Author: reweidman50

Key West Aquarium

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Postcard Collection

One of the oldest aquariums in the United States, the Key West Aquarium first opened its doors at 1 Whitehead Street on February 18, 1935, as the first tourist attraction in Key West (admission was 15 cents for adults and 5 cents for children!). Constructed as part of the Works Progress Administration Program during the Great Depression, the aquarium was the brainchild of Dr. Robert Van Deusen, a director of the Fairmont Park Aquarium in Philadelphia, and originally featured an “open-air concept.” During World War II, the U.S. Government leased the aquarium briefly to the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard for use as an indoor rifle range. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Merrill referenced the aquarium in his poem, “Key West Aquarium: The Sawfish.” Current Key West Aquarium exhibits include Alligator Exhibit, Atlantic Shores Exhibit, Jellyfish Exhibit, Feed a Shark, Touch Tank and Sea Turtles Conservation Tour. The Key West Aquarium is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM. Admission is $17.19 for adults, $10.74 for children (ages 4-12) and $15.04 for seniors.

Hike #6: Green Springs Park, Enterprise

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Hike #6, 52 Hike Challenge: Green Springs Park, Enterprise. Encompassing 36 acres near the north shore of Lake Monroe, Green Springs Park boasts one of Florida’s few green sulfur springs (note: swimming and fishing are not allowed!). We enjoyed strolling on both the paved and natural trails that wind through the park, which also features scenic overlooks, a playground and picnic pavilions. Green Springs Park also serves as a trailhead for both the East Central Regional Rail Trail and Spring-to-Spring Trail. A “hotel for invalids” was built at this site by Cornelius Taylor in 1841 as one of the first health spas in the Sunshine State. Tourists were attracted to the springs in the belief that they could cure various ailments. In the late 1800s, Green Springs was part of a huge estate built by wine importer and steamboat magnate Frederick deBary. Distance: 1.2 miles.

 

Golden Lion Cafe, Flagler Beach

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Billed as “Flagler Beach’s Favorite Beachside Restaurant & Bar,” the Golden Lion Café lies near the heart of this East Coast beach community at 501 North Ocean Shore Boulevard. Bustling, unpretentious and full of eclectic charm, the Golden Lion Café, which is known as “The King of the Beach,” has been voted the #1 Beach Bar on the East Coast of Florida in 2017 by floridabeachbar.com. It features a tiki bar, roof deck, live music (of the Jimmy Buffett, Neil Young and James Taylor variety, at least during our Saturday afternoon visit), gift store and a menu full of delicious seafood, appetizers, wings, sandwiches and more. Recommended menu items include Peel ‘N’ Eat Shrimp and the Chargrilled Jerk Caribbean Wings (next time I want to try the Lobster Guacamole Tostados!). Check it out!

Hike #5: Trimble Park, Tangerine

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Hike #5, 52 Hike Challenge: Trimble Park, Tangerine. A very peaceful park to hike on a Sunday morning, Trimble Park on the Harris Chain of Lakes in Tangerine (population: 2,865) offers several lakeside trails and a boardwalk shaded by ancient oak trees. I saw numerous alligator and snake warnings along the trail, but did not view either on this particular hike. By the way, author Pat Frank (1908-64) wrote his classic 1959 post-apocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon (1959) while living in Tangerine. Distance: 1.8 miles.

 

 

Aerial View of the “Arbutus,” Key West

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arbutus

“The Arbutus was an old 175′ to 180′ Coast Guard buoy tender that was owned by Mel Fisher’s Treasure Salvors operation and used as a ‘Sentry’ vessel over the Atocha wreck site following the capsizing of the tug boat North Wind, which claimed the lives of several people including one of Mel’s son’s and daughter-in-law. Later on, the Arbutus was towed to the ‘Quicksand’s’, west of the Marquesas, and was used as one of Mel Fisher’s tower ships. These ships were used as reference points in searching the wreck site. Once, while as the ‘Sentry’ vessel over the Atocha wreck, it was accidentally strafed and bombed by a reserve Navy squadron out of Tennessee. Remarkable, they didn’t hit the ship or its startled occupant. The vessel sank of its own accord at its current location in the Quicksand’s. It was also used by Jimmy Buffett for a back cover for his record album Songs You Should Know by Heart.” The photo above was taken by Dale McDonald in 1985. Source: Dale M. McDonald Collection, State Library & Archives of Florida

Hike #4: Moses H. Cone Memorial Park & Grandfather Mountain

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Hike No. 4: 52 Hike Challenge: Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and Grandfather Mountain. We hiked briefly at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park yesterday but the rain, thunder and lightning thwarted our goal so we had to abort the hike after just 0.5 mile. However, earlier in the day, we visited Grandfather Mountain, crossed the famous Mile High Swinging Bridge and scaled the immense rock formations on the other side. We also checked out the nature habitats for a distance of approximately 0.5 mile. Total Distance: 1.0 mile.

 

 

Hike #3: Palm Island Park

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Hike #3, 52 Hike Challenge: Palm Island Park, Mount Dora. A true hidden gem in Mount Dora just south of the downtown area, eight-acre Palm Island Park is located on Lake Dora and features a boardwalk, hiking trails and picnic pavilions. Alligators are abundant (although I did not see any during this visit). Distance: 1.0 mile.