Campground Spotlight
Flamingo Lake RV Resort, Jacksonville, Florida, C12323
With the increasing demand for RV campsites, what’s a campground to do? Add more sites, of course. Ken Lloyd, assistant manager and marketing director at Flamingo Lake RV Resort in Jacksonville, Florida, announced this past summer that the resort had completed a major expansion by adding 60 new, permanent RV sites inside a gated location.
The new area is mostly for guests who stay longer. However, Ken said, “When the resort gets into an overflow situation, overnighters or short-term renters can stay in the new section. While it’s designed for long-term residents, any open sites are filled when necessary.”
As of February 2019, work on a bathhouse in this new section was ongoing. It is expected to be completed by June, and laundry facilities will be added to the bathhouse later. A laundry already exists in the resort’s original section.
Flamingo Lake opened in 1988 and has grown to become one of the premier campgrounds in the north Florida/southern Georgia region, according to company literature. The new sites give the resort nearly 360 spaces in total. Flamingo Lake’s amenities include full-hookup sites with 30- and 50-amp service; cable TV; sewer; and water. It also has free Wi-Fi, a general store, and a spring-fed, state-certified swimming pool, as well as a 17-acre lake. In the warmer months, a floating play park is set up on the lake, making it a fun spot to cool down. A rec hall, a clubhouse, and a restaurant also are on the premises.
Reservations are accepted six months out at this FMCA commercial member campground. Ken noted that early reservations are important to secure a site during special events at the park (see its website for a list) and between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Details
Flamingo Lake RV Resort
3640 Newcomb Road
Jacksonville, FL 32218
(800) 782-4323
www.flamingolake.com
Travel
A Salute To Fabulous Felines
On a street corner in Alliance, Ohio, a former bank building guards years of cat show and cat breed history. Sometimes, it houses kittens, too. This is the home of the CFA Foundation Feline Historical Museum.
Children play with a kitten in an agility area of the CFA Foundation Feline Historical Museum.
The CFA part of the name refers to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, a registering body for pedigreed cats around the world. Its headquarters is here, too.
The main-floor collection represents kitties everywhere: in historical photos and books; new and heritage wall art; statues and figurines; and home décor. Just imagine a purring pal inside the four-foot-square cat house — a mid-century-modern dwelling created under the direction of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The museum opened in 2012 and is managed by Karen Lawrence, director of the CFA Foundation. In addition to museum duties, Ms. Lawrence is a judge at CFA cat shows around the globe.
Displays at the CFA Foundation Feline Historical Museum include fancy trophies, such as this 1883 nut bowl
The CFA began in 1906 and licensed two American cat shows that year. The thrill and suspense of such contests is remembered with gleaming trophies; some are from shows that took place even before the CFA began. Ms. Lawrence said, “My favorite is an 1883 pewter nut bowl, engraved and awarded to Best Cat at a Boston cat show.” The Foundation also owns the silver collar and medal won by a female Maine Coon named Cosey, Best Cat at the first-ever North American Cat Show in New York, in 1895.
If you visit the museum in the warmer months, you may encounter pedigreed kittens romping there, brought in by a local breeder. The socialization helps the youngsters prepare to compete in future shows. Dates indicating when the kittens will be at the museum usually are announced on its website.
Displays at the CFA Foundation Feline Historical Museum include a collection of maneki-neko, Japanese lucky cats.
Whether you prefer Abyssinians, Russian Blues, or Persians, or the best cat in your show was a stray who saved you, be sure you visit this mewseum.
CFA Foundation Feline Historical Museum
260 E. Main St.
Alliance, OH 44601
(330) 680-4444; www.felinehistoricalfoundation.org/museum.html
Open Tuesday-Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Alliance is in northeast Ohio, a few miles east of Akron. Free parking is available at two large parking lots located across the street and down the next block. Admission to the museum is free, but donations are welcomed.
App File
Golfing
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