Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
One of the best things about Florida is that some things never change. In a strange land where it seems things like roads, subdivision and strip malls come and go like the wind, history is hard to keep a hold of. Things get dug up and tossed. Buildings get leveled and built over. In the course of the American road, many things have changed over and over again. Thank God there are some places that stay the same. Florida has a few of those. Sitting in a bubble of time that hopefully will never pop, people can still experience simpler, more sunshiny times…
While Interstate 95 has some cool stops, if you really want to explore the old Florida you will have to get on off of there. You’ll have to jump off of 10, 75 and 4 as well. The original roads that have always been traveled through the state are still here and easily traveled. Quite a few Florida old timers really appreciate roads like US1 and Hwy 17 because they were alive when those roads were dirt and a whole lot more difficult to get down.
My Grandpa remembered when US1 was a one lane road. In my imagination I see a road trip through the state in the early 1900’s as an adventure. Like some expedition through the Amazon. The roads were all dirt and half the time were washed out by rain or creeks. Swamps, there were a lot more swamps than today. Swamps where travelers could, accidentally or otherwise, come face to face with gators, water moccasins, and other pleasant wildlife.
Mud was a big deal, wagon wheels and later autos would be bogged down regularly along the trip. When the trains came in that made life immensely better, unless the track was messed up somewhere or you were attacked by Seminoles. When you realize what a nightmare it must have been to try and get through this state, it makes you wonder why on Earth anyone would want to.
Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
The reasons are much different than they are today. Of course there were always the bloodthirsty businessmen, adventurers out scoping the next big deal or, in Fla’s case, scheme. Real estate and agriculture were two large business opportunities that the state presented. When it came to visitors though, our tourists and snowbirds (people who stay here for the winter) back in the day came here for their health.
It wasn’t the glorious beaches, Disney, Miami or any of those other popular attractions… Nope. It was to sit holed up in some rented bungalow in St. Augustine, breathing in the hot, sticky and incredibly humid wet air, praying to God that you lived through your tuberculosis. Many people viewed the state as a sort of hospital for respiratory problems and many doctors prescribed time here as medicine. If you survived the road trip that is…
Of course things are much better nowadays. The roads are paved, and though they can be a bit rough in spots, the alternative is construction which in this state, could last for the next three generations. So bumping along is not so bad, especially when you consider all of the cool things you may see along the way.
Your going to have to look for them though. Some of the neatest things are attractions that Floridians have set up in their front yard or whatnot. The owners probably live there or very close so messing around is not encouraged if it’s empty or “deserted”. Side note here, being that the state is overpopulated, it is rare to find anything that is actually deserted. It may look that way, but some damn people will be along shortly believe it.
Anyway, you will have to look for stuff. It’s there and it’s worth it but most of your trip will probably look like this.
The towns are stretched about every 25 miles or so apart no matter where you go. A lot of that space is woods. Barren, boring, planted no less, pine forest. So be prepared.
Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
United States Highway 1 – North Jacksonville to Miami
Highway US 1 will take you first through Jacksonville and on into Bayard, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Titusville, Fort Lauderdale and on to Miami. The towns I write about here are some of the more mentionables with some very neat things. Jacksonville has its own wonderful slice of Black History with the Ritz Theater. One would never know that this city was actually one of the first places where the Blues were created but it was. Ray Charles, Zora Neale Hurston and others called Jax home once.
South of Jacksonville is a small town called Bayard. It’s not really a town, more of an area, but one of the coolest villages of shops is here. It’s been here since the late 1950’s. I ran into Brooke Shields on the steps of the now gone, big house in the early 80’s. I was like 7 or 8? She was filming Brenda Starr in town. My best memory of Bayard.
Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
They have a huge barn full of stuff and multiple little cottages to explore. On a side note, Florida is full of sweet flea markets. They are usually located near a major Interstate and can range from 20 booths to 500 or more depending on which one you find. Food, music, pets, etc… They have a little bit of everything in the Florida Flea Markets.
A few miles down the road is St. Augustine where you will be drenched in the history of the nation’s first and oldest European continuously occupied city. Circa 1565. You might want to grab you one of these ghost kits before you go… St. Aug is well known for its ghosts. They also have an awesome nightlife scene reminiscent of something out of old world Spain. Be sure to take a walk down St. George Street and feel the vibe of our great nation’s first colonies.
Great music and food. Be prepared for something totally different as you move on up the road to Daytona Beach…
Little side note: When in Bunnell, Florida, it is imperative to maintain your speed. It is not a place to mess around. To avoid any unnecessary time in this town, take a more enjoyable side trip on to East 100. This road will take you out to Flagler Beach and A1A. A right on A1A will give you a heavenly surf kissed ride on into Daytona Beach.
Built on speed you would think that Daytona would be full of the worst drivers. Not really, we’ll leave that title for Jacksonville. It’s actually very surprising how well the young spring breakers, bikers, really old people and average joes get along together on the roads there. Daytona has an awesome beach.
Very possibly the World’s Most Famous Beach. Complete with that Santa Cruz, Lost Boys vibe, they have one of the longest running boardwalks complete with old school arcade, shit pizza and rides.
The ferris wheel is a classic.
A little farther south on A1A from the boardwalk is a restaurant called Top of Daytona. Volusia’s tallest building. It is one of those 1970’s architectural beauties that is at the top of a very tall commercial building and it originally did rotate. Really cool, snazzy place. It was damaged by the hurricanes a few years ago and has been closed, but if your in town, you can check on its status here.
Speaking of those flea markets mentioned earlier, if you head west on International Speedway a little ways you will find one really big flea market. Daytona’s is something else… I spent many a Saturday in there. From Helicopter rides to live bands you will have a good time.
Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
It is one long, hot and sandy road from Daytona to Titusville. Scrub trees, palmettos and scraggly bushes dot sandspur lined roads that shimmer in the heat and sun.
Stark blue sky is all you’ll see for miles and the ocean, stretching out forever on one side. The fruit stands and attractions peter out. Not much to see. There are some haunted sugar mill ruins in New Smyrna. Fishing.
Ocean. If anyone comes to Florida to see the Atlantic ocean, this is the road you want to take. All of the empty grass fields you will see will help you understand why Titusville was such a perfect place to start shooting off rockets.
Titusville is a cool spot if you are into the old 50’s signs, hotels and atmosphere. It is a time capsule, frozen in its heyday of 1950’s space madness. I can easily imagine the families of astronauts camped out in those same hotels, for weeks sometimes. Waiting on the training to end or the shuttle to finally be shot up into space with their men.
This is the home of the space program. Cape Canaveral and the Space Coast. One will find that this area is odd. It has the structure of the United States military, tinted with the rosy glasses of Florida living. The military is the big priority around here. In fact, Cape Canaveral was initially part of the early Cold War missile testing program. The program was moved from New Mexico to there.
Originally one of the first 1940’s naval bases in the state at Satellite Beach, Patrick Air Force base is where the space action is located and all of it is worth checking out. Definitely take a tour.You will notice going down the road that there are areas designated for people to pull over and watch a shuttle launch. Check here to see if there is one scheduled any time soon.
Titusville is not only known for the space program. It may not be as popular knowledge, but graves of the oldest prehistoric peoples were found there. Honors are given here to the man who was running the back hoe that day, and many, many more to the site supervisor. In a rare situation, when the backhoe scooped up a load of mud and human skulls, Steve Vanderjagt, called in his boss.
Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
The Florida State University archaeology department was called in shortly afterwards and it was found that some very old individuals occupied a bog burial site. Prehistoric individuals and the best thing of all was that they were so well preserved in the bog, that brain material was able to obtained from skulls and analysed for DNA.
You can check out the results of those findings here. The Windover site is a small and peaceful area which has been left as it was found.
You will not see a pond or bog here. Simply a memorial to the story and future of these very special souls. It is not far off of the highway and easily found on Google Maps.
Fort Lauderdale is like the gateway to the strange land that surrounds Miami Dade County. You are close to that strange, flamingo pink, fluorescent beacon sticking out like our own Las Vegas in the vast Atlantic ocean. There is that strange mix of well off elderly people and crackheads that is such an odd combination.
Falling down and scary hotels next to shiny and new ones. Leftover hurricane damage over everything. You are very far from the motherland now. Miles away from that Jacksonville/Georgia border that stands as a doorway to the rest of the United States.
Sand, infinite ocean and unrelenting, unforgiving sun. Sandspurs. It’s like a desert but you are surrounded by the ocean and right out there. Far off that beautiful coast, sits the deadly Bermuda Triangle. Just a reminder that no one is really safe at all here. Even though it’s quite shocking actually when you compare what you find to what you have been shown online and in pictures.
There are a lot of neat day cruises (they will even take you over to the Bahamas to swim with pigs). Ecotours, and neat things to see abound in Fort Lauderdale. One of those things is the tunnel that you will go through as you take US1 under the New River. It is the only one in Florida so enjoy.
From Fort Lauderdale you can easily find your way into Miami and beyond. If you want to see where US1 officially began, you’ll have to go all the way into Key West. That is where the famous Mile Marker 0 is.
Gifts from a Classic Florida Road Trip
Photos:
Cars in the swamp https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/florida/tree-tunnel-fl/
Man in the swamp https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/3945
Green Cove Springs https://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/greencovesprings.html
Reference:
Old Road Map
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/1946_numbering.jpg
US1
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/highwayhistory/us1.cfm
http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/student/lowe2/old_king_road.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Road_(Florida)
https://jaxpsychogeo.com/south/bayard-antique-village-hornes-beautyrest-cabins/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g34172-i128-k10917433-Anyone_know_what_s_happening_at_Top_of_Daytona_restaurant-Daytona_Beach_Florida.html
https://sevenages.org/archaeology/the-windover-bog-culture-floridas-hidden-history/
https://www.florida-backroads-travel.com/fort-lauderdale-florida.html