[buggyone]

Mrs. Buggy and I wanted to see fireworks this year - as we always do on the Fourth. We had considered going to Savannah again to stay at the Marriott Riverside and see fireworks directly across the Savannah River from the hotel. Well, that would have been 3 years in a row at the same place.

We decided instead to go to Cocoa Beach. We got a senior rate at the Marriott Courtyard for the 4th and went to a wonderful concert and firework display at Cocoa Village. It was the Brevard County Symphony playing patriotic music and a very nice fireworks display. On the 5th, Mrs. Buggy said she would like to stay one more night and see the Cocoa Beach fireworks on the beach. Since we are Marriott Platinum members, we got the second night at a reduced rate. The fireworks were actually set off from a very large barge about a half mile in the ocean. The exploding fireworks reflected in the ocean and was even more spectacular than the great display on the 4th.

We drove home to The Villages the long way through Vero Beach and had a very nice seafood lunch at a historic restaurant called The Ocean Grill. It has been in the same place since 1942 and how many restaurants can say that?

The direct route to Cocoa Beach is only a 2 hour drive from The Villages. I highly recommend it for an overnight trip to anyone who just wants to "explore" Florida.