Talk:Sarasota

So, as described in Project:What is an article?, we don't usually do one-article-per-attraction. It'd be great to change these links to actual listings -- you can see the listings format in the Project:manual of style. --(WT-en) Evan 14:26, 18 Dec 2003 (PST)

Article moved here for mining:

Sarasota Jungle Gardens

History:

The history of Sarasota Jungle gardens is very typical of many of the early Florida attractions created in the 1920's through the 1950's. Sarasota Jungle Gardens started life as typical Florida wetlands, or as what most people would refer to as a 'swamp'. Two men, David Breed Lindsay and Pearson Conrad, developed the initial 10 acres into a botanical gardens for their own pleasure. After a while, many people began wandering around the gardens and the owners decided to charge admission. The Gardens got their formal name in December of 1940 and although the Gardens were sold numerous times, they are still open to visitors today. A more detailed account may be found at their website http://www.sarasotajunglegardens.com

The Gardens today:

As of this writing, there are 5 shows at the gardens in addition to the grounds themselves which are filled with many interesting plants. Please refer to the attraction's web site for show schedules and changes to show offerings (http://www.sarasotajunglegardens.com). As with most early attractions, the offer some animals shows and a chance to see some rare plants, many of which are of extraordinary size.

It is hard to imagine in today’s fast paced world what it was like when the automobile first gave people the ability to travel the country to see things outside their hometown. This attraction is a rare opportunity to see what Florida was like in the tourist boom of the early 1900's. Many of these types of attractions are now extinct and although they do not offer the thrill rides of today’s modern amusement parks, they do offer a unique opportunity to relax and enjoy a real gem of Americana. I strongly encourage visitors to Florida to see at least one of these rare and very special gems before they are gone forever, existing only as fading pictures and memories in forgotten attics.