The City of Palatka

Palatka, Florida

So let's cut to the chase. For those not from around here, the city of Palatka, Florida is Florahome's nearest Walmart. Not that Florahome suffers from any Walmart envy - our Dollar General is just fine thanks, but if you're looking to buy a car or you'd like to see a movie before it comes out on DVD, Palatka is only a few minutes drive. Okay - it's just the one theater,... but still. Palatka also hosts the Azalea Festival every spring and if you keep up with Florida's events on Florahome USA's, Things to do in Florida list, you'll be seeing the Blue Crab Festival showing up there in May. The Blue Crab Festival is a major deal in Palatka as the weather heats up and Florida becomes Flip Flop World. No, Palatka doesn't have a Flip Flop World but if you're in the market, that big store they have there is currently offering rollback prices. "ATTENTION!!!... CUSTOMER NEEDS ASSISTANCE IN FLIP FLOPS!" Really, the City of Palatka, much like Florahome was always intended to be a wonderful place to live or visit and though in many ways they already are, both have had their share of setbacks and have yet to realize their full potential. Improvements continue to be made however and as the above picture indicates the city of Palatka is well on its way to becoming the North Central Florida jewel it was always meant to be.

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For those planning to visit Palatka or if you'd just like to learn more, offered below are maps and other information to help familiarize you with the city.

For those unfamiliar with the area, the tiny bulls eye on the map above indicates where Palatka is located in the state of Florida.

Click to enlarge

If you enlarge the above map, you will see in the upper left-hand corner where Florahome is in relation to Palatka. Following Florida State Road 100 heading east from Florahome one of the first things you'll see as you reach Palatka is the Palatka Municipal Airport. The orange square on the map just to the right of the airport indicates the location depicted in the next map showing you have two options if you've just gotta have those flip flops.

Moody Road will take you straight to Walmart or continuing on to 19 and making a right will not only take you to Walmart but also Home Depot, Lowes, Krystal, The Golden Corral, the Mall,... well you get the idea. The Putnam Community Medical Center aka the hospital is indicated on the map by the red letter H, and the Library as well as St. Johns River State College are also in this same area. If you choose to stay on SR 100 or 'Reid Street', you may decide to check-in at The Holiday Inn Express in the west part of town or maybe the Budget Inn just a little further down on the right. You will also pass the old train depot which is now a model train museum for all you train buffs. Another point of interest in Palatka, FL frequently mentioned on Florahome USA and one you won't see just anywhere in Florida is Ravine Gardens State Park. Watch for the signs on the right as you near the downtown section. This next map depicts what has always been the City's main attraction even before William Bartram's famous travels, The St. Johns River, and here you will find more accommodations if you plan to hang around for a while.

The Bronson Mulholland house is also on this side of the bridge offering a chance to revisit a special chapter in Palatka history and discover what nineteenth century life in Florida was really like. The Blue Crab Festival and other events take place along the river and through the downtown area so this is the place to be if you happen to find yourself in the neighborhood around the latter part of May. Crossing the bridge into East Palatka, you'll see the Putnam County Fairgrounds along with favorite eating spots like Corky Bells Seafood Restaurant or Musselwhite's, but one thing you won't find is Walmart. Maybe they just don't wear flip flops on that side of the river.

For more about Palatka, Wikipedia provides an excellent overview of The City.

For Flip Flops:

Walmart Supercenter
1024 S State Road 19
Palatka, FL 32177
(386) 328-6733

Accommodations in the city of Palatka:

Quality Inn & Suites Riverfront
201 N. 1st Street
Palatka, FL, US, 32177-3703
Phone: 386-328-3481
Fax: 386-329-9907

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Palatka Northwest
3813 Reid St, Palatka, FL 32177
(800) 345-8082
Front Desk: 1-386-325-2500
Fax: 1-386-325-2501

Budget Inn
100 Moseley Ave Palatka, FL 32177
386-328-1533

William Penn Motel
100 Federal Street
Palatka, FL 32177-3799
386-328-1587

Sleep Inn & Suites
3805 Reid Street
Palatka, FL 32177
Phone: 386-325-8889
Fax: 386-325-7779

Crystal Cove Resort
133 Crystal Cove Drive
Palatka, Florida 32177
386-325-1055

Azalea House Bed & Breakfast
220 Madison Street
Palatka, FL 32177-3531
386-325-4547

Palatka Daily News
Palatka Downtown
Places to eat in Palatka, FL
Palatka Municipal Airport
Ravine Gardens State Park (check out these beautiful photos)
The Bronson-Mulholland House
100 Madison Street
Palatka, FL 32177-3529
386-329-0140
The Larimer Art Center
Parks and Recreation
Putnam Athletic League
Palatka Real Estate
WPLK AM 800
HOPE FM 91.3

Palatka Public Library (Make sure you click Palatka on this link)
601 College Road
Palatka, FL 32177-3873
386-329-0126

Putnam Historic Museum (next to the Bronson-Mulholland House)
Street Address
100 Madison Street
Palatka, FL 32178
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 35
Palatka, FL 32178
phone: 386-325-9825

Let's get down to business:

City of Palatka (website)
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce

Also on Florahome USA:

Keystone Heights, Florida
Grandin, Florida
Interlachen, Florida
Melrose, Florida
A Place Called George's Lake

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The City of Palatka - Florahome USA
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Flora - home USA

The Flora and the home part of the name Florahome comes from one of the prominent families in the area, the Sipprells. There are different versions of the story, but basically they all have to do with Flora Sipprell and people either going to her home or asking if Flora was home. Happily for us, her name wasn't Jocelyn. It was a simpler world when the town was established by the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway back in 1899. Those who have been here long enough will still remember the sound of the train coming through each day. It would've been impossible to imagine in 1899 the name Florahome or Florahome USA appearing on something called an internet, but Florahome USA has climbed now to the second page of Google which should make it easier to tell someone how to find this blog. Speaking of blogs, you can google 'Florahome blog' and you'll see Florahome USA on the very first page of Google. Better still, google 'Florahome USA blog' and we'll be in the number one spot returned. If not, it should be pretty close. There are still changes being made here and there, and this will continue whenever appropriate. For those out of work and looking for a job, there are some links in the Link Library - and you also may be interested in this EB article. Also added are quite a few links for Florida buffs in the library as well. If anyone knows of any Florida links that should be included in the Link Library, you can email Florahome USA at the address at the bottom of the page. And don't forget to let people know about Flora, her home, and Florahome USA.

You can help preserve the history of Florahome and other places in Florida by sending your information, memories, stories and photos to the email address at the bottom of the page. Please do not send any copywrited material. Thanks

Florahome

Florahome USA (the blog) now has a library and a community center. It's really more of a link library, but soon there should be enough reading material and other useful and fun stuff to be a pretty decent substitute. The community center will basically be for any announcements or events in the area that need posting. At least that was the idea this morning. Also, since this blog is called Florahome USA, it should have a flag, so a flag has been added at the top. It's actually an animated gif and meant to wave, but that requires more time than is available right now. The flag is from WebWeaver (not a local resident) so if you need some free graphics, head on over there. Florahome USA is pretty quiet right now, but that does have its advantages - for one thing, its a lot easier to put up a library. Florahome USA is kinda like the Florahome weather,... if you don't like it, it will probably change in the next few minutes. So if there's something here you don't like, just stop in again some other time -you may not even recognize the place.