On this site in the 1950s during America’s golden age of travel and Mom-and-Pop Roadside Attractions, a local entrepreneur named W.R. Johnston built something he called “The Beautiful Atomic Tunnel” here. In this period before the Interstate Highway was built, every family trip up and down the east coast of Florida passed right by here on US 1, and Mr. Johnston intended to attract folks to stop and give him some of their vacation dollars by paying to see such oddities as “Happy the Walking Fish” and “Smokey the Monkey”. After a few years of limited success he changed the name to “The Tunnel of Fantasy” and later to “The Tropicolor Fantasy” before closing its doors after 15 years. It was bulldozed in the 1960’s, but you can still find the rectangular foundation of the original reception building in these pictures on the vacant land before you. Years later another entrepreneur named Walt took an idea like Mr. Johnston’s to a much bigger scale along the new Interstate Highway near Orlando, but that’s a whole other story ;-)