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Roadside Attractions in Florida:
Tourism and Spectacle Before Disney

 

Intro Springs, Rivers, and Fountains Gardens Animal Attractions Tourism

Intro

 

Springs, Rivers, and Fountains

 

Gardens

 

Animal Attractions

 

Tourism by the 1960s

Roadside Attractions in Florida

Tourism is Florida's largest industry. Every year, millions of people from around the world flock to Florida on a quest to see the state's tropical beauty and experience its many theme parks. While many attribute the tourism boom in Florida to the opening of Disney World in the early 1970s, the state's popularity did not happen overnight. Starting in the late 19th century, tourists travelled to Florida to see lush gardens, to peer through glass bottom boats, to see mermaids, and to interact with the exotic environment. The roadside attractions in Florida that pre-date the coming of Disney and the other larger-scale theme parks provided a unique experience for both in-state residents and out-of-state tourists alike. While some are still surviving today, the majority of the homespun roadside attractions no longer exist.

Dixieland Park : Jacksonville, Florida

Dixieland Park: Jacksonville, Florida (19--)

Image Number: FR0885

Couple checking into one of the guest cottages: Rainbow Springs, Florida (195-)

Couple checking into one of the guest cottages: Rainbow Springs, Florida (195-)

Image Number: N041721

"Fountain of Youth 1513": Saint Augustine, Florida (ca. 1907)

"Fountain of Youth 1513": Saint Augustine, Florida (ca. 1907)

Image Number: PC3406

Printed on front: "Copyright 1907 by Luella Day."

This fountain, called the Ponce de Leon Spring, is located on John Whitney's estate, Ravenwood, and was popularized by him as the Fountain of Youth.

Tourists aboard the river steamboat "Okeehumkee": Silver Springs, Florida (188-)

Tourists aboard the river steamboat "Okeehumkee": Silver Springs, Florida (188-)

Image Number: RC04904

Entrance to Dixieland Park: Jacksonville, Florida (191-?)

Entrance to Dixieland Park: Jacksonville, Florida (191-?)

Image Number: RC12001

Party in rowboat at Silver Springs: Ocala, Florida (18--?)

Party in rowboat at Silver Springs: Ocala, Florida (18--?)

Image Number: RC20138

Steamboat "Astatula" running through the swamp: Marion County, Florida (1892)

Steamboat "Astatula" running through the swamp: Marion County, Florida (1892)

Image Number: RC09111

"It is a weird sight to see the boats coming through the swamps with a wood fire on top to light the way, and bows crowded with tourists on their way to Silver Springs."

Saint Augustine Alligator Farm employee Eleana Link using gator to power her canoe (19--)

Saint Augustine Alligator Farm employee Eleana Link using a gator to power her canoe (19--)

Image Number: PR75953

"Fountain of Youth" in Waterfront Park : Saint Petersburg, Florida

"Fountain of Youth" in Waterfront Park: Saint Petersburg, Florida (19--)

Image Number: PC5677

"The Fountain of Youth, in Waterfront Park, is supplied by a flowing spring of mineral water. Historically, Ponce de Leon visited this area as early as 1313 in his search for The Fountain of Youth."

Aunt Scilla standing beside the "Astatula" at the Silver Springs dock: Silver Springs, Florida (189-)

Aunt Scilla standing beside the "Astatula" at the Silver Springs dock: Silver Springs, Florida (189-)

Image Number: N041779

She made a living telling the legend of the Bridal Chamber. The story was a romanticization of a spring by the legend of a lover's suicide pact.

Young women drink at the Fountain of Youth at the Distant Drums premiere: Saint Augustine, Florida (1951)

Young women drink at the "Fountain of Youth" at the Distant Drums premiere: Saint Augustine, Florida (1951)

Image Number: C015656

Underwater Christmas at Rainbow Springs: Rainbow Springs, Florida (1953)

Underwater Christmas at Rainbow Springs: Rainbow Springs, Florida (1953)

Image Number: SL3187h


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Conjunto Aventura   2010 Florida History Fair   Common Ground
Conjunto Aventura
Norteño, sometimes also called Norteña or Conjunto, literally translates to the word “northern,” referring to the region of northern Mexico and present day southern Texas where the musical style originated.
  Resources for the 2010 Florida History Fair
This is a list of resources available online from the State Library and Archives of Florida relating to the suggested Florida History Fair topics.
  See the "Common Ground" slideshow!
This presentation is part of “Common Ground,” a global event consisting of museums, galleries, and archives worldwide showing the same slideshow of photographs in public spaces on the same weekend (October 2-3, 2009).

 


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