Our Favorite Vacation Spots

August 31, 2023

Cabana with blue umbrella on the beach

Now that the summer vacation season is coming to an end, the women at Weber Vision Care recalled some of our most memorable trips over the years.

JENA  Our family likes to go to the beach! As kids, we always took my grandpa along with our family of four, and now the tradition lives on with my family as we take my parents on vacation with us. This is us at Murrells Inlet, SC in June 2022.

Family standing together at the beach

DR. BLOOM – One of my favorite TV shows is “Doc Martin” out of the UK (If you love British humor, I highly recommend it!).  The fictional town of Portwenn is actually Port Isaac in Cornwall on the southwestern coast of England.  A few years ago, Eric and I spent a week in Cornwall and got to stay in Doc’s surgery (The Brits call a doctor’s office a surgery.). In real life, when they aren’t filming the show, it is an Airbnb called Fern Cottage.  We had a great time seeing all of the beautiful sights (the water is as blue as the Caribbean), eating wonderful food (Cornish pasties!), falling in love with afternoon cream tea (Which goes on the scone first, the clotted cream or the jam?), and marveling at the local’s skill of driving 60 mph on a road that is only 1 ½ car widths wide and surrounded by hedgerows.

Man and woman standing in front of blue green ocean water
Dr. Bloom and her husband at Lizard Point, the most southerly point in mainland Britain where the Atlantic Ocean meets the English Channel.
Rocky landscape along the ocean
This is looking out the bedroom window at Fern Cottage (Doc’s surgery). The large white building on the right is Louisa’s school (a restaurant in real life).
Stone building with woman peeking her head out the door
Dr. Bloom is looking out the door at Doc’s surgery. They met lots of folks who stopped by to peek in the windows and take a picture.
White Polish water ice on a table

MANDY  My favorite vacation includes traveling south to a secret destination (I can’t have anyone stealing my spot!). Our first day there, someone caught a small shark right in front of our beach house while night fishing. We always have to hit up the Polish Water Ice; It’s the best cold treat! One of the scariest, but funniest, adventures is walking the beach at night. You hear lots of crabs running across the sand, so we always make sure to have a flashlight!

LAURA – Every year for vacation, my family visits the Finger Lakes in New York. There are so many things to do at the lakes, such as fishing, boating, hiking, and more. There are unique little towns around each lake, and there is always something to do no matter what season it is. One of our favorite places to eat while there is Burgers & Beer of Hammondsport, and we always visit one of the many ice cream shops around town too. The Finger Lakes are a great place if you’re feeling adventurous, but they are also great for relaxing too!

Overlooking a lake at sunset
Man and woman with beach in background

MELISSA – Growing up as a child, I can remember going to the beach every year with my grandmother and uncles. I didn’t sleep the night before in anticipation of what the next day would bring. We left in the night to get there first thing in the morning, and I woke up smelling the ocean air. The memories with my gram and the beach is something I will always cherish. My husband and I recently went on our first cruise to Dominican Republic. It was so nice to unwind, relax, and reconnect. I was always afraid of getting seasick, but it didn’t happen. We plan on going again next year and taking my children and stepchildren along as well. The ocean has always been my happy place, and I can thank my grandmother for creating those initial memories.

DR. WILLIAMS – I LOVE to travel, and by far, my favorite places have been Scotland and the Bavarian Alps. But the one place I have been that got my adventurous side was Finland.  There’s nothing like reindeer, dogsledding and -18 degrees Fahrenheit to get your blood going!

Woman holding her hand out to a reindeer in the snow
Dogs pulling sled in snow

JENNIFER – My most memorable vacation was scuba diving in Hawaii in 2009. I was visiting a friend who was living there at the time, and it was a gift for my birthday. Scuba diving was my favorite part of the trip. I saw beautiful fish, sea creatures, and coral reef. I also enjoyed the shopping on Waikiki Beach and visiting the different beaches. Each one had a different shade of blue/green water. My sinuses were horrible from the vog, but I pushed through!

ELLIE – My favorite vacation I have ever taken, hands down, was in Myrtle Beach, SC. It was a family trip with my parents, husband, and one of my daughters with her fiancé. My husband and I rode down over the course of two days on the bike. We spent the days in the lazy river pool, walking along the beach looking for shells, playing mini-golf, EATING, and just enjoying some much needed down time. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and it was awesome to ride the bike around the area taking in all the sights. I also enjoyed a trip to Atlantic City, NJ in the middle of the pandemic and off-season (we are not crowd people). It was an amazing time with my family, and we had so much fun to see my granddaughter’s first time at the beach.

Three girls and their mom at the beach
Young girl crying at the beach
Here’s a throwback to Ellie’s daughter crying about sand in her bathing suit!

DANIELLE – Our yearly vacation spot is Stone Harbor, NJ. We also love to visit Cape May, NJ, which is very close by. The summer weather is pleasant, and we love to meet the amazing dogs we see out and about on their walks. It’s a beautiful area with cool little shops and delicious restaurants. One of our favorite things about Stone Harbor, however, is the one and only Springer’s Ice Cream Shoppe. It has been around since the days of Prohibition, and their ice cream is homemade and delicious!

Family sitting at restaurant dinner table
Stone Harbor 2019
Woman and girl smiling at a restaurant table
Stone Harbor 2023

DR. O’NEAL – One of my favorite vacation spots has always been Disney World and Universal Studios. I was about 10 years old during our first family vacation there, and my family continued going back every couple years. I enjoy it so much that I even went to Disney and Universal for my honeymoon! Trying to work the system of Fast Passes and doing as much as possible is exhilarating, but the chaos of the park disappears once you’re floating through “It’s a Small World” and flying in “Soarin’ Around the World.” Although the relaxing rides are a nice change of pace, I do prefer the thrill of something shooting me in the air or spinning me upside down. My grandfather and I rode “Dr. Doom’s Fearfall” 12 times in one day!

A man and woman standing in front of a Walt Disney World sign
Disney 2011