Posted by Ryan Gargiulo in Florida, Videos |

Matinee Bingo & Swamp Buggy Adventures!

BUT I DONT WANT TO LEAVE!

It feels as if I just started to settle into this beautiful boutique hotel of mine here in South Beach. All of a sudden it’s time to pack up and hit the road. Just like that? I don’t want to leave!

Fortunately, I packed up all of my gear last night so I don’t have to worry about rushing around this morning trying to be sure everything is accounted for. My bag is packed and I’m ready to take down a nice hearty breakfast before yet another big day on the road.

I made my over to 660 at the Anglers and ordered the “Tres Pancakes”. I wasn’t sure exactly what was so special about this plate until the waiter started to head my way with a dish that made my head spin.

Out came three colossal pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries with a side of whipped guava butter and maple syrup.

“Tres Pancakes” @ 660 at the Anglers

Speaking of guava butter, have you tried it? I had never tried it prior to dining at the Anglers but let me tell you, it is absolutely delicious!

MEET THE FLEET

After breakfast the #StreaminFL crew congregated in the lobby before heading out to our impressive fleet of vehicles awaiting us at the curb.

For the next 8 days we will be cruising around in a convertible Ford Mustang, a bad ass 4-door jeep wrangler, and a Harley Road King.

Just to top things off, Jason from The Trailer Company will be following us with his 34′ vintage Airstream that will be used as a hang out spot for us between activities as well as some much needed shade here in the sunshine state.

Unfortunately, the photos don’t really do this Airstream any justice. You really have to see this thing for yourself to understand how beautiful it is and how much work Jason has put into renovating this old trailer into what it is now. Just to give you an idea of the amount of work involved, Jason has put over 300 man hours into polishing the body of this Airstream in order to make it bling. Yep, 300 hours!

MATINEE BINGO AT MICCOSUKEE CASINO

About 45 minutes after leaving South Beach, we arrived at our first stop of the day. Welcome to Miccosukeee Casino!

Matinee Bingo!

You are probably wondering why we’re stopping at a casino on our road trip through Florida, right? Well, considering we’re on a mission to find all of weird and quirky things about Florida, we decided that taking in a a few games of bingo with the old folks over at Miccosukee might be a boat load of fun.

And, it was!

We spent about an hour or so stamping our cards with our colorful dobbers and battling the regulars in hopes to be able to yell out “BINGO!”, but those plans simply never came to fruition.

After all was said and done, we left Miccosukee empty handed. But, we weren’t about to let a few games of matinee bingo ruin our day.

It was time to Pause The Moment and hit the road!

CAPTAIN STEVE’S SWAMP BUGGY ADVENTURES

Captain Steve – 5th Generation Gladesman and Swamp Buggy Tour Operator

Meet Captain Steve, a 5th generation gladesman who operates home grown swamp buggy tours through the Florida Everglades.

We loaded up the swamp buggies and hit the Big Cypress National Preserve with the best tour guide in the Everglades.

While we didn’t see as much wildlife as we had hoped to see on our swamp buggy tour, we still enjoyed every minute of it. As you know, you’re never guaranteed to see anything on these open air safari style tours.

Through out the tour, Captain Steve threw in the occasional dose of humor and I found that it made the tour that much more interesting.

If there was one word I could use to describe Steve, it would be “passionate”. As far as I’m concerned, there is no one as passionate about his job as well as the Everglades than Captain Steve himself.

Steve is by far the most knowledgeable guy around these parts. I swear he provided us with so much information about the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades as a whole that by the time we returned back to base our heads were spinning.

Another thing I really liked about Captain Steve is that he really shows his appreciation for those who serve our country by offering free tours to all active and veteran military personnel.

To all the parents out there that might be interested in taking a tour with Captain Steve, you’ll be sure to love this one. Kids ride FREE with Captain Steve as long as there are two paying adults on board.

Be sure to head on over to Captain Steve’s Swamp Buggy Tours website to learn more.