no other state is more closely associated with the fruit.  Early American  settlers planted small groves, but citrus did not rally prosper until the first railroad reached Central Florida in 1880.  Freezes, drought, and insects plagued citrus thru the years, but the industry remained strong until three freezes in the 1980s–combined with increased urbanization—persuaded many growers that it was more profitable to sell their land for development thank risk replanting again.

Flashbacks:  The Story of Central Florida’s Past

By Jim Robison & Mark ANdrews

A while ago I meet these two lovely ladies at

Brio’s in Winter Park Village (which is one of the places mentioned earlier on my 17-92 tour—which just keeps going on and on)   took their pictures to put in my blog

but have been running a bit behind—but here they are as promised

Oh and one more promised picture—this one was at the Citrus Club at a special event I attended and they

Ladies were promised as well…..Ah to be young, hot and beautiful again.

Orange County:  The unreal First.  At last count, there were 65 legitimate theme parks and tourist attractions in the Greater Orlando at least (they are multiplying like bored rabbits) and probably a many as 450 if you throw n the one-dimensional kinds, such as goofy golf, water parks, super slides and those dinner theaters where you eat with your“ hands and call the waitress “wench”.

An Adventure Guide to Orlando and Central Florida

Jim & Cynthia Tunstall

Boise 101 Music Monitors Vintage Speakers

$30.00

https://www.etsy.com/listing/607413191/boise-101-music-monitors-vintage?ref=shop_home_active_79

Beautiful Fluted Vintage 12 inch wide by 6 inch tall Fruit Dish with Cut Glass Flowr Decor

$44.60

https://www.etsy.com/listing/591261942/beautiful-fluted-vintage-12-inch-wide-by?ref=shop_home_active_13

Now after many lovely places to see we’ll move on.

Return to 17-92 and turn right….

Continue south until you reach

Nebraska Street and turn Left

                                                                Continue to North Florida Ave

You will be driving along the southern border (on the left) of Leu Garadens

and turn left again. on Forest Ave and look for the entrance to

Harry P. Leu Gardens

1920 N. Forest Blvd.

Find a parking place and wait till next Blog for our adventures here.

Once upon a time, long before Walt Disney waved his magic pen and dew a new perament face on the map of Florida, Orlando was the hub city of the peninsula state for no reason other than its geographic  designation.  Once, hugged by citrus groves in all directions, of lakes, subtropical climate and unhurried lifestyle, and called itself City Beautiful.

The Florida One-Day Trip Book

Edward Hayes

1. No matter where you are in Florida you are never more than 60 miles from the Ocean. Awesome for vacations, not awesome for tidal waves.
2. It is illegal to sing while wearing swimwear in public. Don’t tell that to the police in Key West.
3. It is also illegal for an unmarried woman to skydive on Sundays.
4. Gatorade was named after the University of Florida’s football team the Gators, where the drink was first developed.
5. The first ATM was installed in Miami, designed for rollerbladers who couldn’t go into the banks.
6. Florida is the 29th most obese state
7. Florida is the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles co=exist in the same habitat
8. Tampa’s Bayshore Blvd is the world’s longest continual sidwalk.
9. Once a year, thousands of Floridians stand at the state line and toss dead fish into Alabama. It’s the annual Mullet Toss hosted by Flora-Bama Beach Bar in Pensacola.
10. Area code 321 has been in service since November 1, 1999, in Brevard County, Florida. The code refers to the countdown sequence 3-2-1 at Kennedy Space Center that launched many spacecraft and is a nod to Brevard County’s important role in space travel.
11.  Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the 8th most popular tourist destination in the world, right behind Central Park, Times Square, The Las Vegas Strip and Niagara Falls.
12. Florida is the flattest state in the USA as it is the state with the smallest difference between its highest and lowest points, only 345 ft.
13. Florida is home to over 1,300 golf courses, more than any other state.
14. In Cape Coral – It it illegal to park a pick-up truck in your driveway or in front of your house on the street.
15. Native Americans were living for at least 12,000 years in what is now Florida when first known European visitors led by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed in April 1513.
16. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States, founded September 8th, 1565.
17. The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package, a bar located on the Florida-Alabama border line, is partly in Florida and partly in Alabama.
18. Benjamin Green, a Miami pharmacist, invented first suntan lotion.
19. Florida had 47,300 commercial farms and ranches, totalling 9.5 million acres. Florida ranks #1 for fresh market tomatoes, watermelons, grapefruit, sugarcane, fresh market snap beans, fresh market cucumbers and Oranges.
20. In 1982 the Florida Keys declared themselves independent under the name “The Conch Republic”. This lasted two minutes.
21. Cities and towns name’s in South Florida are simply modified versions of the original Native American terminology.  Opa-Locka, was originally called Opatishawockalocka, a Seminole name that roughly translates to “big tree-covered island in a swamp.
22. Miami has are numerous attractions devoted to nature. The Everglades National Park offers a unique opportunity to observe the flora and fauna of an unspoiled wilderness, as does the Grossman Hammock State Park, near Homestead.
23. Only 25 feet off the coast of Key Largo, Florida lies a giant 9 ton sunken statue of Jesus Christ with outstretched arms.
24. Carrabelle is home to the world’s smallest police station, it’s literally an old telephone booth.
25. Sprawling over 12,000 square feet, Solomon’s Castle in Ona is a massive aluminum castle made from a variety of recycled items.
26. “Spook Hill” is a gravity hill, an optical illusion where cars appear to roll up the spooky hill in Lake Wales, Florida.
27. Oral sex is illegal in Florida.
28. The number of visitors in Orlando EVERY DAY is equivalent the population of Atlanta.
29. Towering at a massive 208 feet tall, this cross marks the spot where the first permanent cross of Christianity was placed in the mid-1500s, it is the world’s tallest cross
30. Similar to a drive in movie there is a drive in christian church in Daytona Beach. Services are held at 8:30am and 10am every Sunday.
31. The Coral Castle Museum in Miami was built by one man from 1923-1951. It has  a 9 ton gate that can be opened with one finger.
32. Washington state has Bigfoot, we have the Skunk Ape; a 7ft tall 400lbs mysterious beast from Ochopee.
33. The birth of the modern-day PC took place in 1981 in Boca Raton. It was originally called the Acorn, it was named “Machine of the Year” by Time Magazine.
34. A spirit named Joseph is said to haunt the Riddle House at the South Florida Fairgrounds Yesteryear Village.
35. In Miami Beach – No one may bring a pig with them to the beach
36. Wellington, Florida is known as the Polo capital of the US. The International Polo Club has hosted many championships.
37. Whitehall, the winter retreat Henry Flagler built in 1902, trumps any other mansion in Palm Beach with its 75 rooms and 100,000 square feet of Gilded-Age glory. The home was a wedding present for Flagler’s third wife.
38. The South Florida Fair serves around 800 gallons of ice cream, 6,750 pieces of corn on the cob, 8,000 soft pretzels and 12,500 hamburgers to more than a half million visitors during the 17 day event.
39. Palm Beach County’s beaches are home to around 16,000 turtle nests.
40. The state constitution allows for freedom of speech, a trial by jury, and pregnant pigs to not be confined in cages

Cool and Weird Facts About Florida

October 11, 2017 By John Ferreira