ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER FLORIDA CITY THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF: APOPKA: Indoor Foliage Capital of the World. (http://www.apopka.net/)
Apopka (which is a pleasant community to the west of Altamonte Springs) has ferns, lots and lots of ferns. According to Best Back Roads of Florida (Waitley) the reason that there are so many nurseries around Apopka is Harry Ustler who arrived in 1912 with a passion to “grow ferns in a warm climate.” But the Depression stopped this and caused a “great curtailment of fern purchases” and spawned a diversity that today has resulted in “more than 800 separate nurseries” around the town.
The area was settled in the 1830’s by a Scottish Silversmith (of noble birth) Peter Buchan and though the exact date is debated it may well have been before Orlando was first settled and certainly the Second Seminole War was still being fought. Despite all that the settlement thrived and was established by the 1850’s.
It’s first name was The Lodge. This was “because it was the site of the first Masonic Lodge in Orange County. (the building still stands on 441)” Masons came from all over central Florida to meet here. In 1882 when it was incorporated it had changed the name to Apopka City (shortened in 1887 to its present name). (FLASHBACKS: THE STORY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA’S PAST/Robinson & Andrews)
Today: 60% of all foliage grown in the world comes from this area including foliage plants, ferns, vegetables and citrus. The town has a booming residential section part of the Central Florida “bedroom communities.” (Insider’s Guide to Greater Orlando)
POINTS OF INTEREST
Wekiwa Springs State Park http://www.floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings/ a 7,000-acre Florida State Park in Apopka, Florida. It is located 20 minutes north of Orlando, off Interstate 4 at exit 94, near Altamonte Springs and Longwood. The park also contains the head water of the Wekiva River. Wikipedia
West Orange Trail http://www.traillink.com/trail/west-orange-trail.aspx a 22-mile long multi-use rail trail owned by Orange County Parks and Recreation in Orange County, Florida, in the United States. Wikipedia
Dr. Howard A. Kelly Park (Rock Springs) http://www.ocfl.net/cultureparks/parks.aspx?m=dtlvw&d=22#.VA8Mffk7vks often called Kelly Park, is a protected area which is owned by Orange County, Florida. It lies about 17 miles northwest of Orlando. Wikipedia
Errol Estate Country Club http://errolestategcc.com/ Address: 1355 Errol Pkwy, Apopka, FL 32712 Hours:· 7:00 am – 6:00 pm Thursday evening they offer a buffet and on Sunday a brunch
Rock Springs Ridge Golf Club www.rockspringsridgegc.com/ Address: 625 Rock Ridge Blvd, Apopka, FL 32712 Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
EVENTS:
Apopka Art and Foliage Festival http://apopkaartandfoliagefestival.com/ Yearly in April.
SOME WORTHWHILE VINTAGE APOPKA ITEMS (AND CHECK OUT THE STORE ABOVE THAT BRINGS YOU ALL THIS GOOD STUFF)
and one final thing Apopka has become famous for
MCBRIDE HOUSE http://www.examiner.com/article/the-curse-of-the-mcbride-house-part-one The restaurant (Townsand’s Plantation) and grounds sat abandoned for several years until finally being leased in 2008. The restaurant was reinvented by various restaurateurs since, becoming known as The Captain and the Cowboy, and more recently,Highland Manner. Yet, once again, the restaurant has fallen victim to what some locals refer to as ‘The Curse of the McBride House.’ Although the chapel, restaurant area and grounds may be leased for privet functions under the right circumstances, such as for Jaycees events, weddings and banquets, the old McBride House sits deserted and relatively quiescent…Or so most think it sits quietly. (PS I as well as some of my friends have had first hand experience with this house and let me tell you I am a believer that there are bad things here).
― Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale