By Gary McKechnie

A few years ago, Old Florida’s Rick Kilby and I worked out the details of the ‘Seven Wonders of Old Florida’ competition. We began by taking nominations from our Facebook friends, selected the Top 64, and then divided them into brackets – Flamingo, Palm, Seminole, and Sunshine.

We had no idea that it would become such a popular and anticipated daily event. Nor did we realize that many of the nominees would be a mystery even to fifth-generation Floridians. It turns out that Florida is too large and diverse for anyone to know everything about what’s down the road.

Here are the contestants from the Flamingo bracket. Just click the links to access their information and location. We hope this list will lead you to new discoveries as you map out your own Old Florida road trip.

• Bok Tower (Lake Wales) MAP

• Micanopy (historic town south of Gainesville) MAP

• Gary’s Duck Inn (Orlando. closed now, was the inspiration for Red Lobster)

• Key West (the Southernmost city in the continental U.S.) MAP

• Don CeSar (historic hotel on St. Pete Beach) MAP

• Sanibel (an island paradise off the coast of Fort Myers) MAP

• Marineland (historic ocean attraction south of St. Augustine) MAP

• Lake Eola (the focal point of downtown Orlando) MAP

• Tarpon Springs (historic Greek village) MAP

• Country Roads (nearly everywhere you look)

• Castillo de San Marcos (17th century Spanish fortress in St. Augustine) MAP

• Fisheating Creek (pristine waterway west of Lake Okeechobee and north of the Everglades) MAP

• Daytona Beach (the birthplace of speed – and Spring Break) MAP

• Juniper Springs (refreshing spring between Ocala and Ormond Beach) MAP

• Weeki Wachee (legendary home of Florida mermaids) MAP

• Hotel Ponce de Leon (one of Henry Flagler’s grand hotels, now Flagler College) MAP

places to remember

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