Hey, kids!

I’ll bet you’re thinking, “What’s the deal with the innocuous looking street corner?”

The deal is that tile thing next to the trash can. It’s the RADIOACTIVE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH- W. Marion Ave. and Taylor St., Punta Gorda, FL.

Ponce de Leon searched Florida for the fabled Fountain of Youth in the 16th century, but did he look in Punta Gorda? Locals to this area have been claiming since the 1800s that their water is what he was looking for all those years ago. In the 1920s, the locals pooled their money and built this fountain. Governmental regulations have threatened to dismantle it, but locals have fought every time.

The water in this fountain contains almost twice as much radium as the legally recommended limit, but it’s said you are more likely to die from a cigarette than drinking this water.

The water stinks. It has a strong sulfur smell. Apparently, though, many people believe in its rejuvenation abilities and drink from it regularly.

Like the previous fountain, I filled a water bottle and am not sure what to do with it. Radioactive water won’t go through plastic, will it?

Want some stinky, magic water? Come and get it! It’s free!

Until next time, dahlings…