50 attractions in Florida Offbeat
An ancient Spanish monastery, spiritualist camp, castle made entirely of coral, sub-lodge inning, seven mile bridge, Navy SEAL museum and other unique curiosities can be found in the Sunshine State for travelers who like to deviate from beaten track. Here are 50 of the most offbeat attractions in Florida:
African Queen – Key Largo, Florida
The marina at the Holiday Inn Key Largo (Mile Marker 100) is home to the original boat used in the film classic of 1951, The African Queen, which was directed by the legendary director John Huston and starred Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Huston and Robert Morley.
Spanish Monastery – North Miami Beach, Florida
Built in Segovia, Spain, in 1141, the Spanish Monastery is the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere. newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, the monastery was dismantled and sent to the United States in the 1920s where he serves today as St. Bernard de Clairvaux Episcopal Church.
Big Cat Rescue – Tampa, Florida
The largest cat rescue and sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue is home to lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, wild cats, ocelots, servals, lynx, caracal cats and other exotics. Educational tours of Big Cat Rescue are available.
Blue Hole – Big Pine Key, Florida
The largest body of freshwater in the Florida Keys, the Blue Hole is an old rock quarry created during the construction of railroad on the east coast of Florida, according to legend. Today, the Blue Hole is home to alligators, turtles, fish, ducks and a variety waders. The Blue Hole is located at Mile Marker 30.5 (Bayside).
Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum – Jupiter, Florida
A monument to massive ego actor Burt Reynolds, Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum contains a collection of awards and memorabilia from his movie and television career.
Butterfly World – Coconut Creek, Florida
A South Florida tourist destinations, Butterfly World is an aviary of the world's largest butterfly – the house more than 80 species of butterflies and moths 5000.
Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp – Cassadaga, Florida
A history Spiritualist Camp founded in 1894, Cassadaga is the oldest active religious community in the Southeastern United States and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Christ of the Deep – Key Largo, Florida
The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, "Park Deputy First American", is home to the famous nine meters high bronze "Christ of the Deep" statue, which lies 25 meters beneath the ocean in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary.
Citrus Tower – Clermont, Florida
Although these days, you'll certainly see more subdivisions than citrus trees, you can still ride the elevator to a bridge Observation 226 feet above the hills of Clermont for a spectacular glimpse of the surrounding area.
Coral Castle – Homestead, Florida
How Did I get individual effort and sculpt more than 1,100 tons of coral rock in a "fantasy world carved in stone" by using tools home? Secrets are still within Coral Castle, "America's Stonehenge," the bizarre masterpiece of obsessive genius Ed Leedskalnin, which was built over 28 years.
Creations Pop Culture Museum – Delray Beach, Florida
An amazing variety of exhibits await you at the Museum of Pop Culture Creations, which features tons of Hollywood movie and television memorabilia.
Devil's Millhopper State Park Geological – Gainesville, Florida
A National Natural Landmark, Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park boasts a chasm 120 feet deep which is accessible by a staircase leading to a lush, tropical forest miniature. "The local visitor center and hiking trails.
World Dinosaurs – Plant City, Florida
A unique outdoor museum, Dinosaur World is billed as the largest in the world "dinosaur attraction. "> Highlights include life-size dinosaur replicas, caves, hands-on activities, fossil dig area, educational exhibits, gift shop and more.
Dry Tortugas National Park – Key West, Florida
About 70 miles west of Key West lies Dry Tortugas National Park, home to historic Fort Jefferson. Dry Tortugas National Park is accessible only by boat, ferry or seaplane.
Grassy Key, Florida – Flipper's Grave
Grassy Key in the Florida Keys is home to the Research Center Dolphins, who also serves as a final resting place for the original "Flipper" (real name: Mitzi) the most famous dolphin in the history of cinema and television. Mitzi is buried in the courtyard of the Centre.
Gatorland – Orlando, Florida
Billed as the "Alligator Capital of the World," Gatorland features such lively shows as the famous Gator Jumparoo, Jungle Crocs of the World, Gator wrestlin 'Show Up Close Encounters animal, as well as the Gator Gully Splash Park, zoo, aviary, train, and more.
Experience Holy Land – Orlando, Florida
A "living museum and the Biblical story," Holy Land Experience allows visitors to meet interesting characters Bible in authentic costumes, view a fascinating collection of antique water-rich land and the ancient architecture of biblical Jerusalem.
Jackie Gleason's Mausoleum – Miami, Florida
A huge outdoor mauseoleum to Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Miami serves final resting place for Jackie Gleason, who will always be remembered for his role as Ralph Kramden in "The Honeymoon." The only inscription on the mausoleum is separation lines Gleason signature: "And Away We Go."
Jesus Film Project – Orlando, Florida
The docu-drama of two hours, Jesus, was seen by about 5 billion people worldwide since its inception in 1979. Learn all about the "film's most widely read in history" in the studio Master Jesus Film Project, which is located in the world headquarters of Campus Crusade for Christ.
Jules Undersea Lodge – Key Largo, Florida
The only underwater hotel in the United States, Jules Undersea Lodge lies approximately 30 feet below the sea and guests have to dive to reach the habitat of two rooms.
Jungle Adventures – Christmas, Florida
A 20-acre wildlife sanctuary, Jungle Adventures is home to alligators, bears, deer, lynx, panthers, crocodiles, monkeys, snakes and turtles. View alligator feedings and wildlife shows, take a jungle cruise and visit to an Amerindian village.
Cemetery Key West – Key West, Florida
Opened in 1847, the historic Key West Cemetery is home to a monument for sailors who died during the sinking of the USS Maine in 1898, and a number of odd entries such as "I Told You I Was Sick" and "Devoted Fan of Julio Iglesias."
Monkey Jungle – Miami, Florida
Visit Monkey Jungle – "Where humans are caged and Monkeys Run Wild" One of the few protected habitats for endangered primates in the country, Monkey Jungle is home to more than 400 primates that run free on a 30 acres. A total of 30 species of primates are represented here as spider monkeys, colobus, gibbons and monkeys.
Monument to the States – Kissimmee, Florida
Begun in 1942, the monument of 50 meters high to the States lies in downtown Kissimmee and consists of more than 1,500 fossils and rocks from every state and more than 20 countries.
Mulberry Phosphate Museum – Mulberry, Florida
Mulberry is known as the "capital of phosphate in the world" and the Mulberry Phosphate Museum features a colleciton amazing fossils and exhibits that document the role of the city in the phosphate industry.
National Key Deer Refuge – Big Pine Key, Florida
A 8,542 acre National Wildlife Refuge located on Big Pine Key and No Name Key in the Florida Keys, the National Key Deer Refuge serves as the home of deer endangered Key, and species that nearly two dozen other threatened and endangered plants and animals.
Navy SEAL Museum – Fort Pierce, Florida
Navy SEAL museum in the world's only museum devoted exclusively to "the elite warriors of Naval Special Warfare."
Old Jail – St. Augustine, Florida
The entire family will enjoy a guided tour through the prison in 1891, enshrined in the National Register of Historic Places.
Oldest Wooden School – St. Augustine, Florida
Built in the early 1700s and located near the famous St. Augustine city gates, the oldest wooden Schoolhouse contains a variety of unique items and displays.
Perky's Bat Tower – Sugarloaf Key, Florida
Built in Florida Keys 1929 by entrepreneur, Richter Perky, as a way to attract bats eat mosquitoes, Perky's Bat Tower never attracted bats, but today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Potter Wax Museum – St. Augustine, Florida
Presented as "America's first museum wax and the finest," Potter's Wax Museum is nestled in historic St. Augustine and features more than 160 wax figures of celebrities and historical figures like Albert Einstein, Julius Caesar, Tiger Woods, Princess Diana, Michael Jordan, Johnny Depp and even a bald Britney Spears!
Reptile World Serpentarium – St. Cloud, Florida
Reptile World Serpentarium houses the more than 50 species of snakes in the world world such as the Taipan of Australia, king cobra and East African green mamba. Venom, which will take place twice a day.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not! – Orlando, Florida
See oddities as a Rolls Royce from a million matches, two-headed calf, shrunken head, man four-eyed, cannibal dinosaur, Mona Lisa made of toast, Egyptian mummy, Van Gogh portrait made from 3,000 postcards and a piece of the Wall Berlin at the Orlando Odditorium, which appears as it is slowly devoured by a huge chasm!
Ron Jon Surf Shop – Cocoa Beach, Florida
Open 24 hours a day, Ron Jon Surf Shop is a massive 52,000 square feet, a shop specializing in multi-level sessions that features surfboards, clothing and souvenirs related to surfing and live music, demonstrations and autographs.
Salvador Dali Museum – St. Petersburg, Florida
Located in the heart of Saint Petersburg (of all places!), The Salvador Dali Museum houses the most comprehensive collection of works of art by famous Surrealist painter such as "The hallucinogenic Toreador" and "The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus."
Seven Mile Bridge – Marathon Key, Florida
A masterpiece of engineering, the Seven Mile Bridge was constructed between 1979 and 1982 on the road overseas and serves to connect the East keys (Marathon Key) to the Lower Keys (Little Duck Key). For the record, the actual length of the Seven Mile Bridge is 6.79 miles.
Solomon's Castle – Ona, Florida
Internationally known sculptor, Howard Solomon, created this unique medieval-style fortress home of his work wide. Guided tours of the castle of Solomon are available. The premises also include the vessels in the Moat restaurant.
Southernmost Point – Key West, Florida
A huge structure like buoys on the corner of Whitehead and South streets in Key West marks supposed to be the "most southern point of the United States," which is just 90 miles north of Cuba.
Spook Hill – Lake Wales, Florida
Park your car at the bottom of this "hill that defies gravity in Lake Wales and it will appear to roll up the hill. Is this an optical illusion or some kind of mystical occurrence?
St. Augustine Alligator Farm – St. Augustine, Florida
View Maximo the Giant Crocodile (15 feet 3 inches long, 1,250 pounds) at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, which presents a show Wildlife, nature habitats, albino alligators and much more.
Titanic: The Experience – Orlando, Florida
The first World Exposition Titanic has a permanent re-creation of the scale of the Titanic Grand Staircase and incredible stories of passengers and crew members who survived the tragedy, and more than 250 artifacts and memorabilia from the Titanic's Oscar-winning 1997, Titanic.
Venetian Pool – Coral Gables, Florida
Surrounded a Venetian-style architecture and are enrolled in the National Register of Historic Places, the Venetian Pool is a 820,000-gallon pool has been carved out a career of coral rock in 1923. It offers a variety of waterfalls, caves, grottos and a diving platform.
Hall of Fame & Museum skiing – Polk City, Florida
View the first pair of skis and other rare objects and memorabilia that trace the history of skiing at the hotel Water Ski of Fame and Museum, which also contains a resource center and audiovisual library.
Weeki Wachee Springs – Wachee Weeki, Florida
Founded in 1947, Weeki Wachee Springs still has his very popular live mermaid shows, as well as a water park on the state Art-called Buccaneer Bay and tourism boat tours.
WonderWorks – Orlando, Florida
Experience an earthquake, lie on a bed nails, design your own roller coaster and immerse yourself in virtual reality fun at WonderWorks – "! only attraction to Orlando"
Hall of Fame World Chess – Miami, Florida
Learn more about some of the chess players the most famous in history such as Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in World Chess Hall of Fame, which also features fascinating chess exhibits and artifacts.
Erotic art museum in the world – Miami Beach, Florida
The World Erotic Art Museum houses a vast collection of over 4,000 objects that complete the document history of eroticism from 200 BC until today.
World's Largest Drive-In – Sunrise, Florida
Open Since 1963, the Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop boasts the largest drive-in theater and daily flea market in the world.
The largest McDonald's World – Orlando Florida
In addition to offering a unique menu that includes sandwiches and desserts, this two-story McDonald's offers a play area 25 000 square feet, and over 60 arcade games. It is located just off world famous International Drive.
World's Station small font – Carrabelle
Basically, a telephone booth in the world's smallest police station was built in the early 60s to accommodate the police office in Carrabelle, population 1800. It's worth the photo opportunity if you find yourself driving aimlessly through Florida.
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