Herrmanns' Royal Lipizzan Stallions Training Grounds

                   

  The Lippizan breed was developed during the 16th century when the royal family of the Hapsburg Empire wanted a strong but agile horse for military use and riding. When WWII broke out the breeding stock was captured by the Nazis and moved to Czechoslovakia. For safe keeping the Austrians evacuated the stallions of the Spanish Riding School from Vienna to St. Martins, Austria. Both groups of horses were in danger of being destroyed during the bombing and advancement of the Russian army. The stallions were put under the protection of General Patton. The mares were smuggled to safely by Austrian Colonel  Podhajsky and soldiers under the command of General Patton with help from Colonel Herrmann Sr. and Colonel Herrmann Jr. 

  The Herrmann family had been breeding and training Lippizans in Austria for more than 300 hundred years at the time of WWII. They eventually immigrated to the United States where they continue to breed and train Lippizans. Visitors are welcome to attend practice shows on Thursdays and Fridays at 3pm, Saturdays at 10am – December through early May. Arrive early to get a good seat and visit the horses in the stable. Seating is in bleachers or you may bring your own chair and sit close to the ring. A donation (at least $5.00) is appreciated. Bring carrots or buy a bag to feed the horses before or after the show.

   A special paved area with a good view of the ring is reserved for visitors who have difficulty walking or use wheelchairs. Bring your own seating. Park as close to the entry gate as possible because the ground is sandy and soft in spots.

  The parking area is large enough for RVs.  Show

Mote Marine Laboratory Aquarium

  Mote’s main mission is marine research focusing on sharks, red tide and other environmental toxins, marine mammals, sea turtles, coral reefs and fisheries. They also care for and rehabilitate sick and injured whales, dolphins and sea turtles. Admission tickets include the aquarium, the research and rehabilitation center and the theater. The theater shows with interactive touch screens are a bit outdated and hokey. Skip them if you don’t have a lot of time.

  All of the buildings are accessible. We visited on a cool, rainy day and the aquarium was very crowded making it difficult to get close to the displays. The second level viewing area for the shark tank has two sets of steps but no ramp or elevator. The theater has movable seating. The location of the elevator to access the second floor of the research building is not marked on the map and there aren’t any signs pointing the way. Look for it on the outside of the building, to the left of the admissions booth. The sidewalk from the aquarium to the research center is in good condition with good curb cuts. Follow the turtles and manatees painted on the concrete.

  The parking lot is large enough for RVs.   Mote

Historic Spanish Point

   5,000 years ago Native Americans lived on the shores of this little finger of land which extends out into Sarasota Bay. Clamshells, fish bones, broken pottery and other discarded refuse eventually piled up to make large hills that served as burial and ceremonial grounds. The site was abandoned after 4,000 years with no sign of human habitation until the Webb family arrived from New York in 1867. The Webbs operated a citrus farm and built their own boats to get the fruit to markets in the Keys. In 1910 Bertha Palmer, widow of Chicago dry goods magnate, Potter Palmer, bought the point for a winter retreat. The property stayed in the Palmer family until 1980 when it was donated to the Gulf Coast Heritage Center. The shell mounds have not been disturbed very much and many of the buildings from the Webbs farm were used also by the Palmers. A mile long walking tour allows visitors a glimpse of what life was like for each of these very different inhabitants along this quiet slice of an otherwise very developed part of the Gulf coast.

  The visitor center and theater are accessible. The walking path is mostly hard packed sand with some sections of bumpy pavement and a short section of boardwalk. Wheelchair users may need some help due to the grades on the shell middens and a few sections of the path where the sand is loose. White Cottage, Point Cottage and the fruit packing house all have good ramps and are accessible. Guptill House is accessible on the first floor. A Window to the Past, the small museum inside the shell midden, is accessible. Mary’s Chapel, the fern walk and the jungle walk are not accessible due to steps. Neither the trams or the boat are accessible.

           

  The parking lot at the visitor center has a gravel section where RVs can park. A second lot is located about 1/3 of a mile from the visitor center. This lot accesses the walking path. RVs can park along the side of the road. We chose to stay in the visitor center lot and walk/roll to the path. Be aware that the road is very bumpy and watch for traffic.  Spanish Point

      

      

Visual Arts Center

   The Visual Arts Center offers classes for all ages in many different mediums. From February to early March they host a national juried art exhibition with 130 paintings and drawing displayed in three galleries. Other exhibitions fill the galleries throughout the rest of the year. This is a fairly short stop but well worth it if you’re in the area.

  Everything is accessible.

  RVs will fit in the lot if parked across the spaces. Center
 

Brownville Park Campground

   With only 24 sites and a boat launch on the Peace River that is popular with canoeists, this park can be busy on the weekends. However during the week it’s almost empty and very quiet. Amenities include restrooms with showers ( kind of shabby), electric and water hookups and a dump station.

  None of the sites are specifically accessible but most can be used. The parking pads are hard packed, crushed shell. Most of the tables are on concrete pads, level with the ground. The tables have short overhangs. The toilets are accessible but the shower stalls are not.

Most of the sites are very long with plenty of room for slide outs. Campground

Pioneer Park Days

The first Pioneer Park Day was in 1967. In the beginning it was a small gathering of antique gas engine enthusiasts who set their machines going for a few hundred visitors. It’s grown to include a large flea and antique market; a frontier camp with demonstrations; and a stage where bluegrass and country bands play all day for four days. There’s a small fee, $2.00 a day/$5.00 for all of the days, which includes admission to the Cracker Trail Museum.

  Most of the market and engine display area is hard packed, grassy ground so pushing is fairly easy but there are some soft sections. It’s also very big and the fumes wore us out so we didn’t make it through all of the aisles. The seating area for the stage is accessible and the bands are easily viewed from any section. The four bands that we saw were all excellent.

  The park has a small campground which fills early. The rest of the park is opened for dry camping so there’s room for everyone. Festival

       

      

Polk County History Center

  This little museum covers the early history of Polk County with nicely done exhibits and artifacts. Displays about the Civil War, cattle ranches, orange groves and tourism fill the rooms on the first floor of the old 1908 courthouse. Two of the rooms have hands-on exhibits for kids.

  Everything is accessible. The entrance on North Central Ave. has a ramp. The sidewalks and curb cuts are in good condition.

  One hour free parking is located along E. Main Street. RVs will fit by using two spaces.  Museum

        

       

Mead Botanical Garden

   If you’re in the area this is a nice little park to visit but don’t make a special trip. The park has a large camellia garden, a couple of small flower gardens that are a little overgrown, a short section of paved bike trail, interconnecting dirt trails that wander through the woods, a beautiful performance stage which looks like it doesn’t gets a lot of use and a boardwalk in need of much repair work.

  Most of the park is not accessible due to soft ground and slopes.

  RVs can park lengthwise across the parking spaces. Watch for low hanging branches.  Garden
      
      

Gatorland

  Hundreds of gators! If you want to see alligators while visiting Orlando this is the place. We were a little hesitant about Gatorland because we thought that the animals would be hugely exploited for our entertainment but most of it was okay. Watching the gator wrestling and the added attraction where members of the audience can sit on the back of an alligator (for a fee) was not enjoyable for us but the breeding marsh is great. Native birds have made the marsh a nesting ground and there’s a lot of activity. The marsh is home to 100 female and 30 male gators so even though very little alligator merchandise is sold by the park it appears that Gatorland is an active alligator farm, something that’s not mentioned anywhere. They also provide a home for nuisance alligators and animals that have been rescued and can not be released into the wild.

  The park is accessible but the railings are at eye level for wheelchair users making it difficult to see everything. The gator wrestling arena has railings that block the view to an extent. The Jumperoo Show, where the alligators jump out of the water to grab chicken meat, has a section with plexiglass for children and wheelchair users. The observation tower has a long ramp with flat landings that accesses the first level.

  We had the pleasure of spending the week with our daughter who came to Florida to help out after Tony’s surgery. She works at Seattle Childrens Hospital as a photographer and also takes photographs for her own enjoyment. She got some beautiful shots of the birds. For more click here.

   Parking for RVs is in the grassy area at the south end of the parking lot. An accessible sidewalk leads to the front entrance.  Park

Silver Springs State Park

  Silver Springs, where glass bottom boat tours began in the late 1870s, is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Florida. The state has owned the land since the 1980s, leasing the springs to a private company. Dwindling attendance and increasing pollution in the water has made the attraction unprofitable and the state has taken over control of the springs. The park is being restored to a more natural state and some of the attractions, such as the small zoo, have been removed. The daily vehicle fee ($8.00) is good for admission to the glass bottom boat spring area and the adjacent park where the campground, picnic area, pioneer cracker village and the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center and trails are located. Boat rides have an additional fee.

  The boat rides are the main attraction at the spring area. The boats are not wheelchair accessible due to steps, very narrow aisles and no wheelchair parking area on the boat. The paved trails in the gardens are all accessible. The small history museum is accessible. The trails in the campground area have roots and deep sandy spots but may be accessible with an energetic helper. The pioneer cracker village and the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center are opened on weekends only so I didn’t get to check them for accessibility.

  We didn’t visit the campground. Reservations must be made far in advance. More information about the campground can be found on Dave’s and Marcia’s blog - GoingRV Way The parking lots at the springs and trails are large enough for any RV.  Park