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All United States Florida

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Florida

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

Updated August 29, 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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Fort Jefferson, moat and wall
Key West
Miami
St. Augustine
Giant Oak
Tallahassee
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  1. Bartow
  2. Big Pine Key
  3. Bradenton
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  5. Cedar Key
  6. Clearwater
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  9. Crawfordville
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  13. Gainesville
  14. Homestead
  15. Homosassa
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  17. Jacksonville
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  31. North Miami Beach
  32. North Port
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  34. Orlando
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  36. Palm Beach
  37. Pensacola
  38. Pensacola Beach
  39. Ponce Inlet
  40. Port Orange
  41. Sanford
  42. Sanibel
  43. Sarasota
  44. St. Augustine
  45. St. Petersburg
  46. Tallahassee
  47. Tampa
  48. Tarpon Springs
  49. Titusville
  50. Vernon
  51. Vero Beach
  52. West Palm Beach
  53. White Springs
  54. Williston
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Florida

Fort Jefferson, moat and wall

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.
Venetian Pool

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.
Clear waters in Manatee Springs State Park.

Chiefland, Florida

Manatee Springs

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

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.
The Dalí Museum

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.
The performances include a rendition of 'The Little Mermaid.'

Weeki Wachee, Florida

Weeki Wachee: City of Live Mermaids

Welcome to old Florida, where a 1940s mermaid show is still enchanting visitors.
See All 359 Things To Do in Florida

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Florida

The old hanging tree, once outside, now built into the bar.

Key West, Florida

Captain Tony's Saloon

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

Port Orange, Florida

The Last Resort Bar

Where serial killer Aileen Wuornos drank her last beer.
The Bubble Room

Captiva, Florida

The Bubble Room

This kitsch eatery is chock-a-block with bric-a-brac.
On the right, Willy Wonka movie memorabilia, including the golden ticket.

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

Gastro Obscura’s Guide to St. Pete/Clearwater

A destination with thriving cultural cities, charming small towns, nature parks, and some of the top-ranked beaches in the country, St. Pete/Clearwater is the best of Florida all in one neat, welcoming peninsula. So welcoming, in fact, that the region is seeing a steady population growth that is fueling something of a cultural renaissance. The newcomers it’s attracting—in tandem with the locals who’ve been here all along—are building an eclectic community, with some unexpectedly tasty results. Out-of-towners arrive with creative business concepts like tropical Art Deco cafés or a pizzeria run by an acrobatic pizzaiolo. The local crowd reimagines long-standing structures, from a historic theater-turned-Roaring ‘20s nightclub to an ATM-turned-taco stand. And far-flung emigres weave strands of their home countries into the global tapestry that is St. Pete/Clearwater, from a British tea parlor to a French-Vietnamese restaurant serving two chefs’ childhood favorites. So by all means, come for the lively nightlife, the pristine beaches, and the wondrous museums. Just don’t forget to bring your appetite, too. Welcome to St. Pete/Clearwater.

View Itinerary

Explore Florida

Animals 37
Museums And Collections 28
History 26
Art 25
Architectural Oddities 24
Collections 22
Ruins 20
Abandoned 19
Water 19
Military 17
Plants 17
History & Culture 17
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3
Places To Stay 3

Florida Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for J Ginsberg
    J Ginsberg
    27
  2. Avatar image for Mom0ja
    Mom0ja
    27
  3. Avatar image for anhie
    anhie
    8
  4. Avatar image for Tony Dunnell
    Tony Dunnell
    8
  5. Avatar image for ronin
    ronin
    6
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Florida.

Places Edited

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    Collector of Experiences
    123
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    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
    25

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for Collector of Experiences
    Collector of Experiences
    301
  2. Avatar image for J Ginsberg
    J Ginsberg
    192
  3. R
    rbsammel
    167
  4. T
    Thewanderingmeatball
    160
  5. F
    fnc122431
    149

Recent Florida Activity

  • A

    aasullivan64

    has been to 9/11 Whale Sculptures

  • Avatar image for huntberel

    huntberel

    wants to go to Fairgrounds St. Pete

  • Avatar image for huntberel

    huntberel

    has been to Ochopee Post Office

  • Avatar image for huntberel

    huntberel

    wants to go to The East Coast Troll

  • Avatar image for huntberel

    huntberel

    has been to Carrabelle Bottle House

Stories About Florida

For decades, the nonprofit Diving With a Purpose has trained young Black men, women and teenagers in maritime archaeology methods.

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
A pair of manatees in Florida's Crystal River.

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
Paleontologist Stephen Durham closes up a bag of oyster samples on the Florida coast, where conservationists are preparing for the future by reconstructing the past.

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
Zora Neale Hurston was an author, filmmaker, anthropologist, and leading light of the Harlem Renaissance.

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
Tarpon can weigh 250 pounds and leap 10 feet in the air while trying to throw off the hook.

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
Say hello to the sour orange pie.

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
July Perry is the only confirmed victim of the Ocoee Massacre known by name.

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
Long touted as a health food, grapefruit has a dark side.

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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