Village Squire, 1975-02, Page 28Key West.
St. Augustine's historic atmosphere is
being heightened by two new facilities: A
small Spanish plaza, scheduled for comple-
tion next year, and Lightner Museum, a St.
Augustine landmark which has reopened
after extensive,renovations which took two
years.
The first floor is called Street of
Yesterdays, where 15 stores showcase
products of 19th Century life. The second and
thirds floors depict the columned bath or
"Senate" area of the Alcazar hotel, where
toga -clad guests of the late 1800s enjoyed the
first steam baths in Florida.
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm has also
added a touch of history to its grounds with
a novel portrayal of the Florida Seminoles.
The focal point is a statue of Osceola, the
Indian leader of the Seminole War, with facial
features molded from Osceola's death mask.
Also new at the reptile complex is the
alligator swamp, where visitors view
alligators in an exacting natural habitat from
the safety of an elevated walkway.
Meanwhile, Marineland of Florida, 18
miles south, has completed the first phase of
its mult-million-dollar expansion program
with the opening of a submarine preview
centre featuring slides, movies and exhibits.
Other aspects of the expansion include an
oceanfront motel and a marine research
laboratory.
In the Daytona Beach area, the Far East
appears at Marco Polo Park, which opened
last spring. It resconstructs the travels of the
Italian explorer through China, Japan and
India. Each of the five theme areas of the park
includes rides, gift shops and restaurants.
At Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space
Centre, there are now full-scale models of the
Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft - the American
and Russian vehicles which will rendezvous in
space in 1975.
The tour -bus route will also cover the area
where work has begun on the space shuttle
landing facility, to become operational for
space launchings and landings in 1979.
Inland from the West Palm Beach area,
Lion Country Safari has opened an animal
nursery where visitors can view the baby
animals stilt in the care of the zoological
nursery staff through large display windows.
Also added is an African riverboat cruise on
Lake Shanalee, and the Everglades Express
train ride through a stand of cypress
inhabited by rare addax antelope.
In the Miami area, the newest addition to a
long roster of entertainment is the Royal
London Wax Museum, built in the style of an
English castle.
The Miami Seaquarium continues to
expand its facilities, too. A 1,800 seat stadium
in the Flipper movie and TV complex was
opened last spring, and the Scenic Monorail
ride reopened in mid -summer after extensive
renovation.
Crandon Zoo, in the Key Biscayne area,
has added more than 40 new animals to its
regular population, in preparation for the job
of stocking the new zoological park currently
under construction.
Anc0her animal compound, the 730 -acre
South Dade Zoo, is also in the construction
stage and will include an African desert and a
rain forest populated with native animals.
24, VILLAGE SOUIRE/FEBRUARY 1975
Monkey Jungle, south of Miami, is
constructing its own African rain forest, a
10 -acre compound to be stocked with several
species of African monkeys not previously
seen there.
Monkey J ungle's animal population was
highlighted by a new and rare addition this
year, a baby orangutan born in late July.
Another popular Miami area attraction,
Parrot Jungle, has two improvements:
Walkways giving a view of the birds at close
range, and an expanded cafeteria.
In Key West, the Conch Train has .added
two units to its existing fleet, and has
broadened its base of operations by adding a
second station.
Trains departing from the new facility, on
Roosevelt Boulevard, reverse the routes
followed by vehicles from the Mallory Square
Station. Stopover privileges are offered on
both routes.
GULF COAST
On Florida's Gulf Coast, the lineup of new
and expanded entertainment facilties
stretches from Naples, in the southern
region, to Pensacola, at the state's far
northwest corner.
Jungle Larry's African Safari in Naples has
a new show area, and has added three safari
trains.
In Fort Myers, an area noted for its shelling
beaches, the Shell Factory has a 12,000
square -foot addition to its facilities, for an
aquarium display, a shell exhibit, and arts
and crafts areas.
At Tampa's Busch Gardens, there have
been several innovations: A mile -long sky
ride for an eagle's -eye view of the mock
African veldt where animals roam free; rides
on Mem, an Indian elephant; an animal
training compound where show animals learn
their routines, and a nursery housing animals
born within the attraction.
The Acquarium and Zoological Gardens on
St. Petersburg Beach have added a $750,000
animal kingdom featuring big cats from
around the world.
The exhibit includes 10 species of cats,
each occupying a space equal to a five -room
house and equipped with a swimming pool
and waterfall. More species will be added
periodically.
Tarpon Springs, the Greek community
north of the Tampa -St. Petersburg area,
provides an authentic glimpse of the Greek
Sponging heritage with its Spongeorama, an
attraction which traces the history of the
industry.
Focal point of the new exhibit and display
area is a fully -sized Greek spongers' village
complete with sponge docks.
The village also includes a sailmaker's
shop, a diving equipment repair shop, a food
store, a butcher's shop, a ships' chandlery
and a boat yard - a grouping typical of the
facilities that would have served the sponge
boat crews at the turn of the century.
Farther north, and inland from the coast,
Rainbow Springs has reopened with new
underwater cruise boats, nature trails and a
zoo. The attraction is situated near the
community of Dunnellon, 25 miles southwest
of Ocala.
And in Pensacola, western gateway into the
state, are two new attractions: The Naval
Aviation Museum, which will open in
December, and the Transportation Museum
in the Seville Square area.
NORTH FLORIDA
North Florida's inland areas have their
share of new entertainment facilities, too. In
Tallahassee, the state capital, a, natural
habitat for native animals is under
construction at the Tallahassee Junior
Museum.
Areas for whitetailed deer, bald eagles and
Florida black bear are already completed, and
the habitats for the foxes, racoon and
waterfowl will be completed by next January.
In White Springs, midway between
Tallahassee and Jacksonville, the Stephen
Foster Memorial is undergoing an expansion
program that will include a 3,000 -seat
amphitheatre.
The outdoor facility will be used for special
events like the popular Florida Folk Festival,
discontinued several years ago because of
lack of space.
Also included in the expansion program is a
300 -seat auditorium and administration
building.
Thirty miles south, in Gainesville, the
Florida State Museum has also •expanded its
facilities. The museum's Object Gallery,
opened last July, is designed to explain the
who, what, when, where and who of objects
which range from historic artifacts to
collections of insects.
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