Florida travel | Travel Thru History

Retracing the Footsteps of Ernest Hemingway

Key West Florida

by Edward Quan

With a reputation as a womanizer, a heavy drinker, all while pursuing high adventure such as big game hunting in Africa, Ernest Hemingway was one of America’s greatest novelists during the 20th century. He was also a highly disciplined writer who even after a long night of drinking, would rise at seven every morning to his private studio above his garage. This is where he composed some of his greatest literary novels, resulting in winning the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.

My journey to experience more of Hemingway’s legendary life began with a flight to sun filled Miami, home to some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in America. It’s a four-hour drive across the majestic Florida Keys islands to The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, located in Old Town district of Key West Florida, the farthest southern point in the continental United States. It’s a small island community surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean where you can actually view Cuba, which is only 90 miles away.

In 1928, Ernest Hemingway arrived at this tranquil island haven from Paris with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, an accomplished journalist and contributor to Vogue Paris fashion magazine. The residence was a wedding gift from Pauline’s wealthy uncle Gus Pfeiffer, given to them in 1931.

Built in a Spanish Colonial style, this two-story residence stands in grandeur painted in white with mustard color shutters, framing its large bay windows. Above, roof covered balconies surround the upstairs bedrooms offering a quiet sanctuary from hot summer days. Lush green gardens filled with colorful flowers surround the property, like a rich tropical oasis. It was and still is the largest residential property on the island of Key West. Located across the street from the front gate is the Key West lighthouse, which opened in 1848. This six and one-half story tall white tower was an important landmark for Hemingway personally, as it helped him find his way home after each night of drinking.

As I toured the house, you are immersed with Hemingway’s remarkable literary achievements. Each bedroom commemorates one of his great novels. The rooms are filled with personal mementos such as European hand carved antique furniture, life size trophy heads and animal skins from his African’s safaris and hunting trips from across the American west. He drew his inspiration for his boundless writings from many of these treasures.

Across from the main house and high above the garage Hemingway’s private studio features an old manual typewriter on a rich mahogany table, paired with a sturdy leather-covered chair. The walls are covered with more of his personal hunting trophies. Shelves filled with his hardcover books sit between the floor to ceiling bay windows. You can sense Hemingway’s true discipline as a writer when entering his studio; everything seems to have its place.

The most lavish feature of his residence is the 60 foot long, 24 foot wide, 10 foot deep in-ground aqua blue colored swimming pool, carved from the same solid coral bedrock which Key West Island sits upon. In the 1930’s, no one had a swimming pool, as there was no fresh running water on the island. Therefore, the 80,000-gallon lighted swimming pool had to be filled by drilling down to the salt-water table and pumping the water into the pool. Filling the pool took nearly three days and during the summer months, salt water would only stay fresh for a few days. As a result, each week the pool had to be drained, the pool surfaces cleaned of algae, and then refilled again.

The cost of building the swimming pool was US$20,000, which was outlandish considering that Gus Pfeiffer only paid US$8,000 for the entire property. Hemingway is the one who proposed building the pool, yet he complained bitterly to Pauline about its high expense during construction. Our tour guide shared with us a story of Hemingway throwing down a penny at Pauline’s feet on the pool patio shouting, “Pauline, you’ve spend all but my last penny, so you might as well have that!” As Hemingway’s novels were rewritten as screenplays for motion pictures, Hollywood producers and movie stars were calling and Pauline was determined to host the most extravagant poolside parties on the island. Today, you can view a penny embedded in the concrete pool patio, which memorializes Hemingway’s lost battle with his wife.

As I explored the residence grounds I came across several cats, all named after Hollywood stars from the 1930’s such as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Hemingway’s household included a six-toed white cat named Snow White, which was given to him by a ship captain. Sailors considered these unique cats to be good luck, as they were very effective at catching vermin on board ships. Today, the only residences of The Hemingway Home and Museum are 47 polydactyl (six-toed) cats and it is believed that Snow White descendants live on the grounds today. Your average household cat has five front toes and four back toes. With the polydactyl gene in their DNA, that allows them to produce six-toed off spring.

Unsurprisingly, Ernest and Pauline Hemingway divorced in 1940 resulting in Ernest moving to his summer house in Cuba with fellow correspondent Martha Gellhorn, soon to be wife number three, for the next chapter of his dramatic life.

The Hemingway House and Museum gives you a unique window into the influence and legacy of one of the greatest writers of our time. It is well worth a visit during your next trip to Florida.

Key West Ultimate Island Experience

If You Go:

♦ The Hemingway Home & Museum 907 Whitehead St. Key West, Florida. Guided tours available. Hours: 9 am – 5 pm, open every day including holidays.

♦ Key West has an airport, cruise ship terminal and is the start of US Highway 1. Rent a vehicle in Miami and experience one of my top ten US scenic drives; Highway 1, a 113-mile drive over 42 magnificent bridges across Florida’s Keys coral islands. Majority of the highway is only two lanes; allow up to four hours driving time from Miami.

♦ Caribbean hurricane season is from summer to fall, recommend the winter months to avoid rainy days.

♦ Truman Hotel, a trendy boutique hotel in the heart of Key West. Easy walking distance to Hemingway’s House & Museum and Duval Street with restaurants, bars and shopping.

♦ Two local flavors that you must experience when visiting Key West. Crispy conch fritters, a large shelled sea creature and key lime pie made from locally grown limes. No visit would be complete without a visit to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant on Duval St. for drinks and souvenirs.

Key West Pub Crawl

About the author:
Edward Quan is a fashion and travel writer with a background as a European luxury fashion buyer. He lives and breathes the world of high fashion. From the style capitals across the globe, he shares their influences on designer fashion from art and culture, music and cinema, to history and architecture. Writing exceptional stories on personal style while traveling well, featuring the latest news on the fashion scene, luxury hotels and resorts, fine food and wine and of course, shopping. Learn more about Edward Quan by visiting his fashion column Style Drama that appears in The Bahamas Weekly In addition, he is a guest journalist with Retail-Insider, and member of the BC Association of Travel Writers.

All photos are by LM Quan:
The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Old Town district of Key West, Florida.
One of the many photos on display that chronicles Ernest Hemingway’s life and times during his nine years in the Florida Keys.
Pauline, Ernest Hemmingway’s second wife, pursued a luxurious Hollywood lifestyle with extravagant poolside parties.
Ernest Hemingway studio resides above his garage with his desk and manual typewriter surrounded by his personal mementos.
One of 47 polydactyl (six-toed) cats that reside at the Ernest Hemingway House and Museum.

Key West, Florida

Where Pictures Speak More Than A Thousand Words

by Roy A. Barnes

Key West, Florida, has come a long way from its days in the earlier 20th century when novelist Thelma Strabel wrote in 1940, “There is nothing for restless people to do. It is quiet and careless and charming.” I found the Spring Break hotspot to be one of the country’s most touristy places on the surface. Yet here, amidst all the sailboats, warm and breezy tropical conditions, outdoor cafes lining the city’s main drag called Duvall Street where the words “I’ll have Key Lime Pie” is uttered over and over, I found a place where its quirky aspects make it a memorable . For those things that reflect the culture, traditions, and unique flavors resonate more with me than the typical tourist quest to find “Margaritaville.”

Why did the Key West Chickens cross the road?

I soon found out while walking in Old Town that one doesn’t just share sidewalks with droves of locals and tourists wearing short shorts, but many other two-footed creatures who have ditched any clothes altogether: chickens. While these fowl have been around for almost two centuries, their numbers especially grew in the 1950s after Cubans fleeing Cuba brought them for use in cock fighting, food, and eggs. Their numbers multiplied over time after cock fighting was outlawed and grocery stores provided easier access to eggs and poultry. The roosters don’t just crow with the sunrise either as I found out at 230 a.m. in my hotel room. Nonetheless, there’s what seems to be an uneasy tolerance for the chickens’ presence here because they do feast on pesky insects, even though they have irritated many locals because of where they choose to poop, trespass, etc. This has resulted in various plans and schemes to deal with them over the years in what’s been called the “Great Key West Chicken Controversy” or “Key West Chicken Wars.”

I noticed that chickens will often scamper at the sight of a camera, but if you really want a good picture of them, they are more apt to stay put as you focus your camera at the post office on 400 Whitehead Street, which is just a couple of blocks west of the main drag Duvall Street.

Those sunsets, those sunsets!

A setting sun has this ability to captivate the eyes of its admirers. I’ve seen beautiful sunsets in Wyoming, but I must say that the two I saw in Key West really gripped me so unexpectedly, for I never imagined sunsets being that impacting. I first watched one from the brick walkway of Mallory Square, which overlooks the Gulf of Mexico, and the other while on a sunset cruise.

As I got closer to Mallory Square to view my first Key West sunset, the sounds of blues music and the humming of the crowd dominated as I arrived at the adjacent outdoor restaurant called Sunset Pier. Many folks were snapping pictures as the setting sun tried to make it to the horizon before being overtaken by massive clouds, even while sailboats continuously darted across the gulf. At the square were other sights and scents I took note of, including the heavenly scent of buttered popcorn mixed with the saltiness of the sea, various musical and theatrical acts (which one performer employed his dog to take tips from the onlookers’ hands and deposit it in a bucket). One outspoken guy was selling Jesus to the onlookers as if Mallory Square were the tropical version of London’s Speakers’ Corner.

The next night’s sunset was even more impressive for me, as the Sebago Key West catamaran set sail around the shores of the island city via its “Champagne Sunset Sail” tour. The sun was still in full glory, but gusty winds helped to keep me and the other passengers cooler. I observed the other cruisers. They all seemed to be from another planet, given that their faces had this “never been stressed out look” on them. Jimmy Buffet music blared from the loudspeakers as the champagne and other liquid inducements flowed.

This place does seem to be the “land of the eternal summer,” for others who live in the Northern Hemisphere were retreating to the warmth of their domiciles while I was alone with my thoughts in the open waters. Once the sun set, the skies entertained my eyes with a violet-orange haze before total darkness came except for the lights of distant ships, glowing like distant Christmas trees. Never had darkness brought so much beauty.

“Conch Architecture”

I strongly advise travelers in Key West to get off the beaten path from the touristy Duvall Street, and walk through the surrounding residential neighborhoods of Old Town. It’s here where I found a respite from the hustle and bustle of traffic while getting a glimpse into a unique kind of architecture called Conch Architecture. This style compliments the various plantlife in the area like hibiscus, fiscus, gumbo limbo, and frangipani. Earlier settlers of Key West used lime made from burned Conch shells to help build their homes, which became known as “Conch Houses”, a name which would stick even as wood became the prime building material.

These homes implement different styles, influenced by New England, Gulf Coast, Bahamian, and African influences. To my eyes, they greatly reminded me of the old plantation homes still found in the “Deep South” such as seen in such movies like Gone with the Wind. They are built to help withstand the tropical climate. I especially noticed the sloping roofs, which help reflect the sun better and sent water down to the gutters more efficiently.

One of the best-preserved neighborhoods I found is just a few blocks from the pulsating energy of Duvall Street. From the intersection of Duvall Street and Truman Ave. (US 1), walk East several blocks until you get to Windsor Ave., then turn left and begin walking north (you’ll come to a fork which gives you the option of continuing north on either Elizabeth, William, or Margaret Streets) until you get to the Key West Seaport. This walk alone will give you a good idea of what a residential tropical neighborhood is like. Many of these homes sell for a million dollars and up, but admiring from the sidewalk is still free.

As for Duvall Street itself, I noticed that even popular chain stores like Walgreens have had their structures conforming to the “Conch” aesthetics.

See a Little “White House” Without All the Fuss

As a U.S. presidential history buff, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could easily visit a place where numerous Presidents of the United States stayed and performed their duties, most notably Harry S. Truman. He lived and worked at “The Little White House” for 175 days via 11 working vacations from 1946-1952. Even on “vacation” here, he still had to sign his name 200-600 times a day to help keep the country running in a place originally built for the US Navy’s base commander and paymaster in 1890. Unlike the other White House farther north, I didn’t have to make any special arrangements or go through any other fuss to walk around a property containing the 8,700 square foot house and nicely-manicured lawn and gardens. It’s in the midst of a quiet neighborhood, a short walk away from Duvall Street. I can see why our past leaders must’ve found the property to be a respite just as I did from the boisterous tourist crowds.

Besides Truman, other presidents have stayed here, so visiting means you’ve set foot on grounds that America’s most famous people have, like Dwight W. Eisenhower, who recovered from a from a heart attack here in late 1955 to early 1956. John F. Kennedy met with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1961 a few weeks before the Bay of Pigs. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have also stayed here. Other people of note who’ve used this place include former Secretary of State Colin Powell to hold peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2001 while Thomas Edison stayed here half a year in 1918 to conjure up some new weapons during World War I. The Defense Department was created here by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Private Key West Sunset Sail

If You Go:

♦ Sebago Key West
♦ Harry S. Truman Little White House:
♦ Florida Keys Tourism:

Small-Group Key West Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour

About the author:
Roy A. Barnes writes from southeastern Wyoming and is a frequent contributor to Travel thru History. The author attended a press trip sponsored by Florida Keys Tourism, but what he wrote is his own observations, and not vetted by the sponsor.

First Key West sunset photo by Yinan Chen from Pixabay
All other pictures credited to Roy A. Barnes, Carol Tedesco, and Carol Shaughnessy, and may not be used without permission.

Exploring the Florida Keys by Kayak

by Roy A. Barnes

The Florida Keys are made up of some 1,700 islands. From Miami to Key West, this archipelago stretches over 150 miles alone. It’s here where I found some unique saltwater kayaking opportunities stretching from Cow Key to Key Largo.

Kayaking through the Cow Key Channel

The two hour, 1.5 mile roundtrip through the Cow Key Channel beginning at US Highway MM (mile marker) 4.1 (just outside of Key West) with Lazy Dog Kayak Guides involved a steady current that’s heavily influenced by the two high and low tides coming from both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean each day. The firm breeze helped to counter the muggy conditions. Bethany and her four-legged companion Tucker (a.k.a. “Mr. T”) served as our guides.

Through her guidance as we kayaked through open waters 2-10 foot deep, a natural mangrove creek and one “hurricane hole” (a pond surrounded by mangroves that offer more protection from hurricanes), I got an up close and personal view of primary Red Mangrove trees, whose prop roots filter out about 95 per cent of the saltwater while the trees’ leaves sacrifice themselves to filter out the rest of the salt so the trees can have “potable” water. Their death means decomposition in the channel, which creates the soil ingredients to build up the small islands.

In my 12 foot Perception model, I heard the soundtrack of Osprey, Great Blue and White Heron as I paddled through the waters, ranging in depth of two to ten feet. Bethany often stopped alongside the mangrove growth to educate our group about the plant and animal life thriving here, letting us hold them, like the prickly-feeling Florida Spiny Sea Star, and the Sea Cucumber, which has the feel of its vegetable counterpart. She was excited when she came across a government-protected Queen Conch, a large creepy-looking snail that would make the subject of a good horror film.

Venturing to the Key with “No Name”

Just four miles off of US 1 at MM 30, I found a more isolated, off the beaten path world, where I kayaked roundtrip over a couple of hours in waters 1-18 feet in depth from Big Pine Key to the No Name Key (where the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion was staged). The winds whistled through the palms on a mostly cloudy morning and afternoon, helping to keep the heat and mugginess in check. Our guide from Big Pine Kayak Adventures was Bill Keogh. He’s kayaked 800-plus of the Florida Keys.

Like Bethany at Cow Key, Keogh’s four-footed friend joined, a friendly mixed breed named Scupper, who quickly won my fondness. As we set off from Big Pine Key, the scent of sulfur permeated my nostrils because of the decomposing seagrass which this key catches from Florida Bay. Getting to No Name Key meant crossing the Bogie Channel’s choppy waters (about a 1/3 mile long) in a 12 foot Vapor that weighed 50 pounds.

When I looked down into the more shallow waters, I caught the sight of flat Turtle Grass, round Manatee Grass, and soft-looking Shoal Grass waving back and forth. Being out in this wide channel heightened my sense of isolation from the hustle and bustle only a few miles away. My eyes took in the sight of a kettle of turkey vultures heading south for winter. Arriving at the No Name Key, we paddled into a deep mangrove forest via a very narrow creek, so narrow that I dismantled my paddle into halves, using one along with low-hanging branches to navigate hundreds of feet. But awaiting my camera was a camouflaged Yellow-Crowned Night Heron bouncing around from tree to tree as well as a variety of crabs climbing the densely-packed branches.

Breakfast and pelting rain in Boot Key Harbor

“Kayak Dave” said this about how one paddles a kayak, “It’s like sex, so long as you’re having fun, it doesn’t matter how you do it!” He admonished me to turn my body more instead of my elbow during my three mile roundtrip to and from Boot Key (where Radio Marti broadcasts to Cuba take place) as light to moderate rain pelted me from above the first half of my journey. Thunder and lightning thankfully weren’t part of the storm. We started out at Sombrero Beach on Marathon’s Vaca Key, facing the Atlantic. This Key is named for “the cow of the sea,” the manatee. Vaca is Spanish for cow.

En route to Boot Key via Boot Key Harbor my eyes caught sight of million dollar homes sharing the shorelines with red mangrove forests. The snowy egrets were plentiful, but very camera shy when approaching them for a close up shot. My 12.5 foot, 44 pound Cobra Navigator was much more prone to capsize as I navigated through this Key’s creek. The tree branches created such an obstacle that leaning into them wrongly could result in capsizing. “No-see-ums” (biting midges) terrorized my eyes inside the still waters, but I was covered up otherwise, avoiding further torture. I at least caught my first glimpse of a yellowish nurse shark as it swam at the bottom of the creek.

The longest 1.5 miles in the Key Largo area

I’d never forget the challenges I faced over 1.5 miles using a sea kayak the first time. One of the realities of this sport is that weather plays a pivotal role on one’s experience. I set off from Key Largo into Garden Cove in a Current Designs 17 foot, 52 pound sit-in model. The 25 knot winds immediately caused me to drift about in the rough waters either because my foot pedal adjustments (foot pedals move the rudder) made on shore didn’t lock in and/or I didn’t keep my feet fully on them.

It came at a time when I needed to cross an area shared by motorboats; and thus, fear almost got the better of me. But thankfully, my guide Todd of Florida Bay Outfitters and another really skilled kayaker came back to “rescue” me, getting on both sides of my vessel to readjust the foot pedals. I made my way southward down North Sound Creek, which separates Key Largo from Rattlesnake Key. It was here where I’d see the beginnings of another red mangrove island, as numerous red mangrove trees were scattered about like an archipelago obstacle course.

For as the gusts of winds blew this way and that in the creek (which were less strong), I found myself getting stuck against the trees, which meant that Todd had to fall back from the rest of the group to bail me out. I’ll admit that the wind is something that I found hard to deal with even as sunny skies above at least kept me dry. Nonetheless, as we ventured back to Key Largo across the cove, the guide had to tow me in the headwinds part of the way. Still, I had to still paddle my kayak, trying to emulate the strong motions he did in leading me safely, even as the swells hit my boat, splashing salt water on my jacket, face, and mouth. I found shelter against some mangroves while waiting for him to come back with others.

Florida Keys Private Snorkel n’ Sandbar Party for Small Group

If You Go:

♦ Lazy Dog Kayak Guides: www.lazydog.com
♦ Big Pine Kayak Adventures: www.keyskayaktours.com
♦Kayak Dave’s Adventures South Florida Kayak Tours: www.kayaktoursflorida.com
♦Florida Bay Outfitters: www.kayakfloridakeys.com
♦Florida Keys Tourism Council: www.fla-keys.com
(Tours and equipment used are subject to change.)

Key West Full-Day Power Adventure: Sailing and Water Sports

About the author:
Roy writes from southeastern Wyoming, and is a frequent contributor to Travel thru History.
Disclosure: The writer attended a press trip sponsored by Florida Keys Tourism Council but what he wrote were his impressions that were not vetted by the sponsor.

All photos by Roy A. Barnes and may not be used without permission.

Miami’s Indian History

Miami, Florida

by Inka Piegsa-quischotti

You can’t visit Miami without being reminded of the Seminoles, the Miccosukee and the Tequesta, South Florida’s native American ancestors. What better pastime for a rainy Friday afternoon than leaving the glamour of South Beach behind and diving into the exciting history of the Indians with a visit to the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, located at 101 West Flagler Street in downtown Miami.

On entering a museum, you do not necessarily expect to be greeted by the sound of excited children, squealing in delight. But that’s exactly what happens, when you visit on what the museum offers as a “Family afternoon”. The first thing that distinguishes the HMSF from rather awe inspiring places like the British Museum in London or the Prado in Madrid, is that this a what I call a ‘hands on’ venue which has a unique way of bringing history to life. Combining entertainment with education in a way which enthralls even smaller children is no mean feat!

The fun already starts at the entrance where the visitor is greeted by a multi colored huge statue of Florida’s signature bird: the flamingo. The flamingo in question is not only colorful but also wears boots and glasses. The tone is set! Climbing the sweeping staircase to the main exhibition hall on the first floor, my eyes are met by a spectacular mural depicting the most important archaeological find in recent years in Miami: The Miami Circle.

As is so often the case, the Miami Circle came to light by chance. In 1998 a work crew started excavations to lay the foundation for a new hotel and apartment block on Biscayne Boulevard between Flagler Street and Brickell Avenue Bridge bordering the Miami River. Below grass covered mounds, they discovered a huge circle of rocks with deep round holes cut into it.

Building work was stopped and the Historical Museums’ archaeologists got involved in unearthing an ancient sacred site belonging to the prehistoric Tequesta Indians, whose presence on the banks of the Miami River were known to the Spanish conqueror Ponce de Leon in 1513. The big surprise and historical relevance of the sacred site was that the Tequesta population and culture was much older than originally thought. Named “First Arrivals” many artifacts recovered from the site are now exhibited in the museum and the big mural gives a first hand impression of the Tequesta’s life and ceremonies.

Excavations of the Circle continue and the Tequesta ancestry of Miami is being commemorated and honored by a park with the circle as its center piece and due to open to the public at the end of this year.

The Museum is not only dedicated to the Indian past of Miami and South Florida but also to the founding fathers – and mothers – of the city, like Henry Flagler and Julia Tuttle. In fact is gives a comprehensive over view with a sin fin of exhibits, photographs and videos.

A big part of the first floor is reserved for the Seminole and the Miccosukee culture and that’s where my primary interest lies. Both tribes, which are closely related, came to Southern Florida from Georgia in the early 1700 and were originally Creek Indians. Fierce and proud people, they have a history of fearless wars and an indomitable spirit of survival.

Paintings and documents trace the Seminole’s and Miccosukee’s past to today’s habitat in the Everglades. Dividers in the museum floor re-create Indian dwellings, fishing implements and their elaborate and multi colored jewelry and patchwork clothes. And that’s where I found the happy children!

On Family Friday Afternoons, the kids are allowed to actually touch selected museum pieces, to climb into early settler’s huts, and to dress up in clothing provided by the museum. Adults too can play at pirate with hats and plastic swords. Small wonder, that this museum is a hit when it comes to teach children their own history.

I was lucky to meet the curator, Jorge Zamanillo, who allowed me to visit the museum’s storage facility where I could marvel at the immense collection of beautifully crafted feather head dresses, bead jewelry and patchwork clothes, all finely stitched by hand. Hand woven baskets and Seminole dolls complete the picture of their culture. The exhibits rotate and are kept and maintained in the vaults.

Back upstairs, I continued my turn around the exhibition floor. Miami did once have a street car and a fine example complete with bell, carried another lot of excited children who on Fridays are allowed to climb in and play passenger and driver.

Not forgotten is the tragic and heart rending story of the Cuban refuges who risked their lives in swimming nutshells to escape to the safety and freedom of the United States. You have to see one of those incredibly small and fragile boats to get a feeling for the despair which people must feel to risk a voyage across the Ocean defying storms, sharks, hunger, thirst, illness and the Coast Guard to make it to Miami’s shores.

Apart from the permanent exhibitions, the museum offers workshops and guided tours. The day I visited, a Cuban chef demonstrated downstairs how to make canapés in the shape of penguins from split dates, stuffed with cream cheese and decorated with wedges of dried mango as beak and feet. Needless to say, that parents and kids alike, joined in with gusto and you could even keep and eat the birds you made. All for free.

Apart from the workshops the museum runs a very popular program of guided tours. Dr. George, one of the museum’s historians, is a Miami institution and leads tours along the Miami River, a Night Walk and a Walk around the Art Deco District among others. These tours can only be booked directly thought the museum’s website.

The museum shop downstairs, offers a huge selection of books, postcards, memorabilia and souvenirs, which are hard to resist.

Rarely have I visited a museum which has so completely absorbed my imagination and made me long to learn more of all aspects of Miami’s and South Florida’s history. If a museum is capable of inspiring that desire I think it has fulfilled its mission.

If You Go:

Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 101 West Flagler Street, Miami Tel: 305 375 1492 Closed on Mondays, for further information, admittance, tours and opening times consult www.hmsf.org.

About the author:
Inka Piegsa-quischotte is an ex-attorney turned travel writer and novelist. She writes for online travel magazines and has two novels and a travel guide to Galicia/Spain published. She lives between Turkey and Miami.

All photos are by Inka Piegsa-quischotte.

Daytona Beach, Florida

Homes of Splendor, Speed and Spirit

by Roy A. Barnes

Daytona Beach, Florida, is known nationally as hosting the famed Daytona 500 and has been a hot spot for young hedonistic Spring Breakers to kick up their heels at “The World’s Most Famous Beach”, called that because from 1903-36, all land and speed records were set here. Yet this place is more than somewhere to get a nice tan or to escape from the wintry climates. This Florida coastal city offers more than just spring break opportunities!

The Casements: A Floridian Haunt of Big Oil

Back in 1918, John D. Rockefeller became upset when he found out that the Ormond Hotel was overcharging him because he was super-rich. He graced the Daytona Beach area during winters for his health, so this revelation that he was being “taken” didn’t set well with him. Rockefeller’s solution: he bought the grand home across the street from the hotel, which had been owned by a well-off preacher. This three-story domicile (originally built in 1912, but expanded to 14 rooms and 14 bathrooms by Rockefeller) features casement-style windows, which is where The Casements designation comes from. The home contains many of the Rockefeller family furnishings, pictures, and other artifacts, including an actual ledger used by the billionaire. The Casements is on a 70 acre site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It serves as an area cultural center for artists and arts lovers.

The Casements isn’t just a shrine to Rockefeller. On the third floor are two museums. One honors the Boy Scouts of America, featuring numerous patches, flags, and period uniforms from this renowned organization, with a heavy focus on Floridian troops. The other museum showcases Hungarian folk art and costumes.

Is the former home of Rockefeller haunted? According to one tour guide, back in 2003 or so, a sound of a crashing mirror or glass object rang through the house from the third floor, but it was discovered that no one was upstairs, and the object that made the apparent noise was never found. Rockefeller died onsite May 23, 1937 at the age of 97.

Eat Where A Former US President Crafted Walking Canes

The Cellar is the former wintertime stay of the controversial President Warren G. Harding. It was built as a Victorian home in 1907 by his father-in-law, who opposed his daughter marrying Harding. This Italian restaurant gets its name from the fact that it’s located downstairs. President Harding used to make walking canes here. The rest of the rooms in the house serve as private residencies.

Start out with a wide selection of antipasti dishes, as many of them come with vinaigrette dressings. I went with the Brescola con Insalata di Palma, which features lightly smoked flavored beef slices, and a light salad made up of heart of palm, fennel (root), and greens.

For your main course, The Cellar offers a generous selection of homemade pasta entrees (like ribbon pasta with roasted rabbit sauce called Fettuccine con Ragi di Coniglio), chicken, and meat dishes. I tried the Pollo Alla Lombardia, which was a tasty and tender stuffed chicken breast full of ricotta cheese and spinach that was roasted in a mushroom sauce. It came with vegetables that were agreeable to my palate.

As for dessert, The Cellar offers many homemade delights including several varieties of imported Italian gelato. I will advise that the chocolate desserts are not sweet. They are more European in tradition, in that they are more focused on the bitter chocolate taste rather than the sweetness aspect. Such included the Cioccolatissimo, which is a baby chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center, a chocolate sauce, and crème Anglaise served with gelato. I tasted more of the flour aspect of the cake than the sugar!

The cellar has a nice selection of red and white wines, as well as beer, including a couple choices of non-alcoholic, like Beck’s. The service is very friendly, and you won’t be rushed through dinner. Just like in the old country, the mealtime experience is done at a leisurely pace. When The Cellar is busy, you will hear quite the festive atmosphere because of the low ceilings.

Get Some Direction at the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse

Lighthouses have helped many ships navigate safely. This certainly applies to the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, which is just 12 miles south of Daytona Beach. It was put to use in November 1887, to serve as a guiding light for those ships navigating between St. Augustine and Cape Canaveral. The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse reigns as Florida’s tallest lighthouse, rising 175 feet into the air, and is only one of ten current National Historic Landmark Lighthouses in the USA. Once called the Mosquito Inlet Lighthouse, the name of the inlet was changed to honor the first European to explore Florida back in the 16th century, due mainly to attract more tourism.

John Mann, a retired school administrator from New Jersey, was my tour guide. His wife (a retired teacher) helped to get him hooked on lighthouses when she “dragged” him on some lighthouse tours around New Jersey for school field trips. Since the late 1980’s, Mr. Mann has visited hundreds of lighthouses in the USA and Canada! Mann wears a circa 1930’s all-year white uniform as he gives tours of the grounds, which includes the three restored homes of lighthouse keepers as well as six other lighthouse complex buildings. The Principal Lighthouse Keeper’s house serves as a comprehensive museum about sailing along the Florida coast, with numerous displays, artifacts, and even interactive exhibits where you can hear various sounds of the sea like tugboat horns and crashing waves. A special exhibit on the history and workings of lighthouse beacons and Fresnel lighthouse lenses is housed in another building on the grounds.

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is one of the best restored and maintained lighthouse complexes in this nation. The actual walkways are made up of the 15 million bricks that were shipped from Maryland and New York to construct the buildings. Mann easily walked the 203 steps to the top of the lighthouse viewing area. Now, only during special events can people climb another ten steps to get a look-see of the lighthouse’s 1933 Fresnel Lens, which shines out some 18 miles into the Atlantic.

Lighthouse keeping was a lonely, but rather good living for those who took part. Back in 1896, a keeper made as much as 760 dollars per year and got free housing. Outside the complex, visitors can partake in a coastal woodland nature walk and view a cat cemetery that honors the lighthouse kitties who gave companionship to the keepers!

Daytona is Home to NASCAR

No visit to Daytona Beach would be complete without a stop at Daytona USA. It’s on the same grounds as the 480 acre Daytona International Speedway, and features an interactive museum full of race car-themed history exhibits and simulated racing attractions. One such attraction is a roller coaster like ride called “Daytona Dream Laps”, where you can experience what it’s like to race in the Daytona 500. The admission price includes a tour of this great American race track. If you happen to visit during practice runs or time trials, I will warn you that the sounds of the speeding race cars is quite piercing, especially outside of the stands, which can hold close to 168,000 fans, not including the infield crowds, which bring roughly another 80,000 fans in during The 500!

To go with your visit to Daytona World, stop near the former home of Daytona’s great racing track on the beach for some excellent racing atmosphere and great food. It’s called Racing’s North Turn Beach Bar & Grille. It’s just north of the old Daytona racing course’s North Turn, where many car and motorcycle races took place before the International Speedway began hosting the Daytona 500 in 1959. There is something really special about coming into a place that’s full of Daytona racing memorabilia, made up of a lot of autographed pictures of past and present racing stars in both motorcycle and auto racing. Did you know that fans of such icons like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jarrett, can come in and sit at booths that honor these stars of NASCAR? The racers themselves have eaten in these same booths!

As for the food itself, you’ll get big portions! Start out with one of their appetizers, which are under the “Ignite Your Appetite” section, and include such treats as the chili-topped Ultimate Nachos and the Home Style Chili which came with some really tasty garlic bread topped with mozzarella cheese. Racing’s North Turn offers a great selection of fresh seafood, including their Lobster Ravioli and a wide choice of Back Stretch Sandwiches that contain a number of Basa and Mahi fish selections. Desserts come under “The Finish Line”, and include tarts and cheesecake.

Richard Petty Driving Experience at Daytona International Speedway

If You Go:

The Casements: 25 Riverside Dr., Ormond Beach, FL 32176 (next to Daytona Beach). 386-676-3216. Free Admission.
The Cellar: 220 Magnolia Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32114. 386-258-0011. www.thecellarrestaurant.com
Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse: 12 miles south of Daytona Beach at 4931 S. Peninsula Dr., Ponce Inlet, FL 32127. 386-761-1821. www.ponceinlet.org Admission charge.
Daytona USA: At the Daytona International Speedway: 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114. 386-947-6800. www.daytonausa.com Admission charge.
Racing’s North Turn: 4511 South Atlantic Avenue, Ponce Inlet, FL 32127. 386-322-3258. www.racingsnorthturn.com

About the author:
Roy A. Barnes is a past contributor to Travel Thru History and writes from southeastern Wyoming. Disclosure: Roy A. Barnes attended a Daytona Beach press trip, but he wasn’t told what or how to write about what he experienced by the sponsor.

Photo credits:
Daytona Beach welcome sign photo by tsreptilien from Pixabay
All other photographs are by Roy A. Barnes.