Florida Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

U.S. State Curiosities

by David Grimes, Thomas Becnel

Everybody's heard of Walt Disney World, Weeki Wachee, and the Miami Dolphins, but what about the Tito Gaona Trapeze Academy, Frosty the roller-skating cockatoo, and Big Daddy Don Garlitt's drag racing museum? In Florida Curiosities, popular humor columnist David Grimes and coauthor Tom Becnel reveal what even lifelong Floridians may not know--or want to know!--about their state. From swamp cabbage festivals and conch shell blowing contests to walking catfish, "The Booger," and Snooty the bachelor manatee, residents and visitors alike will discover the many fascinating elements of Florida's curious underside with this laugh-out-loud guide.

Genres: Travel

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

David was a staunch advocate for the guitar in so many ways - as Director of the Classical Guitar Studies at Cal State Fullerton, and as a performer, composer, arranger, writer, and conductor of the Orange County Guitar Orchestra for many years.
David Grimes was first introduced to the guitar when he was a junior math major at Caltech and heard a recording of Andrés Segovia. He completed his degree in mathematics and subsequently worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena for several years while he pursued his guitar studies with Guy Horn and Oscar Ghiglia. For eighteen years, he was President of the GFA and served the organization tirelessly. More recently, he was a Reviews Editor for Soundboard magazine. His Mel Bay editions of The Complete Sor Studies and The Complete Giuliani Studies are pedagogical staples.

Reviews

[Mr. Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

More synopsis of places and less history.

[Kristin Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this book at the Alligator Farm so I checked it out from the library.

This book was OK....written tongue-in-cheek a lot...I did see a few places that made me curious to check out:

A Flip-Your-Own Pancake Restaurant in DeLeon Springs called the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill and Griddle House. There is an electric griddle on your table and they bring out the ingredients so that you can cook your own eggs, pancakes and French Toast.

A Land Bridge across I-75 around Ocala
An overpass that "will connect 15 miles of biking trails, 56 miles of equestrian trails, and 40 miles of hiking trails." It also allows animals to cross the interstate. It crosses I-75 north, north of exit 67. "The nearest trailhead is east of the interstate on County Road 475A in Belleview. For more info call the Office of Greenways and Trails at 352-236-7143."

Angels Diner in Palatka
made out of an old railroad dining car
209 Reid Street next to the Subway. Open 6am-10pm (midnight on Fri/Sat).

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually pretty cool.. I have been to a number of these places but it was neat to find out some history on the things that I have taken for granted that are actually pretty friggin awesome. Fun Read

[Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical off beat and oddities broken down by geography of the state. Lots of clever and off beat commentary makes the reading fun as well as lots of pictures

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made my Florida Bucket List even longer, but now it's way more interesting.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

More synopsis of places and less history.