There were no correct guesses this week but we still had a lot of fun!
Micanopy is the oldest inland town in Florida and it’s cute, friendly and quirky. In 2015, it was named one of the 12 cutiest town in America by The Huffington Post. It really is great place to have a meal and walk around. The town center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History:
In 1539, Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto noted a Timucuan Indian village at the site of present-day Micanopy. And over two hundred years later, William Bartram recorded his impressions of a proto-Seminole village named Cuscowilla at the same site too. Present day Micanopy was founded in 1821 and was named after Chief Micanopy of the Seminole Nation. The town is located south of Gainesville.
I’ve always liked the movie “Doc Hollywood” staring Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda. The movie has actually been on my mind this past year. It’s a movie about a surgeon on his way to interview for a position as a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. On his roadtrip to California, he crashed in “Grady” South Carolina and got sentenced to community service. While in town, he meets a girl and discovers the joy of small town life. He meets some quirky characters too and discovers that not all the people were as unsophicated as he thought they were. And of course in the end, he chooses the girl and town over “Hollywood.”
Imagine my surprise when I found out that “Doc Hollywood”was actually filmed in Micanopy, close to where I was doing a Work -Exchange. Lucy, the host of the farm that I was staying, told me about the towns connection with the movie and more about the town. Lucy also took me to visit the area. That visit made me even more impressed on how “Doc Hollywood” captured that quirky magic. Below is a link to a well done YouTube visit to Micanopy comparing scenes from the movie to places in Micanopy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WmgEd4uavI
I learned more about the town from the local bakery and the antique store, that was the hospital in the movie.
If you need another reason to visit the area, a nearby town is Cross Creek, where Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote “The Yearling” and “Cross Creek.”
Wow, does this bring back memories! I visited Micanopy about 20 years ago…great article.
You are right Garry, a lot places, teams ,etc. are named after the Seminole in Florida. This is what shows online for the Seminole Tribe in Florida.
http://www.semtribe.com/
On my visits to Florida – from the UK – I’ve seen many references to the Seminole Indians.
Do they still exist ?
Thanks Rob. Now I know why the Seminoles are hard to find. Heavy stuff indeed.