of time at the house or on the beach! The house had private beach access which was the BEST (and maybe even a MUST when planning a beach vacation) so it was super easy to watch the kids, fetch snacks, make meals, and drink drinks 😉
The older kids could make their way back and forth between the water and the house, and the adults would take turns staying back with the little ones during nap time. We had most meals at the house, too, with each family taking turns to “provide” a main dish for the group at some point during the week.
We did venture out one night to Pompano Joe’s for dinner since it was close to the house and could accomodate a larger group.
Day 5 – 30A
The moms escaped for a bit on Day 5 and drove into 30A to spend a few hours eating and shopping away from the rest of the group. It was… heavenly.
The little communities that make up the 30A area are so cute and quaint. There are plenty of places to grab coffee, eat lunch, and have a drink. We did all three and hit up a few shops along the way.
We headed back to grab the rest of the crew and went to The Big Chill for a dinner out. This is another great spot for large groups – several food options, an outdoor bar/dining space, shops, and music to keep everyone entertained.
Day 6 – Crab Island
After several days of staying close to the rental, we decided to venture out on Day 6 and make our way to Crab Island. We grabbed coffee at Bad Ass Coffee and made a plan to eat lunch at AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar before our island adventure.
After lunch, we split into two groups and rented a few pontoon boats to head toward Crab Island. It wasn’t the most exciting excursion but it was very doable with a bunch of little kids who loved swimming around the sand barge and parents who wanted/needed a change of scenery!
Day 7 – More Beach!
Our last full day in Destin was dedicated to the beach. More lounging, more swimming, more cat naps by the ocean. By now our little guy had eaten a thousand pounds of sand, the girls’ were sun-kissed, and we were ready to start the long trek home in the morning.
Day 8 – Heading Home
We left Destin early with plans to stop in Nashville, TN overnight. The kids were exhausted and rode very well – we had minimal stops and everyone napped which meant the first leg of the drive was smooth sailing. By the time we reached Nashville, it was only late afternoon. Nothing felt more tiring than unloading everyone and some of our things into a hotel for an overnight stay so we decided to keep driving.
Our new plan was to make it to St. Louis (another 4 hours) to reevaluate our situation.
We made it about an hour outside St. Louis before needing to stop for gas and a proper meal. By this point, it was around 7pm, we’d been on the road for about 12 hours – and we were five hours from home.
The thought of staying in a hotel for another night while only 5 hours from home felt silly; the kids were handling all the time in the car surprisingly well so we decided to get them all changed into pajamas, load back up, and keep going!
We pulled into our driveway around 1:30 AM – about 17 hours after leaving Florida the day before. Yikes!
I felt good about that drive all the way up to the last 2 hours or so. Justin and I were so, so tired and worked to keep each other awake while taking turns behind the wheel. In hindsight, we should have done a better job at napping ourselves throughout the day but we made it.
Home at Last
Nothing felt better than waking up in our own beds the next morning! We had a full day to unpack, start laundry, and vacuum up piles of sand out of the van before getting back to “normal” pandemic life.
I’m so glad we were able take this trip; the timing wasn’t the best but everyone stayed healthy and we were able to enjoy a really nice vacation with friends we love. The rest of 2020 was spent wearing masks and isolating for periods of time to make sure we could still gather with family once the holidays rolled around.
Th pandemic holds lots of memories – some better than others – and I’m glad the Destin trip is included in them.
