The friend, Bobby Nolan III, suggested Dollywood.
Together with Bridget's 11-year-old brother, the three took a taxicab to Jacksonville International Airport and bought three tickets at the counter. The children say no one asked them for identification.
Bridget had been saving up her money from babysitting to buy a car, but on Tuesday, she decided that she, her brother and the boy next door should use that money to visit Dollywood, the amusement park in Tennessee. Bridget had never flown before.
"They didn't say anything to us. We went over there and picked up our stuff and got on the plane," she told ABCNews.
When they arrived in Nashville, they realized Dollywood was actually nowhere near the airport where they landed. In fact, Dollywood is in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., more than 200 miles away.
They called their parents from Nashville and immediately flew home.
Southwest Airlines says the company's minor policy covers children ages five through 11 traveling alone, and that the 11-year-old in this case was accompanied by two older companions.
The Associated Press and ABCNews contributed to this report.
