Sunshine Matters

Florida vacations and souvenirs go together just like Florida sunshine and sandy, white beaches.  Tourists have bought untold numbers of Florida souvenirs throughout the years, reflecting the history and culture that is Florida tourism.  These travel treasures have ranged from rubber alligators from the memorable Ross Allen Reptile Institute in Silver Springs, to a five-star sheriff badge from the old Six-Gun Territory in Ocala, and the always popular and world-renowned “Mickey Mouse” ears from Disney World in Orlando.

Souvenirs reflect our remembrances of the great Florida attractions of yesterday and today, as well as representing our theme parks and roadside attractions.  VISIT FLORIDA has been asked by the Florida Historic Capitol Museum in Tallahassee to put together an exhibit on Florida attraction souvenirs entitled “Remembering Paradise: Souvenirs of Historic Florida Attractions.”  The exhibit will run from April through September 2011.

The temporary exhibit will focus on souvenirs from historic and important tourist attractions, and how they help enhance the impact of tourism in Florida.  We hope to have hundreds of souvenirs displayed reflecting Florida’s attractions from as far back as Ponce de Leon’s visit seeking the Fountain of Youth in 1513 up to the opening of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando in 2010.

VISIT FLORIDA cannot do this alone, in fact we are going to need a lot of help!  We need your old Florida souvenirs for the exhibit, in particular those that are fun, unique, odd, unusual, bizarre and even rare.  Smaller items are preferred; however, we do have limited space for a few larger items, such as T-shirts, posters, etc.

Here’s how you can help:

Step 1:  Dig through that old trunk and dust off a special treasure from your favorite Florida attraction.

Step 2:  Take a photo of the souvenir and email it, along with a brief description of your item, to museum@VISITFLORIDA.org.

Step 3:  Souvenirs will be selected for the exhibit by the end of January 2011.

Step 4:  If selected, VISIT FLORIDA will contact you with information on how to ship your Florida attraction souvenir to the exhibit.

Step 5:  Tell everyone about the exhibit and encourage them to send us photos of their old souvenirs.

Your souvenirs will be handled with the greatest of care and will be cataloged and returned at the end of the exhibit in September 2011.  I will be coordinating the exhibit and am happy to answer any questions you may have.  Feel free to contact me at  850-205-3817 or ddodd@VISITFLORIDA.org.  With your help, I look forward to putting together an incredible exhibit that will showcase the importance of Florida tourism through the ages to all our visitors at the Capitol.