Old Florida/Nostalgia

[YellowBluffRoad]

MARCO POLO: Just on the left side of I-95 at Old Dixie Highway in Volusia, between Palm Coast and Daytona Beach. The property is an RV park today.

OCKLAWAHA

Yep, that's where it was. Never got a chance to go there though. My parents had friends in Orlando so we'd visit either the mouse or th older Florida attractions. Never made it to Marco Polo. I think it was open less than 10 years or so?

[Timkin]

I don't think it was even that long .

[Cliffs_Daughter]

Speaking of MPP - and I never went there, for the record - I found this:
http://mppark.tripod.com/

Somebody did a lovely little tribute site, so I can see what the fuss was about.

[Timkin]

I never went to MPP or Passport to Fun World but did know about the two fires.. did not know there were deaths .   This park was opened and closed (if I am not mistaken) around the time 6-gun Territory was declining and finally went belly up.   It is only my opinion that Walt Disney World , in part , contributed to the demise of these parks. 

[Cliffs_Daughter]

I never made it to Six=Gun either. Plenty of chances to go as a kid, but I always voted to go to Silver Springs across the highway from them.   SS/Wild Waters was my favorite place to go as a kid.

[duvaldude08]

Any one ever go to circus world?

[Timkin]

Never did, DD .. Where was that? I remember the name .

@Heather...went to both places lots of times.  Usually if we made a weekend of the Silver Springs area we stayed at this place called Cloister Court ,,,same side of the Road as Silver Springs , just west of them...  That was razed about 5 or 6 years ago but was cozy little apartment-like detached motel rooms.   was neat..   6-gun was great.  I wish it was still around...  I wonder often what became of its train ? Ock?

[danno]

I remember going to Six Gun when I was about 7 or 8.  The coolest thing was my uncle bought me a bull whip.

Imagine a 7 year old with a bull whip.  DCF would take you away if your parents alowed you to have one nowadays.

[thelakelander]

Any one ever go to circus world?

I went several times during the Circus World and Boardwalk & Baseball days. It was located on the SE corner of I-4/US 27, just south of Disney. As a kid, I lived 15 minutes away.  It was a lot of fun back in those days. It's a shopping center now.

[thelakelander]

Cypress Gardens - water ski shows

Bok Singing Tower in Lake Wales - bell concerts several times a day.  Nearby is/was a hill where you could put your car in neutral, and it appeared to roll uphill.  I forgot what it was called.

Bok Tower and Spook Hill are still there. Cypress Gardens will reopen as Legoland Florida, this fall.  They're keeping the water ski shows, historic botanical gardens and the Island In The Sky ride.

[Cliffs_Daughter]

Any one ever go to circus world?

I went when it was the Boardwalk & Baseball park (I do NOT do circuses... tremendous fear of clowns). And I loved that coaster they had.

Back in the day, when my friends' families and ours would all pool together for these trips, they did it in the tortuous style of "cramming 10 kids in the back of a van" and we'd go and come back the same day. Nobody thought about staying overnight in Ocala or Orlando... well, not until my dad was home from deployment. Then at least he had some common sense about us being in our own car and resting somewhere.
Which I learned from him - I have a kid, and if it's more than 1 hour away and likely to make me spend more than 7 hours having fun, then I want a hotel room. it's for my own sanity.

[Jason]

MARCO POLO: Just on the left side of I-95 at Old Dixie Highway in Volusia, between Palm Coast and Daytona Beach. The property is an RV park today.

OCKLAWAHA

I thought the property is now a gated golf community called Plantation Bay on the southwest corner of the intersection.  Looking at the Google Earth aerial, however, both site look like they could have been the location.

Old Dixie Highway on the west side of I95 still bears the name "Marco Polo Blvd."

[Jason]

After some more research, Plantation Bay on the soutwest corner of ther intersectionis the accurate location of the park.  Here is some more information, including aerials and pictures of the park....

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php%3Faction%3Ddlattach%3Btopic%3D356414.0%3Battach%3D583933%3Bimage&imgrefurl=http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php%3Ftopic%3D356414.0&usg=__KCXSPxZQYA_l4NvqxJJTlngwlWA=&h=941&w=1280&sz=173&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=r7GYafW8l5BU9M:&tbnh=110&tbnw=150&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmarco%2Bpolo%2Bpark%2Baerial%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1241%26bih%3D855%26tbm%3Disch%26prmd%3Divns&ei=4DzRTZCuHMXc0QHv3Lj-DQ

[dhw9768]

I grew up on Leon Rd. Right next to the Slippery Dip. When they were building it I was probably 6 or 7 and they were piling the dirt up in a huge slope. I would sneak down there and climb up on the backside while they were shoving dirt up the hill. The workers would run me off but the next day I would be back. had no idea what they were building. Got many a bloody nose from the concrete walls on the slide. The gravel parking lot. Go-Karts that use to run into the woods. Woods? That whole area use to be so remote. The dip, Skate Arena and Papa's strip club in front of Zaires was about it. Goofy Golf was on Beach Blvd. I see they kept the old Rex. I have so many memories of that. Even had relatives that worked at the goofy golf go-karts and would give us free rides. That was the days when you lived a little dangerously. 6 yrs old and running 30 MPH on a race course. No helmet, probably no seat belt. Holding my brothers Camel. LOLOLOL 

[dhw9768]

Oh.. P.S.   I also use to ride my bike down to The Midway Drive-in. I climbed the light tower in the back when I was 8. Snuck in the fence. Was sooooo high. I remember the tower swaying. Was a windy day. Mark and David Nichols did it too. LOL  I am saying names.....