FLORIDA'S KINGDOM OF THE SUN

[Music] [Music] florida america's southernmost and only truly subtropical area is becoming increasingly popular as a year-round attraction for vacationers from every part of the world and this is marion county located at the very heart of the world's playground shutterbug her assignment a picture story on marion county better known as florida's kingdom of the sun let's take a tour with carol as she records on film the present-day story of ocala and marion county florida only a few minutes from ocala his world-famous silver springs millions of visitors each year thrilled to the exciting beauty of the underwater world seen through the magic of glass-bottomed boats beneath the calm surface of silver river are more than 35 species of fish and a hundred barack the main spring cavern largest in the world gushing forth 660 million gallons of water daily is often used as an underwater location for motion picture companies hundreds of movies and television shows have been filmed here earning silver springs the title of underwater motion picture capital of the world not all the beauty of silver springs lies beneath the surface of its waters located in a 100 acre azalea and dogwood scented park florida's silver springs is the home of several other major attractions taking visitors down the silver river on a 45-minute thrill ride through nearly five miles of dense subtropical jungle are big jungle cruise launches highlight of each jungle cruise is a visit with america's only colony of wild monkeys [Music] it looks as though myrtle the turtle has started a taxi service for tired tots at ross allen's reptile institute hourly lecture tours are climaxed by a chilling demonstration of venom extraction from the deadly rattlesnake children of all ages are welcome at tommy bartlett's international deer ranch in this unusual attraction animals from 18 foreign countries greet and gently nuzzle visitors in search of crackers which they usually find all the newborn at tommy bartlett's deer ranch are reared in the baby animal nursery where the visitors have the opportunity of bottle feeding them everyone tries to get into the act and overseeing the activity is none other than billy goat gruff sheltered by the arms of age-old cypress trees are the beautiful little chapels of the prince of peace memorial each chapel houses one hand-carved three-dimensional scene from the life of christ complete to the minutest detail they are the creations of the sculptor artist paul cunningham who is also noted for his beautiful seascapes here at silver springs is an early american museum with showpieces from all parts of the world providing entertainment and pleasure for the entire family with its shops and exhibits of days gone by the ladies of all ages are drawn to the international doll and toy shop here dolls of all countries sizes and ages reign in majesty each with its own fascinating biography clark's circus of wood a complete circus carved by the foremost wood carvers in the world during the past 27 years a day in marion county wouldn't be complete without a cool invigorating dip in the 72 degree waters of the bathing beach at silver springs [Music] the unusual clarity of the waters permits bathers using face masks to see objects clearly for distances of hundreds of feet beneath the surface and now it's all aboard partner for a ride on the 164 feet high gondola skyride back into history back a hundred years of the days of the roaring west at six gun territory you may find yourself in the middle of a bank hold up laughing as digger the territorial undertaker has trouble folding up one of his customers [Music] or watching beautiful can can girls perform in the palace saloon as you sip mountain dew or red eye which is really orange juice or soft drinks for no alcoholic beverages are served in this all-family attraction [Music] you might like to pay a visit across the border to the mexican town [Music] watch indians perform an authentic indian war dance ride the old stagecoach [Music] or shop like your grandfather did in one of the many old stores it's blazing guns and thundering hooves red satin ladies and tinkling nickelodeons howling indians and dusty burrows all at six-gun territory where you become part of the past in an old frontier town you may ride either the gondola skyride or the authentic wood-burning frontier express at six-gun territory [Music] a short distance from ocala is the more than 400 000 acre ocala national forest where vacationers and residents alike picnic and swim at juniper springs an old mill wheel revolving in the current makes a picturesque background for the camera enthusiast excellent facilities are available for campers and miles of nature trails back into hikers canoes can be rented for an unusually beautiful trip down the river the forest abounds with wildlife and hunters who revel in the field of guns to their shoulders or thrill to a beautiful point find superb hunting just a few miles from the center of ocala bagging a turkey is something to be proud of and these hunters can really do some bragging the more than 500 beautiful lakes and rivers of marion county including the well known with lucocci and aklawaha rivers have justly earned the reputation of being world-famous fishing waters whether you're an avid fisherman or completely inexperienced there's an excellent the largemouth black bass and fighting game fish are boated daily along with several species of panfish due to the mild climate of marion county fishing and other water sports such as boating and water skiing are enjoyed the year round on beautiful lake weir orange lake and other popular lakes [Music] motels offer fine accommodations to fit every budget and most of them have swimming pools for that refreshing dip cuisine ranging from italian and french to good old southern style pampers the palette in the many restaurants for every season of the year there are colorful flowering plants many tropical which lend their solarium children of ocala and marion county benefit by unlimited educational facilities besides public and private schools ocala is also the home of the central florida junior college the university of florida is located in nearby gainesville [Music] there are many churches that provide services for residents and visitors alike shopping centers are complete and diversified [Music] ocala is a growing metropolis boasting many new public buildings including the 2 million monroe memorial hospital county courthouse and post office although tourism is big business in marion county it shares the bill with several other industries 14 000 acres of groves and humming packing plants are proof that citrus plays a big role in marion county economy king of the rolling green pasture lands is the strong hearty brahma for cattle raising is a major industry in the county it's only a short trip from the ranch to swift's packing company in ocala and on to the consumer the sleek and speedy world champion greyhounds are bred and trained for the races beneath ocala's smiling sun natural resources help marion county keep pace with the expanding construction in the area marion county's fastest growing industry is the breeding raising and training of thoroughbred horses ocala the thoroughbred capital of florida is becoming a serious challenger to other well-known racehorse breeding areas mild weather uninterrupted training seasons and mineral-rich soil are only a few of the many advantages to raising racehorses which have produced kentucky derby winners such as needles and carry back not far from the horse farms on us 41 near dunnellon is another one of marion county's magnificent scenic wonders rainbow springs nestled in a beautiful natural setting rainbow springs never fails to charm the visitor an unforgettable experience is a ride on one of the unique submarine boats which affords an underwater view through individual portholes as you glide through the mysterious underwater fairy land a guide chants the story of this amazing wonder of nature and looking into the depths below you see the lovely rainbows that gave these springs their name you may also walk through the lush tropical vegetation on the jungle walk see the highest waterfall in florida or swim in the crystal clear waters of rainbow springs whether you come to marion county for three days three weeks or a lifetime there are still countless interests providing a well-rounded curriculum if golf is your game try the ocala municipal golf course this 18-hole course is of tournament caliber and several tournaments are held here annually [Music] the boston red sox farm clubs provide first-class baseball in their spring training camp here cultural entertainment is presented through the community concert association and an active little theater the choice is yours whatever your pleasure you will find it in marion county in the heart of florida four major u.s highways interstate 75 and 10 state highways place ocala the county seat within easy reach of all other attractions in the state excellent transportation facilities are also provided by the seaboard airline railroad atlantic coastline railroad and the greyhound bus lines a modern new airport is served by two airlines [Music] this is it friendly marion county in sunny florida you've seen its finest attractions miss travel writer and carol it's really quite a story isn't it only in the sunshine state where the tourist is king where hospitality is a habit is there so much to see and do nature at its most exciting and most sublime the splendor and magnificence of flower feather and fin this is marion county in the heart of central florida where memories will never be forgotten marion county never fails to make quite a story and quite a picture by the way don't you agree [Applause] [Music] you