Cauley Square Historic Village

If you are fan of "Old Florida" sites, then Cauley Square Historic Village is a place you might consider visiting. Plenty of old Florida buildings connected by a winding brick path completely engulfed in shade trees. Easy to get to - exit 11 off the Turnpike, US 1 and SW 224th st. My girlfriend and I managed to spend a few hours checking out the shops and antiques and finished with a nice meal at the Village Chalet. We plan to do it again soon and try the Tea Room in the near future. Check out their web site calendar of events. I found this for June 6th.

MUSIC UNDER THE STARS
AT CAULEY SQUARE
A MAGICAL NIGHT OF MUSIC AND ART

Fruit and Spice Park - Miami

One of the more unusual places I have visited is the Fruit and Spice Park in the Redlands near Miami. It is basically a 37 acre farm dedicated to fruits and spices. During the tour, our guide let us sample various fruits and spices right off the trees. I learned more about bananas than I thought possible. I had never seen so many mangoes in my life. The staff is very well versed in the plantings at the park. Check the website (above) to see the full list and see how really impressive that is. A great place to show the kids that not everything in this world comes from a box. I don't know if I would go back but it's now crossed off my to do list of off beat South Florida sites to visit

Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens opened in 1936 and like anything else is starting to show it's age. I was last there in the early 80's. I actually performed on the lake with an amature ski show team. It was a fascinating experience I will never forget. On a recent road trip with my daughter, I decided to pay a long overdue visit.

Cypress Gardens is, to be kind, past it's prime. There was a recent attempt to revive the park with a ride park which appears to be closed at this point. The water slide area was fairly well visited the day we went but the main gardens area was a ghost town. The ski show was as good as I remembered. The gardens are still the main attraction and were even more beautiful than I remembered. If you are passing by, and have some time to see an old, original, Florida theme park, by all means, stop by. Be sure and charge the camera. Something I forgot to do.