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Tommy Bartlett's International Deer Ranch |
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Return To Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions, a site celebrating the now defunct tourist attractions of the Sunshine State. The attraction profiled on this page no longer exists. Postcard images from the author's collection.
This site Copyright (c) 1997-2011 by Robert H. Brown
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Broadcaster turned tourist attraction entrepeneur Tommy Bartlett
(of Wisconsin Dells Thrill Show and Robot World fame) ran this petting zoo
at Silver Springs in the early 1960's. The land was only rented from the
Springs, and there was at least one lawsuit between Bartlett and Silver Springs
over the terms of his lease. Eventually the land was reabsorbed into the Silver Springs attraction
and Bartlett left to concentrate on his Wisconsin busineses. He died in September, 1998.
The Deer Ranch shared a parking lot with Silver Springs. Guests could "ride the sleigh" (actually a
jeep-pulled trailer with reindeer cut-outs on the side) from one entrance to the other.
Today all that remains is the entrance building, which is now the gift shop and entrance to Silver Spring's
World of Bears and Jeep Safari.
The Christmas theme was continued inside the park with "Santa's South Pole" and some
Christmas themed buildings even though reindeer were not the primary residents of the ranch.
There were many more of their more common white tailed cousins.