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After founding Celebration, Disney followed its plans to divest most of its control of the town.[5] Several Disney business units continue to occupy the town's office buildings. Walt Disney World operates two utility companies, Smart City Telecom and Reedy Creek Energy Services, that provide services to the town. The town itself is connected to the Walt Disney World resorts via one of its primary streets, World Drive, which begins near the Magic Kingdom. (Wiki) - - - - - - - - personal notes & photos - - - - - - - - - - Looking for a road trip, Bob & Pam suggested we visit nd downtownCelebration. The town was a Disney planned community that they had visited and we all said "let's check it out". A beautiful community, very, very clean downtown, and we were lucky we chose a time of the Christmas season to see decorations of estate type homes. We enjoyed walking around the lake and looking back and shooting the town. We found a nice place for lunch - Celebration Town Tavern. We all felt it was a winner. Photo Ops:
Dining suggestion: Celebration Town Tavern Resources: Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida Visit Florida ToDo ... www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/central/celebration/ Celebration Town Tavern ... www.thecelebrationtowntavern.com/ Palmetto, Florida was incorporated on June 15, 1897, when Florida’s governor signed the charter declaring Palmetto a city. That’s almost six years earlier than its neighbor to the south, Bradenton, was recognized, five years before Sarasota, and thirty years before Venice. Palmetto’s proximity to water, touching both Terra Ceia Bay and especially the mile-wide Manatee River, was an attractive resource for the first settlers who arrived in the mid-1800s. Considered the “Father of Palmetto”, Samuel Lamb relocated to the area in 1868 and named the town Palmetto after his home state of South Carolina, “the Palmetto State”. - - - - - - - - - personal notes & photos - - - - - - - - Palmetto, a great day trip with the Fronstin's - weather, company and photos. We did an area walk-around but did not research historical locations except for a quick look at a 'pioneer' setting. Some good history on the blog and could be a revisit in the future. When in the area, be sure to stop by Detwiler's Market. Photo Ops:
Resources: Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmetto,_Florida Blog ... www.michaelsaunders.com/blog/tably/pioneering-palmetto-fl-a-look-back-at-its-122-year-history/ Detwilers Market ... detwilermarket.com/ Wiki ...Blue Spring State Park is unique because visitors can view manatees in the crystal-clear spring water from the boardwalk, which stretches 1/3 of a mile from the St. Johns River to the headspring. The boardwalk provides a wonderful opportunity for safely observing the manatees. Visitors can see manatees socializing and mothers nursing their small calves, without influencing the manatees’ natural behavior or bothering them. The number of manatees visiting the park has grown significantly, from about 36 animals when research began in the 1970s to over 500 animals today. Although there are still many threats to manatees — habitat loss, pollution, algae blooms and collision with watercraft — Blue Spring State Park serves as a safe haven for these gentle creatures. The park is also an ideal location to release manatees back into the wild after they have been rehabilitated from sickness or injury. Because they can easily be monitored at the spring and the surrounding waters, researchers are able to make sure they adapt to life back in the wild. (Florida State Parks) - - - - - - - - - personal notes & photos - - - - - - - - - We always thought that Crystal River was the only manatee center in Florida of any size. As it turns out, Crystal River is the ONLY manatee location in the state where humans can interact directly with the manatees in their environment. Blue Springs State Park made it easy to view and photogrpah the manatees with an overlooking dock/deck. Photo Ops:
Resources: Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Springs_State_Park State Park ... www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park/manatees-blue-spring-state-park Aripeka, Florida is a place you may not find unless you are really looking for it. It is on the Gulf Coast near Spring Hill about 48 miles north of Tampa and a mile south of Hernando Beach. The road that passes through Aripeka is subject to frequent flooding due to rainfall events and fluctuations in the level of the water and marshes surrounding the town. The population of this unincorporated community is about 300, and there is not much room to grow larger. The village is surrounded by marshes and water. - - - - - - - - - personal notes & photos - - - - - - - - To me, the road to Aripeka is like a road to Old Florida. I just enjoy driving the route (a narrow two-lane road that winds through marsh and wetlands). What is 'exciting' is looking to the left and right on your way to the village of Aripeka and realizing the water is often just about 1 ft below the road's surface. This is very much akin to the Ozello Trail back road to Ozella and the restaurant Peck's Old Port Cove. Photo Ops:
Resources: Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aripeka,_Florida Fivay History ... http://www.fivay.org/aripeka.html Norfleet General Store ... www.suncoastnews.com/news/already-a-historical-fixture-little-norfleet-s-store-in-aripeka-now-has-its-own-calendar/article_7f1f2cae-d965-11eb-a843-1f72738006db.html Flickr (Aripeka) Photo Stream ... www.flickr.com/photos/ghs1922/albums/72157629229771310 Aripeka Revisit July 19th, 2022 Today at 5:30 am, Don took a 30 minute ride to Aripeka to photograph possibly new photos and find Babe Ruth's hunting and fishing cabin. I was excited about revisiting after viewing the 60next trip.+ images and information found in the Resources (above) during my website updates this month. Check out what we found below. About Babe's place: I met a retired couple walking their dog on the bridge. The had who moved to Aripeka 2 years ago and knew the area. They shared with me that the cabin was in the woods, but hard to find because it was almost completely collapsed due to neglect and weather. A quick look for the site (near Liberty Ave near their home (yellow color) by the bridge ... I could not find it. Maybe another time when we are in the area. Redington Beach is a small, residential beach town in Pinellas County. Redington Beach is an upscale, exclusive community and has approximately 2,000 residents. The town is located just north of Madeira Beach. The next community to the north of Redington Beach is North Redington Beach. Redington Beach is a quiet area and is filled with condos and private residential homes. Unlike other nearby beaches which have large hotels, resorts, restaurants and other commercial activity, there are very few attractions or amenities for tourists or visitors. The beach in Redington Beach is mostly used by people who live in the nearby community because parking is so difficult to find. Redington Beach is often less crowded than other beaches in Pinellas County. (Florida guidebook) - - - - - - - - - - - personal notes & photos - - - - - - - - - - - Below are some of the many local scenes in and around our hometown - Redington Beach. While living in New Jersey, we were introduced to the area in the early 1990s by dear friend who offered us her condo in North Redington Beach. From that time on, we had dreamed that maybe someday we could live in a beach community in this area. At about that same time, photography became more than simply capturing vacations and family events - it became a passion. The link below the Redington Beach gallery shares photos of our town and nearby local areas we see and visit frequently ... many within 30 minutes of Redington Beach. Photo Ops:
Resources: Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redington_Beach,_Florida Guidebook ... www.florida-guidebook.com/redington-beach/ Redington Beach and Nearby ... https://www.photographicdestinations.com/local--nearby.html More ... Readington Beach and Local Communities to explore - here
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