William John Howey (January 19, 1876 - June 7, 1938) was an American real-estate developer, citrus…read moregrower, and Republican politician from Florida. He founded and served as mayor for the town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida where he developed and sold citrus groves, becoming one of Florida's greatest citrus developers. He was one of the first citrus growers to send fruit from Florida to England. In 1921 he opened Florida's first citrus juice plant. He ran for governor on the Republican ticket in 1928 and 1932. Mr. Howey's prominence led to many distinguished guests visiting the Howey mansion, These included Lord Bathhurst of England, H.B. McNeal, publisher of Golfer's Magazine, golf master Chick Evans, Kansas Governor Alfred Landon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Phillip's of petroleum fame, and President Calvin Coolidge who was guest of honor at an all-male dinner party in February 1930. Mr. Howey's former home near Lake Wales, Florida became the site of Florida's Bok Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens. In 1925 Mr. Howey commissioned a 20 room mansion in the town he founded. The architect was Katherine Cotheal Budd. During WWI she designed temporary lodgings known as hostess homes for women who were visiting their husbands at military training camps. Budd is credited for creating 72 lodgings with a homelike atmosphere and the Howey House is one of a few existing examples of her work. The Howey Mansion was designed in the popular Mediterranean Revival style. The house is set back on a wide lawn with wrought iron gates and a long horseshoe drive. The entrance to the home features an elaborate, two story bas relief frontispiece .The massive front door and the woodwork on the first floor is made from peaky cypress. Leading to the second floor is a graceful curving stone stairway with a wrought iron banister. Other features of the home include three large fireplaces, a ballroom-size drawing room, enormous beamed ceilings, and a servant call-bell phone system. There is even a hidden passage behind a sliding bookshelf panel in the library. The original 15 acres grounds of the mansion were called The Park and included many botanical plants and shrubs. On March 6, 1927 The Park was the host site for an open air concert performed by the New York Civic Opera Company bringing the top opera singers of the day to the mansion for a concert for the community. The mansion was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Place on January 27, 1983. On April 12, 2017 it was listed for sale at $480,000. The new owners are Brad and Clay Cowherd, Orlando real estate investors who have made period-accurate restoration of the house. I visited the Howey Mansion for the Founders Day Festival. Admission for tours of the home was discounted to $10. The Howey Mansion is available for private rentals like weddings while historical tours are also available Monday through Friday at 11am. The Founder's Day event included a local market, food trucks, live music, and family activities. I enjoyed visiting the tents and touring the mansion including the hidden bar in the basement that was created during prohibition. Behind the mansion, is a trail through the woods that will take you to the Georgian marble mausoleum where the Howey family is interred including William J. Howey (1938), daughter, Lois Valerie Howey (1941), and Mary Hastings Howey (1981). This year Centennial Founder's Day Celebration, marked100 years since the town's founding in 1925.

What an incredible place! We really enjoyed the tour Fran and Mercy gave us. They were extremely…read moreknowledgeable about the property and you can tell they love what they do. The property itself is gorgeous. If you're looking for an event space, you're in luck they rent it out for weddings and other events.

I had a wonderful tour March 8. Melony was very informative and a wonderful tour guide. This part…read moreof the Suwannee is protected from development, so very peaceful and beautiful. I hope to visit again next year and take a longer tour.

This is hands down one of the best Florida tours we have taken. we have taken this river boat trip…read moretwice now and would do it again without hesitation. The couple that run this tour are wonderful people, super friendly and have a lot of historical knowledge of the area. They know this area inside and out! Such a beautiful day on the water, lots of wildlife and their boat is so well kept. Don't miss this your!

Absolutely venue! The outside area was the setting for a wedding overlooking the lake. The various…read moregathering areas housed a cocktail area, dinner seating, and a coffee/dessert station. Another covered area served as the cocktail bar and buffet. The venue has beautiful gardens, a cog pond and several seating areas. The staff ensured that everything ran according to the bride and groom's schedule. They even had bug spray on hand as needed.

You'll feel like a time traveler visiting Sydonie Mansion, a historic property situated like a…read moremirage among the green hills of northwest Orange County. Surrounded by old, moss draped oaks, the exterior of house itself has a Mediterranean appeal with barrel tile roofs, an elegant courtyard, and architectural details original to the property. There's an authenticity here. It begins with Amy, the owner and our tour guide, who has orchestrated the property's renovations with painstaking care. Every room opens like a diorama, where somehow she has managed to add new warmth and interest while letting the old patina shine through. It is a fascinating place, and my granddaughter and I loved walking the grounds after the tour. We couldn't have felt more welcome today, and we look forward to coming back to Sydonie Mansion in December when it sparkles for Christmas!

Awesome place to spend a cool winter day with family, friends or your partner…read more We really enjoyed walking around the grounds and taking in the historical surroundings of this home. My only complaint is the story that's shared while touring is extremely long winded and standing in place for an hour can be very uncomfortable for older folks or those out of shape. They offer you a seat but it's kind of awkward because nobody opts for that and you have no idea the interesting tales will take as long as they do. My advice, SIT before they begin the storytelling -- history behind the house.

If you're looking to learn more about Florida history, check out Chinsegut Hill! The historic site…read moreis now owned by the Tampa History Center, which offers guides tours of the manor house. We did the guided tour, which lasts about 30-45 min. The tour walks you through the manor house while you learn about the several decades of Florida history the house has witnessed. The house sits on 114 acres that you can walk around and explore, as well!

I took two tours with Ryan: the boat/walking island tour to Atsena Otie Island and a golf cart tour…read moreof Cedar Key's history. Both were fabulous and I had a wondrful time. Ryan was an informative host and I learned so much more about Cedar Key and its history. I have a much greater appreciation for the island town and will definitely be taking additional tours with Ryan. I highly recommend Living Cedar Key!!

Ryan was an excellent host for our golf cart tour of Cedar Key. He was very knowledgeable about…read moreCedar Key and patient with our questions. Highly recommended!

The village features a collection of authentic and replica historic buildings that were moved from…read moretheir original locations to this site for preservation. Today was the pioneer day, but was so hot, although really fun. They had a lot of food trucks offering ice cream, BBQ, popcorn, farmers market, pony ride, a lot of animals as Llama, alpaca, duck, rabbit, horses. Had the opportunity to meet Apple and NY daughter bought one piece of her azmzing job. Really recommend this place, even normal days, we usually come here to do picnic or play at the playground.

For a pleasant walk through Florida history, visit Pioneer Village in Kissimmee. There are a total…read moreof about 15 buildings/structures (many of them original or exact replicas) that tell the story of early settlers and native dwellers. Each building has a sign with a QR code to scan that links to a short You Tube video elaborating on the people who lived in them and their stories. Even if it's a hot sunny day, there are multiple shady spots to sit like the rocking chair on the veranda or the air-conditioned church. You can actually walk in most of the buildings. My 12-year-old son's favorite areas were the Lanier house with it's rooster and hens walking and clucking around, the goat in the back of the house, and the knot-tying area in the exhibit on Florida's cowmen. At $4 for children $6 for adults (if you get a coupon from the Ocala History Center), this is an educational experience in a beautiful setting. You can also bike, walk, paddle, or picnic in nearby Shingle Creek Park when you are done.

It was a great day on the water with the Amelia River Cruises & Charters company at the helm…read more It was my first time visiting Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach and wanted to get an overlay of the area and the river cruise seemed like the perfect thing to get an overview of the area. And I wasn't wrong! The tour lasted about 90 minutes (and it leaves promptly FYI) and takes you along the shoreline of Amelia Island - past the shrimping boats and past a Civil War era fort - before heading towards Cumberland Island National Seashore. This is where the true fun of the tour was for me. I had no idea really the history of the island and found it fascinating how the Carnegies and Rockefellers and more of the country's elite used this random Georgia seashore as their private escape. The history of both Cumberland and Amelia Islands is incredibly fascinating and the guides for both the Florida and Georgia sides respectively were well informed and personable. Plus - you'll very likely see a ton of great wildlife throughout including dolphins and wild horses and pigs. It's a great way to spend an afternoon in the area and a fabulous introduction to Cumberland Island National Seashore/Park.

Really nice boat Super friendly tour guides…read moreStunning g views of fort an horses on Cumberland Island Wonderful sunset.! Good pricing!

What a great event for our family. The kayak tour was the highlight of our 2 week trip. The water…read moreis crystal clear and FULL of fish and fauna and a few gators! Definitely will be back again when visiting the central Florida area. The staff is super helpful and they take care of everything except the paddling when you book a tour with them. Truly an unforgettable experience for our entire family.

Pretty place but dont use a credit card here for the use fees. Someone stole the number and used it…read moreto buy sporting goods.