Where it all began…
Just a bit of history
Within my upper middle age lifetime, it has always been common knowledge that college students go south on Spring Break. They drink, fraternize, make bad decisions, and generally celebrate the idiocy of youth. Furthermore, in my unsupported opinion, the first city that comes to mind when it comes to the Spring Break migration is Fort Lauderdale. If you have ever been there, you would know why. There are miles of big beaches within 100 feet of miles of dive bars. There is no better place in the USA for young people to make complete jack asses of themselves. But, has it always been this way? When and why did Fort Lauderdale become the college drunken Mecca? In this informative, historic post, I am going to answer those question. I will take you back to where it all began…
First, the Swimming Venue
The Casino Pool built in 1928 was the first Olympic sized pool in Florida. Consequently, it became one of the major hubs for Olympic hopefuls and collegiate swimming competitions. Well, as you can see from the picture, the location of the Casino Pool is quite ideal for beach goers. So, in the 1950s, word got out about this venue. Not only did the collegiate swim teams come down, but a big part of the student body made the road trip as well. These young crowds, following the swimming competitions, only grew bigger year by year. Eventually, this migration became the FIRST major reason why Fort Lauderdale is synonymous with Spring Break hedonism.
Just as a side bar, the Casino Pool eventually gave way to the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center in 1965 (same location). The center also contains the Swimming Hall of Fame. Anyone that knows swimming (I do not) is familiar with this venue. But, as a duty to my readers, my wife and I did make a point to stop by the Center anyway. The swim venue is top notch. However the museum was lacking. It’s either phasing out or in an unfortunate state of flux.
Can you name the early HOF inductees shown above? Answer in COMMENTS.
What about the Second Reason?
If you are paying attention, I said the swimming venue was only the FIRST reason for the Fort Lauderdale spring migration. You can thank Connie Francis and George Hamilton in Where the Boys Are” for the rest. In 1960, the movie, “Where the Boys Are,” swept through the nation. This movie was mostly set on the Fort Lauderdale beaches. Naturally, it was all about beaches, bikinis, drinking and the bad sexual decisions that follow. One of the focal points in the movie was a dive bar called the Elbo Room. The Elbo Room is where the youths got all the cheap booze to begin making the bad decisions. By featuring the Elbo Room and the surrounding Fort Lauderdale beaches in the film, the Spring Break phenomena officially became a national sensation.
The Elbo Room is real and it still exists. Naturally, I decided to take Carol there in hopes of bad decisions on her part. The Elbo Room is a classic dive bar, rich in history. Certainly, it is everything that Connie Francis promised. However, it’s also small and still very popular. Perhaps, I must admit that I may been too old for the experience. The Elbo Room almost always has loud, live music…and it’s almost always packed. I could only take it for a brief time. I need to revisit the Elbo Room in the rare off hours.
Wrap It Up
There you go. Rather than my usual humor and brevity, I am offering up some important history today. In summation, the collegiate swimmers of the 1950s started the migration to Fort Lauderdale. Then, “Where the Boys Are,” featuring the Elbo Room, brought the phenomenon to full fruition. I hope you have enjoyed the history of Fort Lauderdale Spring Break, where it all began… Have a wonderful day. PT
I hope you have enjoyed “Where it all began…” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.
Here was another Florida post from a past visit https://travelingwithpt.com/tamiami-trail-and-skunkape-too/
Here’s some more history and stuff on the historic Elbo Room https://www.elboroom.com/
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p.s. Other than the minor, blog investigation in the post above, this trip to Florida was about giving my wife plenty of beach time. For those that know me, I struggle with beaches, oceans and really hot weather. But, I put up with them for my wife. As a reward for my generous nature, my wife did allow me one fun activity. I can not show you much of it, as this is a family friendly, PG-13 blog. But, if you can allow me just a bit of somewhat adult entertainment, I give you a couple of my tamer photos from the Mermaid Burlesque Show at the Wreck Bar…
