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