| After our exhilarating airboat ride and swamp | | | | and one of its squares is appropriately named |
| buggy tour at Boggy Creek, we snaked our way | | | | "Toho Square": |
| north towards Orlando and decided to have a | | | | |
| picnic lunch in the Orlando suburb of | | | | We noticed several murals throughout town, |
| Kissimmee. This town is located at the | | | | illustrating the town's history. My husband |
| doorstep of Walt Disney World complex and | | | | tried to check if he could blend into the |
| offers a variety of tourist class | | | | mural without being noticed, I am not so sure |
| accommodations near historic downtown | | | | that it actually worked:We decided to have a |
| Kissimmee. The historic downtown districts | | | | nice little picnic lunch and settled in on a |
| feature walking tours, antique shops, | | | | bench right in front of the "Big Toho |
| shopping, dining, or sightseeing.According to | | | | Pier":Here is another view of the Big Toho |
| the City of Kissimmee's web site"local | | | | Pier, a serene place where we enjoyed the |
| historians have offered many variations of | | | | warm December sun:A gaggle of seabirds was |
| the origin of the city's name. Most agree | | | | congregating just on the other side of the |
| that Kissimmee is a modern spelling of a | | | | pier:On a brief walk along Lakeshore |
| tribal word. The book Florida Indians and the | | | | Boulevard we discovered a war memorial that |
| Invasion from Europe by Jerald T. Milanich, | | | | commemorates the Second World War:For more |
| links "Kissimmee" to a village of the Jororo, | | | | information about Kissimmee contact its |
| one of Florida's lesser-known tribes. | | | | Convention and Visitors Bureau. Call |
| Historian John Hann researched Spanish | | | | 800.333.KISS (5477) or visit their website |
| documents about missions estabilshed to | | | | for more information.Susanne Pacher is the |
| convert the Jororo and other groups to | | | | publisher of a website called Travel and |
| Christianity in the late 1600's. Spanish | | | | Transitions ( Travel and Transitions deals |
| records indicate that a mission was built | | | | with unconventional travel and is chock full |
| near the tribe's main village, also called | | | | of advice, tips, real life travel |
| Jororo. Another mission was called Atissimi. | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and |
| Milanich writes, "Hann suggests that the name | | | | travel experts, insights and reflections, |
| Atissimi, sometimes given as Jizimi and | | | | cross-cultural issues, contests and many |
| Tisimi, may be the source of the modern place | | | | other features. You will also find stories |
| name Kissimmee." A 1752 Spanish map used the | | | | about life and the transitions that we face |
| name "Cacema" which has evolved into today's | | | | as we go through our own personal life-long |
| spelling, Kissimmee."Kissimmee's main strip | | | | journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| features a variety of local merchants and | | | | our first travel story contest ( and have a |
| restaurants. The town was festively decorated | | | | chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on |
| and even the police department showed itself | | | | the Amazon River."Life is a Journey Explore |
| in a festive pre-Christmas mood:Kissimmee is | | | | New Horizons". |
| located at the north end of Lake Tohopekaliga | | | | |