The entrance to Gatorland Zoo is through a perfectly tacky cement alligator's mouth. Once prolific along the state's steamy straight-aways, many of these backyard zoos and private museums were unapologetically modelled after carnival midway shows.
Superhighways bypass all but the most predictable chain restaurants or motels.
The gimmicks were sometimes free offerings designed to get you to stop. Happily, for seekers of travel eccentricities, there are a few holdouts to the spirit of the roadside attraction. 11 Magnolia Ave. Historical nit-pickers might complain that the Spanish explorer actually failed to find a Fountain of Youth. Nevertheless, the historical significance of the place is twofold.