Blog Archives

@ Cedar Key

4/17/2022

About an hour's drive southwest of Gainesville, the tiny enclave of Cedar Key is a quaint, old-fashioned, Old Florida vacation spot – one that offers lovely beaches, productive fishing opportunities and lush natural preserves.It's a place that's short on traffic lights and long on relaxation. Cedar Key's houses and stores perch above the Gulf of Mexico on stilts, with the water lapping at their bellies. It's easy to find a tasty clam chowder and a cold brew in Cedar Key. (Visit Florida)

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Cedar Key is one our Florida trips 'list'... It is "old Florida". Narrow streets lined with shops, locals and tourists, neat cafes and dining at a slower pace. Cedar Key is a clamming, fishing, and an artist village with a tourist trade. The tourism is seasonal and most visitors are looking for a low key sort of vacation. Richard and Sharleen were looking to get together, and we thought this would be a good full day trip. Travel was a little over 2 hours and we all caught up with each other during the drive.

Once we turned off Rt19 north onto Rt 24 west ... well 24 miles later we entered Cedar Key. As we parked, we saw marine police at the small marina (and came to learn, they were extracting one of the three bodies from a small place crash into the Gulf reported two days earlier. We walked the street and found a General Store that served freshly ground coffee - delicious!

Finishing coffee we proceeded walking the main street (but were somewhat disappointed) and realized much had changed as a result of the major tropical storm that saw major storm water destroying much of the businesses. Getting close to noon, and feeling hungry, I had found a popular eating establishment a few blocks away - Tony's that was well know for Cedar Key clam chowder - a must try!. We ordered Poo Boys, Shrimp sandwiches (both to split) and clam chowder.

Oh, our 'professional' server did not have a clue what fish was part of the Poo Boy, delivered the sandwiches BEFORE the soup, never brought drinks and never served condiments we requested. As Ginger and I waited for dressings and soup, our food (after 15 minutes) got cold, I walked up to the kitchen and politely shared "our food is cold, we do not have condiments, we did not receive our ordered soup or all the drinks. (they apologized, removed what was served, re-ordered hot food and all turned out fine - oh, the Potvin's had finished their meal and were served a second!

Suggested Photo Opportunities:

Main Street shops and restaurants
Cedar Key from pier - up the road and back towards town
Historic Hotel (interior and exterior)

Place(s) to East ... Tony's Chowder

Resources:
Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Key,_Florida
Cedar Key ... www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/north-central/cedar-key/
Historic B&B ... www.islandhotel-cedarkey.com/

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@Quincy - tobacco and Coke Cola

4/13/2022

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This town in Gadsden County was established in 1828, named for our sixth president, John Quincy Adams. In its early years Quincy became very prosperous due to a booming tobacco industry. Just 20 minutes west of Tallahassee, the Old Florida city of Quincy surprises visitors with its array of Victorian homes in the quaint downtown district. (Quincy's downtown square, built around the Gadsden County Courthouse, an old-time drugstore and many other touches of the Florida that once was and, in places like Quincy).

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Quincy was not a real draw for us based on research about the town. We have visitied several times and were able to capture different subjects and learn about the town. Our ptimary 'draw' was to be sure we capture another 'ten oldest towns in Florida'. It's history begins with the tobacco industry and worked well up to the 1970's. Then they turned their income options to farming - mushrooms, tomaotes, and more. Today, the town is attempting to rebuild and draw businesses.

Photo Ops:

Downtown
40's - 50's Gulf gas station
Quincy Downtown Square - explore the area by taking one of several walking tours
Soldiers Cemetery (future) - Historical Unknown Soldiers Marker, established early in the war
Coke Cola Sign how Quincy became a town of millionaires. Find the old Coke Cola signage.

Resources:
Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy,_Florida
Quincy ... https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/quincy-florida.html

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@Micanopy

4/5/2022

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Micanopy, named after the Seminole Indian Chief, Mic-a-no-pee (my phonetic spelling) was settled in 1821 and is the oldest inland town in Florida. Cholokka Boulevard, once an Indian trading route, is Micanopy’s main street, and the town’s primary tourist destination known for its antique shops (self-proclaimed antiques capital).

The main street has a mix of rustic storefronts and dining for casual shoppers, collectors, and has been a location for Hollywood film makers (Note: Micanopy was the setting for the movie 'Doc Hollywood' starring Michael J Fox). The town also has a wonderful B&B (Herlong Mansion) and exemplifies that which is called Old Florida The Town of Micanopy encompasses 1.03 square miles in rural north-central Florida between Gainesville and Ocala just off Interstate 75, with 700 residents and 300 homes.

Few Facts:

It’s referred to as the “town that time forgot.”
In 1983, Micanopy made the National Register of Historic Places list.
Actors River and Joaquin Phoenix lived with their family in Micanopy when they were teenagers.
The 1990s movie, “Doc Hollywood”, featuring actors Michael J. Fox, Bridget Fonda, and Woody Harrelson, was filmed in Micanopy. The antique shop, Delectable Collectables, was used as a bank in the film.

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Micanopy was one of our earliest photographic destination 'explorations'. It was the oldest inland town in Florida, it has been recognized in several Florida websites as one of the small towns that are a 'must-see', 10 quaint small towns, etc. We have been to/through Micanopy many times to shop the shops, see how it survived during and after COVID and to take a drone of the town. We like this town also since it is close to other Florida things to see - McIntosh, Gainesville, Evinston, and others. And known for the best in those interested in antiques. We are considering an overnight stay in the Herlong Mansion.

Suggested Photo Opportunities
* Historic Micanopy Sign
* Old barn with Coke Cola billboard
* Main Street and various shops
* The Herlong Mansion (Bed and breakfast)

Resources:
Micanopy https://micanopytown.com/
The Town that Time Forgot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2x7EqlUdnM
Authentic Florida - Micanopy
Herlong Mansion https://backpackerverse.com/haunted-herlong-mansion/

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@The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Community

4/5/2022

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The Villages is a master planned retirement community that sprawls over Sumter County, Lake County and Marion County along US-441/US-27 between Ocala and Leesburg, Florida. The Villages is huge, and very attractive and well maintained. We know several friends enjoy the community, the activity and living environment.

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It is a destination one must see to be able to say "we saw the Villages", but for Ginger and I that like a yard, working in the garden, doing home improvement projects we do not see us living in that environment. My sense (only a sense) is the closeness of the community more could lead to a feeling of 'everyone knowing your business'. However, very pleasant and clean, with any and all services a retired senior or couple would need - right in town. There are various communities and as in all communities some moderate and some high ends homes.

Photo Ops

your best bet is to visit the different 'communities' and keep your eyes open for points of interest

Resources:

Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Villages,_Florida
Website ... www.thevillages.com/

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@Gainesville -

4/5/2022

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Historian Ben Pickard recaptures the essence of Gainesville area history and explains how war, commerce, exploration and expansion characterize our city's storied evolution. From natural history to the Civil War, Gainesville is a hotbed of noteworthy landmarks. Special thanks to Ben Pickard for use of his historical narrative. (https://bit.ly/3B3ddBl). Gainesville is home to Florida’s largest and oldest university, and is one of the state’s centers of education, medicine, cultural events and athletics. The University of Florida and Shands Hospital at UF are the leading employers in Gainesville and provide jobs for many residents of surrounding counties.

Update November 5th, 2022
Using a visit to McIntosh to enjoy the 1890s festival, we wanted to further visit parts of Gainesville we may have missed (below). My search identified additional sites to photograph but only limited opportunity to visit historical or unique photo ops. We visited the Evergreen cemetery a quite historic cemetery, checked out 'downtown' center with a handful of murals and passed by a recommended B&B.

Posted April 5, 2022
We decided to check out Gainesville since Florida University was one of 3 colleges our grandson was considering as his college of choice. My initial research for photo opportunities did not identify the town as a 'must see' (but opportunities exist to revisit after identifying historical or unique attractions). We did however, check out U of F by car and visited the chapel (below).

Observations: University of Florida is an absolutely beautiful campus. Traveling by car however is 'impossible'. Anyone attending the University would have to walk or bike to travel to classes with the campus. To highlight car transportation: we found that traveling 1 mile through the campus could take you 15- 20 minutes! So after seeing several 'branches' of education - agriculture, meteorology, etc. we decided to see the U of F chapel ... check out the beautiful structure.

Photo Ops: