Flamingo Rising

This coming-of-age novel follows Abe Lee, a kid in the 1960s, who lives with his unforgettable family at the Flamingo Drive-in Theatre on a scrubby patch of coast between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Though their neighbor—the owner of a funeral home across the street—is disgruntled by the new family, his daughter, Grace, has her own opinions.

The Hallmark film is not a perfect version of the book, but it features Elizabeth McGovern before her famous role as Cora Crawley in Downton Abbey. One of the best aspects of the film is seeing all the locations in St. Augustine used for filming; although, some of the splicing to make recognizable buildings parts of one another adds humor not found in the original story.

Local locations visited or mentioned include, but are not limited to the area between Vilano and Ponte Vedra Beaches, and the Cathedral Basilica.