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    Lake Proctor Wilderness Area

    4.3 (4 reviews)

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    The Howey Mansion

    The Howey Mansion

    4.9(14 reviews)
    39.4 mi

    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.

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    The Howey Mansion
    The Howey Mansion
    The Howey Mansion

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    BIG MTV Moon Man

    BIG MTV Moon Man

    3.0(2 reviews)
    13.6 mi

    Is this really MTV's Moon Man?…read more Yes, this giant, silver astronaut made of Styrofoam and holding an American flag was built for MTV and is safely locked inside the backlot at Acme Industrial Surplus in Sanford. The 15-foot styrofoam astronaut has been towering over this business's fence for several years and has been providing photo-ops for roadside attraction seekers or those by happenstance catch a glimpse of him. He first appeared at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami this event was notable because it was the first time the ceremony was held outside of New York City and Los Angeles and just to make you feel old, OutKast took home Video of the Year for "Hey Ya". MTV was launched on August 1, 1981, the original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by television personalities known as "video jockeys," (VJs) it's oblivious this format was abandoned about the same time "Moon Man" was given a life sentence to rot and decay in this company's bone-yard..... but not to worry you have plenty of time to get here and check it out, although Styrofoam breaks into pieces easily, it takes about 500 years for one styrofoam cup to dissolve, so Moon Man isn't going anywhere soon, that's unless the current owner decides to take him to a landfill, that's some responsibility now since the whole world is watching.

    This "attraction" was a humorous adventure to say the least. I kind of felt like I was in an…read moreepisode of Dexter and was being lured to discrete location to be robbed and murdered. This is not something you need to see while in Sanford. It's located in an unidentified metal yard. And once you actually locate the Moon Man there is no place to park and admire him. The best view of him is from a round about off the highway that you can't park or stop in. Overall, disappointing and a little terrifying. Even at 1 in the afternoon.

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    BIG MTV Moon Man
    BIG MTV Moon Man
    BIG MTV Moon Man

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    Town of Osceola - You can still find small pieces of the town in the ground.

    Town of Osceola

    3.0(1 review)
    3.9 mi

    Sawmills ghosts and…read morebank vaults Osceola is a true ghost town. Actually not a town at all anymore and I'm not sure about the ghosts, but at one time it certainly was a town and quite a nice one at that. Groups of people have gathered at this location for a long time. The Seminoles had a huge camp at this location by the St. Johns River and various other groups made small settlements here over the centuries. But then in 1916 the Osceola Cypress Company decided that this would be the perfect place for a huge sawmill. Of course a town grew around the sawmill and pretty soon the over 350 acres along the St Johns River was an official town. Lots of houses, a school, church, doctors, bars and of course the huge sawmill. The growing and thriving town even had a bank. People predicted that Osceola might become the largest and most prosperous town in all of Seminole County. A wonderful place to live and work. But fate had other plans. In 1939 the Osceola Cypress Company suddenly decided they could get cheaper labor and better trees in other places and moved away. Of course the end of the sawmill meant the end of the town and the entire town was moved or dismantled. Today the only thing that remains of the town is a huge old bank vault and if you look hard through the thick under bush, some bricks, stones and pieces of rusty metal. Osceola had it's brief period of fun and prosperity but then disappeared as suddenly as it exploded into existence. Nothing left now but an huge old bank vault, perhaps some ghosts and a whole lot of memories.

    Photos
    Town of Osceola - Tough place to explore

    Tough place to explore

    Town of Osceola - Scruffy person looking for any money left hanging around

    Scruffy person looking for any money left hanging around

    Town of Osceola - Lots of trees and bushes

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    Lots of trees and bushes

    Sams House at Pine Island

    Sams House at Pine Island

    4.8(4 reviews)
    31.0 mi

    I came here with my homeschooling co-op, they did a free mini class event for us. Very nice of the…read moreteacher to take the time to teach the kiddos all about navigation and she made it really fun for them as well as broke it down for them to understand in game form. I think it lasted about 25 mins or so. Only wish I would have walked more into their trail to see the water view if there is one I didn't get to see it. In all a cool spot to get a bit of history and sight seeing.

    Wow! What a cool place. My husband and I have been choosing a different nature sanctuary in…read moreBrevard county to explore and walk, today we chose Sams house and Pine Island sanctuary. We decided to park at the Pine Island end of the trail, there are a couple of rustic areas to park. The trail head for the Pine Island loop which is about 3/4 of a mile is near the manatee viewing area and kayak launch. The walk from parking area to the start of the garnet trail which takes you to Sam's house is a wide open green area that is used for walking or horseback riding, there is no shade but if you're lucky there is a beautiful breeze along the lake. The trail to Sam's house is very rustic with some boardwalks and lots of root covered ground. The path is clear but some areas a a little soft due to the surrounding canals. Sam's house is one of the original homes in Merritt Island. There are areas with explanations and examples of what was grown and sold in the area. Apparently there were prehistoric animal remains found in the area as well as the burial mound of Indigenous people. This is a definite place to revisit and explore the other trails and bits of history.

    Photos
    Sams House at Pine Island
    Sams House at Pine Island - Saw this little guy while walking

    Saw this little guy while walking

    Sams House at Pine Island - Remnants from citrus trees

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    Remnants from citrus trees

    Stetson Mansion - Exterior grounds

    Stetson Mansion

    4.5(84 reviews)
    22.8 mi
    $

    This historical tour was fantastic! We did the last tour of the day with Kayla, the owner. She was…read moreextremely knowledgeable and shared so much information on the home and what's happened over the years. I'm going to have to take this tour again just to try to remember it all! Lovely maintained home with so much history. Who visited, who contributed to the building and maintenance of the home, the restoration efforts. It was fascinating. We happened to be there on a day when they received a gift of an original Edison grammaphone with the beeswax songs in paper wrappers! And it actually worked! Amazing. Also loved the Louis Comfort Tiffany windows - just gorgeous!

    If you're planning a visit to nearby Blue Springs State Park, the Stetson Mansion is an absolutely…read moremust-visit stop. Yes - Stetson - as in the hats. I was just as surprised to learn that the famed hat-maker once called the small town of DeLand, FL home. I happened to be visiting during peak manatee season and so had the privilege of being able to still enjoy the mansion during its special holiday tour season. During the holiday tour, each room of the mansion has a unique theme to it that you get to learn all about from your helpful docent. Not only do you get to the enjoy the wonderful story of that room's decorations theme but the history of the home and family is wonderfully blended in. I'm told that obviously during the regular historical tour you dive deeper but I left learning waaaaay more about the Stetson family than I ever expected (or knew). The home is privately owned and you the love and passion the new owners have for the historic property is evident in every room. We even had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners (the super sweet and DeLand native, Kayla) I was surprised to learn she had even created many of the decorations herself that adorned the opulent rooms in the mansion. The Stetson Mansion is a great example of one of the many historical gems tucked away in Florida small towns that you can stumble upon when exploring the state. Whether you're doing the regular history tour or holiday tour, you're sure to have a fabulous visit to the Stetson Mansion.

    Photos
    Stetson Mansion - Stetson Mansion

    Stetson Mansion

    Stetson Mansion - "Christmas Spectacular!" Holiday Home Tours

    "Christmas Spectacular!" Holiday Home Tours

    Stetson Mansion

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    Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tours

    Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tours

    4.6(13 reviews)
    31.9 mi

    **INITIAL REVIEW**…read more The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tour (which I will shorthand simply to the Lighthouse Tour) has been one of those "backyard adventures" I've been wanting to go on for the longest time. Eventually, I was able to partake in said adventure with my friends, Nate and Chops. Afterwards, I have to say that even for a probably "one-and-done" for a tour, it is definitely worth every penny spent. This tour was everything I wanted and loved, and it delivered. First and foremost, the actual business building for the Lighthouse Tour is nothing you have to worry about. According to all the tours, you will meet up at the Sands Space Museum and take a charter van to multiple locales on the tour. Before we get to the actual tour I partook in, it should be noted there are numerous tour options such as the museums alone, the lighthouse alone, or the full experience. Prices range from $35 (lighthouse only) to $65 (full tour). I went with the latter which includes numerous museums, historic launch sites, and the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. It should also be noted that the more you do, the longer the tour. The full tour is four hours long. Please take note the things you need to check before the tour such as wearing shoes if you plan to walk up the five floors of the lighthouse, small bags allowed with small closed-contained foods and drinks only. Finally, you need to fill out a clearance check as all the stops, with the exception of Sands Space Museum, is on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Military Base. With those in mind, the full tour - known as the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse and Space Flight Tour - is all the stops if possible. I say "if possible" because some stops may be closed for maintenance or upgrades. For us, The Sands Space Museum, where the tour stars, was closed for renovation. However, the museum is free and not on protected property so I can go back and check it out. We visited four different launch sites, three museums, and the Cape Canaveral lighthouse. I personally loved the lighthouse and Hanger "A" which housed some of the larger historic rockets and jets that have helped bring NASA and the U.S. military where it is now. I personally was surprised that the first drone was used as target practice. I can't really detail everything I saw or this would become one my longest reviews, longer than I usually do. Just know that, like I said earlier in the review, for a possible one-and-done, it is worth every penny. However, if you really want to make sure the tour is a one-and-done, pay for the full tour. You'll have enough time to visit everything within the four hours, and if anything is closed, they'll take you to the Canaveral National Seashore, which was amazing because it is literally almost "untouched" by tourism. I will give this tour four out of five stars. I am not going to say consistency will earn the fifth star because only a super fan will take this tour numerous times... or work for the tour company. I will say that the lacking star has to do with the price. It can be high overall especially if stops are closed for some reason.

    Great experience an excellent adventure for all in the family. Make sure add to you agenda.read more

    Photos
    Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tours
    Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tours - What a different view

    What a different view

    Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Tours

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    Lake Proctor Wilderness Area - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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