Whether you’re on your way to Tropical Palms to start your vacation, or on your way home, everybody seems to have their own program for how they make the trip. Some of you just can’t wait to get here and start enjoying life at Tropical so the only stops you make along the road are to eat and get a little rest. Others make the trip part of their vacation and take in sights along the way. To us, both methods of travel have their merits.
For Bonnie and Joe Rossi, being on the road is a chance to explore the country between their home in Niles, Ohio, and Tropical. They own a Sandcastle home here and take their time on the drive down. They’ve made some interesting discoveries along the way. One is Jekyll Island, a barrier island off the coast of Georgia. It has a campground for those traveling by RV, but it also has one of the south’s best resorts, the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There’s lots of golf there, but even if you don’t play or stay, it’s worth a visit.
Another Rossi discovery is a barbeque joint in Charlotte, NC, called Bubba’s Barbeque. Bubba’s uses hickory wood to slow cook the choicest grade of pork for over 10 hours. You can check them out online and get a look at the menu, get a lesson in how they go about preparing their very special barbeque and even order ahead, so you don’t lose anytime getting to Tropical.
Peter Janes and his wife Susan also have a barbeque place that they claim has the best pulled pork sandwiches you can find anywhere. It’s at the Tamarack rest stop in off I-77 (exit 45) in West Virginia, which also has a number of gift shops filled with indigenous crafts that the Janes say make Tamarack worth a visit. For them, it is a stop along the road less traveled they take to get to Tropical Palms, preferring to take in a bit of nature’s beauty on their trip. They take I-77 from their Cleveland home and cut across I-26E to Columbia, SC. and drive through the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.
“In the fall the trees have turned all different colors and on our way home in the spring everything’s in bloom,” Peter tells us. “We avoid the big cities and all the traffic hassles and get to spend some time enjoying the beautiful scenery.”
It’s also a road the Janes’ dog Parker enjoys. “If anyone’s dog needs some advice for the trip,” Says Peter, “Parker can recommend all the best trees along the way.”
Shirley and Ed Gervais of New Haven, Vermont, want to get out of the cold and down to Florida. “We leave Vermont at about 3:00 AM,” Ed says, “and stop at a diner just off 88 in Oneonta, NY, for breakfast. Good bacon and eggs.”
Then it’s back on the road until they reach the Candy Hill campground in Winchester, VA, where the Gervais’ stay overnight before pushing on to Florida. The next day they’re off, stopping to spend time with friends in Jacksonville and Ormond Beach before finally coming to Tropical Palms for the winter season.
Yvonne and Don Gagnon share the Gervais’ philosophy of get on the road, get out of the cold and get to Tropical as quickly as possible. They do the 1600-mile, 2500-kilometer, trip from their home on North Bay in Northern Ontario in just three days. “We’re in a 40-foot motor home and pulling a car, so we like the convenience of campgrounds with lots of space that make in and out easy,” Don explains.
The Gagnons, who own the Voyager Inn in North Bay, stop at campgrounds near Niagara, NY, Summerville, VA, and finally at the Flamingo Campground in Jacksonville, FL, which is conveniently located near big box stores where they can stock up on supplies before heading to Tropical Palms, where the couple spends nearly six months, with Don periodically returning, by air, to Canada to look after their business interests.
Wherever they go, wherever they wander, all four couples agree on one thing: There’s no place like Tropical Palms.
