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Dade City's Day

By Chris Urso / Tampa Tribune

Brenda Kilby sets a table at Lunch On Limoges in Dade City.

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By JO-ANN JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

DADE CITY - Dade City long has marketed its antique and gift shops, downtown festivals and shady, historic streets as a pleasant day in the country.

'It's very laid back. It's very go with the flow,' said Allison Todd, downtown coffee shop owner and president of the Dade City Merchants Association.

Business leaders such as Todd will continue to bank on the town's more relaxed style of marketing, but they're hoping two new attractions catch on and that new downtown restaurants encourage people to linger and spend money during the approaching winter tourist season.

The merchants' hopes follow a slower-than-normal summer, when higher gas prices, rising insurance costs and taxes, and overall economic uncertainty kept out-of-town visitors away.

'What we have in Dade City, you don't necessarily need to live on,' said Carol Bradshaw, manager of Quilts on Plum Lane, a fabrics and sewing specialty store on Seventh Street.

Two local businesses, however, are betting that what Dade City does have is intriguing enough to draw people for trolley tours of the historic downtown and an animal rescue center.

Citrus Country Groves, which started offering tours of its packing house and citrus museum in February, is expanding the downtown history tours it tested this summer.

'There were a hundred people the first week,' and demand continued to grow throughout the summer, said Jim Guedry, owner of Citrus Country Groves.

With a single trolley seating 24 people, though, the tour didn't generate enough in ticket sales to cover the costs of fuel, drivers and employees, he said. So the company is running three trolleys hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The trolley tour also is being expanded to include actors playing the parts of people from Dade City's past at various stops.

Guedry also plans to market the tours to area mobile home parks and people attending conventions in the Tampa area. He bought a bus to fetch people and bring them to Dade City for the trolley tour, allowing people to spend the day shopping and eating here without any parking hassles.

'The whole purpose is to bring a volume of people into Dade City,' Guedry said.

Another local operation hoping to do the same is Dade City's Wild Things, which recently launched public tours of its wildlife rehabilitation center off Blanton Road. Customers board a 22-seat trolley at the Wild Things downtown gift shop and are taken to its private, nonprofit zoo, home to more than 150 rescued animals ranging from tigers to otters to a Florida panther.

Founder Kathy Stearns said she figured business would be light until the tourist season picks up, but the crowds have been bigger than expected, with people coming from as far away as Sarasota.

Stearns said it's a marketing plus for Dade City to be offering two trolley tours.

'It goes with the historical flair,' she said. 'It all seems to be tying together and working together.'

There's no real way to measure how many visitors come to town for day trips, business leaders acknowledge. But they plan on checking with local merchants to see whether they are posting higher sales this tourist season.

As part of that effort, business leaders will be watching to see how Dade City's newest restaurants fare. A Beef O'Brady's opened in December on Seventh Avenue, and a local Southern restaurant, Tom's Kumquat Kafe, opened a few blocks down the street last month.

Phyllis Smith, executive director of the local chamber of commerce, said Dade City now offers tourists a richer experience. Aside from the tours and the downtown district, that includes neighboring Saint Leo Abbey.

And with the Hampton Inn having opened in August, Dade City can handle more overnight visitors.

'You can't get it all in, in one day,' Smith said.

Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062 or jfjohnston@tampatrib.com.

VISITING DADE CITY

Getting there: Driving from Tampa takes about an hour. Follow Interstate 75 north to State Road 52 east.

Today's big event: The Scarecrow Fest and Front Porch Tour, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is a free family event organized around the historic Pasco County Courthouse at Meridian Avenue and Seventh Street. Children can build scarecrows, take a hayride and participate in other games and activities. Other options include the Farmers' Market and display of autumn decorations on residential streets. The Tampa Tribune is a sponsor.

General information: Walking tours, shopping and dining information is available at www.dadecitymainstreet.org.

Citrus Country Groves/Dade City Tour Company: (352) 518-0060 or www.dade

citytrolleytour.com

Dade City's Wild Things: (352) 567-9453 or www.dade

cityswildthings.com

DADE CITY FACTS

Old Florida connection: Dade City is one of the few remaining places where visitors will still find a historic town, established in 1889 and settled in the midst of orange groves and cattle ranches. Some agriculture is still visible. The tiny neighboring community of St. Joe is known for growing kumquats, tiny citrus fruits that can be eaten whole or used in cooking.

Population: About 7,200 people live in Dade City.

Courthouse Square: The historic Pasco County Courthouse was built in 1909, reflecting Dade City's role as the official seat of Pasco County government. The court system now operates modern judicial centers in Dade City and New Port Richey, and the restored courthouse is used for meetings of the county commission and other groups. The building's red brick construction and well-kept lawn makes Courthouse Square the city's most distinctive downtown landmark.

Famous natives/residents: Tennis great Jim Courier is a Dade City native and former No. 1-ranked player in the world. The Bellamy Brothers, the country music stars, grew up ranching in east Pasco County, graduated from high school in Dade City and still live locally.

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