Florida Getaways 2008

Casa Marina, Key West three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. Today it appears much as it did when it opened in 1916. It still has rocking chairs on its veranda, original wood ﬂoors, transom windows, deep original ceramic tubs (re-glazed) and a vintage Otis elevator. But it’s the courtesies from a simpler time that make it unique. Guests can take home novels from the lobby with only a promise to mail back two, borrow a puzzle or get a personal wake-up call. And yes, there’s wireless internet. (863-385-0111, www.kenlodge.com) nucleus of the budding ﬁlm industry, the city attracted such ﬁlm stars as Jean Harlow and Charlie Chaplin, who stayed at the opulent Casa Marina Hotel Restaurant. The beachfront resort built in 1925 is the only Jacksonville area hotel remaining from that star-struck era. Guests can see reﬂections of the carefully restored inn’s illustrious past in its cherry wood ﬂoors and SpanishMediterranean revival architectural details. (904-270-0025, www.casamarinahotel.com) Like a scene from “The Great Gatsby,” the bubbly ﬂowed and the ballroom ﬂoor was ﬁlled with women in ﬂapper dresses and men in black tie when what is now the Renaissance Vinoy Resort Golf Club opened on the banks of Tampa Bay in 1925. By the mid 1970s, the elegance had given way to cobwebs and chipped paint. But in 1992, the Mediterranean-style resort reopened, restored to its impressive original state. You can learn about its history and remarkable restoration in a hallway off its main lobby that is ﬁlled with historic photos. (727-894-1000, www.vinoyrenaissanceresort.com) A Stock Market Boom The 1920s ushered in the golden years. Stocks were high, dresses were short and Florida grew some of its most regal hotels. The decade kicked off with the opening of the lavish Casa Marina Resort Beach Club in Key West. Although Henry Flagler died in 1913, a year after his Overseas Railroad connected Key West to mainland Florida, his vision for tourism lived on through Florida East Coast Railroad, the railroad company he created. The company opened the Casa Marina in 1920, and it quickly became a popular haven for artists and writers including Robert Frost and Wallace Stevens. A Key West icon, it also has the island’s largest private beach. (305-296-3535, www.casamarinaresort.com) Although most of the era’s grand resorts were built along the coastline, The Terrace Hotel, which opened in 1924, capitalized on the Lakeland area’s growing agricultural dynasties and enticing real estate market. Opened before air-conditioning, the 10-story hotel was an anomaly in that it stayed open year ‘round. Guests sipped drinks in the downstairs lounge and peered through its French doors onto Mirror Lake. The downtown hotel later fell on hard times and wasn’t restored and reopened until 1998. Today it is a centerpiece of a vibrant downtown, surrounded by shops and restaurants. (863-688-0800, www.terracehotel.com) On the east coast, Flagler continued to leave his mark, even if it was through a challenge to his rivals. Millionaire and consummate Kentucky gambler Cornel E.R. Bradley, nicknamed “Mr. Lucky,” ﬁrst ran afoul of Flagler when he opened his casino, the Beach Club, prompting Flagler to write to Palm Beach city ofﬁcials that there wasn’t enough room there for both of them. Bradley opened a posh hotel, now The Bradley Park Hotel, in 1924 to accommodate his gambling patrons. The Mediterranean revival resort, just two blocks from the beach, is a landmark that still envelops guests in opulence. (561-832-7050, www.bradleyparkhotel.com) Before Hollywood, there was Jacksonville. Struggling to become the The Roaring Twenties The year 1926 was an expansive one along Florida’s coastlines, as evidenced by six luxury resorts. The most glamorous, the Biltmore Coral Gables, opened that year to movie stars, royalty and the richest Americans. Crowds later ﬂocked to watch synchronized swimmers, see boy wonder Jackie Ott dive from an 85-foot platform and watch Johnny Weissmuller, who later played Tarzan, set a world swimming record. Built by Biltmore hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman (who at one point also owned the Belleview Biltmore), the resort cost $10 million to construct. Decades later, after being abandoned, it cost the city $55 million to restore it. Today, guests unwind in its historic ambiance as well as in its modern, world-class spa. (305-445-1926, www.biltmorehotel.com) 16 Floridians.VISITFLORIDA.com Casa Marina Hotel & Restaurant, Jacksonville http://www.casamarinahotel.com http://www.kenlodge.com http://www.terracehotel.com http://www.vinoyrenaissanceresort.com http://www.bradleyparkhotel.com http://www.casamarinaresort.com http://www.biltmorehotel.com http://www.Floridians.VISITFLORIDA.com

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Florida Getaways 2008 Contents Shorts: Visit A Port or Airport Deals: Join a Museum Water: On Lake Apopka Suite History Circus City Listings: Florida Vineyards Ad Index Florida Maps Looking Back: On Old Florida

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