Cracker Country — Attraction in Temple Terrace

This is a great place to learn what life was like just a hundred years ago. You step back in time and learn about the hardships and yet symplicity of life. A time before electricity, chain grocery stores, technologically-advanced school's, and suburban sprawl. A time when homes had their own gardens and crops, your closest neighbor was a couple miles away, and you bartered with neighbors for the things that you needed. This mock town is comprised of actual buildings built 100 years ago and now relocated from various parts of the state to this one "town" to share what life used to be like. The grounds are immaculate and all the buildings have been very well-preserved. Visitors are taken into the town in groups and led by a tour guide. My group had the distinct pleasure of being led by Ms. Clara. Ms. Clara will tell you that she is 85 years young, and she actually grew up during this time in history, so she gave us a first-hand view about life back then. She was a delightful tour guide and it was so interesting to hear her personal accounts. If you visit cracker country, I definitely recommend asking to be in Miss...

Cracker country is a living history museum. It has original buildings dating from 1870-1912 that were relocated from around the state of Florida. Costumed interpreters portray daily living as Florida pioneers. Florida crackers were people who migrated from the North and settled in the harsh Florida wilderness. The cracker cowboys herded cattle with the crack of their whips. They did not actually hit the cattle, rather made a loud pop with their whips that could be heard across long distances; and that is where the term Florida cracker comes from. Among some Floridians, the term is used as a proud or jocular self-description. Since the huge influx of new residents into Florida in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the term "Florida Cracker" is used informally by some Floridians to indicate that their families have lived in the state for many generations. It is considered a source of pride to be descended from "frontier people who did not just live but flourished in a time before air conditioning, mosquito repellent,...

I absolutely LOVED this museum. I'm a native Floridian, and I already knew a lot of the information. It was spot on with growing up in the country and the history. They incorporate activities to keep the tour interactive. On our specific tour, we made rope, candles, and butter. The butter was so good, we tried it on saltines. Yummy! We did get to take our rope and candle home with us. I loved the buildings we went in, I do wish we got to check out more buildings. I know each tour has to be timed, and maybe they are different when it's not a school field trip. My only complaint is that I wish I could have seen more and learned more. I'd even be happy to be able to explore other buildings on my own. Maybe offer this as an option for adults only? It's just so awesome, and so are your tour guides. They're very knowledgeable and very approachable. I recommend this museum to EVERYONE, who moves here and visits. If you're a Florida resident, you should have been at some...