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All United States Florida

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Florida

337 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Florida

Updated March 24, 2023

Come for the beaches, stay for the live mermaids. The glare of Florida canʼt hide itʼs panoply of wonders, from a coral castle built by one love-stricken man to a fort that eats cannonballs. The Sunshine State really seems to attract visionaries.

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Cities

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  1. Bartow
  2. Big Pine Key
  3. Bradenton
  4. Carrabelle
  5. Cedar Key
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  7. Clermont
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  10. Fort Lauderdale
  11. Gainesville
  12. Homestead
  13. Homosassa
  14. Islamorada
  15. Jacksonville
  16. Key Biscayne
  17. Key Largo
  18. Key West
  19. Kissimmee
  20. Lake Wales
  21. Marco Island
  22. Miami
  23. Miami Beach
  24. Monticello
  25. Naples
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  27. New Smyrna Beach
  28. North Miami Beach
  29. North Port
  30. Ochopee
  31. Orlando
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  33. Palm Beach
  34. Pensacola
  35. Pensacola Beach
  36. Ponce Inlet
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  38. Sanford
  39. Sanibel
  40. Sarasota
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  43. Tallahassee
  44. Tampa
  45. Tarpon Springs
  46. Titusville
  47. Vernon
  48. Vero Beach
  49. West Palm Beach
  50. White Springs
  51. Williston
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Florida

Key West, Florida

Dry Tortugas

These remote Florida islands have a history of sea turtles and sunken treasures, and one of the world's largest coastal brick fortresses.

Coral Gables, Florida

Venetian Pool

The only swimming pool listed on the National Register of Historic Places is emptied and refilled each day with naturally filtered water.

Chiefland, Florida

Manatee Springs

Where manatees are the snowbird vacationers in these balmy Florida springs.

Lake Wales, Florida

Bok Tower Gardens

Possibly the most beautiful carillon in the world, set atop Iron Mountain in Florida.

Key Biscayne, Florida

Neptune Memorial Reef

An underwater city for the dead.

St. Petersburg, Florida

Salvador Dalí Museum

Florida might be at its most surreal in this museum devoted to the famed Spanish artist.

Williston, Florida

Devil's Den

The scuba diving training facility was named for the steam that rises from the cave's chimney.

Weeki Wachee, Florida

Weeki Wachee: City of Live Mermaids

Welcome to old Florida, where a 1940s mermaid show is still enchanting visitors.
See All 337 Things To Do in Florida

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Florida

Key West, Florida

Captain Tony's Saloon

Florida's oldest bar was once a morgue, complete with a hanging tree and gravestones.

Port Orange, Florida

The Last Resort Bar

Where serial killer Aileen Wuornos drank her last beer.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Mai-Kai Restaurant

When you can't get to the Pacific, just go to Florida.

West Palm Beach, Florida

Bulk Candy Store Museum

This shop also boasts some sweet memorabilia from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
See all 10 Places to Eat in Florida
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

10 Watery Wonders on Florida’s Gulf Coast

With all its tidal pools, mangrove islands, and estuaries, Florida’s Gulf Coast shoreline is one of the most dynamic in the country. Throw into the mix almost a thousand natural springs, and Florida truly is a place with as much to explore both above water as below. This ten-stop itinerary is by no means exhaustive. The mermaid shows, cave-diving, underwater museums, mangrove-kayaking, and wildlife-watching opportunities presented here still only scratch the surface – and the depths - of the myriad activities possible along this wondrous coastline.

View Itinerary

Explore Florida

Animals 36
Museums And Collections 27
History 24
Architectural Oddities 24
Art 23
Collections 22
Ruins 20
Abandoned 19
Water 17
Plants 17
Military 16
Statues 15
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3
Places To Stay 3

Florida Leaderboard

Places Added

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    J Ginsberg
    27
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    Mom0ja
    27
  3. Avatar image for Tony Dunnell
    Tony Dunnell
    8
  4. Avatar image for anhie
    anhie
    8
  5. Avatar image for ronin
    ronin
    6
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Add an unusual place to Florida.

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for Collector of Experiences
    Collector of Experiences
    121
  2. Avatar image for Molly McBride Jacobson
    Molly McBride Jacobson
    49
  3. Avatar image for J Ginsberg
    J Ginsberg
    36
  4. Avatar image for Rachel
    Rachel
    31
  5. Avatar image for Mom0ja
    Mom0ja
    23

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for Collector of Experiences
    Collector of Experiences
    286
  2. Avatar image for J Ginsberg
    J Ginsberg
    186
  3. T
    Thewanderingmeatball
    161
  4. Avatar image for ruthpc
    ruthpc
    105
  5. Avatar image for stacieaiani cadf1654
    stacieaiani cadf1654
    97

Recent Florida Activity

  • Avatar image for bcnoel3

    bcnoel3

    wants to go to Fruit and Spice Park

  • Avatar image for bcnoel3

    bcnoel3

    wants to go to Robert Is Here

  • Avatar image for bcnoel3

    bcnoel3

    wants to go to Manatee Springs

  • Avatar image for bcnoel3

    bcnoel3

    wants to go to Harry P. Leu Gardens

  • Avatar image for bcnoel3

    bcnoel3

    wants to go to Big Bend Power Plant Manatee Viewing Area

Stories About Florida

The Hunt for an Elusive Florida Shipwreck That Killed 41 Enslaved People

Searching for the slave ship Guerrero, the nonprofit Diving With a Purpose has also trained scores of young Black men and women to find and tell stories once lost to the waves.
by Karuna Eberl
February 27, 2023

Nursing Florida’s Ailing Manatees Back to Health—And the Wild

In a sign of hope, a record number of the gentle animals, rested and recovered, have been released this year.
by Amy Green
February 27, 2023

Why Are Paleontologists Getting Into Florida's Oyster Business?

Conservationists are teaming up with fossil experts to help the bivalves—and the state's oyster economy—survive.
by Jack Tamisiea
December 15, 2021

Keeping the Memory of Zora Neale Hurston Alive in a Small Florida City

The preservation of a heritage trail, where the author and anthropologist spent the last years of her life, takes a whole community.
by Tunika Onnekikami
December 6, 2021

The Lasting Allure—and Bruising Challenge—of Courting Florida's Silver King

Tarpon, a powerful game fish, helped make the state a tourism hub more than a century ago.
by Lina Zeldovich
September 9, 2021

Before Key Lime Pie, Florida Loved This Sweet-Tart Treat

Bake the state's nearly forgotten sour orange pie.
by Anne Ewbank
April 7, 2021

The Unsettled Legacy of the Bloodiest Election in American History

An exhibit is taking a closer look at the racist Ocoee Massacre in Florida, 100 years after it took place.
by Matthew Taub
November 10, 2020

Grapefruit Is One of the Weirdest Fruits on the Planet

From its name, to its hazy origins, to its drug interactions, there's a lot going on beneath that thick rind.
by Dan Nosowitz
October 6, 2020

Lists Featuring Florida

The performances include a rendition of 'The Little Mermaid.'
The Manor
Some visiting Amish at a nearby beach, approximately 7 miles away from Pinecraft. Picture is of either Siesta Key, Lido Beach, or Longboat Key.

The Best of Weird Florida

America's strange has sunk to the bottom and settled in these Floridian places.

41

Including Weeki Wachee: City of Live Mermaids, Manor Professional Wrestling Dinner Theater, and Skunk Ape Research Headquarters

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