• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel

Primrose, tie-dye, and VW culture

April 20, 2013    John Keatley

118 shares

Within sight of the third Westy that looked just like Primrose, we were looking through an array of tie-dyed t-shirts, trying to find a matching pair. Unfortunately, they had sold out of the ones with the VW design swirled through the middle, or we would have bought some on the spot.

VW Westy diesel 82
A clone of Primrose, with a diesel engine

We were at the No Dough VW show in Port Orange, Florida. Friends from our local VW club, the Oil Puddlers, let us know about the show and invited us last week when we met them at their regular Wednesday night gathering, held weekly at the nearby Tropi-Shack, a Cuban cafe that keeps even busier as an ice cream shop.

1950s pop-out camper
A 1950s pop-out camper pulled by a club member with a VW Beetle

Steve, an old friend and co-worker who restored the old VW dune buggy I once owned, confirmed that he was also going to be at the show. So we left early Sunday morning, looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.

The show is held annually at the Port Orange City Center around a small lake, with a canopy of oaks providing a nice place for the vintage VWs to tuck in and show off for the event.

A VW Thing and a Beetle
A VW Thing and a Beetle

Walking into the show, we could see VWs parked all around the lake, Beetles, Ghias, and Things, oh my. What we didn’t expect were the number of buses and vans: dozens and dozens of them, from mint-condition show vans to dusty daily drivers. Single cabs, double cabs, pop-ups, Westys, barndoors, split windows, bay windows, and even 18 and 21 window microbuses.

One of the many Westys at the show
One of the many Westys at the show

We ran into friends with buses, and made friends with more. It was great to find Dave and Tracy there with their two perfect split window buses. They were Primrose’s past caretakers. Tracy was excited to tell us about how she was following our adventures in Primrose here on Florida Hikes!

We found Steve and his wife Betsy sitting behind their stunningly green dune buggy. When he towed it away from my shop, it looked nothing like it does now! Being green was the only thing that was the same. We also ran into our friend Anthony and his family. He’s the owner of Oxford Road Touring Cars, and the one who gave Primrose her first round of freshening up.

Steve, John, and the dune buggy
Steve, John, and the dune buggy

The show was great. I saw a ’55 bus and a couple of pre ’56 Beetles, plus probably one from every year until the early ’90s. If you ever owned or drove or even just like old VWs, you need to mark this event on next years calendar. We will!

Camping with Friends
Camping with Friends

A VW show like this is not your typical car show. Along with the cool cars, you’ll see families cooking hot dogs and burgers on the grill, kids on skateboards and bicycles, and if you look closely, you’ll even notice adults on skateboards and vintage bicycles. VW culture spans both generations and heritage, and everyone’s all one big family.

As for those tie-dyed t-shirts? The artists promised they’d be at the next show. We’ll just need to get to their booth earlier!

Category: Articles, Travel, Travels with PrimroseTag: Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

Camping & Long Treks

  • Florida Trail Adventures
  • Appalachian Trail
  • What it’s like to hike the Big O Hike

Our Newest Books

Book cover showing orange blaze and trail leading into stand of cabbage palms
Florida Trail Hikes
50 Hikes in Central Florida
Explorers Guide North Florida Panhandle
The Florida Trail Guide (third edition)
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala
Five Star Trails Orlando
Book cover of trail down swamp causeway under ancient pines

Explore More

Primrose at Doe Lake

Going primitive with Primrose

Just Married

Primrose in Kenansville

Primrose and the Big O Hike

Me and Steve in the front seats

Primrose, the delivery wagon

Primrose tucked into a space at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Nine more nights in Primrose

Kicking off Hiker Season with Primrose

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2022, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact