Huge sign alerting every tourist where they are. At the north west corner of I-95 and LPGA BLVD…read moreacross the street from the iconic Buc-ee's in Daytona Beach. The traffic is horrible at this intersection even when pro golf events are not in progress.

Definitely a hidden gem on Flagler Ave in NSB, I must of walked by this beautiful tree a thousand…read moretimes and never gave it a second look. After taking a few minutes to check it out closer I assumed it was hundreds of years old, well apparently it's only 36 years and grew from a stump leftover after the freeze of 1989 although many say it's much older and some reference seeing this tree on postcards in the early 1950's. It's definitely worth a few minutes of your time if you're in the area. Although these trees are not native to Florida I'm sure the city will protect it as much as possible for many years to come and although it's thriving this far north who knows what Mother Nature has in store. The Placard Reads: The Banyan Tree The Banyan tree, like the rubber tree, is from the Indian subcontinent and is a member of the fig tree family. Banyan trees were brought to Florida by the Ford Motor Company in the early 1900s in an attempt to source a faster-growing alternative to the rubber tree for automobile tire production. Although the experiment was not successful, some specimens from that time still remain along our southern Gulf Coast. Banyan trees don't usually thrive in Central Florida; however, this one does! It's been speculated that this tree was brought here from South Florida in the early 20th century and planted in the front yard of a home that once stood nearby. Today, our tree is considered to be the oldest and largest Banyan tree found outside of South Florida. City of New Smyrna Beach Local Landmark Site

Awesome and beautiful old tree alive and healthy. Beautifully right beside the main street…read more Beautiful area, very well kept. Just discovered today for the first time.

As a fan of historic architecture I couldn't help but notice the Thursby House in beautiful Blue…read moreSprings State Park. I came for the annual manatee festival and this historic home is maintained in the park to educate visitors about pioneer life in Central Florida. This area has been a significant Native American archaeological site for thousands of years. The 1872, two story, wooden Thursby house was built on an ancient Timucua shell midden for Louis Thursby, a European settler who came to this area with his family in 1857. Thursby purchased 160 acres under the Armed Occupation Act and initially the family lived in a log cabin while three kinds of center-cut pine were milled in Savannah, Georgia and transported by boat to the site for construction. Thursby used his proximity to the Blue Springs Run that enters the St. John's River to start and orange grove and riverboat business. The family sold oranges and hosted travelers to the area. The house was bought by the state in 1971 from Thursby's descendants and is now preserved to look as it did around the turn of the 20th century. The Thursby'S family dinnerware was preserved along with a china cupboard, original heart-pine floors, a widow's walk, and a separate, historic kitchen viewing area. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 2000. To reach the house take the .3 mile boardwalk from the parking lot. The Thursby House is open for self-guided tours Wednesday through Sunday, usually from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., subject to ranger availability. In order to view the house you need to pay the $6 per car admission to Blue Springs.

This is wonderful facility that is staffed with extremely friendly employees, although I never miss…read morethe opportunity to vote this was my first time coming here. There were a number of people coming in and out of this facility but there were plenty of windows staffed to assist everyone without a wait. I usually do mail in balloting but decided to drop off my ballot in person to have it scanned and accounted for, it's not that I'm not trusting of the USPS, it's just it's that important to me to exercise my right to vote while eliminating third party handling. I prefer to cast my vote in person on Election Day but my past travel schedule forced me to sign up for absentee voting which I plan on changing going forward. We are very fortunate to have these options here in Florida and it's good to see it's all managed in a very secure facility, so there's no good reason for anyone legally registered to vote in these United States not to do their part and participate in one of our most sacred of rights...

Just outside Deland, Florida lies the St. Johns River a true Eco-system that provides a cross…read moresection of Florida's incredible wildlife, on any given day you will see everything from alligators, manatees, herons, egrets, osprey, otters, turtles and even the occasional bear, deer or American Bald Eagle. It's been almost 100 years since people first started driving across this river at this location, the original Crows Bluff Bridge was a swing span bridge; constructed in 1917, in 1954, a plan for construction of a replacement bridge was established; the new bridge, dedicated to DeLand resident Francis P. Whitehair, opened on September 22, 1955 and was built to carry traffic across the river for a century. Unfortunately that was an estimated life span and the bridge is showing signs that it may not survive much longer, especially since the maintenance cost for these mechanical marvels are more than 100 times that of the new modern concrete bridges built today. When terms like "functionally obsolete" and "not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places" are slung around you know your days are numbered.

This historic water tower was built in or about 1911, the 50,000-gallon tank stands near the old…read moreCity Hall and the town's historic district. The design is pretty common for the era, it's unusual pitched-tin roof reminds some of the "Tin Man" from "The Wizard of Oz". Since the movie was originally release in 1939 twenty- eight years after the tower was put into service, maybe it was the tower that inspired Jack Haley's character or at least it's design so maybe the opposite may be true. Many longtime residents consider it a landmark and it still holds some sentimental value to the old timers of the area, even though they continue to have to defend its existences. Although the old water tank played an important role in the town's early years its not easy for the younger generations to appreciate it's historic significance or its purpose going forward. The thinking by some is that the newer 75,000 gallon pump driven ground level water storage tank is what will provide opportunities for the economic growth of the future and that this aging gravity water tower from the past will further strap the town's financial budget with maintenance cost, while others feel that the newer tank with its high tech treatment system and its powerful pressure pumps is the best solution for all, but I doubt this kind of short term thinking is what the city's founder visualized and he might argue that 104 years of proven service may warrant retirement verses ending its life at the hands of some demolishing company for a handsome fee. By the way this old historic water tower doesn't need electricity to provide potable water and fire protection to the community since its height provides the static pressure required to deliver its bounty, hopefully the expensive back-up generator starts when the electricity thats required to run the pumps fail or your faucets won't provide you with a single drop of drinking water much less any fire protection - I'd make sure I had a few extra cases of bottled water on hand as a contingency, the walk to the lake to get water for Toto might take awhile...

I am not sure why a fire department is even on Yelp but how can I not give a shout out to these…read moregreat people. Thank you for everything you do.

Brownie the "Town Dog of Daytona Beach" was a stray dog who lived in downtown Daytona Beach from…read more1939 until his death in 1954. His gray stone was originally put in place in 1956. He even had a custom dog house and a bank account in the Florida Bank & Trust. He had no one owner but was loved by the entire city as the adopted dog of Daytona Beach. https://www.browniethetowndog.org/