Category: Tourist Sites
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American Victory Ship
The American Victory Ship, originally launched May 24, 1945, from California. It’s a 109-foot ship with 9 decks. Currently docked in Tampa, Florida, it is one of only four fully operational World War II ships. Here’s the thing: If I knew a damn thing about ships, walking around and comparing it to other ships I’d
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Edison & Ford Winter Estates
Who knew Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were well acquainted? Who knew they had homes within yards of each other? And who knew Edison had a large research laboratory on the grounds of the estate to find a suitable source of rubber in the United States? I’d never heard any of these things but they’re
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Frank Lloyd Wright – Southern Florida College
I have no idea how or when I was first introduced to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. I’m sure the first thing I ever saw was Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. Coming from a small town where houses were a series of right angles perched on a spit of grass, with a tree here and there,
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3 in 1 Disaster: Devil’s Den Spring, Devil’s Millhopper & the Butterfly Rainforest
This was not my most successful day trip. I chose three different sites that were relatively close together. I figured I’d have three separate blog posts and several fun adventures. That was not to be. Let’s start with Devil’s Den. Online, it’s described as an underground spring inside a dry cave. They’ve found fossils dating
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Gamble Plantation
Major Robert Gamble, Jr., a bachelor, homesteaded 160 acres along the southwest coast at Ellenton, Florida, just inland from the Little Manatee River. He used slave labor to build a two-story, ten-room mansion over a six-year period. Begun in 1843, the Gamble mansion took six years to complete. Although Gamble used the acreage to start
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Fort King
Fort King was built in 1827 to uphold the Treaty of Moultrie Creek. It was named for Colonel William King, who’d been appointed as the civil and military governor of the provisional government of West Florida. The treaty guaranteed prime land to the Florida settlers and, of course, kind of screwed the Seminoles. It gave
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Showcase of Citrus
I should’ve been suspicious that my trip to a place called Showcase of Citrus wasn’t going to turn out well when I pulled up to spy rows of tiny trees (maybe 6-7 feet tall?) with nary a fruit to be seen. I was more than a little surprised since their website touted “50+ varieties” of
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May-Stringer House
This beautiful, 4-story, 7-gable, 14-room “Painted Lady” Victorian home (called the Heritage Museum online), began as a 4-room home in 1855. The Armed Occupation Act of 1842 stated that “any settler who came to Florida, lived on the land for five years, cultivated five acres, and built a dwelling” would be granted 160 acres. The
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Pioneer Florida Museum & Village
You could spend hours at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village. When I pulled up, all I saw was a single train car and what appeared to be a gift shop. I was prepared to accept the fact that this was a waste of time and I should be glad the drive was nice. Boy
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Busch Gardens Serengeti Safari
Busch Gardens may be a large tourist site with tons of people everywhere but that doesn’t take away from its appeal if you love animals, train rides and safaris. On my first visit, I roamed the park to get an idea of what was there and how big it was. This is easily a day
Lisa Browder 