Central Florida’s 19th-century history returns to Ocala each November at the Ocali Country Days festival, hosted by the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center. “This is an 1800s-themed folk fair,” said museum director Scott Mitchell. “What sets it apart is that a lot of folks are demonstrating old pioneer skills and crafts that have […]
Finest Florida Kitsch at The Shell Factory
In the mood for the finest Florida Kitsch? Then it’s time to pay a visit to the Shell Factory. The Shell Factory & Nature Park, which bills itself as the largest shell shop in the world, is a vast roadside menagerie of shells, shellacked gator heads and tacky gifts. But wait, there’s more! The Shell […]
Wild Bison Call this Florida Prairie Home
The typical picture of “buffalo” roaming the great North American plains understates just how far the bison ranged in their heyday. In the 18th century they could be found as far afield as Alaska, New York . . . and, yes, even Florida. So when the Florida park service in 1975 reintroduced a small herd […]
Ma Barker’s Hideout Opens to the Public
OKLAWAHA, FL — Ma Barker died with a Tommy Gun in her hands, according to the FBI. For decades the bullet-riddled, two-story cracker home in Ocklawaha that witnessed the longest gun battle in FBI history was off limits to the public. But now the notorious home of the Gangster Era shootout is open for tours […]
Florida’s Towering Tourist Attractions
Paris, Pisa . . . and Polk County. No visit would be complete without visiting their famous tourist towers. And Florida has not one but three historic towers that draw visitors near and far to experience a bird’s-eye view of the sunshine state. Perched on hilltops along the Lake Wales Ridge (an ancient sand dune […]
The Barberville Yard Art Emporium
The truth is — and the owner of this head-turning marketplace freely admits it — there’s nothing at the Barberville Yard Art Emporium that you need. But on that rare occasion when you’ve got an unusual hankering for a 19-foot aluminum giraffe, monster chicken, dinosaur or life-sized herd of buffalo . . . . Well, […]