Weekend Update: UP Characters, Sunken Gardens, Knott's History, Singapore
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt shares photos and video of the new UP characters at Walt Disney World. Denise made a Herculean effort to get these photos to us in time for your Weekend Update. Thanks, Denise!
As promised, SummerInFL takes us on a trip to a classic Roadside Florida attraction: Sunken Gardens. MickeyMaxx raids my shoebox full of old postcards again this week and shares some scans of vintage Knott's Berry Farm photos. Then Ian Parkinson brings us the last installment of his New Zealand trip. Where are you taking us next, Ian?
Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida
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Disney's Hollywood Studios now has the characters from UP greeting guests in the Animation building. There are also displays from the movie. I have over 100 photos on my site, with videos as well. I can't wait to see the film, I have friends who have seen it and loved it!
Dug:
Carl:
This little boy was so cute, trying to get Carls attention with his hands (it never happened, I had to tell a cast member that Carl was not noticing him!)
Here are items displayed in a nearby room:
More photos and video on Denise's website: mousesteps.com.
Sunken Gardens
St. Petersburg, Florida
Roadside Florida
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Sunken Gardens retains their historical interest as an important example of a 1930s Florida roadside commercial attraction, and is probably the oldest commercial tourist attraction on Florida's west coast. The Gardens are open to the public for educational programs, tours, and special events, particularly weddings which have taken place for decades on the Wedding Lawn, and in the banquet facilities in the Garden Room overlooking the unique garden setting.
Sunken Gardens
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The Gardens began in 1903, when plumber and avid gardener George Turner Sr. purchased the site, including a shallow lake 10 feet (3.0 m) below sea level, which he drained to form his private "sunken" garden. Turner started planting papayas and citrus fruits along with other exotic plants on the rich soil surrounding his home. By the 1920s, Turner had opened a nursery and began selling fruits, vegetables, roses and other plants, and visitors were paying a nickel each to stroll through the gardens. In the fall of 1935, he fenced his garden and started charging an admission fee of 25 cents. The Gardens eventually became widely popular, and from the 1950s through the 1970s were ranked among Florida’s top ten commercial attractions.
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The Gardens currently contain over 500 species of tropical and subtropical plants amidst pools and cascading waterfalls, lushly planted in a collection of more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers. They include a Japanese garden, cactus garden, and butterfly garden, and Chilean flamingos. Plants include bougainvilleas, royal palms, water lilies, shrimp planta, and fruit trees. The garden atmosphere is peaceful and many of the plants are quite large (compared to typical specimens) due to their long history of protection and cultivation.
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Sunken Gardens is a botanical paradise in the midst of a bustling city. As St. Petersburg's oldest living museum, this 100 year old garden is home to some of the oldest tropical plants in the region.
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A recent thread on Micechat about the encouraging word that Knott's was rebuilding a number of the Peek-Ins in Ghost Town got us to poking through Rick's old photos and post cards.
What we found was a yellowed and worn little envelope full of stock photos of Ghost Town from what year, we know not.
The photos follow with precious little comment from us, because of our limited Knott's knowledge. We're hoping maybe you can help us learn more about them with your comments this week. You'll see a few Peek-Ins, among these photos.
The Jersey Lilly Saloon.
The Bottle House.
Is this the the pan for gold area? It's much changed, so I'm not sure.
The Fire Department.
The Gold Trails Hotel, reported to be the first structure at Knott's Ghost Town.
The Barber Shop.
Folks cueing up to see Sad Eye Joe, imprisoned for years at the Ghost Town Jail. The most amazing part is that, somehow as folks walk up to peek at Joe, he knows their name and will carry on a conversation with them.
Joe, himself.
We also found this fun photo of two ladies enjoying their day at Knott's. While they are wearing vintage clothing, it's not quite of the stage coach era. Looks more like my folks when they used to go to the lodge on Saturday nights in the early 50's. I love that they look to be having a genuinely good time. On the back, you'll find the ordering information for reprints.
This last installment of Ian's New Zealand trip features wonderful photos of Singapore. Ian passed through Singapore twice during his trip. What a beautiful airport!
And that brings us to the end of another week. Our photographers have just enough time to reload their cameras before we see you all again next weekend. Thank you to all of our wonderful readers, and as always, a huge thank you to our amazing team of global photographers, spies, and gossips:
TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com)
SummerInFl (wdwfanpics.com)
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
BigPigletFan
Abominable Snowman
"Postcard Junkie" darkfairycthulu (postcardjunkie.blogspot.com)
Fishbulb
PhotoMatt
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom
A very special thank you to to our wonderful guest photographer Ian Parkinson for sharing his vision with us.
Your Editor - Rixter
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Total Comments 19
Comments
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Fantastic update everyone. Love the UP photos, the Sunken Gardens (these tacky Florida attractions are awesome!), Ancient Knotts!!! And those surprising photos from Singapore. Lot's of fun.
Posted 05-16-2009 at 01:51 AM by Dustysage
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I believe that Knott's photo is the old Pan for Gold area, although taken from an odd angle.
The photo above that one (with the stone mill, fern, and wooden fence) is the room off to the side of the "atrium" bathrooms in the Marketplace, and is surprisingly still there! It's a little more sparse, but there nevertheless. One of my favorite "hidden" areas of the park.Posted 05-16-2009 at 08:25 AM by JesterMn -
Ditto to pretty much everything Dusty posted. LOL! Love the UP characters. And the Sunken Gardens look like a nice side trip for anyone visiting the Tampa - St. Petersburg area.Posted 05-16-2009 at 09:37 AM by Armadillo4 -
Wow, love the update this week (what else is new). Those vintage Knott's photos are something else.Posted 05-16-2009 at 10:12 AM by sir clinksalot - Yes that is the old pan for gold. It use to be where gostrider line is now. You could get down there through the mine or down the stairs. very nice little area. there was also an exit right about were the photo was taken from. Well at least in the early 90sPosted 05-16-2009 at 10:14 AM by Skipper S
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I love the old knotts picutres. Awesome reportPosted 05-16-2009 at 10:33 AM by Cadensmama07 - Great Pics!Posted 05-16-2009 at 11:27 AM by Emmanuel_4
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I would also date those Knotts photos from the 50's maybe even late 40's based on how people are dressed. Also you will notice on the photo of the first envelope, the address for Knotts has no zip code which was instituted in 1963. Prior to that large cities had "postal zones". Perhaps Buena Park at that time was not large enough for a postal zone. In my case growing up my address was something like Los Angeles 47, California.
I have old home movies of Knotts from the mid 50's when our family used to go. They have been transferred to VHS. I need to get them transferred to DVD and then I could get them on YouTube.Posted 05-16-2009 at 01:30 PM by Wendygirl -
I'm not much into meeting characters, but I might have to meet the characters from Up.
Also, that airport is gorgeous!!Posted 05-16-2009 at 02:55 PM by yoyoflamingo -
great update this weekend! i love the singapore airport especiallyPosted 05-16-2009 at 04:01 PM by twobluestripes -
Those Knott's pics are great. Looking at the hats those guys are wearing, those must've been taken in the early 50s.
Great weekend update!
Posted 05-16-2009 at 04:03 PM by Barbossa -
Nice photos everyone!Posted 05-16-2009 at 05:48 PM by WheresMickey -
Mrs. Knotts Fried Chicken is always worth going forPosted 05-16-2009 at 05:57 PM by hadesthecat -
Singapore is one of my favorite cities on Earth. Nice to see it onthe update.
Also, they did a very good job with the rubber heads for the UP movie.Posted 05-16-2009 at 10:25 PM by TDLFAN -
Great update of all those places. I just found a site for Knott's this week (with links to other KBF sites, too) that also has some of those postcard shots.
THE KNOTT'S BERRY FARM MUSEUM
I don't see a way to contact him, but maybe one of the other sites will have someone that can offer more info.
It would be great to see that airport in Singapore and also the Sunken Gardens. Glad to see that some of Knott's Ghost Town has been restored to what it looked like in these photos.Posted 05-17-2009 at 12:38 AM by WOKcreative -
The splended varieties of flowers and foliage at Sunkin Gardens shimmers with vibrant beauty. Thank you for this roadside treat that should be a must-see for anyone traveking in Florida.Posted 05-17-2009 at 01:44 AM by Ride Warrior -
Can't wait til we get to meet the Up characters at DLR!Posted 05-18-2009 at 02:05 AM by Kritter -
fab pics.Posted 05-18-2009 at 11:49 AM by wdwnut4life - Haven't seen these old Knotts pics in years....Thanks.
A few details for what they're worth.....from an old geezer. From the position taking the picture down into the gold panning area....To your left was the front of the Steak House restaurant......to your right a short distance was a man-made volcano. It spewed steam and rumbled....had red lighting for lava....and had a most interesting display in front. In a wood and glass fronted box...there was a carved wooden devil...cranking a mechanism that supposedly powered the volcano.......:-)
Some details on the Hotel...the jail in the later photo was down an alley on this side of the Hotel..facing the front of the building....the left window had an operator with a microphone that ran to a speaker inside the jail cell. People could write a description and brief facts about a friend and hand them to the hidden operator. He'd use a series of hidden mirrors to look for your friend.....you can see the assembly on the Hotel wall in this picture. This allowed him the chance to cause Sad Eye Joe to speak directly to your friend from inside the jail. This used to be lots of fun for first time tourists....another detail....the leg of a dance hall girl...thats sticking out the Hotel window.....had a wire running to the same operator...he could make it kick wildly. The last thing...and the old geezer will shut up already....:-)......The right side window on the Hotel was opened as a stand selling fresh popped popcorn and fresh hot caramel corn....a particular addicition of mine in the 60s.Posted 05-18-2009 at 05:20 PM by Geezer
