This is Port Orange !!!

Posted in Americas, Florida, Food and Wine

I was seaching into my cd rom vault and found me a picture that should be in my blog for you and me. It gives me the excuse to tell you all about this memorable town, going back to my times in Volusia County, Florida, One of these memorable spots had to do with visiting Port Orange just 27 km or 17 mi south of my former home in Ormond by the Sea, Wonderful countryside on the mainland. Port Orange is on the other side of the Intracoastal waterways so no beach, for that you need to turn into Dunlawton avenue over the bridge into Daytona Beach Shores left or Wilbur by the Sea right. This is my story and theirs ,therefore, here is my take on this is Port Orange !!! Hope you enjoy this post as I,

Why this brings memory, well did my Univ studies in Daytona Beach, and came back to live in county land Ormond by the Sea, I got married to a wonderful Frenchie Martine in nearby Daytona Beach ,had my first son at Halifax Hospital and a ton of wonderful memories forever, When my dear late parents came down took them here too, and later my late dear Martine took her too, eventually came in with my sons and all, Its a family spot really nice, peaceful and full of history of the real Florida !! Memories forever indeed.

The ways here is car is king and the main road is the interstate I-95 running north–south, The sole interchange for Port Orange is at Exit 256, also known as Florida State Road 421  The SR 421 aka Taylor Road / Dunlawton Avenue (old days we did rodeo car moto racings here ! ) ,The SR 441 or South Peninsula Drive) , SR A1A  over the Port Orange Causeway / South Atlantic Avenue, and U.S. Highway 1 passes through the center of the city, named here South Ridgewood Avenue.

The  Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens are at 950 Old Sugar Mill Road, and feature lovely public gardens under ancient live oaks, towering palms and other semi-tropical trees. The ruins of the planation’s sugar mill have been preserved as a historical exhibit. And, the best part of the entire experience is that it’s free. And don’t miss the sugar mill ruins, the human sun dial, children’s garden and Florida-shaped herb garden. In 1988 a local nursery owner name Martin Wibold took interest and built a garden paradise amongst the old mill ruins, dinosaurs, and 200-year-old oak trees. Luckily Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens is going strong, and we hope its 1988 status as a garden paradise continues for many years to come.  The native butterfly plants, like Firespike, Firebush, and Blue Porterweed brought a host of butterfly friends before we even entered the gate. The Gardeners Library contains over 200 books about plants. pulling a brochure out of the handpainted mailbox, sitting a spell to read from the numerous little free libraries, and seeing the mini water wheel spinning in the bog garden. All of these interesting details are scattered throughout, hanging out next to spectacular Birds of Paradise, Heliconias, Staghorn Ferns, Banana plants, and many more. Guided tours of the gardens are available by appointment.Not just to explore the gardens but to experience local history as well. The remains of the sugar mill include structural ruins of coquina block and brick, and an assortment of sugar processing equipment which includes the gear mechanisms of the rolling sugar cane press, the iron boiling kettles, and the steam furnace and piston mechanisms used in operating the cane press.  All or part of the equipment here used to belong to the Cruger dePeyster Sugar Mill.  This remaining equipment represents one-of the first still existing examples of the types of machinery required in the processing of sugar, molasses, and rum.

The City Port Orange is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area.The original settlers of the area were the Timucuan and Seminole Indians , Later, the city was settled by John Milton Hawks, who brought freed African Americans to work at his sawmill after the U.S. Civil War. The colony struggled soon after its creation and most colonists left. The area that became known as Freemanville is a legacy of the settlers who stayed in the area , Port Orange is made up of some 150 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own distinctive flavor, My other souvenir that I recall is coming for lunch or dinner with my parents and later whole family to perennial institution the Aunt Catfish’s On the River restaurant at  4009 Halifax Drive, still there ! For reference and memories webpage : https://auntcatfishontheriver.com/

The city of Port Orange on its history: https://www.port-orange.org/270/City-History

The official Dunlawton Sugar Mill : https://www.dunlawtonsugarmillgardens.org/index.html

The Daytona Beach tourist office on Dunlawton sugar mill gardens: https://www.daytonabeach.com/listings/dunlawton-sugar-mill-gardens/935/

The Florida State tourist office on Port Orange : https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/central-east/port-orange/

There you go folks, another nostalgia lane story of yours truly. Yes it has been a long trek on various continents and countries and what not, all worth it, very rich, and always missing these places as a reluctant traveler does always. Again ,hope you enjoy this post on this is Port Orange !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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