Florida Trip - The Finale * Photo Heavy Post *

In case you missed it you can read about the first half of the trip here.

Our final day trip was down to Tampa to Ybor City which is a historical neighborhood that was once the Cigar capital of the world. Mr. Mixologist had been super excited once we decided to come to Florida, because he of course knew all about the history of this place. My Beau is a Cigar Aficionado and we took this opportunity for him to break down to me the seriousness of his affections ! LOL

See those huge Cigars above the desk ?

We started out at the Visitors Center to find out where all of the Factories and Lounges were. With map in hand and comfortable shoes, we headed out to tour the area. If you notice the sign in area looks like a huge Cigar Box.

He was mesmerized !

We went to the Historical Museum & toured the Exhibits. Mr. Mixologist walked right in an instantly recognized the guy who "rolled the worlds longest Cigar". He was like a kid in a candy store. LOL 

193.3 feet is the record

They actually have a portion of the "world's longest cigar" enshrined in a glass case ! LOL

First stick of the day ! 

We left the museum and headed to Breakfast at La Creperia Cafe where we had some amazing crepes and some Cafe Con Leche. I enjoyed the food, my Beau just wanted to get something on his stomach so he could get started on the Cigars ! LOL

She got skills ! 

We started touring the area, comparing the prices, touring several companies that hand roll Cigars on site. There are too many to link on here, but rest assured we found a few that we really liked. 

That truck in the back is distracting LOL !

We trekked around that area the whole day & I never once complained. I have to admit it was interesting & the customer service was very good in all the places we went. They seemed to really appreciate tourists.

Enjoying a smoke

One of our favorites was King Corona. They had free wifi, plenty of seating, both indoor and outdoor and of course a pretty large humidor. 

Thats a stick of sugar cane in my drink !

Throughout the day, I was definitely trying to get my drink on & I must say the Mojitos did not disappoint !

Enjoying "Happy Hour"

We took lots of cocktail breaks, in fact the whole day felt like Happy Hour ! We did a little shopping & my Beau let me pick the restaurants. I was so glad to have my laptop, because Cigars take a long time to smoke. LOL

I decided on a restaurant called Columbia. A guy at one the the Cigar Factories mentioned it to us, but I had to do my research and Yelp did not disappoint. We had Tapas & shared an Entree. The Crab Cakes were incredible. The "1905 Salad" was great and the Shredded Beef, yellow rice, everything was just really good. 

Looking like a kid at Christmas ! LOL

We came back to the Resort that night with a bag full of leftovers and a bag full of Cigars ! It was a cool day of hanging out with my handsome Beau in his element.

Excited to see more sand and surf ! 

On the day we headed home I talked him into taking a slight detour so that we could spend some time in Destin before we got out of Florida. He was still on his "Cigar High" so it was an easy sell. We just stopped for a few hours, spent some time on the Beach and grabbed something to eat. 

Just beautiful ! 

I had heard that the Beach was beautiful there but, it was better than I expected. The water was so clear and blue ! It was the perfect day.

Did not want to leave

I ended up wishing that we had planned the trip so that we could have spent the night there, it really was THAT enticing!

The waitress sneaked me a "to go cup" !

Now of course I had to find a place to quench my thirst, LOL. This Pineapple Martini was right on time. I was having the "I don't wanna go home blues" and this cocktail right here set me straight for a minute.

Of course I used my Yelp application to find a nice seafood spot and Dewey Destin's Harborside was just what I needed. It was right on the water and I must say I had the best Crab Claws I have ever had in my life ! 

Can't you see why I wasn't ready to go home ?

I cannot express how much I was not ready to go.  I felt like throwing a tantrum.  After we ate Mr. Mixologist took one more drive by the water for me before telling me to take my tipsy ass to sleep so he could get us home safely ! LOL 






This trip was awesome, we made some wonderful memories in Florida. I feel really blessed to have had such a nice experience. Don't you  just love vacations ? I am so looking forward to the next trip.

Where did you vacation this summer ? Where would you like to visit ?
Have you ever been to Florida ?

Thoughts ? Comments ? Questions ?



Beautifully Complex