Along with a group of investors, Newton Perry opened Weeki Wachee Springs to the public in October of 1947. At the time, roadside attractions were becoming popular stops along Florida roadways. The attraction consisted of an amalgamation of vendors, an orchid garden, a river boat tour, as well as the star attraction: a mermaid show that took place in an underwater theater. Eventually, the May Museum of the Tropics, an "abandoned Seminole village", a show called “Birds of Prey”, and a petting zoo were added. After peaking in the 1950s and 1960s, attendance began to decline as theme parks and highways changed the dynamics of Florida's tourism. The State of Florida took over the attraction as a state park in 2008. Since then, the park has focused on appealing to a modern audience while preserving its history.]]>
RICHES]]> Weeki Wachee Collection, RICHES.]]> RICHES.]]> Copyright to this resource is held by Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and is provided here by RICHES for educational purposes only.

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Episode 5 features the Hontoon Owl Totem at Hontoon Island State Park, located between the St. Johns River and the Hontoon Dead River in Volusia County, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Craig Morris of the Fort Caroline and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Dr. Neill J. Wallis of the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History, Dr. Jerald T. Milanich of the University of Florida, and Donna Ruhl of the Florida Museum of Natural History.]]>
RICHES]]> Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve]]> The Florida Anthropologist
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Florida Memory Project]]> Orange County Regional History Center]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> A History of Central Florida Collection, RICHES Podcast Documentaries Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Flash Player]]> Java]]> RICHES.]]> RICHES]]>
RICHES of Central Florida]]> Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center]]> Florida Memory Project]]> Orange County Regional History Center]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> A History of Central Florida Collection, RICHES Podcast Documentaries Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> A History of Central Florida, Episode 1: Windover Burial Site." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/3435.]]> Adobe Flash Player]]> Java]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]>
Episode 2 features a discussion of the ceramic pots displayed at the New Smyrna Museum of History, located at 120 Sams Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This podcast also includes interviews with Dr. Neill J. Wallis of the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History and Dr. Jerald T. Milanich of the University of Florida.]]>
RICHES]]> Florida Museum of Natural History]]> Orange County Regional History Center]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> A History of Central Florida Collection, RICHES Podcast Documentaries Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Flash Player]]> Java]]> RICHES.]]> RICHES]]>

Episode 23 explores the history of the area that is now Hontoon Island State Park, located between the St. Johns River and the Hontoon Dead River in Volusia County, Florida. Archaeologists date inhabitation of Hontoon Island to 7,000 years ago. This podcast includes interviews with two archaeologists and two park rangers about what the archaeology tells us about the society and culture on the island in the last 7,000 years. In 1967, the island was purchased by the state and converted into a state park.]]>
RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries, Orlando, Florida.]]> RICHES Podcast Documentaries Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> QuickTime.]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]>