Kapok tree

 United States > Florida > Pinellas County > Clearwater

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The Kapok Tree was a popular destination, located on SR 593 (now McMullen-Booth Road). Legend has it that the tree was planted by a resident in the 1870s who brought the tree sapling over from India. A restaurant called the Kapok Tree Inn was built around it in 1958 and was a popular, nationally known tourist destination until it closed in 1991. At its peak there were several other locations opened around Florida, and the original Clearwater location had extravagant gardens and twelve different themed dining rooms. The tree itself and the Kapok Tree Inn buildings still stand and currently house a music store and special events center.