Florida Welcome Centers
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Florida Welcome Centers are "tourist information houses", primarily located at the Florida state line. These centers provide incoming visitors with a variety of information on travel, highways, sports, climate, accommodations, cities, outdoor recreation, and attractions. Every visitor is treated to a free cup of Florida citrus juice. Over the years, the nearly 90 million visitors have collected more than 350 million maps and brochures.
The Florida Welcome Centers are operated by VISIT FLORIDA, the official tourism promotion corporation for the State of Florida. There are five official welcome centers. From West to East, they are I-10 (Pensacola), US 231 (Campbellton), Capitol (Tallahassee), I-75 (Jennings), and I-95 (Yulee).
Florida was one of the first states to establish highway Welcome Centers. The first center opened in November 1949. It was located on US Highway 17 near Yulee. It was such a success that centers followed on U.S. Route 1 (near Hilliard), U.S. Highway 41 (near Jasper), U.S. Highway 231 (north of Marianna), U.S. Highway 90 (west of Pensacola), and Tallahassee. At one time Florida had a welcome center located in a Fernandina Beach marina to receive oceangoing tourists.
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