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In the minds of many, Orlando is something of a "new
city," a tourist mecca that grew up in the wake of the
opening of Disney World in the 1970s. While it is true that
Orlando has experienced unprecedented growth in recent decades,
the city has a wealth of history and a diverse cultural make-up.
The Cultural Byways project developed out of a desire to make
Orlando's past and present more visible to residents of and
visitors to the city.
The project places short folklife and history segments on
local Lynx buses using ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
mandated Global Positioning System technology. Produced by
an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students at UCF
and in partnership with the Orange
County Regional History Center, Preserve the Eatonville
Community, Inc., and Crealde School of Art, the project is
currently being expanded from a 2-mile downtown loop to cover
a 27-mile route. Themes will also be expanded to include culturally-appropriate
public health messages.
 By
linking short folklife and history films to the Global Positioning
System, bus riders can experience a kind of virtual museum
that connects them to the local spaces and traditions surrounding
them. In the first phase of the project, Byways I, bus riders
on Lynx's free Lymmo downtown route have the opportunity to
learn about a large variety of folk arts and artists.
Another phase of
the project, Health Byways, broadens the thematic scope to
produce health messages designed to address the specific health
concerns and experiences of Central Florida's many ethnic
groups. Byways II, the latest phase, will create a moveable
exhibition on a Lynx bus route passing through such notable
Central Florida locations as Eatonville, an historically African-American
community and home to the famous folklorist and writer Zora
Neale Hurston.
Bill Dudley interviewed students and faculty about Cultural Byways on the Information Highway in the Florida Humanities Council's online radio program entitled, "Cultutral Byways: History on the Bus."
Listen to the program .
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