TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

See also Old Guidebooks.  (These were written about Florida & Jacksonville.  The entire contents of each book may be available online!  These books were meant for both  tourists and newcomers, and they date from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s. The books provide many details about attractions, towns, businesses, people, buildings, etc.)

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

• ALLIGATORS IN JAX HISTORY -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Jacksonville History Ripe with Tales of Roaming Reptiles," by Bill Foley.  Tells about gator sightings, gator roundups, gator farms, prominent local gators, and the sale of gators & gator products.

• FLORIDA HERITAGE COLLECTION -- Info about the subjects on this webpage may be available at the the marvelous "Florida Heritage Collection." This website gives full-text, online copies of hundreds of Florida books.  NOTE: When you get to the website, you can search in different ways.  These searches include by "Florida Themes" or by "Florida History Timeline."  You can also search by "Florida County" and by "Keywords."  With keyword searching, just type in "Jacksonville," "Duval County," or other keywords, such as words from a title.  ALSO NOTE:  Many of the individual Jacksonville items in the Florida Heritage Collection are listed in JacksonvilleStory.com, the site you're now in. However, Jacksonville info can often be found in books about Florida in general. Many of theses books are at the Florida Heritage Collection website.

• OSTRICH FARMS -- Webpages about ostrich farms in old Jacksonville.  From JacksonvilleStory.com.

• OSTRICH FARMS -- Other webpages about ostrich farms in old Jacksonville.  From JacksonvilleStory.com.

• OSTRICH FARMS -- Yet more webpages about ostrich farms in old Jacksonville.  From JacksonvilleStory.com.

INFO BY YEAR & TIME PERIOD

• TOURISM IN JAX DURING 1800s -- Info about tourism in Jacksonville during the 1800s  can be found in the book History of Jacksonville Florida and Vicinity 1513 to 1924 (by T. Frederick Davis, 1925).  Go to pages 160-161, 173-174, 176-178, 491-492.  The entire book is online at the website for the Florida Heritage Collection.  STEP #1 -- When you get to the website, use a keyword search for the following words: "Jacksonville" "vicinity". This will retrieve the book.  STEP #2 -- Click on the link "Electronic resource (JPEG)."  This will retrieve the screen that allows you to choose a page number. STEP #3 -- Go to the bottom of the screen & select a page number.  This will open the book at that page.

• LATE 1800s & EARLY 1900s -- Article entitled "Florida Alligator Carvings," by Tom Staley, an antiques/collectibles dealer from Micanopy, Florida.  Published in Antiques & Art Around Florida.  BACKGROUND INFO: Alligator carvings were an especially hot collectible among Jacksonville's tourists during the 1800s & early 1900s.

• 1907 -- DIXIELAND PARK JAGUARS -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Millennium Moment: Dec. 24, 1907," by Bill Foley. Tells how Dixieland Park acquired four jaguar cats in 1907.  BACKGROUND INFO: Dixieland Park was located on the South Bank of the St. Johns River, in the vicinity of today's Hilton Hotel.  

• 1909 -- OSTRICH FARM IN JACKSONVILLE -- A 32-page booklet that describes a Jacksonville ostrich farm.  Dates from about 1909 (judging from a date given on page 30 of the booklet).  Placed online by the Library of Congress.

• 1909 -- TRAIN SHOW -- Brief Florida Times-Union article called "The Great Train Collision," by Bill Foley.  Tells about the staging of a train collision at a local ostrich farm in 1909.

• 1912 -- OSTRICH FARM -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Millennium Moment: January 6, 1912," by Bill Foley.  Tells about the opening of an ostrich farm in 1912.

• 1912 -- OSTRICH FARM -- Florida Times-Union article entitled "Ostriches in their Own Fairyland," by Bill Foley.

• EARLY 1900s -- OSTRICH FARM -- "Florida Ostrich Farm Jacksonville, Florida" (Promotional booklet from the attraction.  Is from the period 1910 to 1919.) -- NOTE:  The entire text of this source is available online.  It's provided in the wonderful website called the "Florida Heritage Collection," maintained by the State University System of Florida.  When you get to the website, you can search by keywords.  Just type in "Jacksonville," or "Duval County," or other keywords, such as words from a title.  ALSO NOTE: Most of the individual Jacksonville items in the Florida Heritage Collection are listed in JacksonvilleStory.com, the site you're now in. 

• EARLY 1900s -- OSTRICH FARM -- "Souvenir (of) the Florida Ostrich Farm Incorporated: Jacksonville, Florida" (Is from 1900) -- NOTE:  The entire text of this source is available online.  It's provided in the wonderful website called the "Florida Heritage Collection," maintained by the State University System of Florida.  When you get to the website, you can search by keywords.  Just type in "Jacksonville," or "Duval County," or other keywords, such as words from a title.  ALSO NOTE: Most of the individual Jacksonville items in the Florida Heritage Collection are listed in JacksonvilleStory.com, the site you're now in. 

• EARLY 1900s -- DIXIELAND PARK -- Interesting webpage from the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau.  Gives info about Dixieland Park, the Black Heritage Tour, the Buccaneer Trail, and the history of Avondale & San Marco.

• 1920s -- TIN CAN TOURISTS -- Florida Times-Union article entitled,"Tin can tourists loved Jacksonville," by Bill Foley. Tells about Jacksonville tourism in 1920s.

• 1930s -- GATOR MOVING DAY -- Florida Times-Union article called "Where Can that Gator Be," by Bill Foley.  Tells about the worldwide interest in the moving of alligators from a Jacksonville attraction to a Daytona Beach attraction during the 1930s.

• 1930s-1950s -- ORIENTAL GARDENS -- Florida Times-Union article called "Millennium Moment: March 3, 1946," by Bill Foley.  Gives info about Oriental Gardens, an old tourist attraction that used to be located in South Jacksonville.