Anybody who’s ever been nostalgic for bygone Orlando institutions has likely spiraled through Google searches to revisit favorite spots and, if that person is lucky, he or she ended up at Extinct Orlando, a charmingly disarrayed collection of Orlando memories that’s open-ended, serving to crowdsource Central Florida reminiscences. We spent some time checking out the establishments longtime locals were most longing to revisit – places like Montgomery Ward, Pebbles, Club Space Fish and Ben White Raceway – and assembled this list we hope doesn’t sting too badly, particularly recent losses like the Round Building and Patsio’s. Many thanks to the people of Extinct Orlando for keeping the memories alive.
If we were super sentimental, we’d say we miss tiptoeing through the spooky castle at Skull Kingdom, but in reality, we mostly just miss seeing that imposing facade when we headed out to International Drive, which might explain a lot …Related: Another one bites the dustImage via aragec.comDiscovering secret rooms at Off the Wall or just enjoying the sensory overload. Check out this awesome Livejournal post that includes photos of a walk-through the abandoned building.Image via airport-data.comArtie Grindle’s car dealership memorably featured a statue of the man pointing to passersby who undoubtedly recalled his commercial as Extinct Orlando documents, “I want to sell you a car!” Image via Flickr user bookmanpcArchitecture nerds and downtown commuters alike lamented the destruction of the Round Building last year.Related: Downtown’s historic Round Building meets the wrecking ballPhoto courtesy of Hunton BradyCatching some of the area’s most memorable big-name concerts at Orlando Sports Stadium (a.k.a Eddie Graham Sports Complex), like Bob Dylan seen here and originally posted as part of 25 things you won’t see in Orlando again, where author Eric Mohrman notes, “There were also big-time concerts, like Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review, and Elvis Presley just six months before he died. It opened in 1967 and was demolished in 1995.”Related: Nostalgic scene overlords invite everyone to relive Orlando Music History on FacebookImage via movoto.comEnd of an era. Montgomery Ward on West Colonial Drive has been struggling. But some still hold fond memories of the store. ORG XMIT: 9708012Digging into comfort food on Pebbles’ awesome diner menu, which we wish was better represented by this menu page we found from 1991.Image via collectibles.bidstart.comWhether you remember dancing or skating at the Coliseum (or attending concerts at the very end), it was a memorable and much-missed venue.Image via Orange County Regional History Center on orlandosentinel.comWetting our whistles at the Tic Toc Bar and Lounge before they turned it into a dumb bank.Image via orlandophotomemories.comGetting great Greek food late night at Patsio’s.Related: 52 Orlando restaurants that closed in 2014 plus one happy resurrectionBreaking a sweat at Club Juana; check out this account from the strip club’s final night.Image via wftv.comSeeing G.G. Allin or equally crazy underground music at Club Space Fish.Related: Nostalgic scene overlords invite everyone to relive Orlando Music History on FacebookImage via ggallinarchives.comGoing to spring training games at Tinker Field, as fondly recalled here.Related:Witnessing some of the best hair metal bands shake up the Station.Related: Nostalgic scene overlords invite everyone to relive Orlando Music History on FacebookImage via mickdolansez.wordpress.comCatching our reflections in the mirrored tiles outside notable longtime Florida chain Angels Diner, as remembered on Extinct Orlando.Image via images.frompo.comPacking into Crooked Bayou for po’ boys and live music.Image via orlandosentinel.comDiscovering eccentric novelties while perusing the Barefoot Mailman’s shop of sensory overload.Image via denoncour.comCracking claws at Gary’s Duck Inn.Related: 30 vintage postcards of old OrlandoImage via us17coastalhighway.comWatching the horses course through Ben White Raceway, which we recalled in 2004 rarely gets the respect it deserves: “There’s a vibrant chapter in Orlando history that isn’t much discussed. Back in the 1960s, the city-owned Ben White Raceway on Lee Road was the winter capital of harness racing, bringing colorful types from around the world to watch the horsies.”Image via floridamemory.comVisiting the Cherry Plaza Hotel to hit the essential Lee’s Lakeside inside, as awesomely remembered by orlandoretro.com.Image via cardcow.com
