Evening star., 1939-10-22
Nv RALPH GRAY.


romanticist of another day, sailed
clear across the dark stormy AtlanVic
to try to find the FOUNTAIN OF
Youth" in Florida. He found no
ect,,al vater-and-rock panacea, puI
were he to return today to the Flor.
ida in which he searched, he Woulo
And that the whole State has oe-
come a token fountain OF youth.
Today Florida's Gift OF sunshine ana
happiness gives the Nation youV'1-
full lift every winter.
If the ocean was not enough 10
keep Ponce de Leon from searching
for problematical fountain OF
Youth. then a mere thousand miles
or 50 of motoring over fine highways
should not deter you for an instant
in your search for real reJuVeild-
ton in Florida.
Contrary to the usual notion, the
trip to Miami, though LIS miles
long is neither hard nor monotonous.
Summertime construction % o
throughout the South are completed
and the roads are generally in un-
precedented good shape. On top OF
that. there are at least three alto-
rether different routes to FLORIDA :
one need not travel the same route
both ways to be on good, interest
ing road. These three routes are
roughly: % The central route
through Richmond and Petersburg
then through Raleigh or Florence TO
Savannah and Jacksonville ana
Miami: (2> the coastal route, U. S
II commonly called the TldeWater
Trail. through Norfolk, wilmington
and Charleston, and t3) the more
westerly U. S. / route. through Ra-
leigh. Columbia and Waycross.
First Route is Shorter.
Let us examine these routes. Ihe
frst one is shorter by 33 miles than
snv rival route whatever, and 1t mas
POSSIBLY the best roadbed and sur
facing. 1t is without question the
fastest route; Miami may be mace
on it in three easy driving days. On
the other hand, being the shortest
route. it is most heavily Travelled
Trucks use this route more than any
other.
The second route, along the ocean
Is about 100 miles longer than the
inland trail. It's compensation 1ol
the motorist lies in the fact that II
is less travelled and goes through
open, fiat country with few towns
and great stretches of straight, fas'
road. Also. the Tidewater Trail Is
possibly more interesting than the
inland road, but this is moot ques-
ton.
The third route is 50 miles longer
than the first and 48 miles shorter
than the second 1t has one dis
tinct advantage over all other route:
being the older, longer established
trail, it has better and more abun.
dant accommodations. There are
more large towns and cities with
good hotels, and most important
they are conveniently placed. Or
the first two routes, when youl
speedometer registers 300 to 40(
miles. and you are ready to call 1t
day, you are in a comparatively bar,
rem area, as far as hotels go. You
must plan in advance to reach Flor
ence or Sumter or Wilmington
twhere you know of accommoda'
tions) or stop short at Raleigh OF
New Bern or Rocky Mount. which
are not. generally speaking, a day!
drive. But on U. S. you need no
worry about good hotels; Raleigh
Southern Pines, Columbia, Aiken
! Augusta and Waycross all combine Il
refute any fears on that score.
So much for the factual repre-
sentation of the three routes. l.
She impression you receive from
these descriptions is that it make!
no great difference which way yol
go, you are just about right. Ad
vsntages and disadvantages largel!
balance, inclining toward the cen
tral route through Raleigh, Sumter
and Savannah.
Another Angle of Approach.
But there is another angle o.
approach to Florida travel-an angl'
so often overlooked, which, if con
sidered, would turn a monotonou
trip into a highly enjoyable one
that is, the most interesting trip II
Florida. This is completely per.
sonal question, for the individual
to decide: so again it is necessar,
to revert to facts. Just what is th'
most interesting trip to Florida
Here are the facts:
The central route Richmond
Raleigh. Sumter, Savannah. Jack
sonville): This route takes yo,
through the Colonial towns of Alex
andria and Fredericksburg and th'
Civil War cities of Richmond ant
Petersburg. South of here YOU en-