Beyond the Theme Parks

Exploring Central Florida

by Benjamin D. Brotemarkle

James J. Horgan Book Award Winner for 2000

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New in Paperback for Fall 2000!

This book invites you to visit the number 1 vacation destination in the world and see sights that tens of millions of people miss every year!

Whether you're a central Florida resident or tourist in the Orlando area, this illustrated book takes you to attractions within easy driving distance where you can enjoy and explore a rich real-life heritage more varied and extensive than any theme park:

• cowboy culture and competition (a century in the making),

• the London Symphony Orchestra at their official summer home,

• Zora Neale Hurston's legacy in the oldest incorporated African-American municipality in the United States,

• a hotbed of antiques and collectibles and the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany glass in the world,

• a thriving spiritualist community (since 1894),

• a working Pioneer Florida settlement,

• the home of American space exploration,

• the biggest stock car races and motorcycle rallies in the country,

• and art communities and festivals, architectural marvels, and examples of historic preservation throughout the region.

Beyond the Theme Parks also includes photographs, an easy-to-follow map, a cultural arts calendar, and lists of historic sites and arts organizations with brief descriptions, addresses, and phone numbers. More than a guide, this book offers a rich blend of heritage and history, a delightful primer for newcomers, and a homeowner's manual in which residents can (re)discover the delights of their own backyard.

Benjamin D. Brotemarkle, host and producer of "The Arts Connection" on radio station 90.7 WMFE-FM in Orlando, has won journalism awards for his coverage of central Florida history and culture. His features have been heard around the world on Voice of America radio, around the country on National Public Radio, and throughout the state on Florida public radio.

1999. 242pp. 6 X 9.
55 b&w photos, map, notes, bibliography, index.

ISBN 0-8130-1657-6 Cloth, $24.95
ISBN 0-8130-1825-0 Paper, $16.95

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"History, historic preservation, and our cultural organizations are all facets of the same jewel: the community of central Florida. Ben brings them together in a way that makes sense for those of us who live here and those who visit."--Sara Van Arsdel, executive director, Orange County Historical Society


"This is the kind of 'guide' I really appreciate. Brotemarkle takes us on a leisurely tour of fifteen of central Florida's most interesting towns and cities, offering much more than the standard thumbnail sketches of each place. . . . The book is full of gems along with a useful appendix which includes listings of Florida's Arts and Cultural organizations, a listing of historic sites and a calendar of events. This book is a keeper!" -- 
Travel Writers International Network

"Beyond the Theme Parks is a valuable resource for anyone planning to get acquainted with the center of the state, to learn something of its history, to see its cowboys, to find insights on antiquing in the area and the best times to check out Daytona and Cape Canaveral." -- Florida Times-Union

"Brotemarkle's book provides a rich palette of sites more varied and extensive than any theme park. . . . More than a guide, this book offers a unique blend of heritage and history."-- 
Florida Historical Quarterly

"Ben Brotemarkle is the ideal arts journalist—inquisitive, attentive to detail, insightful. His work is a much-needed guide to ‘the other Florida.’"--N. Y. Nathiri, executive director of Preserve Eatonville and of the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities

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