Revelation at the ‘tourist trap’

My own journey to the Fountain of Youth began a few years ago at Thanksgiving, when my family gathered for the holiday weekend in St. Augustine. My wife and I arrived early to take in some of the sights, and our first stop was the vintage Fountain of Youth attraction, which was near our hotel. Whether it’s all factually accurate or not, I loved it. Mechanized mannequins surrounded a small “spring” near an outline of a cross in rocks supposedly put there by Ponce himself. A planetarium featured a presentation about how Spanish explorers navigated across the sea using only stars. Displays portrayed recent archaeological finds at the site. Peacocks wandered the lush grounds.

That visit to the Fountain of Youth was like breaking into a whole new world. It went against years of conditioning: When I was a boy, my parents had carefully steered clear of Florida’s roadside attractions, deeming them “tourist traps.” While it can’t be compared to today’s mega-theme parks, I found the Fountain of Youth to be fun, interesting, and beautiful.

I wondered if other Floridians, jaded by constant marketing to tourists, missed out on some of the coolest stuff our state has to offer. I made it my mission to see aspects of Florida I had ignored in the past and to write a blog about my adventures, in an effort to raise awareness about just how great Florida is. And so my own personal quest began...

– From the introduction of "Finding the Fountain of Youth"