The 75+-room Whitehall mansion Henry Flagler built as a wedding gift for his third wife Mary Lily, is a Beaux Arts masterpiece. Completed in 1902 in just 18 months, the Palm Beach estate featured all the latest technical advances including electricity and telephones. Palm Beach was just one stop of Flagler’s famous Florida East Coast Railway, fulfilling his dream of reaching Key West in 1912, the year before his death at 82. His private rail car, #91, is housed on the property and also available to tour. We didn’t hear about Flagler’s rivalry with Henry Plant, a wealthy entrepreneur who was building his own railway and resort hotel along Florida’s gulf coast.
Both original and typical furnishings from the Gilded Age are on display throughout the mansion. Pictured here, part of a set of Tiffany dinnerware, typical of the era, but not original to the home.
Tours are available four ways: with a docent, audio, by app or self-guided. Tours with a docent are about an hour and are offered three times a day. Be sure to leave time for a tasty high tea in the lovely Cafe des Beaux-Arts.
Admission is $18 and all tour categories are included at no additional charge.
For information: 561-655-2833
http://www.flaglermuseum.us, and/or
download the Flagler Museum smartphone app.
Beautiful waters surround Grand Turk.
Dune buggys!
Reminiscent of Aruba, Grand Turk shares the same arid climate, sand and wild donkeys. On Grand Turk there were also lots of cute wild horses, a vividly gorgeous Atlantic coast, and thankfully, not so much wind. OK, so maybe it’s just the desert climate and wild donkeys the two islands have in common.
We decided to take a dune buggy ride, and it was a good choice. With lots of sand and roads full of potholes it made for a bumpy, energetic, fun ride all around the island. We were off-road much of the time, so the left-lane driving was no factor. In our two-hour journey, we visited Gun Hill, saw many of the lakes formerly used to harvest salt, and passed the possible (NOT) Columbus Landfall Marine National Park, on the way to the lighthouse at North East Point. The famous wild pink Flamingos were nowhere to be seen.
All along the stunning coastline, we saw the incredibly beautiful, brilliant, turquoise water that turns a deep, dark blue, at the “wall” where the depth drops dramatically to 7,000 feet. A good combo for divers and snorkelers.
A British Territory, Grand Turk is the capital of the 40 island archipelago known as Turks & Caicos; about 7 miles long and a mile wide, there are less than 5,000 residents. We visited while on a short Princess Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, a nice and easy four-night getaway.
After we returned to the cruise company-built, port area, we grabbed a cab for the $5 per person ride back three miles into Cockburn Town. A once-thriving salt-trade community, this sleepy little village features narrow one-lane roads built for horse traffic, and colorful, Bermudan-style buildings. Unlike most colonial-era towns with a central plaza, this community was built strewn along the coast and former salt flats (Salinas), located through the middle of the island.
We had some terrific fresh fried grouper and conch fritters before taking a brief walk around the area. It is definitely laid-back and unpretentious. No big resorts, or celebrities here; head 25 miles across north Atlantic waters, to the neighboring Caicos Islands for that scene.
Grand Turk is just sun, sand, crystal clear water, wild donkeys and friendly faces.
Locals are proud of this replica of the Friendship 7 space capsule that splashed down with John Glenn, in 1962.
Built in London and erected on Grand Turk in 1852, the 60′ high lighthouse protected ships in the salt trade from the island’s surrounding reefs.
This is street art, Miami-style. The Wynwood Walls are fascinating, intriguing, and just plain fun. Covering 80,000 square feet of old warehouse walls, 50 artists, from 16 different countries, showcase the very best in street art. Far exceeding what is often called “graffiti”, one fan has dubbed the area a “Museum of the Streets.”
These shots were taken during a typical Gallery Night, held the second Saturday of the month; but day or night, the Walls are a visual treat. For a little more earthly sustenance, you have a wide variety of great restaurants and bars in this trendy, transitional area, north of downtown Miami.
If you enjoyed the last Chihuly Instillation a few years back, you’ll love this one. If you haven’t been to any at Fairchild – put it on your must-do list. With a beautiful setting, gorgeous birds, and even a great spot for a good lunch, who could ask for more. Tram tours run every hour. www.fairchildgarden.org
