Florida Heritage Sites
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Florida heritage sites remind us of our history.
It is important to understand the places and people in our past.
To do so is to give a sense of orientation and place in time to our lives.
It also helps us avoid some of the mistakes of the past, and appreciate some of our ancestor's achievements.
It's also just plain fun to see what went on before you came on the scene.
Florida history is rich in diversity. We can be proud of most of our history, but not all of it.
The first Native Americans began living here about 12,000 years ago.
COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE
Not long after Columbus discovered the New World, Ponce de Leon may have been the first European to discover Florida. He claimed it for Spain in 1513.
Nearly 500 years later, people continue to visit and move to Florida. It seems almost everyone you meet is from somewhere else.
A common question when you meet someone is "Where are you from?" The answer is often Michigan or Indiana or New York or New Jersey or some other northern state.
When I moved to Florida, the population was 4,951,560.
The Florida population estimate for 2009 is 18,300,000.
The answer to the "where are you from" in those days was often "Miamuh", or "Jacksonville", or some other Florida, Georgia or Alabama city, town, village or farm.
So about 13,000,000 people are in Florida now that were not here in 1960. Some were born here, most moved here.
That means many people have lost touch with the state's heritage. Florida heritage tourism is one answer to that problem.
A definition of heritage tourism or travel is:
"Traveling to experience heritage sites. These are the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and peoples of past and present Florida. It includes irreplaceable historic, cultural, and natural resources."
REMINDERS OF OUR RICH FLORIDA HERITAGE ARE ALL AROUND US
Whether you are a long time Floridian or a recent arrival, you will enjoy learning about Florida's past.
Heritage sites are all around you in the form of museums, historic neighborhoods, lighthouses, parks, battlefields, nature preserves, historic buildings and archaeological sites.
From St. Augustine’s ancient Castillo de San Marcos to the more recent 1930's vintage Miami Beach Art Deco historical district, there is something in Florida to interest everyone.
You can learn about Florida history and heritage from the resources in Florida-Backroads-Travel.com.
The information in this website relies heavily on the resources of the State of Florida Division of Historical Resources.
They have almost 1,300 sites listed in their Florida Heritage Tourism Interactive Catalog.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is also involved in identifying and helping to preserve Florida cultural and heritage landmarks.
The State has organized all of these sites in two ways: first, by the theme of the site, and secondly, by the county in which the site is located.
THE 23 FLORIDA HERITAGE SITE THEMES ARE:
- Archaeological Sites
- Cemeteries and Mausoleums
- Civic and Social Clubs
- Commercial and Industrial
- Educational Facilities and Campuses
- Florida Main Streets
- Gardens
- Heritage Trails
- Historic Attractions
- Historic Bridges and Spans
- Historic Districts
- Historic Movie Theaters
- Libraries and Archives
- Maritime
- Markers and Monuments
- Municipal Buildings
- Museums
- National Historic Landmarks
- Parks, Preserves, and Sanctuaries
- Performing Arts
- Sites of Military Significance
- Sites of Religious Significance
- Transportation
If you have a particular interest - say historic movie theaters - this list allows you to focus on your interest.
For Florida-Backroads-Travel.com, I have chosen to divide the sites into the 8 regions of Florida, and by county within the region.
These sites are available at the links below.
Northwest Florida Heritage Sites
North Central Florida Sites
Northeast Florida Sites
Central East Florida Sites
Central Florida Sites
Central West Florida Sites
Southwest Florida Sites
Southeast Florida Sites
In addition to the 1300 heritage sites identified by the State of Florida Division of Historical Resources, there are a lot of interesting sites that don't make the list but are still worth a visit.
For examples, hundreds of lost Florida tourist attractions may have closed down, but are still an interesting part of the state's heritage and history.
Also, there are hundreds of authentic old places and businesses in Florida that have survived the years while still retaining their original look, signage and charm.
Some of these places can be found at Retro Roadmap , and are also interesting to visit.
A very useful book that discusses over 300 of these cultural and heritage sites is by Murray D. Laurie and Doris Bardon, titled Florida's Museums and Cultural Attractions
Enjoy your adventures in Florida heritage travel.
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