Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - The Villages Moving Forward
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Old 05-19-2014, 05:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl in Tampa View Post
I identify with your post. My family moved here in 1953. My travel from Tampa to DeLand, where I went to Stetson U., was on 301 and then back roads through towns like Groveland, Howie-in-the-Hills and Eustis.

Orlando was "The City Beautiful" and Walt Disney World wasn't even a gleam in Walt's eye.

Over on U.S. 1 north of Daytona Beach there was a big water tank with trained dolphins in it called "Marineland" and Ocala's Silver Springs was Ross Allen's Reptile Institute where they milked rattlesnakes and let you touch small alligators. (Marineland Dolphin Adventure still exists in St. Augustine.)

The other big attractions were Cypress Gardens, where you could see "Water Ski Shows Daily" and Weeki Wachee Springs, the "Home of Live Mermaids."

And they actually had a major automobile race, The Daytona 500, right on the beach.

Yep, we were pretty well built out when it came to attractions and amusements. At least we thought so. Look at it today. We would never have believed it.

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I also moved to Florida in 1953 (May) to Miami. I started 6th grade there. Everyone spoke english then. I remember all the attractions you spoke of and remember visiting the Disney Preview Center where they showed you a model of where and what Disney World would be. We didn't have interstates and the Florida Turnpike hadn't opened yet.
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