Florida

Name: Lost Attractions of Silver Springs
Brand: Tim Hollis
SKU: 9781467139564
Price: 17.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Florida history trumps the simple narrative of a beach read. St. Augustine’s story doesn’t begin with sixteenth-century Spaniards and Miami history didn’t begin unfolding with Henry Flagler and his railroad. Natives began arriving in the Sunshine State during the last ice age, millennia before snowbirds began migrating down to Mount Dora. From the legend of Hogzilla to the first slice of key lime pie, from Pensacola down to Key West, our catalogue of Florida history books teems with fascinating tales and innovative characters who saw swamp and envisioned paradise. [View all Florida books]

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Lost Attractions of Silver Springs

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Burdine's:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Gainesville Punk

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Boca Raton Resort & Club: Mizner's Inn

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Historic Sites & Landmarks of New Smyrna Beach

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Historic Jacksonville Theatre Palaces, Drive-ins and Movie Houses

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Historic Homes of Florida's First Coast

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Sarasota's Asolo:

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Lost Attractions of Silver Springs

9781467139564

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

For more than 50 years, there was no more iconic Florida tourist attraction than Silver Springs.

Its sheer popularity meant that the surrounding area—indeed, the entirety of Marion County—serviced the entertainment, gas, food, and lodging needs of millions of tourists annually. Visitors flocked to places like Ross Allen’s Reptile Institute, Tommy Bartlett’s Deer Ranch, and natural attractions like Rainbow Springs and Ocala Caverns. Sadly, as Florida tourism moved into the theme park era, scores of smaller attractions and their related businesses were abandoned. Author Tim Hollis revisits these once-thriving tourist spots and what happened when those tourists stopped coming.

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge

9781626190023

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Of the more than 5,200 bridges in the state of Florida, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning scenic Tampa Bay, is by far the most famous. But the award-winning bridge that residents and tourists cross on a daily basis isn't the first to hold the Skyway name. Numerous versions of the current bridge have stretched across lower Tampa Bay, and each has its own remarkable history. Nevin and Ric Sitler detail the suspension cables, concrete, nuts and bolts and political battles that combined to produce the fantastic history of the Skyway bridges and other historic Tampa Bay crossings. Join this father-and-son team on their journey across the historic bay.

Burdine's:

9781609493981

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The story of the Sunshine State's most famous store actually began in Bartow, Florida, where William Burdine and a partner founded a small dry goods store. When his partner left the business in 1897, Burdine made the decision to move his store to a dynamic frontier town on the far southeast coast of Florida--Miami. By the early twentieth century, many Floridians were familiar with Burdine's famous Sunshine Fashions that reflected the relaxed, subtropical locale and helped define the region's identity. Join Miami historian Seth Bramson as he relates Burdine's storied history, when the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor perused elegant displays and customers frequented the tearooms for a slice of the famous--and decadent--pecan pie. There will never be another store quite like Burdine's.

Gainesville Punk

9781626197671

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Known for The Fest, Less Than Jake and Hot Water Music, Gainesville became a creative hub in the 1980s and '90s for many of punk rock's greats.

Whether playing at the Hardback or wild house parties, earnest acts like Against Me!, Spoke and Roach Motel all emerged and thrived in the small northern Florida city. Radon burst onto the scene with chaotic energy while Mutley Chix helped inspire local torchbearers No Idea Records. Through this succinct history, author Matt Walker traces each successive generation's contributions and amplifies the fidelity of the Gainesville scene.

The Boca Raton Resort & Club: Mizner's Inn

9781596295278

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Boca Raton Resort & Club, originally known as the Cloister Inn, was designed by famed Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner to house prospective investors in his planned Boca Raton development. His dream, however, dissolved with the end of the Florida land boom and the 1926 Miami hurricane, as his Cloister Inn was acquired by utilities magnate Clarence Geist. Geist hired hotel architects Schultze and Weaver to design a major addition to the hostelry. Reopened as the Boca Raton Club in 1930, it became a principal employer and the primary tourist attraction in Boca Raton in ensuing years, its revival linked in many ways with that of the small community. Join architectural historian Donald Curl as he chronicles the lovely landmark that opened in 1926 as a small inn on Lake Boca Raton and has since become the city's most exclusive destination.

Historic Sites & Landmarks of New Smyrna Beach

9781626197664

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

New Smyrna Beach is the third-oldest city in Florida behind only St. Augustine and Pensacola. Originally settled by Dr. Andrew Turnbull in 1768, the city accumulated significant, intriguing and stunning monuments to its past. An unusual-looking memorial to world war heroes—a cross, battle helmet and eagle—sits at Riverside Park. One of the oddest sites is a single-stone cemetery with a vault dedicated to the memory of Charles Dummett. Because of the insects that inhabit Ponce Inlet, a well-known landmark was originally named Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse. Local author and historian Robert Redd guides readers through the iconic historical landmarks of Florida's Secret Pearl.

Historic Jacksonville Theatre Palaces, Drive-ins and Movie Houses

9781626197701

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Jacksonville's theatre and performance history is rich with flair and drama. The theatres, drive-ins and movie houses that brought entertainment to its citizens have their own exciting stories. Some have passed into memory. The Dixie Theatre, originally part of Dixieland Park, began to fade in 1909. The Palace Theatre, home to vaudeville acts, was torn down in the '50s. The Alhambra has been everyone's favorite dinner theatre since 1967's debut of Come Blow Your Horn. Local author Dorothy K. Fletcher revives the history of Jacksonville's theatres. Lights, camera, action!

Historic Homes of Florida's First Coast

9781626197268

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

Some of the earliest European settlers colonized Northeast Florida when it was little more than a wilderness. Today, the area is rich in multicultural heritage and historic significance, and its historic homes stand as a testament to its intriguing past. Step inside a Second Spanish Period structure that was home to European royalty and visited by iconic film star Greta Garbo. Visit the places that inspired works such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Yearling and British composer Frederick Delius's masterpiece, Florida Suite. Author and award-winning photographer Mary Atwood explores the homes of early colonial settlers, wealthy plantation owners, illustrious Florida artists and those responsible for shaping Florida's First Coast.

Sarasota's Asolo:

9781609491208

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

In the Sarasota summer heat of 1960, Florida State University students began an acting company that is now known as the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Performances were held in the Historic Asolo Theater, relocated from its home in Italy in 1950. Over the past fifty years, the Asolo Repertory Theatre has become a renowned fixture in the Sarasota community, thriving thanks to a remarkable collaboration between FSU, the State of Florida, the Ringling Museum and the Asolo's regional supporters. Follow retired Asolo actor and director Brad Wallace as he relives the magnificent history of this beloved institution.