Florida has warm, sunny beaches and commercial theme parks, but among these typical places, you can also find some weird and wonderful tourist attractions. It is not always easy to find such places, so it helps to know about them before your trip. By taking in some of these weird attractions, you will have a chance to enjoy more than the typical Florida experienced by most tourists and snowbirds.
Just outside Miami, in Homestead, Florida, Coral Castle is an impressive monument built in the 1920s by Latvian immigrant Edward Leedskalnin. As its name suggests, it is a castle built entirely from coral-based stone found in the area. The draw of Coral Castle has always been the mystery of how he built it. Edward Leedskalnin was a small man, weighing about 100 pounds, who apparently built the entire structure himself without the aid of machinery. No one is certain how he assembled the structure because he worked secretively, not allowing anyone to watch. This has led to speculation that Leedskalnin used occult powers, helium balloons, magnetic energy, perpetual motion machines and countless other rumors. Today you can visit Coral Castle and tour the structure yourself.
Coral Castle Museum
28655 South Dixie Highway
Miami, FL 33033
305-248-6345
coralcastle.com
The Jules' Undersea Lodge offers truly weird accommodations for anyone who does not mind getting a little wet on the way. Entirely submerged off Florida's Key Largo coast, the lodge gets its name from Jules Verne, author of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." For access, guests must scuba dive down 21 feet and enter through a hatch in the bottom of the structure. Once inside, guests find it surprisingly comfortable for an undersea hotel, with hot showers, television and kitchen appliances. Guests can use the lodge as a base for scuba diving or enjoy the view of the aquatic surroundings through the lodge windows.
Jules' Undersea Lodge
Key Largo Undersea Park
Key Largo, FL
305-451-2353
jul.com
Anyone looking to experience the wacky and weird while in Florida should pay a visit to Ripley's Believe It Or Not! in Orlando. The "odditorium" -- as the museum calls itself -- features a collection of oddities from around the world, collected by Robert Ripley. The building housing the collection is distinctly crooked and appears as though a sinkhole is swallowing it. Inside, visitors will find a 1907 Rolls Royce constructed of matchsticks, a genuine Egyptian mummy, a real human shrunken head and various other oddities.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
8201 International Drive
Orlando, FL
407-363-4418
orlando.ripleys.com
