February 19, 2012: Silver Springs and The Villages

Cheryl Duplantis, my Mom, and I headed for Silver Springs. My mom hadn't been to Silver Springs since she was in 8th grade.   On our way, we stopped at one of the Florida orange stores and bought orange perfume, which Betsy had asked for me to get her if I found it.  All of us got one for ourselves, as it smelled so good.     Then, I drove by Jumbo Air in the town of Anthony to show Cheryl where John Travolta lives.   She thought that was so neat.


We got to Silver Springs and it started to rain. I was hoping it wouldn't rain all day, as this is an outdoor park.   


Here is some history on the park.


"Throughout history, Silver Springs has been a timeless oasis and a place of unparalleled beauty, offering respite to early settlers who drew sustenance from its 99.8 percent pure artesian spring waters.

In the early 1500s, Timucuan Indians settled in the area around Silver Springs which they referred to as Ocali, a sub province of Timucua. In 1539, the area was invaded by Spaniards, led by Hernando de Soto, looking to exploit wealth. After many battles, the Ocali Indians were able to retain their claimed territory.

In time, the Timucuans were succeeded by other Indian tribes including the Seminole Indians. When the U.S. Government attempted to move the Seminoles from Florida to reservations in the western U.S. in 1835, Chief Osceola and the Seminoles retreated to the southern swamps. His slashing of the treaty the U.S. Government representatives presented to him is the famous gesture that gained him the respect of the Seminole Indians, and many joined Osceola’s forces in future battles. Today, all of the Glass Bottom Boats are named in honor of those Indian leaders who fought in Florida.

In the 1850s, commerce was introduced to the Silver Springs area as barges carried cotton, lumber, and nonperishables up the Silver River to the area’s growing population. Hubbard H. Hart founded the Hart Line, a stagecoach connection between Palatka, Silver Springs, Ocala and Tampa. In 1860, Hart hired James Burt, who brought conventional steamboats to Silver Springs. From that point on, tourists flocked to see the crystal-clear waters that had attracted attention for centuries.
Silver Springs’ popularity flourished after Hullam Jones invented the glass bottom boat there in 1878. By installing a glass viewing box on the flat bottom of a dugout canoe, he created a window to an underwater world teeming with fish, turtles, crustaceans and fossils more than 10,000 years old. 


Six of the original Tarzan movies, starring Johnny Weissmuller, were filmed on location at Silver Springs.


Lost River Voyage opened to the public. The voyage begins where the "Sea Hunt" television series was filmed and continued one mile down the Silver River, show casing an untouched and untamed part of Florida. "             


We took a ride on the glass bottom boat which was nice.    I didn't realize how much lime stone there is around Florida.   We saw the beautiful fish.


Then, we walked around the grounds and came across the animal section. We enjoyed watching people feed the giraffe.  Then, we looked at the animal farm.


After Silver Springs, we drove to the retirement community, The Villages, near Leesburg, in order to see what changes had been made.      We had a wonderful lunch at Panera Bread.     Then, we walked around the shops and around the neighborhood where my mom and I stayed a few years ago.      The neighborhood reminds me of this perfect little street with perfect lawns and big homes.     


The Villages sits in 3 counties.  The third village is being developed. This will be the final phase.   It will have a western theme.


Cheryl Duplantis is so funny.  She was telling us about living home with her parents when she was 37 years old, but had to move out when she got her poodle, as her parents didn't want a dog. I thought it was so funny, as that is just like my story.      She said she loved staying home with her parents, as she didn't have to worry about bills and could spend her money traveling. She worked for a law firm in downtown Chicago.    She had some boyfriends, but never got married.       Her two sisters also have never married.   It felt good to know that I am not the only single gal out there and even if I never marry, it will be OK.     


We got back to Norm's house and had some dessert.  Cheryl and I stayed up until 1 a.m. talking. I told her my soap opera story that occurred back in Chicago when I was living there.