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What we’re talking about here are the absolute most Florida things you can possibly do in Florida. So, with that in mind, what you have here are a few truly unique activities that you can only do in The Sunshine State.
Spend the night in the underwater hotel
Jules’ Undersea Lodge l 51 Shoreland Drive, Key Largo l (305) 451-2353
Although appropriately named after Jules Verne, you won’t have to travel twenty thousand leagues under the sea to visit this underwater escape. You do have to scuba dive to your room though, which is located 21 feet underneath the water’s surface. Although it’s more like an old submarine than a posh hotel, it’s definitely a view you won’t find anywhere else.
Photo via FacebookCheck out the World Erotic Art Museum
World Erotic Art Museum l 1205 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach l (305) 532-9336
WEAM is the only museum in the United States devoted entirely to fine erotic art. The museum’s collection includes over 4,000 works of sultry, scandalous pieces dating back as far as 300 BCE, all of which is a pretty safe bet would be categorized “NSFW.” Let’s just say it’s not the best place to go if you’re spending the day with your mother-in-law.
Photo via H L./YelpLook for a skunk ape
Skunk Ape Research Headquarters l 40904 Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee l (239) 695-2275
The Everglades is home to large, hairy Skunk Ape, a relative of the elusive Big Foot. People speculate that the Skunk Ape smells like methane or rotten eggs because it sleeps in abandoned alligator dens with dead animal carcasses. Join the two-day adventure where you can ride airboats, drive swamp buggies and trek through the muck looking for a glimpse of mysterious creature.
Photo via topensandoemviajar/InstagramStep inside the world’s smallest police station
World’s Smallest Police Station l 105 St. James Street, Carrabelle l 850-697-2585
This tiny station started out as a police phone box built to protect police officers from inclement weather while they made calls, but since its creation in 1963, it has been promoted to full “station.” The booth is more of a museum than a functioning office however, as the insides are crammed with the municipal building’s history. The spot was featured on Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and The Today Show, but has also received a lot of negative attention and has even been shot at before.
Photo via Angela F. W./YelpKayak through a bioluminescent lagoon
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge l Titusville l (321) 268-2655
During the cooler months between October and May, paddle your kayak through the waters of the Indian River Lagoon and watch as the water around you begins to glow from the light of bioluminescent comb jellyfish. Come back again during the summer where every movement in the water, from a speeding fish to a meandering manatee, produces a stream of bright blue-green light.
Photo via RedditTake a ghost tour of Cassadaga
Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp l 1112 Stevens Street, Cassadaga l (386) 228-2880
Cassadaga is a town known for its mediums, psychics and spiritualists. By day you can have your fortune told or your palm read, but the most fun comes out at night. By the light of a full moon you can walk through the town’s historic buildings looking for energy “hot spots,” where a spirit could just materialize long enough for you to snap a selfie. #callingallghostbusters
Photo via Arianna Nicolette S./YelpVisit the Hamburger museum
International Hamburger Hall of Fame l 115 Mason Ave., Daytona Beach l (386) 254-8753
This “museum” is actually the lifetime collection Hamburger Harry, a German-immigrant who keeps more than a thousand hamburger-related items in his house. Everything on display is sandwhich related, from banks, cookie jars, music boxes and ceramics. But the pinnacles of the collection have to be Harry’s Cheeseburger Waterbed, his Hamburger Harley Davidson and the actual Good Burger Mobile from the Nickelodeon movie. If you don’t leave with a newfound appreciation for burgers, at least you’ll probably really be craving some Mickey D’s.
Photo via FacebookVisit the Johnny Donutseed statue
Capital City Travel Center l 2716 Gamble Rd., Monticello l 850-997-3538
Johnny Appleseed has given up his healthy diet of red fruit and has turned, as many proud Americans have, to the comfort of donuts and coffee in this 11-foot statue standing guard at one of the oldest truck stops in North Florida. This folk hero originally stood outside a restaurant, but has since left the orchard-life behind him by turning his tin-pot hat into a trucker’s cap to better fit in with the highway crowd.
Photo via mdcainjr/InstagramExplore the Key West cemetery with offbeat epithets
Key West Cemetery l 701 Passover Ln, Key West l (305) 292-8177
When you go to a graveyard, you don’t usually expect to burst out laughing. But at this cemetery in Key West, the dearly departed’s last words are more goofy than grave. Much like the city itself, the cemetery is filled with quirky residents who, even dead, have a lot to say. One gravestone belonging to B.P Roberts reads “I told you I was sick” while another resident nearby charmingly had, “I’m just resting my eyes,” inscribed on her resting place.
Photo via Jamie R./YelpBrowse redwood tree real estate
Allen’s Original Redwood Log House l 1978 Park Ave, Tarpon Springs l (813) 765-0077
This fully-furnished, three room abode was hand carved in 1939 by only two men from a 1,900-year-old California redwood tree. Before it was cut down, Allen’s tree home stood 267 feet high and measured 14 feet in diameter. Just like their living counterparts, log houses like this can often survive for generations. The home is based in Tarpon Springs, but is often traveling the country for people to experience its magnitude in person, so call ahead before stopping by.
Photo via FacebookEat lunch with an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex l Kennedy Space Center, SR 405 l (321) 449-4400
If you’ve ever played the old “if you could have a meal with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be” game and answered “astronaut,” now’s chance to make it a reality. Sit down to a buffet style meal with a veteran NASA astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center and hear firsthand what it’s like to be blasted into outer space. Ask anything you’ve ever wanted to know about being an astronaut and then snap a selfie with a space explorer.
Photo via spacecampusa/InstagramWalk through a Monkey Jungle
Monkey Jungle l 14805 SW 216 St., Miami l (305) 235-1611
In this backwards zoo adventure, humans are caged and the monkeys run free. Visitors trek through a semi-natural tropical rainforest in a series of tunnel cages while overhead, hundreds of primates swing among the leafy branches. Squirrel monkeys, howlers and capuchins roam as they please in the the park’s 30 acre habitat. For a little extra cash you can actually step outside of the cage and hang with some of our evolutionary cousins.
Photo via Adam S./YelpVisit JFK’s vacation bunker
Palm Beach Maritime Museum l 2400 N Flagler Dr, West Palm Beach l 561-832-7428
In just ten days, the army built this tiny bunker off the coast of Palm Beach to protect our most attractive president in the case a nuclear attack occurred while the POTUS was vacationing. Back before the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the country needed a confidential place to stash President Kennedy in case Fidel Castro tried to blow up the country. Now, the secret’s out, and anyone can find the hideaway, which was built with a decontamination room with showers to wash off radioactive particles and a command center big enough to house 30 survivors.
Photo via FacebookSwim with sharks, stingrays and sea lions
Theater of the Sea l 84721 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada l (305) 664-2431
Swimming with dolphins is so last season. Stand out from the crowd by visiting some more eccentric and dangerous ocean creatures. Sit in shallow waters and hand-feed stingrays, jump into a natural saltwater lagoon and give a nurse shark a squeeze or help train a sea lion to jump through hoops. Usually, these aquatic puppy-dogs are so grateful for new playmates they’ll even swim over to give you a big hug.
Photo via Theater of the Sea/YelpDress up for a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
AMC Universal Cineplex 20 l 6000 Universal Blvd, Ste 740 l (407) 354-5998
Shiver with anticipation every second and fourth Friday and Saturday of the month when the Rich Weirdos put on a pantomime performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show while the film plays in the theater. While they might not be doing the acting, audience members are encouraged to “let their freak flag fly” and dress up as characters or just in their favorite depraved outfits. Don’t forget to bring along rice, toast, newspapers, condoms or playing cards to hurl at the actors during certain scenes.
Photo via FacebookSend a letter from the country’s smallest post office
Ochopee Post Office l 38000 Tamiami Trail, Ochopee l 239-695-4131
This post office might be the size of a broom closet, but it is still fully operational. The space used to be an irrigation pipe shed for a tomato farm, but after a fire destroyed the old general store, the office was moved. With only 11 town residents, the size might seem appropriate, but this tiny mailroom is actually a hub for people living within 130 miles around the Everglades, including many members of the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes.
Photo via Harald C./YelpStand at southernmost point of the U.S.
Southernmost Point Buoy l Whitehead St, Key West l (305) 809-3700
Technically, it’s only the southernmost point of the continental United States — Hawaii is actually closer to the equator — but it’s still as close as most of us are ever going to get. This giant concrete monument might be living a lie, but none of your friends are going to know it, so you can still brag about it after snapping a pic for your Instagram.
Photo via Eriberto O./YelpEat a picnic lunch under the shade of the Treaty Oak
Treaty Oak Park l 1123 Prudential Drive, Jacksonville l (904) 634-0303
The most interesting thing about this grand tree isn’t its size or its age, even though it’s over 70 feet tall and more than 250 years old. It’s the history behind its preservation that makes it odd. Back in the 1930s, the land around the tree looked mighty appealing to developers, so a local reporter fabricated a news story about American Indians signing an accord with white settlers beneath the tree, turning it into an historic landmark.
Photo via thesaltymarlin/InstagramWatch live venom extraction sessions
The Reptile Discovery Center l 2710 Big John Drive, Deland l (386) 740-9143
When most of us see a venomous snake, our first reaction is to run the other way. At the Reptile Discovery Center, bite back your natural instincts and get up close and personal as you watch a handler extract liquid poison from some of the world’s deadliest animals. But don’t worry, visitors stand behind safety glass during the process so there isn’t any chance of getting sprayed by a few stray drops.
Photo via Janene H./YelpSkip Disney and visit Whimzeyland
Whimzeyland l 1206 3rd St N, Safety Harbor l (727) 725-4018
Although it doesn’t come with roller coasters, parades or a Mickey meet and greet, Whimzeyland does have one thing the House of Mouse doesn’t — bowling balls. Two Florida artists have spent the last 20 years turning their home into a psychedelic explosion of art and color with over 500 painted bowling balls littering the property. Everywhere you look, there’s a chaotic assortment of recycled art, from rainbow mosaic pathways to bright ceramic sculptures, giving this residential area an otherworldly atmosphere you won’t find in the tourist district.
Photo via Rachel M./YelpSee the world’s largest collection of sea sponges
Spongeorama’s Sponge Factory l 510 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs l (727) 943-2164
For those of you whose entire knowledge of sea sponges comes entirely from the Spongebob Squarepants cartoon, check out the Spongeorama Sponge Factory, which prides itself in offering guests a complete education in all things porous. There’s a free museum and educational movie to catch up on all your spongey knowledge and afterwards you can browse the stacks of products to find the perfect sea sponge bath set to take home.
Photo via chadsmarkTour Solomon’s Castle
Solomon’s Castle l 4533 Solomon Rd, Ona l 1- (863) 494-6077
Designed and built by the sculptor Howard Solomon, this medieval-looking, hand-built castle is entirely covered with aluminum printing plates. Bring a pair of sunglasses and face the glare with a guided pun-filled tour around the gardens and interior, where more of Solomon’s humorous artwork is available for viewing.
Photo via therightwaytorunawayDrive up Spook Hill
Lake Wales Ridge l 5th Street, Lake Wales
Have you ever wanted to defy gravity? Now’s your chance. Take a trip over to Spook Hill, where you can put your car in neutral and watch as your vehicle crawls up the road without a single press of the gas pedal. The road is actually located on a gravity hill, in which the surrounding landscape cause an optical illusion making a slight downhill slope look like an uphill one, but it’s much more fun to think that spirits are behind your car’s creepy crawl.
Photo via potterican/InstagramHang out with wild wolves
Seacrest Wolf Preserve l 3449 Bonnett Pond Rd., Chipley l (850) 773-2897
You really become a member of the pack when you take a tour at the Seacrest Wolf Preserve. Enter the natural habitat of these elusive predators and greet the park’s wolf ambassadors with hands-on interaction. Then get your singing voice ready as you join the pack in a great wolf howl. Plus, after petting these pups, you can continue the cuddle session with skunks, arctic foxes and racoons after your tour.
Photo via Ryan M./YelpBecome a gator trainer for a day
Gatorland l 14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail l (407) 855-5496
Get a glimpse of what it’s like to work with dangerous wild animals by becoming a Gatorland trainer for the day. Your experience starts with holding baby gators then leads into backstage tour that puts your face to face with these toothy reptiles. The grand finale of the event has you and one of these Godzilla look-alikes together in the Gator Wrestling Arena. But don’t worry, a certified trainer is always there to make sure none of these scaly beasts takes too big a chunk out of you.
Photo via nikki_1606