Candid Florida

Egret in mating plumage at Gatorland

It’s amazing how many years it took me to get to Gatorland for the first time – my first visit was less than a decade ago – given my family’s love of natural attractions. I took the occasion of my mother’s birthday to take my parents their for their first time, and boy, were they sorry we didn’t go there back in the 60s.  Founded in 1949, it’s not an enormous park, but it’s so packed with wildlife that if you’re an avid photographer like me, you’ll easily spend most of the day there. It’s a birders delight, too. We arrived at the peak of breeding season, with the birds in bright and showy plumage, and spotted some species that we rarely see, like roseate spoonbills winging their way overhead.

No doubt about it – if you’re headed for Orlando, make sure you get to Gatorland. Set in a natural cypress swamp – in a spot where most of the natural habitats are now erased from the landscape by development – it’s an immersion into what this part of Central Florida used to be. Walk the boardwalks, marvel at the ancient reptiles, savor the birds, and bring the young ones, who can play in the splash playground, ride the train, go “oooh” at snakes, and hold a baby gator.

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Shiny antiques at Muscle Car City

Now here’s a new attraction worth a roar down the interstate:  Muscle Car City, which opened this spring in the old Wal-Mart just south of downtown Punta Gorda along US 41.  It’s the only example I’ve witnessed of a former Wal-Mart being put to use – fixtures and all – to become something entirely different.

It’s the rows and rows of sleek, high-powered driving machines, however, that’ll catch your attention. The demographic of visitors is undeniably male, and yet that didn’t keep me from admiring the cars I grew up with and around – Dad loved a good muscle car.  Many have their well-detailed engines open for inspection, like a 1967 Corvette Stingray sport coupe in deep green. Each vehicle is immaculate and identified, enabling visitors to form loose social networks as they gather around their favorite memories. Muscle Car City also includes a diner, open at 7:30 AM, a massive gift shop with auto memorabilia and classic car parts, and even a handful of restored beauties for sale. Brought to you from the personal collection of Rick Treworgy, with assistance from his wife April, this is one sleek museum.

Muscle Car City
Open Tues-Sat 9-5, $10 admission
3811 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda

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Saturday was Florida Lighthouse Day, so what a delight it was to revisit the St. Marks Lighthouse and discover it open. It’s only open for visits on special occassions, including some of the festivals held at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge throughout the year.  In full lightkeeper regalia, several volunteers and interpretive specialists recounted the difficult lives that the lightkeepers and their families lived since the original lighthouse was built in 1832. It’s an outpost along the Gulf of Mexico, more than 10 miles from the nearest neighbor, a beacon for navigation and the iconic symbol of the Big Bend.

A tour inside the lighthouse revealed a museum-in-progress to recount the history made here. Quite a crowd attended the event when we visited yesterday morning, the weather just perfect and skies so clear you could see the village of Panacea off in the distance across Dickerson Bay.

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