Before the piece of I-75 known as "Alligator Alley," the Tamiami Trail was the main route to get from one coast to the other and passed through Palmetto, Sarasota, Arcadia, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers and Naples.

The Tamiami Trail accounted for 15 percent of all tourist attractions in Florida. Alligator farms and Indian exhibits were a big draw as the trail crept through the Everglades. The Circus Hall of Fame, Horn's Cars of Yesterday and Floridaland all called the Tamiami home. The only attractions left to the mythical miles are Sarasota Jungle Gardens and Caribbean Gardens. Of course there are eccentrics to every rule.

David Shealy has created quite a stir on the road in recent years over his sightings of a "Skunk Ape" (Bigfoot of the South) in the Ochopee swamp. He claims to have caught the elusive beast on film during eight months of hiding in wait in his backyard. Shealy went as far as asking town commissioners to give him financial aid in order that he be the official "Skunk Ape" spokesman for the county.

See the sights from Tampa to Miami

In December of 1998, 50 miles of US 41 were awarded National Scenic Byway status. It is one of only two roads in the state to wear such a ribbon. In 2001 The state began a project that would add new road pavilions, bike paths, boardwalks, kiosks and observation towers to this historic trail.