This year for our son Jack’s 5^th birthday, we decided to do a “destination birthday party” in Destin, Florida; instead of having a party with his friends back home in Tennessee.

We figured if we were going to spend a few hundred dollars either way, we might as well make a fun family vacation out of it; especially right now, before the new baby arrives in April.

Something that made the trip extra special is that we were able to drive a 2015 Lexus GX 460 there and back! Therefore, our road trip was luxurious, large and laid-back.

Since we currently only have a family of 3, we kept the 3^rd row seat folded down and used it for cargo space instead. Therefore, we packed our largest suitcases for the trip.

Usually on a road trip like this, we all try to pack light- but with all that room in the Lexus GX, we were able to pack liberally:

So in addition to the 2 giant suitcases, there was also my camera tripod,  2 of giants beach toy buckets, our plant-based food supply (we’re a vegan/vegetarian family), and all of Jack’s birthday gifts from us. And I was able to fit all of this under the cover too; which maintained the wonderful driver’s seat visibility, which I shot a quick video about.

We had so much fun on our trip. I’ve actually highlighted the main events in previous blog posts. (I put them in bold links below so you can click on them to read those separately.)

Before we even left for our trip, Jack drew and colored a special map so his Mommy and I would know were to drive.

As for some highlights of our trip; first, my son got to pet and feed dolphins at the Gulfarium.

See Dear Jack: You Got to Pet and Feed Dolphins at the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park!

Then our family took a dolphin cruise out in the Gulf of Mexico…

See Dear Jack: We Went on the Southern Star Dolphin Cruise in Destin!

Not to mention, we let him spend his $100’s worth of gift cards on whatever he wanted during the trip.

See Dear Jack: What Happens When You Give $100 to a 5 Year-Old Boy for His Birthday?

The whole time, we stayed in a really fun resort condo that was right across the street from the beach. We could see the ocean from the living room!

See Our Amalfi Coast Condo Rental in Miramar Beach Near Destin, Florida.

And we had so much fun playing out on the beach. There was a lot of water underneath the sand and it kept sprouting out the more we would dig trenches for our sand castle.

Having a destination birthday party for my son’s 5^th birthday was the right decision for us! It was such a special time for our family.