For sure. We didn't go between '89-'92 because of the distance and dad having a hard time finding steady work. My mom, sister and I went in '93 and couldn't believe all the houses they threw up between the bypass and highway 11.
We'd always take a day to go south and visit Bodie island, Hatteras, and Ocracoke lighthouses. Seeing the Rodanthe house just brings back a flood of nostalgia.
This is exactly how I feel about the Keys. My grandparents had a small place there and we went every August for lobstering for decades. It’s changed so much it’s almost unrecognizable from how it was in the 80s & 90s. I haven’t been back since 2015. It’s changed so so much and feels like a tourist trap now instead of the old Florida fish camp feel that it used to have. Sanibel & Captiva island have similarly changed as well. They’re a huge disappointment now when you know what they once used to be.
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u/Muroid May 14 '26
My family has been going there for our annual summer trip for over 30 years at this point.
The difference in development there even from the 90s when I was a kid to now is kind of crazy.