Author Archives: floridatraveler

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About floridatraveler

Emeritus Professor of History and travel and textbook writer M. C. Bob Leonard makes the Sunshine State his home base. Besides serving as content editor for several textbook publishers and as a college professor, he moderates the FHIC at www.floridahistory.org

Temple Terrace Has National Register Golf Course

Posted on January 9, 2013 by floridatraveler

The Temple Terrace (FL) Golf Course, designed by Tom Benelow in 1922, was added to the National Register of Historic Places, the first Florida golf site on the Register. Temple Terrace was one of America’s first golf communities. Although the … Continue reading →

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HAPPY 500th TO FLORIDA (B. 1513)

Posted on January 7, 2013 by floridatraveler

This year this blog will feature Ponce de Leon: The Man and the Myth; events of 150th anniversary of Civil War in Florida; My Favorite Hotels, Restaurants, Parks, Historic Sites, and More. Also, special Walt Disney World insider information and … Continue reading →

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wdw: Be Our Guest Restaurant – Magic Kingdom

Posted on December 24, 2012 by floridatraveler

The three room Be Our Guest Beauty and the Beast restaurant gets mixed reviews from us. It is a huge place where at lunch you get sandwiches and salads “with a French flair.” At night it is a traditional sitdown … Continue reading →

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St. Leo Abbey: Florida’s Shroud of Turin

Posted on December 18, 2012 by floridatraveler

The 1931 Benedictine Abbey next to the campus of St Leo College in Pasco County contains the 23,500 pound Tennessee marble crucifix modeled by sculptor Frank Aretz after the Shroud of Turin.

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Christmas In Florida: We Do Have Ernest

Posted on December 18, 2012 by floridatraveler

Florida is an unlikely spot for a Christmas movie, but the late Jim Varney of Orlando decided to film his third Ernest film in Orlando film and people might recognize Church Street and downtown and even parts of the old … Continue reading →

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events Florida Civil War Enactments Dec 2012

Posted on November 13, 2012 by floridatraveler

Here are some of the best events for December 2012: DEC 1-2 – “Union Holiday Encampment” at Fort Clinch. Union forces held this Amelia Island fort for most of war. Contact Fort Clinch Styate Park 904-277-7274. DEC 7, 8, 9 … Continue reading →

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inn: Seminole Country Inn – Indiantown

Posted on October 31, 2012 by floridatraveler

Few places will confuse visitors more than the Seminole Country Inn (1926) in Indiantown, 30 miles northwest of West Palm Beach. You expect some rural estate and find an urban, downtown property. You then open the grand double French doors … Continue reading →

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events – Mutiny Sinks Before Reaching Florida

Posted on October 31, 2012 by floridatraveler

One of the victims of Hurricane Sandy was the HMS Bounty, a replica built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty. The tall-masted 180-foot ship was actually headed for Saint Petersburg for a last time reunion with St. Pete … Continue reading →

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Civil War: Fort Barrancas

Posted on October 30, 2012 by floridatraveler

Civil War buffs in Florida know the first shots of the Civil War took place around midnight on January 8, 1861, at Fort Barrancas, a fort adjacent to the port of Pensacola. With just 46 soldiers, fort commander Lt. Adam … Continue reading →

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restaurant Cabbage Key In Charlotte Harbor

Posted on October 24, 2012 by floridatraveler

Half the fun of eating at the Cabbage Key Inn Restaurant is getting there.  The Inn is on a tiny island at the entrance to huge Charlotte Harbor and is accessible only by boat from nearby Pine Island or private … Continue reading →

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