Zorayda Castle

It's June, and that means it's almost time for summer vacation!  As a public service to those who might be planning a big summer vacation trip I thought I'd dig into my stack of vintage brochures and see if I can could come up with some interesting travel destination ideas. 

If someone asks for a list of "World Famous" castles one may think of Windsor Castle, Cinderella Castle or even White Castle.  Or maybe it's just possible someone might think of Zorayda Castle in St. Augustine, Florida...

 
... it says "World Famous" right on the front of the brochure.

Let's take a look at what's inside...

Cool, there's a "SACRED CAT RUG" that's over 2300 years old, and is said to possess a curse.  Heck there's even a "MUMMY'S FOOT!"  Personally I always thought The Mummy's Foot was one of the weaker Universal horror classics.

If you would like to see the "SACRED CAT RUG" you are in luck, it's still on display at what today is called the Villa Zorayda Museum.  If you should visit please let me know if they still have that mummy's foot.

Homosassa Springs

Here's a late 70's 'brochure card' for Homosassa Springs in Homosassa, FL - back when Homosassa Springs was a privately owned attraction...

Here's little bit of trivia I stumbled across, the photo of the alligator with the No Swimming sign was taken by photographer Bob Moreland who won a newspaper Photo of the Year Award for it.

Okay here's the flip-side...

Now that Homosassa Springs is part of the Florida State Parks  you can't hand feed the animals anymore, and the monkeys are completely gone now. Also making the gators leap out of the water to grab their food is a thing of the past. Although you can still "walk under water,"  but it's more accurately (or boringly) called a underwater observatory.