Our lastest weekend away was to Williston, Florida. We wanted to stay somewhere unique and our camper isn’t ready for travel. Container houses are such a cool idea and Evie has always liked the idea of them. I love seeing how homes are made out of them on unique home shows, like Tiny Homes. With our RV still in progress we thought it would be fun to find a unique home to stay in. This little container home community is located in Williston, FL. You can find their listing right on Airbnb.
There were 7 containers in a U-shape at this tiny homestead. They surround a central container structure that functions as a cute little coffee shop and outdoor patio. I have to give major props to having coffee available right outside my doorstep in the morning, this may have been my favorite part! There are a couple of different container setups to choose from, but we picked the one with one loft bed and then a lower couch area that turned into a bed. It also had a nice full-sized bathroom and a little kitchenette with a sink, microwave, and refrigerator. It also has its own personal desk with a wind-out awning. It was super cute and a perfect place to crash after our daily adventures.
Our first adventure was to visit the Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens. It was the amazing gardens set around an old lime rock quarry. You basically walk around this huge hole in the ground which they transformed into a beautiful botanical pond-area. It was right around the holidays, so all the Christmas lights and decor were out. I wish we could have also enjoyed it at night. During the day, we were able to enjoy the little four-legged furry pets who wandered around.
We also visited Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park to look at the giant sinkhole. No pictures because it was a giant hole that we looked at and even the one’s online have trouble capturing how odd of a geological feature it is. It was interesting to learn how sinkholes were formed from a pocket developing underground. It fit perfectly with our ongoing geology science lessons.
We then drove into Gainesville to visit the Florida Museum of Natural History. This was such an amazing experience. It was a huge museum with Florida history, dinosaurs, and even a whole butterfly world.
We really enjoy walking around the gardens so we also went to the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens for a walk. This one was huge with so many different areas and even a nice children’s area to play. They had herb gardens, Asian gardens, rock gardens, and a huge camellia garden to name a few. It is also known for its giant lily pads. A wedding was getting ready to set up there at closing. I think it would be such a beautiful location for a wedding.
On our way home we stopped at Silver Springs State Park. They are doing a lot of construction currently, but we were able to take a glass-bottom boat tour. The water is so ridiculously clear. It was amazing to be able to see the fishes swimming and the turtles floating along. The springs were very clear to see as well. I wish we could have taken a canoe or paddleboard out to find the monkeys, but we had not planned for it as we were supposed to get home for an appointment. Perhaps next time we can find the Florida Monkey. We did walk an awesome natural trail in the park, but the monkeys are common on the island, so we did not see them there.
Weather canceled our prior engagement, so we found a children’s museum on the way home to spontaneously visit and break up the drive home. Explorations V is a cute little children’s museum in Lakeland Fl. It was a great place to pretend to be a doctor, a new agent, a space explorer, and visit a grocery store to name a few fun things. It was perfect for the kids to take a little break on the car ride home.
This was a fun little weekend trip to take away from our typical day-to-day. There are lots of amazing places to visit in Florida. We haven’t even found them all yet!