Defunct Ocala: Tommy Bartlett’s Deer Ranch offered roadside charm before Florida’s theme park boom - WINDFM

OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Like most of Ocala’s defunct attractions, Tommy Bartlett’s Deer Ranch lost its footing as Florida’s theme park renaissance redefined travel. Yet, for a time, this gentle petting zoo charmed visitors traveling Silver Springs Boulevard by offering a peaceful wilderness pause.

Established in the 1960s by renowned showman, Tommy Bartlett, known for his Wisconsin Dells water-ski shows and “Robot World,” the ranch stood beside Silver Springs, sharing parking and attracting tourists before they boarded glass-bottom boats. Bartlett’s vision featured dozens of fallow deer – and occasionally other domestic animals – that greeted guests wanting a hands-on wildlife encounter.

A black-and-white photo of a little girl sharing her lollipop with a fallow deer. — *A young park-goer shares a sweet treat with of the ranch’s deer. Photographer: Bruce Mozert, courtesy of State Archives of Florida*

A black-and-white photo and a man and a woman standing in front of a small, enclosed stage. Inside is a hen, deemed "Delmar the Live Dancing Hen" as stated by a sign hosted above the stage. — One of the ranch’s stars, “Delmar the Dancing Hen,” trained by Keller Breland, walks onto the stage, turns on the juke box and tap dances. Photographer: Bruce Mozert, courtesy of State Archives of Florida

Visitors could purchase feed to hand-feed the deer in open pens, pose for on-site photos, and linger amid rustic, hand-painted etiquette signs. The ranch also hosted seasonal events like “Santa’s South Pole,” complete with a jeep-pulled “sleigh” ride and holiday décor.

Tommy Bartlett’s Deer Ranch became part of the broader Silver Springs tourism experience. In 1963, after ABC-Paramount purchased Silver Springs, they engaged in a lease dispute with Bartlett – which led to Bartlett transferring control of the site. The attraction was then rebranded as International Deer Ranch, signaling Bartlett’s departure.

Over the next decade, the deer exhibit became one of several animal showcases within Silver Springs. But as Florida tourism shifted toward mega-parks and stricter regulations made managing exotic animals more challenging, the deer operation was quietly phased out in the late 1970s. The exhibit’s land was eventually repurposed, evolving into the entrance and gift shop for Silver Springs’ “World of Bears” before being dismantled following the attraction’s transition into a state park.

A colored photo taken in a lush, green and forestry backdrop. In the foreground is a structure titled "Nursery" as three goats, one on a tightrope and two on a platform in the trees, is onlooked by guests. — *Alongside deer and birds, goats also called the ranch their home. Courtesy: State Archives of Florida/Florida Memory*

A black-and-white photo of a young woman in a swimsuit sitting in a tree with numerous macaws. — *A young woman sits in a tree with some of the ranch’s macaws. Photographer: Bruce Mozert, courtesy of State Archives of Florida*

Today, like many of the old attractions that once called Silver Springs home, no physical trace of Tommy Bartlett’s Deer Ranch remains. But its memory lives on in archival photos and postcards.

Despite the absence of fences or signs, the deer ranch is remembered as a small, but meaningful chapter of Marion County’s tourism story: a time when travelers could pause mid-journey to feed deer, snap a Polaroid and carry off a moment of simple wonder. Those soft encounters with gentle wildlife – just off the highway – remain part of Ocala’s fading roadside legacy.