Cypress Grove Park

Cypress Grove Estate

On our second day in Florida, Kelly had to fly to Brooklyn on business. The kids and I hung out and rested in the morning and then took some lunch over to Cypress Grove Park. This park has become my favorite place to take the kids when we are in town. It is very close to Kelly's Dad's house and makes for a great escape from the traffic and hubbub that characterizes South Orlando. This was also one of Kelly's preferred jogging destinations when he was in high school.  The park was fairly new then, and he remembers many of the trees being newly planted at that time. Besides winding walking trails, there is a great playground with swings as well as a beautiful estate house and grounds. On the shore of Lake Jessamine, it no doubt makes a picturesque backdrop for weddings and parties. In our case, the kids simply enjoyed smashing the acorns on the sidewalk out front. (Which is what they were doing when I snapped the picture above with my phone.) Everywhere a live oak stood deceptively dripping with Spanish moss, there was in fact a sea of acorns. A sea of fun in the eyes of preschoolers and spectacle of beauty and joy for a mom.