We spent a weekend in Miami. Although we couldn’t see everything in only 2 1/2 days, we experienced a lot the city has to offer. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll post detailed blurbs about everything. But until then, here’s our itinerary to whet your appetite!
When asked about favorite tourist spots in St. Augustine, many Flagler College parents recommended the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park. Since we’d already explored the Castillo and Ximenez-Fatio House, Thing 1 and I visited this landmark on a hot September day.
Located across the Bridge of Lions on Anastasia Island, the alligator farm began in 1893 reportedly by George Reddington and Felix Fire. George Reddington drove the first automobile in St. Augustine and also owned the Gonzales-Alvarez House (aka the Oldest House Museum) before selling it to the St. Augustine Historical Society in 1918.
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For fall break we decided to pick up Thing 1 in St. Augustine and spend a couple of days in St. Petersburg, Florida. We had planned to do this trip for spring break 2020, but like everyone else, we canceled the trip due to the pandemic.
We stopped for the night in Daytona Beach. This was a few weeks after Hurricane Ian pummeled the coastline and many hotels remained shuttered. Fortunately, our hotel suffered minimal damage but the pool deck and access to the beach remained closed.
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The Henry B. Plant Museum, located on the University of Tampa campus, pays homage to one of the biggest railroad tycoons in the late 1800s. Not only did Plant link the United States to the western coast of Florida with railroads, but he also built one of the most opulent hotels during the Gilded Age of the 1890s.
Although Florida gained statehood in 1845, the population remained relatively sparse due to transportation issues. The journey to central and south Florida consisted of uncomfortable roads, built by laying logs next to each other. Otherwise, wagons and horses sank in the sandy soil conditions. For that reason, Tampa remained a small fishing village of a little over 700 residents.
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