Floridiana Magazine

History. Heritage. Home.

Year in Review: Florida Travels

Over the past year, we have traveled the state looking for those places that represent the history and the heritage of Florida, as well as the spirit and the characteristics that make it home.  We covered a lot of ground in 2018 and hope you have joined us on some of our journeys.  Here are the highlights of the year, along with embedded links to the original posts.

Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda – It’s Happening on the Harbor – a motto that doesn’t disappoint.  Situated along the shores where the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor meet, Punta Gorda provides an eclectic mix of things to see and do: a relaxing waterfront, historic buildings, educational mural walk and a variety of shops and restaurants.

Check out our article for plenty of ideas to make your trip one to remember.

Richloam General Store

Sometimes you are lucky to stumble upon a Florida gem simply by venturing away from the highways and taking the backroads.  Such is the case with the Richloam General Store, tucked away in the Withlacoochee State Forest in Hernando County.  Definitely off the beaten path, but one of our favorite places we visited in 2018!  The store was built in 1920 and is the oldest historical building still standing in the Richloam area.  Staying true to the time period, it offers goods you would have seen in the 20s and 30s.  The store is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Read more about Richloam here and make plans to visit.

Sugar Sand Distillery, Inc., Lake Placid

When you think of Florida, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  Maybe it’s the sunshine, or the beautiful beaches, or maybe even the theme parks, but have you thought about the wineries, or craft breweries, or even craft distilleries?  One of the newest distilleries in the state is Sugar Sand Distillery on Henscratch Road in Lake Placid.  Billed as Florida’s only estate grown sugar cane distillery, it opened its doors for tours and tastings less than a year ago.  It may be off the beaten path, but it’s worth the stop.

Click here to learn more about Sugar Sand.

The Orange Shop, Citra

Tucked away in North Central Florida, between Ocala and Hawthorne, is the small town of Citra.  Known as the home of the pineapple orange, Citra was founded in 1881 in an area where citrus was prominent.  While that is part of the town’s history, it isn’t the only unique feature about Citra.  It is also the home of The Orange Shop, one of the last true roadside citrus stands in Florida.  In business since 1936, the owners are third-generation growers who continue to harvest fruit from groves that have been producing since the Civil War.

Learn more about The Orange Shop and put it on your calendar before June first.

Things to See and Do in Apalachicola

Apalachicola is one of our favorite places to visit.  While some of the things we featured in our original post may not be exactly as they were prior to Hurricane Michael in October, it is still an amazing coastal town you don’t want to miss.  Apalachicola is up and running again and there are plenty of things to see and do.  As its name translates, it is the “land of the friendly people.”

Put it on your list of places to see in 2019!

Caladium Festival, Lake Placid

Florida is home to many festivals, ranging from the absurd to the logical.  By definition, festivals celebrate something unique about a community or its culture.  For the central Florida town of Lake Placid, that uniqueness is its designation as “Caladium Capital of the World.”  The idea for the Caladium Festival came from the Highlands County Tourist Development Commission as a way to promote the industry and, at the same time, create an event to bring visitors into town.

Make sure to mark your calendars for the 2019 festival on July 26, 27, and 28, but don’t wait until then to visit this gem of a town.

Bat Houses at University of Florida

Did you know that Florida is home to the world’s largest occupied bat houses?  In fact, they have become quite the nightly attraction.  The first bat house was built in 1991 to provide a new “home” for a colony of bats that were left homeless after a fire destroyed Johnson Hall in 1987.  There are now three bat houses with an estimated 400,000 bats now occupying these dwellings.  They are located on Museum Road at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, just across from Lake Alice.  Take a look at the experience, then plan it for yourself!

Honors System Businesses

During our travels in 2018, we came across several businesses operating on the honors system, where collection boxes are used as the only means to pay.  It may sound like a risky venture, but the business owners we talked to told us most people are good and honest.  Most of the honors system businesses we found were local honey stands, all located along back roads, or along highways through the rural parts of the state. These businesses are reminiscent of a much simpler time in Florida and you can read more about them here.

Lake Wales, Florida

Known as the Crown Jewel of the Ridge, Lake Wales sits in the center of the state, just off Highway 27 and State Road 60.  With its historic roots, its quirky qualities, and its persona of a small city with a hometown atmosphere, Lake Wales is a true Floridiana find.  Whether you are taking a trip into downtown, visiting the tower on the hill, or participating in any number of festivals and celebrations, nostalgia and culture abound. Take a peek at some of the things you can do here.

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum

Before there were towns, or roads or railroads, there was the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.  This red and black lighthouse has been lighting the way along Florida’s East Coast since July 10, 1860.  Built on a natural sand hill, the lighthouse itself is 108 feet tall and can be seen 24 miles out at sea.  In 1973 the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, then in 1974, it was opened to public tours by the Loxahatchee River Historical Society.  Before you even get inside, there are 34 steps you have to climb just to get to the base of the lighthouse.  Those are the easy ones.  Once inside, there are 105 steep iron stairs. Once at the top, the views are breathtaking!  You can see some of them in our original post.  

Boyett’s Grove and Citrus Attraction

What started as a fruit stand more than 55 years ago, has evolved into a classic Florida roadside attraction that still draws visitors today.  Located on the top of a hill in Brooksville, Boyette’s Grove and Citrus Attraction not only offers delicious citrus fruit, but also a nostalgic look at Florida oddities, along with a walk on the wild side. You have to see it to believe it!

Trapper Nelson’s Zoo and Jungle Garden

Three miles down the Loxahatchee River, where it meanders through the Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, is Trapper Nelson’s Zoo and Jungle Garden, or what is left of it.  Trapper Nelson (aka Vincent Natulkiewicz), known as the “Wildman of the Loxahatchee,” turned his property along the river into a wildlife zoo in the mid-1940s, and for the next 15 years or so, visitors from around the world visited to see him wrestle alligators and wrap himself up in snakes.

Check out our post about Trapper Nelson, then make plans to take the tour for yourself and spend the day at the Jonathan Dickinson State Park.  Note, the site is accessible only by canoe, boat or by tour boat.

FM Notes

We hope you have enjoyed our travels as much as we have.  We wish you a happy and healthy 2019 and hope it is filled with fun Florida travels!

Trapper Nelson’s Zoo and Jungle Gardens

If you’ve been following along with our adventures, you know that many of them take us off the beaten path. Well, recently that changed. Instead of a path, it was a river. The destination?  An old tourist attraction even Tarzan would appreciate.

Trapper Nelson Interpretive Site

Three miles down the Loxahatchee River, where it meanders through the Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, is Trapper Nelson’s Zoo and Jungle Garden, or what is left of it. The site is accessible only by canoe, boat or by tour boat.  On the day of our visit, we chose the tour boat, the Loxahatchee Queen III, piloted that day by Captain Dan.  The slow excursion offered views of tropical vegetation and wildlife – manatees lazily gliding through the water, an eagle soaring above, an osprey perched in a dead tree and an alligator hiding along the shore line.    

Osprey
Alligator 

Damsel Fly hitchhiking on the Loxahatchee Queen III

As our tour boat turned around near Trapper’s camp, we were dropped off near the original boat dock built by Nelson. Stepping off the boat, a park staff member greeted us and took us on a walking tour of Nelson’s camp. The hand-built Chickee hut, a water tower and Trapper’s cabin still stand. Inside the cabin, a museum of sorts is set up to portray Trapper’s life and his eccentricities. Photos of his early life on the river, his military career, and other memorabilia are on display for present-day visitors to see. A framed photo of coins found by park rangers during restoration supports the tales that Trapper was known for hiding money around his property. In 1984, more than 5,000 coins worth about $1,800 were discovered when mortar was pulled away near his fireplace.

Original boat dock built by Trapper Nelson
Huts
Water Tower 
One of two cabins on site
Memorabilia on display inside the cabin
Faded photo of coins found during camp restoration

Woodpiles still stand, a testament to the amount of wood Trapper would chop for himself.  A guest cabin that once welcomed visitors to the camp, is relatively bare, stripped clean by vandals following Nelson’s death. Many of the cages Nelson built to house the animals are still on the property.  Signs on the cages indicate what was once there – alligators, wildcats, and raccoons.

Wood pile 
The zoo 
Nelson’s Jeep on display

History of Trapper Nelson’s Zoo and Jungle Garden 

Trapper Nelson (aka Vincent Natulkiewicz) made his way to the area from New Jersey, accompanied by his brother Charlie and a friend, first heading west to Colorado by way of boxcars, and then to Mexico. It was there where Trapper was detained by Mexican officials on suspicion of gun-running.  His brother and friend were not captured.  Several weeks later, and with no real evidence against him, Nelson was released.  His next venture west to California proved to be unsuccessful and after a few weeks, he decided to return to New Jersey to meet up with his brother and friend.  It didn’t take long for the trio to decide to head south, eventually ending up in Jupiter.

Upon his arrival in 1931, he settled into a temporary hunting camp near the Jupiter Inlet, where he lived off the land, trapping animals and selling their hides. However, development meant less game, so in 1933 Nelson traveled up the Loxahatchee in a rowboat and set up his homestead where it is today.  Nelson continued to live off the land and would row nine miles to Jupiter to pick up his mail, buy supplies and sell his wares.  Although Nelson was considered a loner, as people learned of his camp, he became known as the “Wildman of the Loxahatchee.” It is said he could be seen jumping from a rope swing into the river.

Trapper Nelson with one of his alligators. 
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dickinson State Park

In the mid-1940s, Nelson turned his property into a wildlife zoo.  For the next 15 years or so, visitors from around the world came to see him wrestle alligators and wrap himself up in snakes. Folks who visited the site could stay in one of his cabins, buy souvenirs or rent rowboats, and of course, get a close up look at the many animals he had trapped.  Nelson used a lot of his profits buying up land at tax sales.  In all, he purchased nearly 1,000 acres along the river. 

Trapper chose to close his attraction to tourists in the early 1960s, citing his distrust of people, and ongoing rules and regulations by the state to keep it open.  A sign still hangs on one of the trees over the river warning people to keep out.  It is rumored that he would take shots at people who ventured too close.

The words are no longer visible, but what appear to be bullet holes remain

Little was heard from Trapper Nelson from the time he closed his zoo until he was found shot to death in 1968, his shotgun beside him.  Authorities ruled his death a suicide, although there are still some folks who believe he was a victim of foul play.

During his life, Nelson was actively engaged in efforts to preserve the Loxahatchee River and protect his land. After his death, his estate was sold to a developer, but a land swap with the Florida Park Service made it part of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, where it has been preserved and protected.

Hours 

Trapper’s is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 7 days a week,although the schedule may vary throughout the year.  If you are going specifically for the tour,call at 561-746-1466 or visit their website.  In addition to the cost of park admission, the ride on the Loxahatchee Queen III is $24 for adults, $14 for children 3 – 12, and free for children under 3.

FM Notes:  While researching for this article, I came across the book “Life and Death on the Loxahatchee: The Story of Trapper Nelson” by James D. Snyder.  The book includes interviews with Nelson’s surviving family members, along with photos from Nelson’s scrapbook found at the bottom of a file cabinet in the Park Service, and transcribed letters from Trapper Nelson to his family from 1951-1968. The latest printing was 2007 and is a must-read for those interested in Trapper Nelson’s story.

Nelson planted a variety of tropical fruit and vegetation 
Bamboo