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 be parked. A second lot is located about 1/3 of a mile from the visitor center. This lot accesses the walking path. RVs can be parked 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
27.20112, -82.49105
In response to your post on our site: We will be here until Saturday morning. Never stayed at Lithia Springs looks like it is part of the same county park system as EG Simmons, probably not as busy though. We might be back at EG Simmons in two weeks, can't next week because Marcia has a Dr. Apt mid-week. --Dave
ReplyDelete