Sponsored by Visit Central Florida
Sitting alongside the busy thoroughfare of US Hwy 17-92 in Davenport is a building that has some tales to tell. Built in 1911 by the Whoolery family, the second-oldest home in the area has served as a hotel, boarding house, tea room, and flower shop. These days, however, the mouthwatering aroma of smoked meat wafts through the rooms as it serves up award-winning barbecue as Cooter’s Smokehouse.
Samantha Summerlin-Tomlinson’s family purchased the building in the 1970s and restored it to its original glory. Three generations of the Summerlin family served homemade dishes from the location, including Samantha’s mother, Jackie Summerlin, who turned it into The Hotel Tea Room and Flower Corner in 1996…