Early portion of this ride takes parallel with I-4 on a little country road thru the edge of the Green Swamp area. Then you follow along the northern shoreline of Lake Tohopekaliga. If this sounds familiar, it is because they film a lot of those Bassmasters tournaments there. Once you get south of St. Cloud it is one loneky stretch of road. But there is a good chance you will see a fox, bald eagle, wild hogs or deer. This is a VERY remote area. When you reach Kenansville you need to stop and take a look at the old town, mostly left behind years ago. Kenansville was an late 1800's cattle tKenansville was an late 1800's cattle town on the now defunct Okeechobee spur of the Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. The railroad did run right through town but the tracks and the depot are gone (see picture). The place was given the name Kenansville in 1914 in honor of the third wife of Henry Flagler who was the former Mary Lily Kenan. Legend holds that the hotel is the hotel that inspired a young Elvis Presley to write his hit 'Heartbreak Hotel'. (note the painted sign on the hotel archieve picture) The town, as in other towns along the Okeechobee RR Spur, died when the railroad was pulled out. There is a small resident population of farmers and cattlemen in the area. The hotel is being renovated by a local land owner. Notice the dirt road which went to St. Cloud in the downtown picture. The old hotel is on the left and the Kenansville Bank is on the right. Further west on CR523 you can tour the old Kenansville Cemetary. Turn left there and follow the road til it dead ends at a left turn dirt road. This is the Old Peavine Road which runs out through the Florida scrub and Hammocks. This road is one of the old pioneer roads of Florida that few know about. The road is dirt but good and you can get a feeling of what the old Florida looked like. It dead ends on US 60 so you cannot get own on the now defunct Okeechobee spur of the Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. The railroad did run right through town but the depot are gone (see picture). The place was given the name Kenansville in 1914 in honor of the third wife of Henry Flagler who was the former Mary Lily Kenan. Legend holds that the hotel is the hotel that inspired a young Elvis Presley to write his hit 'Heartbreak Hotel'. (note the painted sign on the hotel archieve picture) The town, as in other towns along the Okeechobee RR Spur, died when the railroad was pulled out. There is a small resident population of farmers and cattlemen in the area. The hotel is being renovated by a local land owner. Notice the dirt road which went to St. Cloud in the downtown picture. The old hotel is on the left and the Kenansville Bank is on the right. Further west on CR523 you can tour the old Kenansville Cemetary. Turn left there and follow the road til it dead ends at a left turn dirt road. This is the Old Peavine Road which runs out through the Florida scrub and Hammocks. This road is one of the old pioneer roads of Florida that few know about. The road is dirt but good and you can get a feeling of what the old Florida looked like. It dead ends on US 60 so you
Kenansville Depot
Kenansville Bank
Cohen's General Store
Webbs Heartbreak Hotel (before)
Hotel under renovation
Picture of Downtown Kenansville
Original 1914 Kenansville Post Office, now located next to school
Schoolhouse
Next area to stop at is Yeehaw Junction. Have lunch or a cold one at the Desert Inn. Historic old hotel and restaurant. Rumor has it, that it used to be a used as 'Cat House' (Bordello, House of Ill repute, you know).
Continue US 441 to Lake Okeechobee and around the east shore. You can't really see much of the lake from the highway, so you will need to take one of the many turn off's to the lake.
Before leaving the east side of the lake, you pass thru the migrant town of Pahokee, I mean pass thru!! It is like you drove into a third world country!! You could drive around it, but you really should see it.
Then on thru some sugar cane farmland to Lake Worth, where we stayed at the Historic Hummingbird Hotel, built in 1921. Rooms were clean and the staff was very gracious. You are also surrounded by restaurants and many live music venues, the most famous being the Bamboo Room, for the best in blues, located in the Historic Paradise building built in 1923.
We parked our bikes and enjoyed it all within walking distance the rest of the weekend.
This is a great ride for south florida, and definately a good time.
This is a motorcycle ride in the state of Florida. This motorcycle route has 7 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by felon in October. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by felon