Before heading to Marietta, we did an overnight in Valdosta. This is where we met our first fan. At this point, we had about 800 subscribers, so it was completely surprising that we met someone who watched our channel. Thanks for making our day!
After that interaction in the morning, we parked in front of the courthouse and walked to a well-rated coffee shop, GUD, in downtown. The interior was lovely and radiated that ‘hygge’ vibe that is trending in Scandinavian design right now.
To our surprise, we were greeted on the way back to the bus by 5 courthouse employees. We gave them a quick tour – the kids were only interested in the candy vending machines in the lobby (of course) – before heading out.
From there, we popped into an indoor inflatable park. After a few days of long travel and rainy weather, the kids needed time to be kids.
In the heart of Marietta, Georgia is an authentic French bakery & bistro. Ingrid’s cousin, Joey, works there.
French pastries + family = going!
When Ingrid was pregnant with Landon (baby #1), Eric surprised her with a trip to Germany to visit her good friend, Geeta. The husband of the year award definitely went to Eric!
Since Paris was a quick trip by train, Geeta & Ingrid found an AirBnb near Notre Dame and enrolled in french pastry school.
Ok, ok. We took two courses over 2 days, dedicated to teaching tourists how to make:
Eclairs
Macarons
Coming to this bistro reminded Ingrid of that trip to Paris. The food was delicious, and the macarons tasted très bon. The bistro is family-owned and operated, and the staff are friendly.
Mini-family reunion
The Georgia Pooles
Every year, Ingrid’s family on her father’s side hosts a family reunion. Due to the pandemic and now our trip, we were missing 2 years of family time.
It was a real treat to visit Ingrid’s aunt Irene (90+), her son, Joe, and his son, Joey. 4 generations of family reuniting is something to treasure.
Thanks for following along with our journey! – The HildeFam
So, you’re coming to the Key West & the Florida Keys in your School Bus Conversion
If you’re looking for a chill travel guide to Key West and the Florida Keys in your skoolie, then you’ve come to the right place. The Florida Keys are a fantastic destination for RVers, including skoolie owners. In this blog, we share all the details on where we camped, dined, and explored during our trip the southernmost isles of the USA.
The Keys are well known for supporting alternative living. As such, we felt this was a great place to begin our RV journey because it is both a figurative and literal beginning.
Mile marker zero on US-1 is the southernmost point in the United States and is located in Key West, Florida. This trip marked a new beginning in our lives as we set out to live full-time in our DIY school bus conversion, and leaving our “traditional life” behind.
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Skoolie Itinerary to the Florida Keys
Get the details on where we camped, ate, and explored during our trip to the Florida Keys & Key West.
There are 10 state parks and hundreds of privately owned RV parks in the Florida Keys that accommodate campers, RVs, toy haulers, and even skoolies like ours!
Since the Florida Keys is a chain of islands from Key Largo (northern most) to Key West (southern most) made up of 1,700 islands along a rather narrow road, choose your camping sites months in advance, especially in the summer season. For a leisurely pace, book from north to south for a few days at a time.
Minimum Stays
Many privately-owned campgrounds require a two night minimum stay and the state parks allow a one-night minimum stay.
Skoolie-friendly RV Campgrounds in the Florida Keys
1. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
★★★★★
Our first RV campground for the trip was at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, about 2 hours from south Miami.
The park was clean, the camp sites were spacious, and there were loads of activities to participate in, as detailed below. I recommend waking up early to catch the sunrise. It will be quiet and you’ll have the beaches to yourself. This campground was truly a breath of fresh air, especially in an area that is overrun by tourists for much of the year.
There were loads of activities to be found (glass-bottom boats, snack bar, gift shop, kayak & paddleboard rentals, etc), but we simply enjoyed the main beach. There was another beach further in to the park, but walking around with little people with tiny legs and short attention spans… well, they were happy just going to ANY beach.
The campgrounds were quiet and secluded from the rest of the park. 2 very clean bathhouses within ~0.5 miles of park amenities along trails or road. The RV campsites were spacious and private-feeling with trees and landscaping. Our kids had a lot of fun meeting and playing with the girls of a family that came down from Georgia.
Recommendation
We would 100% recommend coming here again and booking early.
*Good Sam Members Save 10% [as of the time of this blog]*
Our second night in the Florida Keys, we stayed at Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina on Big Pine Key. Big Pine Key is about 45 minutes from Key West, which was great for us since we wanted to stay further north. The waterfront location was stunning and we were happy we splurged for the ocean-front views. Summer weekday rates were starting around $178/night for non-waterview; ~$230 for waterview; $260 for waterfront. The rates we gave are roughly what Ingrid remembers.
We plan our trips last minute and we found their phone-based customer service department to be friendly, funny and helpful. It’s through them that we learned of the Good Sam Discount. That’s essentially like AAA for RVers – we signed up while on the phone so we could claim that discount.
This resort is definitely larger than the state park we stayed at the night before; however, it was very clean, well maintained and surprisingly little “large” vehicle traffic. There were lots of golf carts being driven instead.
The age groups varied. It was nice to see a mix of young, teens, and adults out and about. The staff was very friendly. The amenities we most enjoyed were the beach area and cabana on the north side, and the children’s playground – our little ones talked non-stop about these 2 things.
Review
Personally, we preferred the relaxed, private feel to John Pennekamp State Park over the large, compact Sunshine Key Resort.
We’ve got 3 young children so we knew we weren’t hitting the bar scene or any big events that would leave them cranky and hangry.
Stay for a While
In all honestly, it takes a long time to travel around the keys, especially during the busy season (summer) due to traffic and narrow roads. Give yourself grace and spend a few extra days here. Don’t rush about.
Bring Sun Protection
The heat and sun are something big to consider on your trip – with humidity, it felt like 105 degrees Fahrenheit in June! A bad sunburn can ruin a trip and even cause a hospitable run, especially in small children.
We kept our day trip to Key West relaxed with only a few activities and lots of walking.
Blue Heaven Bar & Restaurant
We visited Blue Heaven where an old skydiving buddy of Eric’s, Chris, tends the bar. Blue Heaven is a quaint restaurant & bar – the food was good quality and reasonably priced considering the location.
Try the Key Lime Pie with an ice cold rum runner or piña colada.
See the 7-toed cats at the Hemingway House
From there, it’s about a 3 minute walk to the Ernest Hemingway House. The house was closed (probably still because of the pandemic) so we walked by – one of the legendary 7-toed cats was on the other side of the main gate and seemed down-to-earth for a cat coming from such a prestigious lineage.
Truly, our kids were just ecstatic to see the cat rather than the famous house behind it.
Down that same street is the southernmost point buoy & where US HWY-1 begins, and so does our journey! You’ve got to snag a picture in front of the iconic buoy.
This has got to be one of the most relaxing ways to experience the Florida Keys. You get the fun of being on and in the water, with the wonderful addition of included champagne and snorkeling gear. Usually this activity also falls around the sunset so you get to see some spectacular colors with the setting sun.
Disclaimer: We didn’t do this activity on this trip since our kids are so young; however, Ingrid has done this cruise before and had a blast. Snorkeling and sailing are great kid-friendly things to do to beat the heat in the Florida summer.
Parking
We easily found parking (pay by hour) within walking distance of the restaurant – I believe it was like $10/hr. We were all in for $30 since we were there just under 3 hours.
FAQs on Family Travel in the Florida Keys
What is the cost of 1 day for a family in Key West?
For our family, the level of activity and price point was perfect for us. We spent about $200-$250 for a family of 5 for about 4-5 hours in Key West after drinks, parking, and food.
Where are good restaurants in the Florida Keys?
The Florida Keys has a lot to offer, especially for RVers. We took it easy, so we didn’t do much other than great seafood at some well-recommended restaurants like:
What are the top 5 most popular drinks in Key West?
Rum runners
Key Lime Martini
Hurricane
Key West Sunset
Frozen Margarita
Our personal favorites when we visit are rum runners and piña coladas; however, the list of Key West inspired drinks are (almost) endless and very memorable like the Hemingway Daiquiri and the Cuba Libre (obviously, inspired by Cuba but that’s only 90 miles away from the southernmost point!).
Is it easy to find parking in Key West?
Yes, though there are exceptions if there are special events going on or you are near popular “tourist traps”. Personally, we didn’t have trouble parking anywhere in June (busy season).
We found ample parking in pay-by-the-hour lots, restaurants when we dined and campgrounds.
We downloaded the “Way to Park” app for the unmonitored pay lots. For the monitored pay lots, we were able to pay by credit card to the parking attendant.
Are open containers of alcohol allowed in the Florida Keys and Key West?
NO! However, during block parties and closed street events, open containers may be allowed in a specific zone. Open containers in vehicles are also not legal. Use discretion and don’t cause a ruckus. Find the municipal code here for the city of Key West, Florida.
What is the legal drinking age in the Florida Keys?
21 years old is the legal drinking age in the Florida Keys. The national drinking age in the United States of America is 21 years old, and this trickles down to all 50 states.
If you’re traveling from another country where the drinking age is lower but you are under 21 years of age, it is still illegal to drink alcohol as a minor despite the law being different in your land.
In it, she describes her adventures visiting the Dry Tortugas, kayaking in the mangroves, snorkeling in the sea, and partying it up in Key West!
Conclusion to a Skoolie-friendly trip in Key West & the Florida Keys
The Florida Keys and Key West have every right to belong on a skoolie-owner’s bucket list. This chain of islands loves supporting alternative living, whether that means driving an uncommon rig, being a part of the LGBTQAI+ community, exploring your spirituality, or perhaps a little bit of all of the above.
It’s a fun, easy-going place to visit and we highly recommend it, even during the busy season.
In this blog, we discuss the major reasons why we bought a retired school bus to convert into our dream tiny home on wheels for our family of five during a global pandemic.
Table of Contents
This blog talks about what first got us hooked on the idea of doing a school bus conversion. If you want to see the end result of 7 months of work and how much we put into the HildeBus, then read this blog.
Comprehensive Answers to Common Skoolie Myths
We aim to bust the common myths you read about school bus conversions by providing solid resources and research from the skoolie community.
In September 2020, my husband and I sat in the parking lot of a used RV lot to discuss the pros & cons of the dated RV that we toured. This RV offered state-of-the-art technology and finishes from 2005, and formerly retailed at the hefty price tag of $200,000. Now, 15 years older and 1 foreclosure sale later, the salesman was trying to pass this “land yacht” on to us for only $20,000. What a steal, right? We were crazy not to take it, right?
As we sat in the car, checkbook laid out beside us, I did an online search for how to safely secure children into an RV while moving. As it turns out, there aresadly few passenger & child safety restraints required for RVs.
Many states require children to be secured while driving a passenger vehicle; however, what are the rules for an RV?
What are the seatbelts secured to in an RV? The comparatively (to a school bus) lesser strength vehicle frame.
Are child seat latches built into RVs? They usually must be retrofitted if you need more than one car seat.
How many seatbelts are available [we have 3 kids in carseats], or are any seatbelts available? Usually no additional passenger seat belts other than the captain chair, accompanying passenger and (optional) jump seat.
Are RVs crash-rated? If you’ve ever seen RV crashes compared to school bus crashes, it’s easy to see which one fares much better in an accident.
The answers we found didn’t make us feel confident about our family’s safety while driving in a traditional RV.
Why we converted a school bus
Later that night, my husband woke me up to tell me hear him out. At 2am in the morning, that’s the last thing I intended to do, but he sounded so hopeful.
Why don’t we buy a school bus and convert it into an RV? They are made for transporting children and made of steel.
Eric Hildebrand
We researched and it turns out that purchasing a retired school bus “was a thing.” There is an entire sect of the tiny home community that own converted school buses — lovingly called “Skoolies.” Once we went down the rabbit hole of safety, costs, and ease of construction. We were hooked on building a school bus conversion.
School buses are safe and solid construction
School buses are made for protecting children in case of impact. School buses are made of metal: typically, a steel frame & ribs, aluminum sheet metal body. A “traditional” RV or other motorhome is usually constructed on a steel frame, framed with wood and wrapped with a fiberglass shell.
As such, the quality of construction of a school bus is far superior to that of a Class A RV. A simple google search will show you which vehicle or motorhome fares better in an accident.
A motorhome is not recommended to carry passengers while driving, besides those passengers found in the cockpit (driver & passenger seats with seatbelts).
Bidding on a retired school bus
Fast forward to one week later , we were bidding on our first school bus at government auction.
We purchased our bus for about $4,250. We estimated the renovation will cost $25,000 in repairs and vehicle maintenance over a six month period. We will install solar panels on the roof, and a composting toilet.
My husband will do the work predominantly on his own. He has no construction background. YouTube will be his teacher. I will help out when I can.
2020 took a toll on all of us, but made us stronger as a family because we were forced to be around each other all the time. With job security and other factors being a concern in this strange world, what better way to stay close to your loved ones (literally in 280 sq.ft.), save money, and see the world?
We’re going to change our lives for the better in 2021 and document the entire journey.
