“Florida Society, Children of the American
Revolution
2008-2009 State Theme
“Discovering Florida’s Roadside
Attractions”

State Program: The 2008-2009 Florida Society, Children of the American Revolution’s State
Program is to discover and preserve Florida’s Roadside Attractions that had their humble
beginnings in the days before Disney World and other modern amusement parks. Members are
encouraged to not only learn about the history of these attractions but also to travel and
experience as many as they can first-hand. Florida became a tourist retreat in the 1870s which
attracted residents from northern states who wanted to escape to Florida’s paradise. With the
natural beauty and relatively mild climate that Florida has to offer, steamboat tours became
one of the first popular attractions around the turn of the century when Florida’s population
began to boom. Many Floridians in an attempt to make some extra money from the tourist
bonanza began selling their own goods and entertainment along the roadsides of their
properties. The “Sunshine State” was born as families, towns, and companies attempted to beat
out their competition by promising the most exotic and necessary stop for vacationers. As the
tourism industry evolved, attention was turned to the flashier, more modern places like Disney
World and Busch Gardens. F.S.C.A.R. members are encouraged to refocus their attention
towards the little-known, eccentric places that illustrate the true flavor of Florida's culture.
Visit classics like alligator farms and orange groves, or take airboat rides through swamp
lands, but don’t forget the quirky and bizarre roadside attractions. Members may want to visit
Gibsonton “Circus Freak” Wintering Town near Tampa, the Monkey Jungle of Miami, Juan
Ponce de Leon’s long sought after Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, or even a drive-in
church in Cocoa Beach. These are only a few of the many attractions that can be found and
experienced throughout Florida.

State Project: The 2008-2009 F.S.C.A.R. State Project is to raise funds for the Museum of
Florida History. This museum, opened in 1977, is located in the heart of our state capital,
Tallahassee. The museum strives to “collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret evidence of past
and present cultures in Florida, and also to promote knowledge and appreciation of this
heritage.” The museum’s collections and artifacts are continuously rotating to inform the
general public of Florida’s rich and colorful history. As a result, the collections range from
prehistoric times with a fully reconstructed mastodon skeleton found in Florida, to gold and
silver recovered from pirates and sunken Spanish galleons. It has on display a life-size partial
replica of a steamboat, a citrus packing house from the 1920s and 1930s, and much more.
FSCAR’s main focus is a collection entitled “Florida Tourist Memorabilia: 1890s to Present”
which contains such items as old-fashioned post cards, classic orange crates, highwaymen
paintings, and orange-themed china. Funds raised through F.S.C.A.R. pin sales and donations
will be used to help with preservation and expansion of this collection through the purchase of
items such as an antique alligator paw purse or carved alligator motif items in orange wood
and boar’s tusk ivory.