Bears, Broadway, and a Bar Named Bastard: Week 4 at Wekiva Falls

1nonblonde
Apr 14
5 min read

Updated: Apr 17

February 2025: Well folks, we made it through Week 4 here at Wekiva Falls RV Resort in Sorrento, Florida - which at this point is starting to feel less like an RV park and more like our personal sitcom set. Between black bear sightings, spontaneous karaoke, and a speakeasy named after a hangover, it's safe to say this week was a five-star blend of classy, crazy, and cozy.

High Notes

We kicked off the week on a high note (see what I did there?) with Dan & Stacey’s niece’s high school orchestra concert. She crushed it, of course. Nothing like teenagers in formalwear playing Mozart to make you both proud and nostalgic for your own band geek days.

Bear-ly Believable

So. Bears. Real, live, mama bear + two cubs spent an entire day just chillin' in the top of a tree near the general store here at Wekiva Falls. Locals were calmly watching like it was just another episode of “Bearbnb.” We, on the other hand, were busy Googling “what to do if bear gets into RV fridge.”📸

Streaming & Screaming (Happy Tears Only)

Dan & Stacey are true-blue musical buffs, and they’ve been raving about Come From Away for years—so when we found out it was available to stream, we piled onto their couch faster than you can say “standing ovation.”

The show ran for an impressive seven years on Broadway, telling the real-life story of how the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed thousands of stranded airline passengers during 9/11 – doubling their population overnight. The music, the kindness, the Canadian accents - we were all in. Watching it from the cozy comfort of Dan & Stacey’s living room was a little surreal, knowing this Broadway gem is no longer on stage but still finds a way to make an impact from a humble flat-screen.

Curtain Calls and Cocktails

A few nights later, we had a full-blown theater night out—Florida edition. First stop: The Suffering Bastard Tiki Room in downtown Sanford, FL, a speakeasy cleverly hidden in the back corner of a warehouse sized brewery. (Yep, we felt like secret agents with a coconut drink.) The vibe? Dim lights, bamboo everything, and drinks that come with fire warnings.

Next up: Sullivan’s Irish Pub, just a short stroll down the block, where we fueled up on hearty Irish pub fare and cocktails before heading to Theater West End to see Next to Normal. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical that dives deep into the struggles of a suburban mom living with bipolar disorder, and the ripple effects on her family. Intense, emotional, and absolutely breathtaking.

After the show, we wandered back to Sullivan’s for a nightcap—because we weren’t emotionally ready to call it quits. Earlier in the evening, we’d chatted with the musician playing acoustic Irish tunes. Turns out, he’s actually from Gander, Newfoundland. And not only that - he was an air traffic controller in Gander during 9/11. I mean… what are the odds?! Real-life connection to Come From Away just days after watching it? Full body goosebumps.

When we returned post-show, the pub was quieter and the musician had packed up and gone. But that magical little moment stayed with us - and will probably live rent-free in our memory banks forever.

EPCOT: Where Our Wallets Go to Die (Happily)

One full day at EPCOT gave us food, drinks, shopping, and fireworks—and a nearly empty bank account. We sipped margaritas in Mexico, ate cheese in France, shopped in Japan, and pretended we weren’t exhausted until the grand finale fireworks made us all cry again (this week was emotional, okay?).

The Great Mattress Swap of 2025

If you’ve spent more than ten minutes in any RV group online, you’ve probably seen the horror stories: mattress mold. The sneaky, swampy enemy of full-time RVers in humid climates. And since we’re currently living in the land of humidity and surprise rainstorms (aka Florida), we decided to get proactive before our bed turned into a science experiment.

First order of business: airflow. We installed plastic mattress spacers underneath to give that baby some breathing room. It's like yoga for your mattress—stretch, lift, breathe.

But then we looked at the factory mattress that came with our Brinkley and said, "You know what? If we’re already lifting the thing, let’s UPGRADE."

Enter: the Brooklyn Bedding Dreamfoam Hybrid. Oooh la la. This beauty came recommended by several other RVers and seemed like a no-brainer. It arrived via UPS in a suspiciously heavy box, vacuum-sealed like a shrink-wrapped pork loin, only less appetizing and much harder to wrestle.

The real fun began when we tried to evict the old mattress from our RV bedroom. If you've never tried to wrangle a bulky, floppy king-sized mattress through an RV doorway—imagine trying to fold a live octopus into a duffel bag while crouching. There was huffing. There was puffing. There were words. And in a moment of pure magic, we somehow muscled that beast out the door without snapping a window or pulling a hamstring.

Now came the moment of truth: unpacking the new mattress. We opened the box, cut the vacuum seal, and BOOM—this thing inflated like it had been holding its breath since the warehouse. It practically jumped onto the bed frame. It also released a puff of “new mattress” smell that made us question whether we’d just gassed ourselves.

Sadly, in all the chaos and comedy, we completely forgot to take photos. So, there is zero documentation of the mattress wrestling match—just our sore backs and a shiny new bed as proof. You’ll have to take our word for it: we crushed it. And now we sleep like queens and kings (with airflow beneath us and peace of mind above).

Finishing Up

When we weren’t dodging bears, belting out karaoke, or crying at musicals (so, like, 5% of the time), we kept things delightfully low-key with some classic travel joys: bike rides, good brews, catch-ups with old friends, and making new ones. Here are just a few of the highlights that rounded out our week with laughs, pedals, and pints:

Bike rides + brewery hopping became our daily double. We explored more of the local trails, admiring all the recent landscaping improvements under the highway (thank you, city planners!), and rewarded our efforts with craft beer flights like the responsible adults we are.
Lunch with my former colleague Kim Sorrel and her husband turned into a joyful reunion full of stories, laughs, and the kind of easy conversation you only get with someone who’s survived office life with you.
Karaoke at the Wekiva Falls Tiki Hut made a triumphant return - this time with ridiculous photo filters while we were hanging in the background.
New friends alert! We connected with next door neighbors Sandy & Bill and karaoke table mates Sheila & Joe, both from upstate New York and both instant additions to our growing crew of RV buddies. Friendly, funny, and full of great travel stories - we hit it off right away.

We’re wrapping up Week 4 with full hearts, full stomachs, and slightly sore bike-riding legs. Florida humidity may be wild, but the memories we’re making here are worth every sweaty second.

Until next time…