The Florida Packard Club is a Region of The Packard Club / Packard Automobile Classics, Inc.

Florida Packard Club

The Florida Packard Club is a Region of The Packard Club / Packard Automobile Classics.

Seen roaming about, gawking at the Packards and enjoying the comaraderie were Linda Anderson, Kevin Anderson, Barry Balach and Paula MacIntyre, Mike Black, Bruce Blevins, Frank Bowles, Marty and Sue Brackin, Bev Brasgalla, Jim and Judy Briley, Bill and Joan Brown, Gene Cohen, Noel and Mildred Dana, Rob Evans, Al Ferrigno, Matt Forlenza, Bill Howerth, Alex Huppé and Jeryl Schriever, Kyle Johnson, Jacki Kaiser, Ed Lankenau, Dave Lanning, Tony and Carol Lewandowski, Norm and Kathy Madsen, Jim Nicholas, Mark Petermann, Carter Richards, John Rohe, Miles Seter, Ross Walkup, Adam Walkup, Clark Walkup, Tom and Gloria Zannis, Bob and Julia Zu Hone and a host of guests and admirers. A local videographer captured some of the meet on film. His video can be found elsewhere on this website.

Packards at the Meet were:

(Note: Packard owners’ names are available to club members only. They are printed in latest issue of “The Caribbean Courier,” newsletter of the Florida Packard Club.

1922 Sport Model, Tallahassee
1929 640 Dual Cowl Phaeton, Venice
1936 120 Convertible Coupe, Sarasota
1936 120 Business Coupe, Port Charlotte
1940 110 Club Coupe, Englewood
1940 110 Business Coupe, Okeechobee
1941 180 7-Passenger Sedan, Sarasota
1941 120 Sedan, Punta Gorda
1948 Custom Eight Club Sedan, Valdosta GA
1951 200 Sedan, Englewood
1953 Clipper Sedan, Sarasota
1954 Patrician, The Villages
1956 Patrician, Lake Alfred

The 5th Annual Florida Packard Tour was a resounding success by all accounts. Great roads and venues, wonderful weather, happy people and fine Packards made our tour one of the best ever. Twenty-six participants drove twelve Packards during the three days of touring.

The event took place March 13-16 in Lakeland, Florida. Lakeland was chosen because it is near the center of the state, so not too far from most members’ homes. It was a 5-hour drive for my wife and me (we live in Tallahassee), and a longer drive for our Valdosta, GA, members. Nevertheless, two Valdosta couples were in attendance and one of these brought their special Packard.

The host hotel was the Best Western Plus, chosen because of its excellent reviews, helpful staff, location relative to our tour stops and destinations, and available trailer parking. It also included a free hot breakfast bar every day.

Special thanks to Paula MacIntyre and Barry Balach. They live in Lakeland and did an outstanding job planning all of our stops and routes.

Our first event was Thursday evening’s catered “Welcome Party and Driver’s Meeting.” This was a great opportunity for everyone to meet and greet (and eat). Everyone was given their tour “goodie bag,” which included a 28-page booklet with helpful information and turn-by-turn directions for each day’s drive. Participants were instructed to go at their own pace and drive alone or in small groups. “A Tour is not a Parade,” the drivers were told.

Sunday, March 16th, was the final touring day. This was our longest driving day, 85 miles. After a short stop at a park on a lake, we planned to enjoy a boat cruise on the Chain of Lakes. The boat captain called us early Sunday to say that the best part of the cruise would not be possible due to windy conditions. The cruise was cancelled. So, we headed next to the winter home of Dan and Roseann Gernatt. The Gernatts opened their lovely home and garages to us. Most of their collector cars are at their summer home in NY, but we saw some fabulous show-quality cars in their garage, including a 1910 Oldsmobile, a 1911 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, a Model A Ford Roadster and a stretch limousine.

Dan Gernatt led us to a 1:00 PM lunch at Cherry Pocket Steak and Seafood Restaurant. The restaurant is on a picturesque lake, and we all sat together and feasted on their outstanding seafood. After lunch, we took a long route back to the hotel via old Lake Wales. We said our goodbyes at the Hotel and discussed ideas for next year’s tour.

If you’ve never been on one of our Florida Packard Tours, you’re missing a lot of fun. Touring in a Packard is a wonderful experience. But if you opt to leave your Packard at home or don’t presently own one, we will find you a ride in another member’s car. You will have a good time!

2025 PACKARD TOUR

March 13-16

Driving day 1, Friday March 14, began at about 9:00 with a short drive to Born and Bread Bakehouse, a small but highly acclaimed pastry and sweet shop. We all placed our to-go orders online Thursday night for pickup on Friday, so we could have a tasty snack and keep moving.

Next, we drove to Florida Southern College for a docent-led Tour. The college is home to the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings anywhere. These structures are unique, beautiful and fascinating. Our third stop for the day was the Florida Air Museum. The museum’s collection includes early aircraft, flight simulators, all kinds of aviation engines including jets, and aviation pioneer displays. It is located at the Lakeland Airport, which is home to the annual Sun ‘n Fun fly-in extravaganza. The fly-in attracts hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts each April. Our Packard tour was originally scheduled for April, but was changed to March to avoid the Sun ‘n Fun traffic in Lakeland.

Finally, we drove to Town Center at Lakeside Village for an open car show. Our dozen-plus Packards really stood out from the usual crowd of common collector cars, and got lots of attention.

Driving day 2, Saturday, started with a 5-mile excursion to Bonnet Springs Park. The park was formerly the site of the Lakeland Railyard, which operated from 1880 until the early 1950s. The Railyard was a major hub for freight transportation and the city’s largest employer at one time. Providing direct routes for the state of Florida’s phosphate and agricultural industries, the rails running to and from Lakeland put the city on the map. After the 1950s, the Railyard declined in use and condition. It was nearly forgotten by most Lakelanders until a group of community investors and developers united to repurpose the 168-acre historic site as a delightful public space.

Our second stop for the day was a car collection in Winter Haven, about 17 miles down the road. Our host was car collector and Lake Alfred Mayor, Mac Fuller. His eclectic collection included muscle cars, antique trucks, street rods, fire trucks, motorcycles, tractors and, of course, a very special Packard (a 1941 160 Touring Sedan with factory A/C).

The day’s final stop was Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. This is a 250-acre contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop a “mountain.” The gardens’ attractions include the Singing Tower and its 60-bell Carillon (called the Bok Exedra), the 12,900 sq.ft. 1930-built El Retiro mansion, walking trails and a restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious lunch while listening to the Carillon concert. Bok Tower staff directed us to park all the Packards together under the shade of their live oaks, for other visitors to admire.

Packards participating in the tour were:

(Note: Owners’ names are included in the Caribbean Courier, our club newsletter. This info is for members only).

1955 Packard Patrician and 1956 400, Lakeland FL
1938 120 Coupe and 1956 Patrician, Lake Alfred FL
1934 Super Eight Club Sedan, Jacksonville FL
1941 180 Sedan, Orange Park, FL
1956 Caribbean HT, Auburndale, FL
1940 110 Club Coupe, Englewood, FL
1933 Super Eight 7-Passenger Sedan, Tallahassee, FL
1947 Custom Super Clipper Club Sedan, Palm Harbor, FL
1941 120 Sedan, Punta Gorda, FL
1937 RHD 120 Sport Coupe, Valdosta, GA

2025 packard club spring meet

January 26

Jacki K hosted our 32nd Annual Packard Meet at “Wit’s End” in Sarasota on Sunday, January 26, 2025. The Meet was well attended by members and guests, and the weather was ideal.

This was the final Meet at “Wit’s End.” The 2026 Meet will be in Englewood, at the home of Jacki’s future husband, a longtime club member.

Sunday’s Meet at Jacki’s place included a backyard full of Packards. For the first time, the backyard also welcomed the Hudson Club. This is because Dave Lanning has a collection of Hudsons and is a longtime Hudson Club member. As is customary, many wonderful “Brand-X” cars occupied the front yard (segregated so as to not pollute the Packards). There was lots of visiting and a delicious lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, snacks and all the fixin’s was served by the local Knights of Columbus organization. As usual, lunch was free to drivers of Packards. Many thanks to Jacki K, Dave Lanning, Bev Brasgalla, Damen Pappas and others who helped make this one of the most enjoyable meets yet.