Plunderin' a Gift Shop

It's one thing to buy vintage ephemera on Ebay or at an antique store. But for me it's a bigger thrill to find retro artifacts in gift shop because that means the inventory has been sitting around for years. And years. And it must be so bad no one else would buy it. Such a gift shop exists at the President Hall of Fame. In addition to having ephemera from recent political campaigns (Fred Thompson for President pins, John Kerry bobblehead pins) there is a strange mix of souvenirs from Washington DC and vintage toys. But there is also stuff that has been there forever, like vintage postcards and decals.


This postcard is from the "Happiest Place in the World", which is also probably the most politically correct place in the world. It dates back to time before all the rides were sanitized; the caption on back reads "After looting and plundering a captured city, fun loving pirates hold an auction... pirate style. And everything goes to the highest bidder, from five bawdy wenches to two skinny goats."


This packet of snapshots and postcard book are from Circus Hall of Fame in Sarasota, an attraction that was around from 1956 to 1980 according to Roadside Paradise. The memorabilia was relocated to Peru, Indiana. According to the author Ken Breslauer, the building was demolished in 1998 after years of dwindling attendance.

New stuff at the PHOF

My first visit to the Presidents' Hall of Fame in Clermont was just a couple months ago so I was surprised to see a couple new displays in my recent return. With every admission you receive an annual pass, so I was eager to visit again for free.

The first new addition to the collection was this "Bush in a Fortune Teller Booth" display. While the PHOF seems to be fairly bipartisan, this piece portrays a fairly creepy G.W. Bush with shifty "X-files" eyes that move from left to right. I was tempted to put a dollar in to see if a fortune would appear but refrained because I wanted all my cash for the wonderful gift shop, where they still have items that appear to be twenty years old.


The second recent addition was the wax Obama figure. On my first trip out they only had a cardboard figure of our current president. This new Barack, by far the most realistic of all the wax figures, is the only one that moves. His head turns from left to right and back.


The miniature White House, which supposedly is the main feature of the attraction, is still not on display. But that means you can see the bizarre Christmas decorations year round!

State of Attractions

In my efforts to better understand the state I'm in, I'm reading Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams; A Social History of Modern Florida by Gary R. Mormino. I just finished the chapter on tourism and it ended with a tough commentary about the costs we've paid for our tourist based economy in Florida. The author also talks about how smaller attractions mostly disappeared as Disney grew and travel habits changed. "Ironically, while the Florida Turnpike and interstate highways introduced millions of new motorists to Florida, the new roadways bypassed the old tourist attractions" Mormino claims.

Yet a handful of old attractions remain, and I'm doing my best to visit them all while they're still around. To me they are pockets of Florida's past and they offer glimpses into a more innocent, less thrill-based time. Unlike today's theme parks, they often engage your brain and your sense of beauty, not your adrenal glands. One has to look for subtlety at these places, it is not sensory overload like Disney or Universal.

I've broken it down geographically into four regions. Many are now run by the state. Some go back to the early 20th century, some are more recent, but are clearly in the spirit of the old Florida roadside attractions. I also wrestle with the exact definition of attraction- is a museum an attraction? Are botanical gardens attractions? Here is what I've come up with (I'm always looking for more):

Panhandle
Wakulla Springs
Goofy Golf (Pensacola, Panama City and Ft. Walton Beach)
Florida Caverns
Gulf World, Panama City
Gulfarium, Ft. Walton Beach

North Florida
Oldest House, St. Augustine
Oldest School, St. Augustine
Fountain of Youth, St. Augustine
Old Jail, St. Augustine
Zorayda Castle, St. Augustine
Lightner Museum, St. Augustine
Potters Wax Museum, St. Augustine
Ripleys Believe it or Not, St. Augustine
Alligator Farm, St. Augustine
Stephen Foster Memorial, White Springs
Marineland
Silver Springs, Ocala

Central Florida
Citrus Tower, Clermont
Presidents Hall of Fame, Clermont
Big Tree Park, Longwood
Gatorland, Kissimmee
Homosassa Springs
Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven
Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks
Weeki Wachee
Sunken Gardens, St. Pete
Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Sarasota
Bok Tower, Lake Wales
Sarasota Classic Car Museum, Sarasota
Jungle Adventures, Christmas
HMS Bounty, St. Pete
De Leon Springs State Park
Rainbow Springs State Park
Ringling Museum, Sarasota

South Florida
Thomas Edison Winter Home, Ft. Myers
Key West Aquarium
Miami Seaquarium
McKee Botanical Gardens, Vero Beach
Monkey Jungle, Miami
Jungle Island, formerly Parrot Jungle, Miami
Lion Country Safari, West Palm Beach
Everglades Wonder Garden, Bonita Springs
Shell Factory, North Ft. Myers
Coral Castle, Homestead, FL
Venetian Pool, Coral Gables
Theater of the Sea, Islamorada
Native Village, Hollywood
The Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach

National Parks
Castillo de San Marcos
Everglades National Park

Tarpon Springs is home to the famed Spongerama attraction

The Ventian Pool is scheduled to re-open next month after renovations

Now President's Hall of Fame

Former movie prop is available for rentals at the end of the St. Pete Pier

Recently celebrated it's 80th birthday

Like Silver Springs, Weeki Wachee was at one time owned by the ABC television network but is now run by the state. Ironically, Disney now owns ABC.

Moved location and changed name to Jungle Island

A shell of its former self, Marineland is now an "Eco Park" where you can swim with dolphins instead of watching them leap out of the water.

Just for Presidents Day: Abe on Education

In 1960 artist John Zwiefel bought the House of Presidents Wax Museum as a place to display his incredibly detailed model of the White House. Unfortunately the model is on loan much of the time and is rarely home in the Clermont, FL roadside attraction which is now called Presidents Hall of Fame. However, the wax figures remain; delightfully creepy, somewhat ironic in their juxtaposition. Laura Bush near JFK, a smiling Bill Clinton behind a stone-faced Hilary, with FDR taking center stage surrounded by a sea of microphones.

Lincoln speaks as you enter the attraction and the snippet I happened to record has Abe speaking on the value of education. Perhaps our elected leaders in Florida need to hear old Abe as they make drastic cut after drastic cut to the state education budget making it even more difficult for future Floridians to get a decent education in our public schools. Words of wisdom in wax.

Note: Lincoln is located in the gift shop of the Presidents Hall of Fame, and a doorbell rings anytime anyone enters. My apologies for the interruption in the middle of the president's speech.

Building the little White House

It was very well reported that just feet from where Barack Obama took the oath of office, slaves toiled to help build the Capitol building and the White House. I shot this video of a diorama of the building of the White House as envisioned by John Zwiefel, creator of the President's Hall of Fame, a roadside attraction in Clermont, FL.

Presidential Puppets

I shot this over the weekend at the Presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont, FL. I feel it needs no further explanation.