A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions: From Mermaids to Singing Towers

by Doug Alderson

Overview

A New Guide to Old Florida Attraction, 2nd edition is a nostalgic journey through old Florida where mermaids still perform in the waters of Weeki Wachee Springs and the carillon bells of the Bok Towers continue to echo across Iron Mountain near Lake Wales. Monstrous reptiles are ever abundant at Gatorland, Gatorama and dolphins continue to leap at Marineland. The first edition was first place winner of the 2017 Royal Palm Literary Award for published travel book and top five finalist for 2017 book of the year by the Florida Writers Association. The second edition revisits a pride of lions in southeast Florida’s Lion Country Safari and concrete statues at Goofy Gold in Panama City Beach. New destinations include the Citrus Tower in Clermont, the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami to name just a few. A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions, 2nd edition takes you to these places and more on an unforgettable journey across the Sunshine State. Discover what Florida's golden age of tourism was, and still is, all about― magical and beautiful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683340867
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/02/2020
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	1,071,566
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

A published author since he was eighteen years old, Alderson has won several state and national awards for his books and magazine features. His books include A New Guide to Old Florida Attractions, The Great Florida Seminole Trail, Seminole Freedom, The Vision Keepers, Wild Florida Waters, Wild Florida Adventures, Waters Less Traveled, New Dawn for the Kissimmee River, Encounters with Florida's Endangered Wildlife, and The Ghost Orchid Ghost and Other Tales from the Swamp. Additionally, his articles and photographs have been featured in magazines such as Native Peoples, Shaman's Drum, Sea Kayaker, Wildlife Conservation, American Forests, Sierra, and Mother Earth News.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 7

Preface 8

A Florida Witches' Brew 13

Part I Florida Tourism through the Ages 15

1 Early Tourists and Healing Waters 17

2 Beaches, Highways, and a Golden Age 30

3 History and Nature for All 48

4 Other Lands and Worlds 60

5 Gone Forever? 72

Part II Old Florida Attractions You Can Visit 81

6 Florida to the Rescue 82

Homosassa Springs 82

Weeki Wachee Springs 86

Rainbow Springs 91

De Leon Springs 93

Silver Springs 96

Wakulla Springs 98

7 The American Alligator Keeps On Giving 103

Gatorland 105

Jungle Adventures 109

Everglades Attractions: Billie Swamp Safari and Gator Park Airboat Tours 109

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park 110

Gatorama 115

8 Bok's Tower Still Sings 117

9 Mixing Old and New at LEGOLAND 125

10 The Many Lives of Marineland 133

11 Solomon's Castle in the Swamp 141

12 Gardens and More Gardens 147

Sunken Gardens 147

Sarasota Jungle Gardens 151

Maclay Gardens 152

Ravine Gardens 153

Washington Oaks Gardens 154

Harry P. Leu Gardens 155

McKee Botanical Garden 155

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 156

13 Other Survivors 157

Spongeorama 157

The Ringling 158

Edison and Ford Winter Estates 159

Shell Factory 159

Everglades Wonder Gardens 160

Goofy Golf 160

Four Freedoms Monument 162

Yearling Restaurant 163

Angel's Diner 163

Citrus Tower 164

Lion Country Safari 165

Jungle Island 166

Monkey Jungle 166

Venetian Pool 167

14 Florida Oddities Ever Popular 169

Tarpon Feeding at Robbie's of Islamorada 169

Boyett's Citrus Attraction 172

Manatee Watching 174

Bioluminescent Tours 175

"Florida's Most Haunted Bridge" and Other Ghost Tours 176

Potter's Wax Museum 177

Spook Hill 178

Skunk Ape Headquarters 179

Coral Castle 180

Epilogue 181

Bibliography 183

Index 189

About the Author 199