The Florida coast is one of the most storied shorelines in the U.S. and because of that, it’s packin’ quite a few secret spots. These are the best of them, from rocky ocean blowholes, to a sunken cemetery. What we have here are some of the best-kept secrets of Florida’s coastline.

You can hangout at fashion designer Gianni Versace’s mansion in Miami The Villa Casa Casuarina, 1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, 786-485-2200 The fashion icon Gianni Versace was actually murdered here in 1997. The art-deco structure was originally built in 1930 by architect Alden Freeman, and purchased by Versace in 1992. The mansion is now a 19,000-square-foot hotel and restaurant called The Villa. Photo via simacanada
There’s an underwater cemetery off the coast of Key Biscayne Well, technically it’s not a cemetery, it’s a cremation memorial site. Cremated ashes are mixed with cement to form these super goth memorials that make up a 16-acre artificial reef called Neptune Memorial Reef. These sunken monoliths are located about three miles off the coast of Key Biscayne. Photo via amicsgais
There’s a sunken aircraft carrier off the coast of Pensacola One of the world’s largest artificial reefs is actually a massive aircraft carrier called the USS Oriskany. The ship was purposefully sunk in May of 2006, roughly 22 miles off the coast. The spot is now referred to as the Great Carrier Reef, and divers are allowed to explore the wreck. Photo via arieljtownsend/Instagram
You can visit Ernest Hemingway’s house and his weird six-toed cats Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum, 907 Whitehead St., Key West, 305-294-1136 In 1931, one of the greatest authors in 20th-century American literature moved into this Key West home, now called the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum. For $13, you can walk the same halls, gardens, and even dip your toe in Hemingway’s 80,000-gallon swimming pool. Also, the entire property is overrun with six-toed cats, which are believed to be descendants from Hemingway’s own six toed feline. Photo via graceyjane/Instagram
There’s another Spanish fort in St. Augustine that is equally as cool Fort Matanzas, which is just 14 miles south of St. Augustine, is one of the more overlooked spots in St. Augustine. Built in 1742, roughly 50 years after St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos fort, Fort Matanzas requires a short boat ride and sits on a picturesque spot with beautiful views of water and marshland. But best of all, unlike it’s older brother, it’s free! Photo via pearlgateway/Instagram
You can explore NASA’s abandoned launch pad at Complex 34 in Cape Canaveral Cape Canaveral, (321) 853-1110 This was the site of the Apollo 1 fire, which claimed the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom,Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. Now serving as a memorial to the men of Apollo 1, only the launch platform remains at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Tours run Thursday through Sunday, depending if a launch is scheduled. Photo via ryanssheetmetaldesigns/Instagram
On any given day you can party on a disappearing island Located where Ponce Inlet and New Smyrna almost come together Drop the anchors– it’s low tide and Disappearing Island is back at it again. You’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a hip hop music video with all the boats, booze and bangin’ tunes in every direction. Enjoy the warm water while you can… low tide only last so long. Photo via hermcity/Instagram
There’s an island where you can find some of the last remaining red wolves St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is a barrier island located between Apalachicola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico is one of the last places you can still find the endangered red wolf. If you’re dying to see one the magnificent animals, know that you’ll have to take a boat or plane to get here, and the island is almost too large to explore in a single day. But hey, it has some pristine beaches, nonetheless. Photo via St. Marks and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuges/Facebook
There’s an underwater hotel in Key Largo Jules’ Undersea Lodge, 51 Shoreland Drive, Key Largo, (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 Jules’ Undersea Lodge/Facebook
You can snorkel around a submerged Jesus Christ statue 102601 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, (305) 451-6300 The original statue is located in the Mediterranean Sea. But in 1965, a bronze replica was dropped in 25 feet of water approximately six miles east of Key Largo in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and now offers an incredible spot for snorkeling. Photo via joerg_modrow/Instagram
There’s a museum dedicated to sunken treasure in Key West Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, 200 Greene St., Key West, 305-294-2633 One of the greatest underwater archaeological discoveries of all time is housed at the Mel Fisher Museum in Key West. Named after the famed archaeologist Mel Fisher, the museum displays sunken treasure from the Spanish galleon Atocha, which went down in 1622 during a hurricane. The treasure trove of over 40,000 tons of gold and silver is valued at $450 million. Photo via Facebook
Florida actually has a rocky beach with 50ft blowholes Blowing Rocks Preserve, 574 S Beach Rd, Hobe Sound, (561) 744-6668 SPLOOOOOOOSH! Gusts of water spurt out of rock formations during high tide, so get the camera ready for the water blast. It ain’t a bad spot for snorkeling, either. There be schools of tropical fish and sea turtles here. Photo via ninoskalovett/Instagram
You can visit JFK’s vacation fallout bunker in Palm Beach Palm Beach Maritime Museum, 2400 N Flagler Dr, West Palm Beach, 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 vlipp11/Instagram
You can visit old Prohibition-era clubs on stilts off the coast of Miami Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, (305) 230-7275 Back in the 1930s, a guy named “Crawfish” Eddie Walker built a shack on stilts so that he and his buddies would have a place to gamble and party. Over the years, this idea caught on, and more and more “party” shacks were built. Lasting well into the 1950s, Stiltsville stood as a place for Miami residents to indulge in some illegal “vice,” including Florida’s governor at the time, LeRoy Collins. However, after relentless hurricane damage, only a few of the structures remain and the structures are now cared for by the National Park Service. Photo via skoolmaster/Instagram
You can camp on the beach in front of an abandoned fort at Dry Tortugas National Park Key West, FL, 866-758-6420 It’s hard to say “no” to camping on an island with warm tropical breezes that is 70 miles away from civilization. Be sure to make a reservation before camping at Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park because the popular destination tends to fill up, and the 11 campsites run on a first come, first served basis. Campsites range from $15 to $30, depending on the size of your group. Photo via danielericmadrigal
Probably the most underrated spot in Florida to kayak is Cayo Costa State Park Cayo Costa State Park, 4 Nautical Miles West of Pine Island (26.685789, -82.245381) Cayo Costa, (941) 964-0375 Sea turtles, mangroves, manatees, bottlenose dolphins, bald eagles, white sandy beaches, Cayo State Park is one of the coolest places to dip a boat in the water. The best way to take advantage of this beautiful spot is by camping overnight at one of the 30 tent sites available. They also have rustic cabins to rent for the less adventurous. Photo via chasingloubies/Instagram
You can reach the Southernmost Point of the U.S. in Key West Southernmost Point Buoy, Whitehead St, Key West, (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 montrealsix/Instagram
You can visit a lighthouse that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is located on Key Biscayne and is home to the Cape Florida Light, which is the oldest standing structure in Miami. The park has amazing beaches and also, it was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. Photo via tayklee
You can kayak through a bioluminescent lagoon in Titusville Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, (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 Reddit
You can stand at the only spot in the U.S. where Nazi’s tried to invade South Ponte Vedra Beach Recreation Area, 2.25 miles south of Guana River State Park on Highway A1A, 904-209-0752 Ponte Vedra Beach may be known as a wealthy, golf-centric community, but during World War II it was the site of an actual German invasion. Yep. On June 16, 1942, four Germans armed with explosions came ashore via a submarine and, fortunately, the Jerrys were captured before anything bad happened. Photo via kristingill85/Instagram
You can get a real full-body tan at the Playalinda nude beach Parking lot 13, Playalinda Beach, 212 S Washington Ave, Titusville, This remote stretch of sand on the Canaveral National Seashore is known by the locals as a nude beach, one of the few remaining in Florida. So, if you don’t like seeing tanned buns casting a fishing rod, or riding a boogie board, stay clear. However, if this doesn’t bother you, then ditch the suit and lather on the Banana Boat. Photo via alexandercolon7/Instagram
There’s a museum dedicated to the guy who invented air conditioning John Gorrie Museum, 46 6th Street, Apalachicola, (850) 653-9347 Located in Apalachicola, the John Gorrie Museum lets you pay respect to the man/hero who made it physically possible to tolerate Florida’s heat. Not only did he figure out a way to cool rooms, he also figured out how to make ice and received the first U.S. Patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851. Photo via floridastateparks.org
The tallest lighthouse in Florida is near New Smyrna 4931 S Peninsula Dr, Ponce Inlet, (386) 761-1821 At 175 feet in height, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station is the tallest in lighthouse in Florida, and one of the tallest in the U.S. Visitors can climb to the top of this historic landmark for arguably the best views of Ponce Inlet. The adjacent museum is also worth a look, housing one of the finest collections of restored Fresnel lenses in the world. Photo via greggyg/Instagram
You visit one of the last undeveloped barrier islands left in Florida 12157 Heckscher Drive, Jacksonville, (904) 251-2320 Just about every barrier island in Florida is littered with high rises, but Little Talbot Island State Park is one of the last to remain unspoiled. The park is one of the best spots for fishing for bluefish, striped bass, redfish, flounder, mullet and sheepshead. There’s also river otters, marsh rabbits, bobcats and, of course, migratory birds. Photo via slothmetal/Instagram
You can legally swim with hundreds of manatees at Crystal Springs Three Sisters Springs, 915 N Suncoast Blvd., Crystal River Swim with the cute lil sea cows or simply look at them from the spring’s boardwalk. Either way, you’ll get a clear view of them. The amount of manatees on site fluctuates depending on the time of year, but the cooler days after mid-November will get you more mammal for your buck. This spring made headlines after hundreds of the manatees huddled together to keep warm. Photo via surfzach/Instagram