Copyright 2026 Florida Packard Club, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Florida Packard Club is a Region of The Packard Club / Packard Automobile Classics, Inc.
The Florida Packard Club is a Region of The Packard Club / Packard Automobile Classics.
SATURDAY, February 28th. Everyone drove to the Sebring International Raceway to participate in the Racing America Hagerty Cars & Caffeine Show. There were hundreds of cars at the show, and our cars were parked together for everyone to enjoy. They were a big hit. The show field was somewhere in the middle of the three-mile racetrack. For much of the show, we could hear race cars zooming around the track. They were fast and they were loud!
Everyone was allowed into the air-conditioned buildings to watch the races, but most of our group just enjoyed the show and explained the workings of their Packards to the eager eyes and ears of other show participants. Our club won the “Spirit Award” for largest club participation in the Racing America show.
The highlight of the day was when we all drove our cars on the Sebring track! This was a big thrill for everyone, but we had to keep our speed down to a mere 55 MPH. Of course, we slowed down a lot for the hairpin curves! We went around the 3-mile track three times.
Everyone left the track by mid afternoon and met for early dinner at Cowpoke’s Watering Hole, an outstanding restaurant about ten miles down the road. After that, it was back to the hotel to rest up for another great touring day.
SUNDAY, March 1st. This was the longest driving day, at about 100 miles. Lightly trafficked rural roads took us to Solomon’s Castle in tiny Ona, Florida. The castle sits on nearly 100 acres of land and was the home and art studio of the late Howard Solomon. The Peace River runs through the property. Mr. Solomon built the large structures entirely alone, while supporting himself as a sandblaster. Over the years, people came to see his castle and his artwork. He then began giving paid tours to visitors. Now his family continues to give tours and serves visitors delicious meals in the “Boat on the Moat” restaurant, which Howard built next to his castle-home.
Some tour participants drove their Packards to the front of the castle for a great photo opportunity. It was a fun time for all! (Photos and video can be found on the PHOTOS page of this website.)
Finally, the group drove the country roads to a brief stop at Pioneer Park in Zolfo Springs, then back to Avon Park for one final early dinner together. We said our goodbyes, then some people headed home and others stayed an extra night at the historic hotel.
Everyone agreed that the roads and stops were great, and the weather was almost perfect, with only a couple of brief showers at Sebring.
The following vehicles (by year) were registered for the tour. A couple of these canceled just before the event, for various reasons. The names of car owners are not published on the website, but names will appear with tour pictures and a full report in the next issue of The Caribbean Courier, newsletter of the Florida Packard Club.
1929 Packard Club Sedan (parked with us at Flywheelers Park and plans to join club)
1929 Packard 7-Passenger Sedan, Beverly Hills
1933 Packard Super Eight 7-Passenger Sedan, Tallahassee
1934 Packard Super Eight Club Sedan, Jacksonville
1937 Packard 115C Club Sedan, West Palm Beach
1937 Packard 115C Conv Coupe RHD, Valdosta GA
1937 Chrysler Royal Sedan, Palm City (substituted 1963 Buick Wildcat Conv.)
1939 Packard 110 Sedan, North Miami
1940 Packard 110 Club Coupe, Englewood
1941 Packard 180 Sedan, Orange Park
1941 Packard 120 Sedan, Punta Gorda
1941 Packard 110 Sedan, Cocoa
1947 Packard Custom Super Clipper Club Sedan, Palm Harbor
1947 Packard Clipper Club Sedan, Cairo GA
1953 Packard Caribbean, St. Augustine
1954 Packard Patrician, The Villages
1956 Packard 400, Lakeland (substituted 1955 Packard Patrician)
2026 FLORIDA PACKARD TOUR
The Florida Packard Club held its 6th Annual Packard Tour and Meet in Avon Park, Florida, from February 26th thru March 1st, 2026. Sixteen vehicles and forty people were registered for the event. Most participants brought a Packard and one couple drove a very nice Buick. Those who did not bring a tour vehicle were welcomed into the back seat of one of the Packards or other participating cars. Our members have always been generous with their back seats during tours. This makes more fun for everyone.
This year’s host hotel was Avon Park’s historic Jacaranda Hotel. Completed in 1925, the hotel was a perfect complement for our historic vehicles. The oldest Packard to attend this year’s tour was manufactured in 1929, so it was nearly as old as the hotel itself.
While many of the Packards were driven to the Tour, about half were trailered. Trailer and RV parking was provided by a local church, and covered almost a complete city block.
The festivities began with Thursday evening’s Welcome Party and Drivers Meeting. This was “meet, greet and eat” time for everyone. During the meeting, Club President Norm Madsen walked everyone through the tour book and explained things about the fun places everyone would be visiting over the next three days. The tour book included turn-by-turn directions to each venue and lots of other helpful info---like the best places to find non-ethanol fuel along the way.
The three full days of touring went as follows:
FRIDAY, February 27th. Our first day’s destination was Flywheelers Park, a 365-acre venue owned by The Florida Flywheelers Club. The club holds three public shows every year, and the largest one happens in February. They operate antique engines, tractors, autos and other mechanical devices from the past at their shows.
Everyone departed for Flywheelers Park together at 8:00 AM. Our Packard tours are not parades, and usually our cars leave at different times. We had arranged for parking inside the Park, so we wouldn’t have to park far away in the public lot. Parking inside allowed us to display all the Packards together, where they could be part of the Flywheelers show. We needed to arrive together, in order to park inside together.
Some of our tour participants walked the fields, while others brought along or rented scooters or golf carts. Working engines of all types and sizes were running in the Park. There were steam tractors, hit-and-miss engines and engines running sawmills and other equipment. They ranged in size from table-top to a 12-ton 2-cylinder steam engine with a 12-foot tall flywheel. There were car parades, tractor parades, food vendors, souvenir sellers and demonstrations of all kinds. In one demonstration, a crew assembled a complete Model T Ford in two minutes and drove it away! All this while our Packards were parked together for all to see. One Flywheeler parked his 1929 Packard with the rest of our cars. He plans to join the Club!
Mid-afternoon, our cars left Flywheelers Park one by one and headed back to the Hotel Jacaranda for a scrumptious grand buffet dinner. This was included in the price of the tour. After dinner, everyone went to our hospitality room to hear Bruce Blevins give a presentation about the Packard Proving Grounds historical site in Shelby Township, Michigan. Bruce is very active in the restoration and operation of the Proving Grounds, and flew to Florida just to participate in our Florida Packard Tour.
The 2026 Packard Meet took place on Sunday, January 25, 2026. For the first time since 1992, it was NOT held in Sarasota. This year Dave Lanning and Jacki Kaiser hosted at Dave’s home and garages in Englewood, FL. The weather was fabulous---sunny and not too hot. Fifteen fine Packards were displayed along the water in the back yard and in the side yard. Another 30 or so non-Packard automobiles were displayed elsewhere on the property. There was even a 1915 White Yellowstone Bus giving rides to spectators!
In addition to being a Packard owner, Dave Lanning is very active in the Hudson Club and owns a half-dozen special Hudsons, all of which were also on display. Lunch was available to everyone and free to Packard and Hudson drivers. It was provided by the local Lyons Club and was delicious, consisting of hamburgers, hot dogs and all the fixin’s, along with drinks and chips. There were enough tables and chairs setup in one of Dave’s garages for about 50 people to sit, eat and visit inside while looking at all the automobilia.
The Meet was such a rousing success that it was decided that it will be held in the same place next year. Watch the website and newsletter for the date and time.
The following 15 Packards were displayed at the Meet. Names of the owners do not appear here, but are available to club members in our newsletter, “The Caribbean Courier.”
1915 Twin Six Runabout (Roadster)
1928 533 Runabout (Roadster)
1929 Eight Dual Cowl Phaeton
1937 115C Convertible Coupe
1937 115C Club Sedan
1939 120 Convertible Coupe
1939 110 Sedan
1940 Six Club Coupe
1941 120 Sedan
1948 Custom Eight Club Coupe
1950 Super Eight Sedan
1951 250 Convertible
1951 300 Sedan
1953 Clipper
1954 Cavalier Sedan
Click on PHOTOS tab above for more photos from the Meet as well as photos of past events.