A wintery day with thoughts of ports southeastern...

Okay then. It's winter, most amusement parks are closed right now, and I haven't got a bucketload of money to just trapise off and visit any at this moment in time. But I'm quite excited to be planning a visit in Florida at the end of the month (part of a swoop down to Sunny Land that also includes a much-anticipated cruise on the Floating Mouse House, one we've had booked for 2 long years)to Silver Springs in Ocala, FL. Known as "Nature's Theme Park", Silver Springs dates back, well, you could actually trace it back to the 1870s when a fellow fashioned a glass-bottom boat and gave boat rides in the area. Silver Springs also has some Hollywood glam connected with it, as the backdrop to the old Johnny Weissmuller "Tarzan" movies AND (get this -- get a load of the way coolness)the 50s TV show "Sea Hunt" was filmed there, starring the weatherblown-yet-sexy Lloyd Bridges. Silver Springs is now a National Landmark and that's a big plus in keeping it around for years to come.