The Wandering Disciple

Get ready to have that iconic song etched in your memory as you embark on a cultural adventure aboard this famous Magic Kingdom attraction. It's a Small World is a staple in the park's Fantasyland area and features hundreds of Audio-Animatronics figures representing cultures across the globe uniting for the singing of It's A Small World.  It's A Small World was one of Walt Disney's contribution to the 1964 World's Fair in New York City. At the conclusion of the fair, the ride found a permanent home at Disneyland in California. With the success of the attraction, it was an original attraction when Walt Disney World on opening day in 1971. Today the ride appears at Disney parks across the globe.  Taken: February 25, 2024 at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)

Lake Buena Vista, Florida:  We hit the road early this morning for a day trip to Walt Disney World.  Today's adventure took us to the Magic Kingdom.  Having resumed our annual passes following an almost five year break from the parks, we were excited to see what's new at the Magic Kingdom since our last visit in 2019. One advantage to living so close to Walt Disney World is being able to take day trips to the park.  One downside is having to deal with I-4 traffic to get to the park.  We were originally going to go up yesterday, but when we punched in the trip on Google, our usual 2:20 trip was skirting close to 4 hours.  So we chose to go today instead and what a great choice!  The early start on the road left us smooth sailing to the park and Mother Nature prepared a beautiful, mild and sunny Sunday.   We arrived to Walt Disney World right as the Disney Princess Marathon was completing.  Despite the traffic modifications as a result of...

A Great Egret flies high above the Myakka River at Myakka River State Park. A large member of the egret family, the Great Egret flies with its long neck tucked in and its long legs outstretched.  The Great Egret is just one of the many species of wildlife you will encounter on a visit to Myakka River State Park. The 37,000 acre state park is home to a wide variety of animals including over 100 species of birds.  Taken: November 11, 2014 at Myakka River State Park (Sarasota, FL)

All aboard, sit back and enjoy the journey as you ride on history. At most museums, you get to see history, but at the Florida Railroad Museum, you get to ride history. The travelling train museum departs daily from the Parrish Depot for a trip to the Willow Yard and back. Enjoy vintage train cars and the scenic Florida wilderness along the way.  This is a switching locomotive build for the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1919. It was purchased by the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal Railroad in 1922 and remained in service with them until 1963. Today it welcomes visitors to the Florida Railroad Museum.  Taken: November 8, 2014 at Florida Railroad Museum (Parrish, FL)

While the development boom of Florida has eliminated much of the old scrub forests that once covered the stats, there are still sections of Old Florida preserved in state parks across the sunshine state. These forests are critical to the ecosystem and are home to some unique plants and animals, some are threatened due to habitat loss.  This Old Florida forest is found on the north trail at Little Manatee River State Park. The 6.5 mile hike through dense foliage takes you into the heart of the preserved forest and along the banks of the Little Manatee River.  Taken: November 8, 2014 at Little Manatee River State Park (Wimauma, FL)

Had a ghostly encounter, who are you gonna call? Call the Ghostbusters and Ecto 1A will come screaming to the rescue. The 1980's Ghostbusters movie franchise featured Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as parapsychologists who try to rid the Big Apple of ghosts.  The Ecto 1A movie car is just one of the many iconic cars on display for sale at Ideal Classic Cars. The showroom is a stroll through Americana featuring a collection of movie cars and iconic historic hot rod.  Taken: November 6, 2014 at Ideal Classic Cars (Venice, FL)

When it comes to aerial skills of feat, there is no family more famous than the Wallendas. For generations, the Wallenda family has pushed the limits of tight rope walking over some of the world's most notable icons from Niagara Falls to the the Grand Canyon.  This is Sarasota's own Nik Wallenda practicing at Nathan Benderson Park in his hometown in 2014. He was preparing to walk between two skyscrapers in Chicago. Unlike most walks where the wire is level, this walk required the wire to be at a 15 degree angle so Nik replicated this at the park and practiced in front of his hometown audience.  Taken: October 9, 2014 at Nathan Benderson Park (Sarasota, FL)