What) The Dunlawton Plantation and Sugar Mill was a plantation
that was
destroyed by the Seminoles at the beginning of the Second
Seminole War
in 1835. In 1973, it was added to the U.S. National Register
of
Historic Places and is now part of a botanical garden.
You will
experience a collection of grasses, flowers, bushes, native
plants and
even orchids under a deep canopy of oak trees. (1)
Where) 950 Old Sugar Mill Road Open daily from 8am
- 5pm
1-386-767-1735
Why) Pam likes gardening so I usually include at least one
garden in
each climate zone we visit so she can see what is possible
where we are
travelling.
This
does not mean that I will take pictures of the flowers in
the garden
though.
The
Buckys rules just say that I have to take at least one
picture of
anything at each Buckys we visit.
This
picture was actually taken in the Ripley's
parking lot in St. Augustine but this Spanish Moss grew
on the oak trees here as well. (2)
This
dinosaur statue was somewhere on the Dunlawton site but I
never saw it.
(2)
What)
Several attempts were made to operate Dunlawton Plantation as
a tourist
attraction in the the 1950's. Dr. Perry Sperber leased the
premises
for a park to display prehistoric monsters and had
a number of replicas, molded in concrete on wire frames,
constructed.
The park was called "Bongoland" in honor of a large baboon
housed on
the grounds. An Indian village was also reproduced and a small
train
carried visitors around. But the day of the theme parks had
not yet
come and Bongoland was closed for lack of public interest. (3)
Why)
Would you believe that I was unaware there were going to be
dinosaur
statues at this particular garden?