Between our entry into the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Contest, the announcement of the adventureswithben.com Tugo Contest and my trip to the orange groves I didn’t have enough time to share with you the diversion we took to Spook Hill in Lake Wales, Florida. What is Spook Hill you may be wondering? I explain it here.
On our way home from the orange groves of Avon Park my friend suggested we visit Spook Hill in Lakes Wales. Lake Wales is another small community about an hour from Downtown Orlando. It’s also considered “old Florida” – as in before the tourist trade came. I was half expecting Spook Hill to be down some lonely, winding road in the middle of nowhere, but in actuality, Spook Hill is right next to the elementary school that bears it’s name. Just across the street is a billboard that explains the legend.
There wasn’t a big crowd of people lining up for Spook Hill. My guess is, most of the locals have had their fill of this road and it’s probably too far for tourists to travel to. Nonetheless, there was one car ahead of us so I took the time to step out and share with you the legend.
Once the car left the starting position, we approached our spot. Judging from the sign here was what I expected to happen.
In actuality our experience was slightly different, in fact it was a bit confusing.
We tried several time to figure out the Spook Hill experience. Each time we stopped on the white line, the car moved backwards, but we were still on the hill, so obviously we should move backwards. I was expecting us to move backwards and then move forwards again, but that’s not what Spook Hill is supposed to make your car do. I think people believe that the white line is on flat ground, which would make your car moving backwards odd and well…spooky. But let’s be honest folks, the white line isn’t on flat ground. It’s on the bottom of a hill. There’s nothing spooky about your car moving backwards when it is on a hill. Did I miss something here? So the verdict is…
Discovering oddities like Spook Hill are fun ways to spend an afternoon, even if they turn out to be not as exciting as you anticipated. Most of the time, we end up sitting at home watching TV or doing laundry anyway. Why not take a few hours of time and discover those stranger-than-fiction attractions in your hometown?
One of the resources I turn to for when I travel and when I’m home is Roadside America. Roadside America pays tribute to the classic roadside attractions that made the car culture famous in America. Check out what is next to your hometown and have an adventure! Let me know what you’ve found by commenting below.
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Remember to enter the the adventureswithben.com Tugo contest by visiting here.
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Don’t forget, Ben and Brian are applicants in the Ultimate Thailand Explorer Contest. Please follow us on twitter@benandbrianthai and share our Ultimate Thailand Explorer Application Video to Puttaya, Thailand with your friends and family.
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