HOLY HEART FAILURE, BATMAN!

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We are now ready to begin our Ol' Florida adventure.  If you have been following us you know we had to delay our departure to get a stubborn leveling jack replaced on our motorhome.  The wait hasn't been excruciating because there are plenty of adventures all around us.  After our service appointment we drove to the Punta Gorda/Arcadia area.  Lots of adventures are ahead!

One of our recent old Florida trips we thoroughly enjoyed was to Winter Garden, Florida, a former citrus town, about 35 miles east of Webster.   We have discovered that many beautiful old Florida towns are revitalizing their main downtown areas.  Most of the hard work is done by the local residents who want to restore their downtown areas to attract tourists and businesses to improve their economy.  That is the case of Winter Garden and you could easily spend an entire Saturday exploring this interesting town steeped in railroad and citrus history.

Winter Garden Railroad Terminal

Winter Garden City Hal

Quite by accident we discovered one interesting area after another and then discovered a charming part of the city that helped define Florida history beginning in the 1920's.  We turned a couple of corners going toward Lake Apopka (described in one periodical as "the most polluted lake in the State"), and we came to "Trailer City".  We love to find vintage and antique motorhomes and trailers because they are rapidly being phased out due to fire code and safety regulations as well as narrow spacing between each trailer.  Opened in 1936, Trailer City is located on the southern shores of Lake Apopka.  Currently there are 141 mostly vintage mobile homes on the 13.35 acre Trailer City site with almost 200 residents.  In 1936, Trailer City was advertised as "one of the most modern and completely equipped locations ever offered trailer travelers".  What a find!

Trailer Sweet Trailer - Trailer City in Winter Garden, FL

We love the stories of "tin-can" tourists, as snowbirds in trailers were lovingly known.  The "tin-can" tourists decided to upgrade to leave-behind trailers and this became a mobile home park.  Trailer City evolved into a small community for those wanting to live the dream of a Florida retirement... but on a  budget.  It is clear this local political football will always be known as "Trailer City".   Trailer City is now operated and partially owned by the City of Winter Garden, and in time this valuable lakefront park will probably be phased out.

Back at Florida Grande, getting ready to leave and putting everything away takes some thought and consideration.  Moving our patio furniture inside (specifically our patio umbrella) we missed seeing a bat that was tucked safely inside.  Thanks to Batman (RV), we were able to put him outside so he can eat lots of the bugs in our absence!  Holy heart failure, Batman!

Bat in the mat - go away!