Leaving Little Lady Liberty I purposely stayed off the interstate, opting to follow blue highways* instead. I had all day to reach my destination so I decided I would stop at random points of interest along the way.
First up was the replica of Fort Christmas. This short-lived US Army outpost was one of a dozen constructed during the Seminole Wars. Built in 1837, the fort’s name came from the day they broke ground. As was customary at the time, the small town that sprang up nearby adopted the fort’s name (ie, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers). Though in this case, the US Postal Service removed “fort” from the official town name since there were already too many fort somethings in the state.
The property also protects other historic buildings from the area’s past, including a picnic pavilion built by the WPA in the 1930s. I was impressed not only by the number of structures but by how well-appointed and maintained they all were. No mean feat considering Florida’s often temperamental weather and the amount of nature that wants to move in.
Speaking of nature, my next stop, Orlando Wetlands Preserve, was literally just around the corner. Originally constructed as part of the metropolitan water management system, it didn’t take long for nature to take advantage of it. Fortunately, people are allowed to wander property to watch all the wildlife.
After parking, I noted the heavy-looking gray clouds and grabbed my rain jacket before heading out on the boardwalk. I was about halfway through my walk when the skies opened up. Furthest point from my car – who says Mother Nature doesn’t have a sense of humor? From this drenching experience, I learned two things, alligators all head for the water during a downpour and, I need a new raincoat. Sigh…
Thankfully the storm was short-lived and by the time I finished the trails I was no longer dripping wet (though not dry by any means, yay humidity). Good thing I always have a beach towel in the car!
My next stop required driving a few miles extra to find a turnaround spot. But when you whiz past a sign for the World’s Largest Alligator, you do what you have to do. Measuring one inch over 200′, Swampy was built in 1989 as the entrance to Jungle Adventure. A bit rundown, this roadside attraction is still open, but you can no longer walk through the gator’s mouth to enter – thanks to a lawsuit from nearby Gatorland (the Mouse isn’t the only one fighting over tourist dollars).
Before getting back on the road, I scanned the map for any other interesting locations and found that the Windover Archaeological Site was on my route. There isn’t much to see, only a small sign that does little to convey the magnitude of the discoveries made there.
In 1982, a planned development came to a halt when bodies were found in a pond. After law enforcement determined that they were ancient remains, archaeologists spent the next several years unearthing over 168 carefully interred bodies. They were so well-preserved in the anaerobic water that there was still brain matter in over half of the skulls!
Though the site is now on private property in the middle of a housing development, the unearthed artifacts are still being researched, providing astonishing insight into the people that lived there roughly 8,000 years ago. I encourage you to look it up on the internet (this video provides a decent overview).
Florida is far more than just beaches and a big Mouse, the interior of the state has a so many fascinating stories to tell!
*For those not familiar with paper maps, interstates and state highways were once denoted by different colors. The latter, on some maps were blue, hence the term blue highways. It’s also the title of a great roadtrip book by William Least Heat-Moon (reminiscent of Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley). If you haven’t read either of them, I highly recommend you do.
