>>This program is brough to you in part by the Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation a proud partner of WUCF and the Central Florid community.

>>On this edition of Florida Road Trip, we're riding into a Florida city where championship horse power... >>Ocala and Marion County tops all U.S.

counties with more than 75,000 horses.

>>Meets championship horsepower.

>>Changed the world.

It was the greatest safety innovation in motorsports.

>>And where diving into history can be taken quite literally.

>>The crystal clear waters just brought people from around the world here just to see how beautiful this truly is.

>>From the historic glass bottomed boats to roaring engines, Florida Road Trip is saddling up for Ocala.

♪♪ >>Hi there and welcome to Florida Road Trip.

I'm Scott Fais.

Ocala, Florida, known for its rolling farms and charming downtown, als has a history galloping through the centuries of conflict, crossroads and culture.

Before ther was Ocala, there was Fort King, one of the earliest military outposts in Florida.

>>How Ocala got its start?

Well, we're standing in it.

It is the Fort King outpost.

Florida was a Spanish territory for centuries, with a brief 20 year British period, and then from 1783 to 1821, was what was known as the Second Spanish period.

>>When Florida became part of the United States in 1821, the military established Fort King.

>>Florida, by treaty, the Adams-Onis Treaty, Florida was ceded from Spain to the United States.

As the United States took over, they built two major outposts that was Fort Brooke in Tampa, right next to where the hockey arena is today.

And then this one, Fort King, which would eventually evolve into what we know as present day Ocala.

Forts were usually picked based on the proximity of Anglo European, later American settlers and the presence of Indians, because naturally, it's not always hunky dory.

>>Bu Ocala's roots grow even deeper.

The name itself is believed to have come from a much earlier settlement.

>>Ocala is based on the word that the Spanish used to identify a pre-contact indigenous group called the Ocali.

Hernando de Soto's Expedition of 1539 that landed in Tampa Bay came right through this area.

He encountered Potano and Ocali Indians, and then Ocali is naturall where the word Ocala comes from.

>>In the early 1800s, Ocala stood on a border between settlers in Seminole lands.

Tensions led to the Seminole Wars and shaped the town's early role as a military hub.

>>Ocal didn't exist prior to the fort.

The town actually sprang up, kind of in support of the fort and because of the security of the fort.

So the Fort King Military Road which basically connected Tampa to Ocala, Fort Brooke to Fort King, was the first military road that was cut through the area was really the first and the only vein of supply that the fort had.

Militia coming in and out cavalry units coming in and out.

It wasn't just a cold, sterile fort.

It was probably one of the biggest cornucopias of different people in North and Central Florida for those decades.

>>So again, when we think about Ocala being a crossroads, this started very early on.

>>Decades later, a devastatin fire would reshape Ocala again.

>>It was a huge fire in 1883 that destroyed a lot of wooden structures in the downtown area.

That's where Ocala got its name "Brick City" >>Today, Ocala' past lives on through preserved landmark across four historic districts.

The Southeast Historic District, a Downtown Historic District, the Historic District of West Ocala, and the Tuscola Park Historic District.

Each reveals a different layer of Ocala's story, from elegant Victorian homes to bungalows and rich immigrant and African American heritage.

>>What I love about Ocala is that you can immediately trace the history of this city through its architecture.

You can see what that historical development looked like, particularly after the 1880s.

The Bryant Hous was built in 1892 by William R. Bryant who was the grandfather of Ferris C. Bryant, who became governor of Florida in 1961.

>>The buildings tell the story of a community that became the center of influence in Florida.

>>Keep in mind that there was an economic downturn in this area after the Civil War, and by the 1870s, they were maybe 600 people living in Ocala.

And that was a decrease from what the population had been previously prior to the Civil War.

With the phosphate industry, a lot of wealth, a lot of businesses come into the area.

And then you also have the burgeoning citrus industry as the importation of foreign oranges come to be transplante in this area, they found Ocala, Marion County to be a really rich area to grow and to create a sweeter type of hybrid orange.

One of the things that's so important to know about Ocala in terms of its past, but also its present, is that Ocala serves as a crossroads for so many things today with regard to education, transportation, tourism.

People are constantly coming down Interstate 75.

>>The interstate through Ocala was intentional.

By the early 1900s, the city had one of Florida's first educational complexes and it thrived as a tourism hub thanks to the popularity of Silver Springs.

>>Silver Springs has always been a popular attraction, even going back to the 1870s and 1880s, peopl like Mary Lincoln came to Ocala.

Ulysses S Grant, Edith Wharton said that she thought that Silver Springs was the most beautiful place in the world.

>>The same sense of timelessness appeal continues today in Ocala, where the city's historic charm is preserved.

>>One of the things that people find so appealing about Ocala is its historic charm.

Even though we have four historic districts, they are concentrated within a small area.

>>From natural springs to military roads to brick lined streets.

Ocala's story just isn't local.

It's woven into the fabric of Florida history.

♪♪ >>Welcome to Silver Springs, a natural wonder that first began attracting visitors more than a century ago.

Today, the crystal clear waters are still here, making this one of Florida's original points of interest.

Silver Springs began attracting visitors in the late 1800s and gained a reputation as a must see long before expressways crisscrossed the state.

>>The reaso why they call it Florida's first destination is because we predate anything that's actually ever happened in Florida.

So we was well before Disney or anything like that.

People from around the world first heard about us because of its natural resources.

They heard about the fish and wildlife and everything that we have around here, and it's just been growing ever since then.

>>Back then, people came for the natural wonders, wildlife, pristine waters, and a sense of untouched Florida.

It was just pure nature and just pure beauty.

The crystal clear waters just brought people from around the world here, just to see how beautiful this truly is.

>>In the early 20th century, something revolutionary happened, something that would put Silver Springs on the global map.

The glass bottom boats.

>>There was many different tours that was going on back then.

They had the steamboat river cruise, but when these got introduced, this was the see-all hear-all must go and be and take a part of.

>>One of the original vessels was a glass bottomed rowboat that visitors can still spot sunken in the springs.

>>At one point in time they thought it was from the Spanish Inquisition.

And then they found those metal rivets, and they realized that that was actually one of the old glass bottom row boats.

>>Today, these boats are icons tied to Silver Springs so deeply that the two have become inseparable.

>>Whe you talked about Silver Springs, when people heard about Silver Springs, you couldn't talk about it without mentioning a world famous glass bottomed boat.

It's generational history now.

I still see people coming in with their grandparents or their grandparents photo, and they're just like, we want to recreate this.

>>But long before the tourist arrived, indigenous peoples lived, fished and paddled these crystal waters.

Silver Springs was a vital natural resource and ceremonial space.

>>You'll see a old Timucuan canoe that's down there.

They predated it to just about almost 500 to 600 years old.

We were told that that is actually a chief ceremonial canoe.

The natural springs provided a wealth of food for the indigenous people around here, and they used it to fish and to learn trait and everything else like that.

Then it quickly evolved into one of the main route systems to actually transport goods and services into Central Florida before they came out with 75, 95, 441 and all of these other beautiful numbered roads that we know and love today.

They used to actually float all the good stuff through this river and bring it up.

That's how they got all the goods and services to Central Florida.

They used to float it down here, loaded up on a horse and buggy, and then just take it down.

These dirt roads and just let it happen.

>>Today, the legacy of Florida's first people is still honored in a quiet but meaningful way.

All by the boats tha carry visitors over the waters.

>>Our names of our boats wasn't just something that people put together.

The significance of them is the actual chief's names and what they di to accomplish a certain thing.

We actually did put the names on the boats to actually honor them.

They actually represent real life chiefs of the Indian tribes.

>>Noteworthy people have visited over the years from presidents to celebrities.

>>Silver Spring even became a movie star itself.

Most notabl in several of the Tarzan films.

[YELLING] >>They've done Sea Hunt here.

They've done Creature From the Black Lagoon here.

The first movie that was actually filmed here was in 1918, it was a silent black and white film.

It's called The Seven Swans.

Now the directors they actually seen this place, and they loved it because they said that this is the perfect backdrop for for water, for filming underneath water, because the depth is perfect, because it doesn't matter whether you're at 24ft or they're trying to make it seem like you're at 120ft, the depth of that will be absolutely perfect, and they can fill in the blanks from that point on.

They said the crystal clear waters her was the actual perfect backdrop for filming underneath water here.

>>During segregation, Silver Springs had a lesser known but vital sister park for black visitors.

>>Paradis Park was the premier destination for African Americans to go back in the day.

When the Jim Crow era was going on, there was a completely segregated, but they still had all the amenities that every other place did.

They did the glass bottom boat tours and everything else like that.

[NATURE SOUNDS] >>Today, Silver Springs is protected as a Florida state park.

Its legacy and beauty live on above and below the surface.

>>The great thing about these springs i that they are artesian springs, and it gives it a very, very beautiful color with the limestone that's underneath it and everything else.

What makes these spring so spectacular and so beautiful is that some of these springs they considered to be one of the larges artesian springs in the world, and that's basically just fresh, flowing water that's coming through with no, no help at all whatsoever.

>>Our mammoth spring literally pushes out roughly anywhere between 400 and 55 million gallons of water a day.

>>And for those who navigate the waters every day, like William Cosby the job is more than a paycheck.

For them, it's tradition.

>>We like to think of this place as the last stop.

This is the last job you will ever want.

>>Cosby and his team carry on a proud legacy, including that of Captain Virginia.

>>Miss Virginia, she was one of the originators here.

She was one of the first African-American female captain in the entire state of Florida.

>>From ancient canoes to world famous glass bottom boats, Silve Springs is a place where history and natur continue to float side by side.

Whether it's your first visit or your 50th, the magic here is just as clear as the water beneath you.

>>Just being a part of history right now.

And that's what I can say, tha I'm actually a part of history.

♪♪ >>When thinking of Ocala brick lined streets and southern charm may come to mind.

Yet there's somethin far more powerful at work here.

Horsepower.

Welcome to the horse capital of the world.

In Ocala, champions are born, legends are raised, and the bond betwee horse and human runs generations deep.

>>Ocala and Marion County tops all U.S.

counties with the number of equines with more than 75,000 horses.

About half of those horses are thoroughbreds, and they sit on about 200,000 acres of equine property here in Ocala.

>>But how did it all begin?

It all goes back to the land itself.

>>Carl Rose was a building contractor here in the Ocala area in the early 20th century, and he's really one of the first people to recognize that this limestone rich soil was kind of a breeding goldmine for horses.

He started breeding Florida-breds here in the Ocala are for the first time in the 1930s at his Rosemere Farm, where the College of Central Florid and Paddock Mall currently sits.

>>Since then, Ocala has raised more champions than anywhere else outside the state of Kentucky, including Florida's first, named Needles.

>>He got his name, Needles, because he was kind of a sickly little fellow, and he had a lot of visits from the veterinarian as a youngster.

He had pneumonia and had a broken rib, so hence the name needles.

But when he won the Kentucky Derby in 1956, thoroughbred breeders around the world realized Florida was really a great place to breed and race horses.

One of the really interesting things about Needles was once he finished his racing career, he was recognized by the University of Florida.

He was given a letter in track by the University of Florida track team.

He actually was taken out at the football stadium at halftime during a footbal game, and presented that letter.

>>Since then, Ocala has produced six Kentucky Derby winners, more than any other stat or country outside of Kentucky.

You can relive the legacy at the Florida Thoroughbred Museum.

>>Most people are interested to see, of course, Kentucky Derby Trophy won by Needles in 1956.

We also have the Woodland Vase, which is one of the oldest and most ornate trophies in American sports.

You can also see the silks won by the jockey.

So the museum has just about something for everybody.

>>That legacy of excellenc continues today, thanks in part to Bridlewood Farm.

>>Bridlewood Farm is currentl owned by John and Leslie Malone.

It was founded by Arthur Appleton.

It's been around for about five decades.

Bridlewood has been affiliated with several Kentucky Derbies.

First and foremost, they raised 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones.

They also provide the early training for the 2025 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, and the 2025 second place finisher Journalism, who they own part of.

Journalism came right back to win the Preakness in 2025.

>>But Bridlewood isn't the only place where world class dreams take shape.

>>71.832 seconds with four faults.

>>Before the World Equestrian Center became the sprawling complex that it is today, it began as the Roberts family personal farm.

>>This is a culmination of the Roberts family love of horses.

Their love and passion of horses is what's really the culmination of what this facility has become.

And that we're able to share that with the local community.

We're super forward in making sure that we're really engaged with the community and everything that we have to offer, and getting them involved in equestrian sport.

The community we have here is actually really knowledgeable in the equine space, and when we have Grand Prix on Saturdays, for example, they come out and they're cheering and they're incredibly engaged in what we're doing.

>>At World Equestrian Center, we are most known for our world class equestrian competition.

You can come here almost any week of the year and see the level of riders that you're also going to see at the Olympic Games.

You don't have to be a lifelong horse enthusiast to enjoy the World Equestrian Center.

Though don't be surprised if you leave as one.

>>So we have two resort hotel that have pools and splash pads.

We have over 30 retailers, and if you're road tripping in, we have seven restaurants.

And so there's a little bit of somethin for everyone to see and do here.

>>Ocala's horse industry is a powerful economic engine, from breeding farms to training centers and world class auctions.

The impact of the equine world reaches far beyond these pastures.

>>The horse economy here in Florida is responsible for about $12.8 billion in economi impact to the state of Florida.

Florida Thoroughbreds, of course, contribute $3.24 billion and create about 33,000 jobs.

Here in Ocala, Breeders Sales Company in Ocala, they sell almost $200 million a year in thoroughbreds.

They're one of the leading consignors of two year olds in the world.

>>Ocala is really known a the horse capital of the world.

So to be here in position as the World Equestrian Center is part of that.

That plays a huge role.

You know, we've got al different kinds of disciplines, that we operate with, and it's really become a global market.

So we're driving a lot of different tourism, not only nationally, but globally.

And that really helps generat impact locally with the economy.

>>From limestone soil to legendary champions, Ocala is more than just a place with a lot of horses.

It's built on passion.

Here in the horse capital of the world, champions are trained.

History is honored.

And the future of equine is constantly evolving.

♪♪ >>In the field of drag racing, few names are as legendary as Big Daddy Don Garlits.

He left his mark not only with speed but also his innovative vision.

Today this museum in Ocala celebrates his legacy.

[ENGINES REVVING] Before the high tech tracks and national TV broadcasts, drag racing in Florida was a very different scene.

>>You know, the very early days of drag racing really go back into 1949, 1950 here in Tampa.

Most of the drag racing was done on the street.

We had a big road, Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, that was four lanes wide, and it had a stoplight about every quarter of a mile.

>>It was a grassroots start but also one that couldn't last.

>>And if you go out there in the middle of the night at 2:00 in the morning, 3:00 in the morning, ther wouldn't be a car on the street.

And we would rac from one stoplight to the next.

But pretty soon the police figured all that out and started watching for us.

>>A group of young drivers, Garlits among them, found their first real track in an unexpected place.

>>We drove up to Zephyrhills and we met with the city fathers, and they let us use the old abandoned airport runway that was, you know, active during World War Two.

And that was the Zephyrhills drags and that wa the first official drag for me.

And then I met my wife, and I stopped drag racing because it had a really bad name.

And we were black leather jacketed hoodlums, you know, running throug school zones running over kids.

That was the public perception of drag racing.

And so for about a full year, I never attended any races.

And then three months into the marriage, we were going over to the Bok tower in Lake Wales Florida for a picnic, like they we're going to play the bells.

And on the way over there, there was a little sign on the side of the road.

Route 60 said, drag today.

And I said, honey, let's go here and check this out.

And she said, yeah, that'd be a good idea.

She says, I've learned a lot about your drag raceing but you never took me to a drag race.

>>He won his first trophy racing with his stock 1954 Ford.

And soon after, Garlit was pushing the limits of speed and engineering.

>>And I went up to Brooksville and turned 176 miles an hour, which was a new world record.

And the first car over 170 miles an hour.

It was a shot heard around the world because Roger Huntington, the chief engineer in the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit, had predicted that 169 miles an hour would be the absolute fastest anybody would ever go in a quarter mil using rubber tires on pavement.

So much for the engineers.

>>But not every race ended in celebration.

>>In 1959, I had a real bad fire at Chester.

We just put the blowers on the car.

I nearly lost my life.

>>The near-fatal experience changed his outlook.

A second, more severe accident would push him to rethink dragster design altogether.

>>I got burned real bad, so that brought on all the safety equipment for the drivers.

I was the first one to use a parachute, invented the port nozzles to put the fue into the cylinders individually.

But the really innovation that stands out that I did was the rear engine car.

And then after I blew my foot off, I decided I was going to try to get the rear engine car operational because it's so much safer.

>>Despite months of testing and setbacks, Garlits didn't give up.

His wife pushed him forward.

>>She says the six people that were killed in these cars in the two years prior to your accident, none of them had a transmission.

There's 100 things back there to kill you.

Now get back on this rear engine car project.

If there's anybody, she said, on this planet that can make it work, it's you.

Now do it.

>>That's how the rear engine design swamp rat 14 finally worked.

The innovation made racing safer and would become the standard for the sport moving forward.

>>We're discussing things here that were life changing.

We don't know how many lives were saved by this car.

It changed the world.

It was the greatest safety innovation in motorsports.

Nothing has ever been introduced that saved life.

In fact, NHRA was getting ready to outlaw these cars.

They were just too damn dangerous.

Mostly fires.

They burned them to death.

Right there.

>>And though Garlits career continued well into the 1980s, he always had another goal: to preserve the story for future generations.

Just off I-75 in Ocala sits the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing.

After saving his own cars and car parts for decades, he and his wife knew they were worth sharing.

>>I said, honey, we need to build a museum.

She says museums don't make money.

And for six years we never had a paying customer.

We had lots of people, but nobody paid.

They were relatives, friends, racers, sponsors, journalists.

>>Eventually, Don moved the museum to a more visible location off of I-75 near Ocala.

And in March 1984, the officially opened to the public.

>>I sold over 11,000 tickets.

And we weren't open.

We were off and running.

Then we did 27,000 the first year, and we do about 40 to 50 now, depending on rain at Daytona or rain at Gainesville.

Today, the museum spans more than 65,000 sq ft and includes not just dragsters, but a full history of the automobile.

>>We trace the automobile all the way back to the 1800s.

We have some really early early, very strange automobiles.

And of course we have the new modern ones too.

>>Visitors can see the full evolution of Don's groundbreaking career, from Swamp Rat One to the record breaking Swamp Rat 34 to early engineering marvels from around the world.

>>Come here early in the morning and plan spending all day because you cannot see thi place in just a couple of hours.

We have the very first dragster here.

It's just a rail.

They just took the roadster body off.

They still call them rails to this day from that one car.

You don't want to miss that.

>>Few people can say that they transformed their passion into a legacy.

But Don Garlits earned his place in histor with every mile down the track.

>>I actually raced for over 60 years.

And so I guess people refer to me as the father of drag racing because of the longevit in the sport and lots of changes that I made.

♪♪ >>Whether you're a history buf or an enthusiast of horsepower, Ocala shows us there's always more to learn when we take the scenic route.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Scott Fais.

We'll see you down the road for the next edition of Florida Road Trip.

Until then, safe travels everyone.

♪♪ >>This program is brought to yo in part by the Paul B. Hunter and Constance D. Hunter Charitable Foundation.

A proud partner of WUCF and th Central Florida community.