Save Silver Spring Movement Grows
February 26, 2010
OCALA - Citizens of this Florida town, home to Silver Springs, are banding together to help support the historic attraction.
The park is deteriorating, and locals feel that the management is letting it run down. Monkeys. Glass-bottom boats. Ross Allen milking rattlesnakes. Great old memories.
Sign up for their Facebook page at Save Silver Springs Now. The Facebook group talks about the issues, and what you can do.
Florida Classic: The Fountain in Orlando
February 20, 2010
ORLANDO - In our periodic search for classics of Florida design and excitement, the Fountain in Lake Eola is among the best loved. While it is out of commission, Disney and the city of Orlando are going to bring it back, reports Orlando’s TV 6.
“Fixing the fountain has proven to be a little more complicated than we thought,” Mayor Dyer said to TV 6 this week.
Jane Jacobs, the greatest writer of America’s cities, extolled the virtues of the fountain in the 1973 book The Exploding Metropolis. She cited in an essay in the book that is an example of how cities can use fountains to make their downtowns more people friendly. Writes Jacobs:
Even more spectacular is the fountain at Orlando.The idea for it occurred to several local business leaders who went to Washington, D.C. convention. They were staying at the Shoreham Hotel and were much impressed by the Shoreham’s fifty-foot illuminated spouts of water. Why not have one for Orlando. Read more
American Standards at The Colony’s Royal Room Cabaret
February 8, 2010
PALM BEACH - It’s one of the few places in the nation completely devoted to popular standards, namely The Royal Room at The Colony.
From January to April, the shows bring old school American popular standards singers to Palm Beach, in what has come to be a winter companion to Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency in New York. With a hip edge, it harkens back to the Sinatra era, but is much more satisfying than any slavish and trite tribute show because it is a totally modern and fresh interpretation of the genre. It’s also intimate, giving fans the opportunity to hear these vocalists in a setting where they do best. Read more
See the Home of Super Bowl XLIV
January 28, 2010
MIAMI - Sun Life Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, the 2010 Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV is open to behind the scenes tours for fans beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Fans will have the opportunity to experience a guided tour, which will last approximately one hour, and visit Sun Life Stadium days before it hosts two of the biggest games of the NFL season. Read more
Cypress Gardens Becomes LegoLand?
January 20, 2010
WINTER HAVEN - Looks like Cypress Gardens will become Legoland, if press reports are correct. The park has been purchased by Merlin Entertainments Group Florida, a unit of Merlin Entertainments of the U.K. A press conference is set for Thursday, Jan. 21.
The park, according to press reports, has been purchased by the British operator of theme parks and attractions such as Alton Towers, SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, The London Eye and Legoland. The company has 57 attractions in 12 countries. They have three sections of the company, including Resort Theme Parks, LEGOLAND Parks and Midway Attractions, supported by a Property and Development Group. That Merlin would operate the park is a major boost for the property, as Merlin’s British customers and database will be an important audience for the park.
The fate of the historic gardens inside the theme park are a critical issue. The state of Florida and local officials have an important role in the park. On January 28, 2004 the state bought a conservation easement over 150 acres of Cypress Gardens.
Miami’s Storied Hialeah Racetrack Reopens
November 19, 2009
HIALEAH - The storied Miami Jockey Club racetrack, one of the great landmarks of the Roaring Twenties, will reopen November 28.
Hundreds of workers are preparing the racetrack for opening day. Read more
Find a Retro House in Sarasota
November 10, 2009
SARASOTA - For those of you who have dreamed about a glorious retro ranch house from the 1950s, terrazzo tiles and all, now is the time. Sarasota, home of the Sarasota School of Modern design, is the place you want to be looking. Other than Palm Springs, California, this is the place. Prices have dropped, and there are some great deals. Read more
Brown Florida Art Collection in Daytona
September 1, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH - Featuring the largest private collection of Florida-based art, “Reflections: Paintings of Florida 1865-1965,” from the Collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown, makes its exhibition debut at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona. It will be on display from November 21, 2009 to May 17, 2010.
From idyllic beach scenes to lush green jungles, “Reflections” highlights a total of 69 paintings depicting the natural beauty of the state before the great post-World War II building boom. Read more
Fend Off Some Sharks at Mote
August 26, 2009
SARASOTA - At the Mote Marine Aquarium here, there is a small cabinet of shark repellent brands. During World War II, the Navy tried to come up with ideas, and numerous brands were launched. They didn’t survive. Read more
Take a Psychadelic Trip in the Beatles’ Bentley
August 2, 2009
From FloridaSnapshot.com SARASOTA - For Beatles fans of and those amused by London’s Swinging Sixties, there is one item that you need to see, namely the Beatles’ 1959 Bentley. It was owned by Apple Records, and ferried all sorts around London.
It lives at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum, where other Beatles’ cars live, including John Lennon’s 300TD station wagon and Paul McCartney’s Morris Mini.
The museum, just across the street from the Ringling Museum complex, has all manner of historic cars. Perhaps the most interesting? Katharine Hepburn’s Crown Victoria.
Visit them at sarasotaclassiccarmuseum.org.
