The Vedder Museum, St. Augustine

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The brainchild of “Dr.” John Vedder (1819-1899), the Vedder Museum, which opened in the 1880s at the corner of Treasury and Bay streets in St. Augustine, may very well have been Florida’s first “tourist trap.” In addition to an impressive collection of snakes and alligators, The Vedder Museum drew in customers with an assortment of “natural oddities and curiosities.” Following Vedder’s death in 1899, the St. Augustine Historical Society, purchased his entire collection (however, the Vedder Museum building itself burned to the ground in 1914). By the way, seven-foot-wide Treasury Street itself was billed as “The Narrowest Street in the United States.”

Hike #48: Flat Island Preserve, Leesburg

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Hike #48: 52 Hike Challenge: Flat Island Preserve, Leesburg. I arrived early at the 2,300-acre Flat Island Preserve in the Okahumpka Marsh and was the first one there and (briefly) had the whole island to myself. The trail system here is well maintained (and marked) by the Florida Trail Association. Don’t miss a chance to check out the scenic boardwalk. I will be back! Distance: 3.7 miles.

JungleLand Zoo, Kissimmee

reweidman50 Defunct Florida Attractions, Florida History, Forgotten Florida, Uncategorized , , ,

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Best known for a huge concrete alligator (with a safari jeep clenched in its jaws and guide hanging on a rope for dear life!) at its entrance and the highly publicized escape of a 450-pound lion named “Nala” during the late 1990s, JungleLand Zoo first opened along U.S. 192 in Kissimmee in 1995 (an earlier attraction named Alligatorland Safari Zoo previously occupied the site) and featured more than 300 “exotic animals” on display (including African leopards, Bengal tigers, African caracal, a Siberian tiger and orangutan named “Radcliffe”), as well as a big cat show, “Bushmasters” Gator Show, “Magic of the Rainforest” magic show and other attractions. Nala’s brief adventure was documented in an article, “10 Weirdest Zoo Animal Escapes,” by CNN: “The declawed lion prowled the area, much to the chagrin of residents. Thankfully, no one was hurt. After a few days on the loose, Nala was found by a search team and returned to her pen.” JungleLand Zoo was also the home of “Stinker the Monkey.” Animal rights activists brought the heat on JungleLand Zoo for the alleged mistreatment of animals, but the owners and employees vehemently denied the claims. The Zoo was also reportedly cited by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for several violations. Regardless, JungleLand Zoo, facing a steep drop in attendance due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, closed its doors for good in 2002.

Jerry Jeff Walker

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Between the late summer of 1994 and the fall of 1996, I worked as a lowly reporter for a small weekly newspaper, The News of Orange County, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. There weren’t many perks in this rather thankless job, but I did get a chance to cover the concert of one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Jerry Jeff Walker, who took the stage at the Big Barn for one magical evening of entertainment (sorry, I forget the actual date). Above is one of the photos I took documenting the event. I even got the chance to chat briefly with Jerry Jeff after the show. Truly one of the highlights of my brief stint as a reporter!

Hike #47: Kelly Loop Trail, Kelly Park, Apopka

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Hike #47: 52 Hike Challenge: Kelly Loop Trail, Kelly Park, Apopka. Normally Kelly Park would be packed on a Saturday afternoon, but the Rock Springs Run was closed to tubers and swimmers on this particular day, so we enjoyed the park pretty much to ourselves. The scenic Kelly Loop Trail runs along the perimeter of the park and lets hikers get away from it all and delve into a little wilderness serenity. We were told that black bear sightings are common in the area, but we had no such luck. However, just the fact that the whole place wasn’t overrun with visitors was good enough for us. Nice spot! Distance: 2.75 miles.

Hike #46: Orlando Wetlands Park

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Hike #46: 52 Hike Challenge: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas. If you want to totally immerse yourself in wildlife, few places in Central Florida beat Orlando Wetlands Park. With its immense popularity (especially among birders), the parking lot was almost full when I got there at 8:30 AM on a Saturday. However, I wandered away from the 2.5-mile “Birding Route” and headed around Lake Searcy, which I had to myself (along with the birds and alligators, of course!). Also, I viewed my first Roseate Spoonbill in the wild! Distance: 5 miles.

Andersonville

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One of my ancestors, Jeremiah Weidman (of Navarre, Ohio), died in Andersonville Prison (aka Camp Sumter Military Prison) in 1864 at the age of 29. Jeremiah is briefly mentioned in MacKinlay Kantor’s 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Andersonville: “Where was Weidman? He was here, he was close, and he would not die until October.”