Page 15: Florida Welcome Center
Florida Attractions -
Other Cities
FLAUSA the state of
Florida's travel web site
List of the best of everything in Florida from Florida Monthly
magazine. They say the best place for a Hot Dog in Florida is at
Home Depot -- so you know these folks know Florida. The best
restaurant? Chalet Suzanne in
Lake Wales.
Sure, you know that orange juice is the State Beverage, but can you
name the state soil without calling a friend for help?
From the Census Bureau. You can get all other states here too.
Want a list of all those great, small beach towns along the Gulf in
Pinellas County? Here's a map with links describing each
town. The short introductions contain historical information
such as, "At one time, the string of
islands that made up the Gulf Beaches, were known as four different
keys
Long Key, Treasure Island, Sand Key and Clearwater Beach Key."
For 2003, Dr. Beach ranks three Florida beaches among the top ten
beaches in the nation, and Daytona Beach is not on the list. Which
three Florida beaches made the top ten?
|
|
Ocala. Glass-Bottom Boats were invented here in 1878. The classic
Florida attraction.
This Greek sponge-diving community is where tourists come to soak up
the local charm..
You have to look at this web site. These people will convince
you that pirates discovered fun and then introduced it to the rest of
the world. We sat on the beach watching children on this ship having
fun, cheering, and yelling, and waving plastic swords. Yo ho ho
and a boatload of fun.
Captain Memo's pirate ship is only one of the great, short (a couple
of hours) cruises you can take from the Clearwater marina, but Captain
Memo's is a Navy of One!
Fantasy of Flight is located right off I-4
Exit 44 in Polk City.
April 16, 2004 Flying Tigers.
The Flying Tigers' "... aerial combat record
has never been equaled by a group of comparable size. General
Claire Lee Chennault.
"Surviving American Volunteer Group pilots
and crew members will be gathering at Fantasy of Flight for a reunion
dinner on Friday, April 16th. Prior to their private ceremonies
these remarkable men will be mixing with our guests, signing autographs
and telling their stories first hand from 1:30pm-4:30pm. The
last of their breed, Fantasy of Flight salutes these brave men who
willingly put themselves in harm's way within weeks of the attack on
Pearl Harbor. Please join us in celebrating these fine men, their
bravery and their accomplishments while they're here with us."
Flying
Tigers Video has a good overview. From the web site:
"During the summer of 1941, 300 young American
men and women secretly trained in the jungles of Southeast Asia,
preparing to face the Japanese Air Force in combat over the skies of
China and Burma. Within weeks of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
the daring exploits of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) captured the
imagination of the world. The Chinese called them Fei Hu, for the
shark's teeth painted on their planes. The world knew them as the
legendary Flying Tigers."
Mustangs n Mustangs. This annual event
in the spring (the 2004 event was April 4) pairs P-51 Mustang Warbirds from WWII and a wide selection of Ford Mustang
cars for a one day showing. Outstanding cars will receive trophies and
all cars have the chance to 'pony up' to a P-51 for a picture.
Admission to Fantasy of Flight: $24.95 for Adults, $13.95 for
children 5-12 and $22.95 for Seniors 60 and over. (Florida
State Sales tax not included).
In Ellenton, 45 minutes south of Riverview. No, Gamble
Plantation was not an antebellum place to buy Lotto tickets.
Lake Wales. Stop off here after you go to Bok Tower
Parrish, Manatee County. Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 AM and
2:00 PM. The 1.5 hour trip runs rain or shine.
About 40 minutes south of Riverview.
Ft. Myers
|
The first permanent European resident in the continental United States
lived in Florida 144 years
before the Castillio De San Marcos was built. As you walk in
Riverview, you may have walked where he hunted and welcomed Hernando De
Soto.
Rawlings wrote the classics, The Yearling and Cross Creek.
"Cross Creek"
closes with this thought about the Florida we moved here to enjoy:
|
|
"It seems to me
that the earth may be borrowed but not bought. It may be used but
not owned. It gives itself in response to love and tending, offers
its seasonal flowering and fruiting. But we are tenants and not
possessors, lovers and not masters. Cross Creek belongs to the wind
and the rain, to the sun and the seasons, to the cosmic secrecy of
seed, and beyond all, to time."
|
|
The classic Florida attraction that began in 1936 and became the
longest continually operated Florida tourist attraction before it closed
in 2003, is back. It may have found the fountain of youth that Ponce
de Leon was looking for.
From the web site:
"Glorious again! Neglect and hurricanes couldnt erase the
gardens that made the park famous. Native plants and exotic species
combine in a magnificent display creating a horticultural masterpiece.
Standing sentinel in the historic gardens is the giant Banyan tree, which
was planted in 1939 from a seedling during the parks early years."
The official web site of the Orlando/Orange County Convention &
Visitors Bureau.
List
of 50+ central Florida attractions
Near Key West
|
Bok Tower is a quiet garden built in the 1920s. A place of peace.
It is one of the most enjoyable days you will spend. Leave early to
arrive while the day is still cool, take a blanket to lie on the grass.
You will hear its world famous bells in full recital at 3:00 PM.
Built to house a 57-bell carillon, the tower's untouchable beauty is the
focal point of the gardens. Constructed of pink and gray marble from Georgia
and coquina stone from St. Augustine, the Tower is rich in carvings
depicting the flora and fauna of Florida. Enjoy some ice cream and
lunch in the small cafeteria and buy a book or a native plant from the
large, well-stocked gift shop. Bok Tower and Gardens is a remarkable
treasure. "Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you
have lived in it."
"Orchids and bromeliads. Stroll winding pathways along Sarasota
Bay and visit the Tropical Display House with hundreds of blooming
orchids. This tropical oasis was recently named one of Americas
Top Ten Botanical Gardens."
And, when you think of international intrigue, do you think of the
latest cloak and dagger fiction? If you follow orchids, you might
think of the true cloak and trowel story of orchid smuggling and Selby
being charged by federal prosecutors with violating the Endangered Species
Act.
"182 acres of Nature, Art and History in
the heart of Pinellas County. A unique
blend of Florida native plants, and beautiful exotic tropicals, displayed
in both natural and formal gardens"
As a public facility, admission is free.
Map of Kanapaha is a
good overview with a short summary on the plants.
"America's largest Camellia collection outside California and the
largest formal rose garden in Florida."
"Fairchild Tropical Garden is one of the world's preeminent
botanical gardens, with extensive collections of rare tropical plants
including palms, cycads, flowering trees and vines. Established in 1938,
the 83-acre Garden is among the region's most popular visitor
attractions and offers a variety of programs in environmental education,
conservation and horticulture."
Begun in 1929, by the 1940s McKee Jungle Gardens attracted more than
a 100,000 tourists each year and ranked as one of the most popular
Florida attractions. Now a portion has been saved from development
and restored.
|
|
|
|
|
E-clectic Link Categories
|
| 2
Handy Move-In
List Key Links and Phone Numbers for Utilities, Car, School |
3
Schools
Education Day Care- Summer Programs
|
4
More Education, Higher-Up Education |
5
Homework Libraries
References Clubs, Groups, Organizations |
6
Parenting |
7
Fast Fact When You First Move To Riverview
|
8
State
and Local History and Cultural Heritage
Link added 12/19 |
9
Tampa Hillsborough County Area Guides Sites Giving
Tampa/Hillsborough Information The List of Lists |
10
Sports, Sports Teams Fan Clubs Recreation
|
11
Specific Area Attractions |
| 12
Arts, Music, Museums |
13
Nature Gardening
Snakes Wildlife Environment Pests Link
added 2/4 |
14
Hunting Fishing Camping
Parks Boating Hiking Biking
|
15
Florida Welcome Center Florida Attractions
Other Cities
Link added 1-10
|
16 Religion
|
17
The Technical Tourist
Links added 1-9
|
18
Shopping Businesses |
19
Home, Home Improvement, Family
|
20
Real Estate |
21
Computers and the Internet |
| 22
Riverview's Web Sites Other South County Community Web Sites |
23
Pets, Hobbies, Special Interests
|
24
Just Plain Odd |
25
News, Time, Weather,
Hurricanes,
Newspapers, TV, Radio
|
26
Emergency Preparedness,
Fire, Safety
|
| 27
Health, Medical, Hospitals |
28
Social Services,
Transportation, Vital Statistics, Volunteering
|
29
Local, State Government,
Elected Officials, Politics
|
30
Law Enforcement, Safety,
Neighborhood Watch, Consumer Protection.
Updated June 24, 2006 with Neighborhood Watch
|
31
CDD, HOA
Reference and Informative Links
|
32
Federal Government
|
33
Attorney |
34
Employment, Business |
35
Astronomy
|
36
Concluding
thoughts on learning what is important in Riverview, Florida |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|