Go off the beaten path and enjoy these roadside wonders.

Florida is full of unexpected and awesome roadside attractions.

Many of these destinations date to the 1920s and ’30s, when the state was an up-and-coming tourist hotspot and the great American road trip still in its infancy. But several more have sprung up since then, joining the tradition of weird and wonderful sights to lure passing motorists — or, just as often, becoming the destination themselves.

Here are the best roadside attractions in Florida for your next trip.

Itching to go on an adventure? These road trips in the Sunshine State are calling.

1. Sarasota Jungle Gardens

Sarasota Jungle Gardens has been delighting tourists since 1939. Beloved for its flamingos, which you can hand-feed, it’s also home to macaws, lemurs, turtles and alligators.

True to theme, the garden feels like a tropical jungle, with the occasional ceramic elephant or giraffe to liven up the scenery. Kids will love the petting zoo and playground while adults admire vibrant plant life from around the world. The animal shows are a hit for all ages.

If you have more time: Sarasota has another unusual destination, the Amish and Mennonite community of Pinecraft. Visit Der Dutchman for authentic Amish comfort food like broasted chicken, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Don’t skip dessert — their peanut butter pie is legendary — or the sprawling, homey gift shop.

2. Weeki Wachee Springs

Long before a certain red-headed siren came to Orlando, there were mermaids performing in Florida at Weeki Wachee Springs. You can view mesmerizing aquatic ballets in the underwater amphitheater, just like they did back in 1947.

Even better, Weeki Wachee has its own water park. At Buccaneer Bay, woosh down the water slides, laze on the sandy beach or go tubing down the river. With the tiki bar, kayak rentals, snorkeling and more, you can easily make a day of it.

If you have more time: Hang out in Brooksville. Hunt for mini mermaid sculptures downtown or swing through the trees at FLG X Adventure Course, one of the most extreme zip line and aerial obstacle courses in the state.

3. Bok Tower

Florida’s famed Singing Tower, an intricately carved neo-Gothic and art deco masterpiece, could hardly be more picturesque. The 205-foot carillon, which gives daily concerts, opened with Bok Tower Gardens in 1929 and quickly became an icon of Central Florida, immortalized on everything from Coke bottle caps to The Saturday Evening Post, some on display in the visitors center.

After wandering the beautifully landscaped grounds, take a tour of El Retiro, a 1930s Mediterranean Revival-style mansion, complete with period furnishings and pocket windows to the gardens.

If you have more time: Tour another architectural marvel: the Wonder House of Bartow, FL. Once world-renowned as the “Crazy House” and the “House of a Thousand Gadgets,” this 1920s landmark boasts six floors, 10 porches, around 60 doors and underground escape tunnels. But wait! That’s not all. Take the guided tour and be amazed.

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4. Mixon Fruit Farms

This third-generation family-owned citrus grove serves some of Florida’s finest orange ice cream. It began in the ’30s as a modest fruit stand. Now the Bradenton spot has a tram tour, play park, wildlife refuge, bamboo forest, koi pond and deli.

Stock up on fresh fruit like pomelos, starfruit, lemons and oranges galore. During citrus season (November to May), you might even see the packinghouse at work. And there’s always a free cup of OJ waiting for you.

If you have more time: Step back to yesteryear at the Showmen’s Museum in Riverview. This strange yet fascinating collection documents the saga of America’s traveling shows. See one of the world’s first Ferris wheels, a miniature midway, costumes, carnival games and so much more.

5. Ancient Spanish Monastery

Once called the largest jigsaw puzzle in history, the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux was first built in 12th-century Spain, then shipped piecemeal to the U.S. in 1925 before finally being reassembled in the 1950s as a tourist attraction.

Along with weekly services, the Ancient Spanish Monastery still welcomes travelers. You can browse the exhibits, stroll vaulted cloisters or simply soak up the serenity of the 20-plus acres of flowering trees and greenery.

If you have more time: Off U.S. 1 in Hallandale Beach is a much newer roadside attraction: the 110-foot, 715-ton “Pegasus and the Dragon.” The giant winged horse defeating evil (symbolized by the dragon) is the second tallest statue in the continental U.S.

As someone who was born in Florida but didn’t return to the Sunshine State until college, I’m an odd hybrid of a Florida native and transplant. Since I returned 14… Continue reading

6. Fairgrounds St. Pete

Technicolor, trippy and utterly immersive, Fairgrounds St. Pete is more than a roadside attraction. It’s an ode to roadside attractions. Their signature installation, FLORIDARAMA, reveals tiny worlds where palm trees grow upside down, swamps ooze sugar and a mermaid will check you into your motel.

Elsewhere, this interactive art museum invites guests to hunt for clues, snap Instagrammable pics or discover wacky Florida stories reimagined by local artists.

If you have more time: Drive by WhimzeyLand, where masks, mosaics, beads and bowling balls overflow from a suburban home in an explosion of color that’s more than worth the detour.

7. Silver Springs

Here’s a roadside attraction that predates the automobile.

While people have enjoyed Silver Springs for centuries, the site got a kitschy Florida twist in the 1870s when two entrepreneurs upgraded a rowboat with a glass bottom and started offering tours.

On a glass-bottom boat tour today, you’ll glimpse marine life, Native American artifacts and even old Hollywood props. Other attractions include a replica pioneer village and natural history museum.

If you have more time: Cross to the other side of Marion County for Rainbow Springs, another roadside attraction turned state park. This one featured “jungle waterfalls” created in the 1960s to dazzle tourists.

We can’t explain what’s going on in these places. But we can recommend spending hours reading about them online, and adding them to your road trip bucket list.

8. Shell Factory

Claiming to be the world’s largest collection of seashells and shell specimens, the Shell Factory & Nature Park in North Fort Myers has morphed over the years into its current expansive state. Founded in the 1930s, it now includes everything a Florida roadside attraction needs: a wildlife park, mini-golf, zip line, restaurants, petting zoo, dinosaur exhibit, gem mining … you get the idea.

Inside, find shells of every shape, size and color plus shell-adjacent treasures like coral, shark teeth, sand dollars and sponges. Then, walk past the fudge shop, taxidermy display and arcade to find the year-round Holiday Palace stocked with thousands of ornaments. Santa on a jet ski, anyone?

If you have more time: See more seashells. Across the bridge from Fort Myers, Sanibel is famous for shelling. After a morning of beachcombing, stop at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum to dive into the mysterious world of mollusks.

9. The Fountain of Youth

Ponce de Leon may have found his fabled fount of immortality in St. Augustine. See for yourself at the 15-acre Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.

The Fountain of Youth’s heyday as a roadside attraction began in the 1920s, but along with the fun and lore, it’s always been about uncovering real history. So explore the recreated Timucuan village and Spanish mission. Marvel at a 16th-century night sky in the planetarium. And, sure, drink from the spring as travelers and natives have for centuries.

If you have more time: See more old places — the 17th-century Castillo de San Marcos, the Oldest Wooden School House and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, a collection started in 1893 now the only facility in the world featuring all 24 crocodilian species.

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10. Solomon’s Castle

When woodcarver, welder and all-around craftsman Howard Solomon bought swampland in Hardee County in 1970, he built a most unconventional home: a castle covered in shiny aluminum printing plates. Go inside on a pun-peppered tour written by the artist himself to see such wonders as a papier-mâché mermaid mummy, a 190-pound lion made from oil drums and a reconstructed tortoiseshell and wig (“The Tortoise and the Hair,” of course).

The encore tour includes additional upcycled artwork alongside over a dozen immaculate antique cars. Top it all off with lunch at The Boat in the Moat.

If you have more time: Just 30 minutes west is Florida’s only dairy with public tours. Dakin Dairy Farms takes you behind the scenes from the milking parlor to the processing plant. Meet the calves, feed the goats, and order their “ultimate” grilled cheese.

WEEKI WACHEE SPRINGS, Fla. — (WFLA) — Our delicate Floridan aquifer is a matrix of tunnels that flow silently under our feet every day. The Karst Underwater Research group –or KUR– works to explore new areas and document the miles of caves that our drinking water is pulled from.

One part of documentation is filming these caves that are hundreds of feet below the surface. Their hope is that if people are able to see what is under the ground and where the water is coming from, they will be more empowered the help protect it.

The group recently made a breakthrough discovery about a mile and a half inside the cave after looking for new leads for two years. They named the area ‘Minas Tirith’ and it consists of three large rooms between 200 and 400 feet deep.

KUR believes this region is the main source of spring water for the river of Weeki Wachee.

It took a pair of 13 hour dives to do the initial exploration of this area in 2019. They were able to film it in high definition during a 14 hour dive just recently, at the end of January earlier this year.

Brett Hemphill is the director of KUR and is one of the exploration divers who initially discovered this area. He said it takes many hours of planning to carry out this dangerous exploration that takes them miles back into a cave. He said, “I feel like I have a sense of responsibility for other people to see it so that they can turn around and go “you know I may never do that but it’s amazing and that needs to be protected”.”

While the springs are a perfect spot to cool off in the crystal clear waters during the hot summer, the water quality is changing. With a higher concentration of nutrients from fertilizer, algae grows turning the water green. The springs are also slowing down from too much water being pulled from the aquifer.

The ‘recharge zone’ of a caves is an area on the surface where water gets absorbed back into the ground and replenishes the aquifer. It is typically very localized area to each spring. In Weeki Wachee’s case, it is only an area of about 50 square miles in Hernando County making it very important for everyone there to be mindful of water usage and limiting fertilizer on lawns.

The one thing that’ll make road-trippers gladly hit the brakes is an offbeat, one-of-a-kind, eye-catching roadside attraction. Some are destination-worthy, others best experienced if they happen to be on the way to or a short detour from your destination. Here are eight unordinary spots to check out during your spring travels, including a few suggestions from Kelly Kazek, author of “A Guide to the South’s Quirkiest Roadside Attractions.”

The Georgia Guidestones

Georgia’s own version of Stonehenge, the Guidestones, were erected north of Elberton in 1980 and their provenance is almost as mysterious as England’s famous stone monument.

“It’s a fascinating site, especially because no one knows who ordered it,” said Kazek. The order for the Guidestones was placed in 1979 by a mysterious stranger claiming to represent a group that wished to remain anonymous. The resulting monument features four granite monoliths, a center stone and a capstone, standing nearly 20 feet high and weighing almost 120 tons. It was placed at a high spot in a field eight miles north of town containing a message for humanity written in eight languages.

Predictably, controversy and conspiracy theories followed its installation. This remote monument is worth a visit to gaze at the mammoth stonework and ponder the message, but it shouldn’t take up more than a half-hour of your time. Head to nearby Richard B. Russell State Park on Lake Hartwell to spend the night in a cabin on an uncrowded portion of the lake. The state park also contains one of the more scenic public waterside golf courses in Georgia, Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course (706-283-6000, gastateparks.org/ArrowheadPointe).

Georgia Guidestones. Free. 1031 Guidestones Road, Elberton. elbertchamber.com/visit/play-here/historic-sites.

Expedition: Bigfoot!

In the tiny town of Cherry Log between Ellijay and Blue Ridge, Expedition: Bigfoot! is a 4,000-square-foot roadside museum devoted to all things Sasquatch. Kazek, who describes herself as the long-suffering wife of a Bigfoot enthusiast, said it’s a fun stop whether you’re a believer or not.

“Seeing alleged Bigfoot (scat) is a pretty big deal, right? And that area of Georgia is just beautiful.”

Other items visitors can see include giant footprint casts, artifacts from various research expeditions, historical displays, video clips of purported sightings, life-sized re-creations of the creature and hear audio recordings of what the Bigfoot reportedly sounds like.

The exhibits provide an earnest take on the subject matter, but the owners, realizing that not everyone takes Bigfoot seriously, offer up the silly side of the pop-culture phenomenon, too. And there are lots of amusing souvenirs for sale in the gift shop.

Nearby Ellijay has been called the mountain biking capital of Georgia; Cartecay Bike Shop (706-635-2453, www.cartecaybikes.com) will set you up with everything needed for a woodsy single-track excursion, whether you’re searching for Sasquatch or not.

Expedition: Bigfoot! $8. 1934 Georgia Hwy. 515, Cherry Log. 706-946-2601, www.expeditionbigfoot.com.

Crystal Shrine Grotto

The Crystal Shrine Grotto inside Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis is a delicately handcrafted grotto in a meditation garden created by Mexican artist Dionicio Rodriguez, who began working on it in 1935.

Like a real cave, the grotto has stalactites and stalagmites, but every surface is covered in rock quartz crystal. Colorfully lit dioramas and carvings inside depict the life of Christ from the Nativity to the Resurrection.

The garden outside, also designed by Rodriguez, looks like it could serve as a set piece for “The Hobbit.” According to the cemetery’s website, the grotto attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year.

Stay at The Peabody Hotel (901-529-4000, www.peabodymemphis.com) downtown to witness one of Memphis’ more time-honored offbeat events, the daily march of the Peabody Ducks through the lobby to splash in the hotel’s fountain. The ducks are ceremoniously led by the Duckmaster from their quarters on the roof, down the elevator and across a red carpet to the fountain.

Crystal Shrine Grotto. Free. 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis. 901-302-9980, www.memorialparkfuneralandcemetery.com

American Museum of the House Cat

On the northbound side of U.S. 441 just south of the mountain towns of Dillsboro and Sylva in North Carolina, there’s an astonishing array of art and artifacts devoted entirely to the house cat.

The collection at the American Museum of the House Cat was amassed over the last four decades by museum founder Harold “Catman” Sims, a retired biology professor who also operates a nearby no-kill, cage-free cat shelter and adoption center.

The museum opened in 2017 in a Dillsboro antique mall and moved to its current stand-alone location in 2020. Inside you’ll find seemingly any object that has ever featured a cat on it, including advertising displays, fine art, folk art, pinball machines and 5,000-plus more items. There’s even a medieval-era petrified cat on display. Sims has called house cats “little works of art,” and his museum is filled with artwork that backs up the claim.

Due to COVID-19 and limited staffing, the museum is temporarily closed to drop-in public tours, but curated tours are available by calling ahead to schedule a time.

The American Museum of the House Cat. $7.50. 5063 U.S. 441 S., Sylva, North Carolina. 828-476-9376, www.wnccatmuseum.org

Blue Whale of Catoosa

On historic Route 66 outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the city of Catoosa, passersby can easily spot a landmark American roadside attraction — the Blue Whale of Catoosa. It’s a cartoonish-looking replica of a whale sporting a baseball cap on a pond next to the highway. The 20-foot-high, 80-foot-long whale made of cement serves as a pier with adjacent picnic grounds and a seasonal gift shop.

It was built by Hugh S. Davis in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift for his wife and a place for their grandchildren to play at the local swimming hole. It quickly grew in popularity. Swimming is no longer allowed. Last fall the whale received a fresh coat of baby blue paint from the city, which purchased the property in 2020 and has plans to make it a more extensive park with a nature trail and dedicated fishing pier.

Another Route 66 icon nearby is Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park (918-283-8035, www.travelok.com) in Foyil with a centerpiece 90-foot totem pole built between 1937 and 1948 as a monument to the American Indian.

The Blue Whale of Catoosa. Free. 2600 U.S. Route 66, Catoosa, Oklahoma. 918-266-2505, www.facebook.com/blue.whale.144

Fake town of Spectre

In the middle of a small oxbow lake along the Alabama River in Millbrook, Alabama, Jackson Lake Island is famous for being home to the abandoned film set for the 2003 Tim Burton movie “Big Fish.” Stand-in for the fictional small town of Spectre, the site is “one place people really should see in Alabama,” said Kazek, who got married there.

“The owner of the island saved many of the buildings — which are just shells — and it’s a popular spot for photographers,” she said. It’s a quiet, peaceful place, but walking through a fake abandoned town with foam-covered tree (props) is a bit surreal. Some people come to throw their laced-together shoes on the wire between the two poles marking the entrance to the town, just like in the movie.

A herd of free-roaming goats now call Spectre home and are a big hit with visitors. Fishing and paddling on the lake are popular daytime activities. You can stay overnight in waterfront camping areas. Fans of “Big Fish” will find more filming locations in the nearby real town of Wetumpka, which stood in for the town of Ashton in the film.

Jackson Lake Island. $5. $15 to camp. Cypress Lane, Millbrook, Alabama. 334-430-7963, www.facebook.com/JacksonLakeIsland

Cup House of Collettsville

Also called the House of Mugs, the Cup House outside of Collettsville, North Carolina, is covered with coffee mugs. “It’s actually two, side-by-side houses in a rural part of the state,” said Kazek. “The homes are completely covered in coffee mugs that have been hung from nails on the exterior. It is so crazy, which is, of course, why I love it.”

It’s a bit out of the way but worth a stop if you’re in the area. It helps that the drive to the site is a scenic one. The owners welcome visitors to hang their own mugs if they can find a spot. Even the fence railings and gates are lined with mugs.

Kazek didn’t have GPS service in the area when she and her husband Wil visited, but she said if you stay on Old Johns River Road, it’s a hard place to miss.

The Cup House of Collettsville. Free. 2650 Old Johns River Road, Collettsville, North Carolina

Weeki Wachee mermaids

The quintessential Old Florida roadside attraction is arguably the daily mermaid shows at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Since 1947 the mermaids have been performing underwater in the springs right next to U.S. Hwy. 19 about an hour north of Tampa.

The women who portray the mermaids wear finned fishtail costumes, execute acrobatic feats in the water and stage shows such as “The Little Mermaid” before audiences of up to 400 people while using air hoses to breathe. The mermaids swim in a natural spring where the aquamarine water is a constant 72 degrees.

The springs also feed the park’s Buccaneer Bay water park with a variety of thrilling slides and a white-sand beach. Other activities include kayaking and boat tours on the clear waters of the Weeki Wachee River.

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. $13. 6131 Commercial Way, Weeki Wachee, Florida. 352-610-5660, www.floridastateparks.org/WeekiWachee.

A $65,000 feasibility study of the Weeki Wachee Preserve is causing quite the commotion in Hernando County.

While some residents say the area needs to adapt to its growing population, others want to keep the area as it is.

When you look around the preserve, you see a lot mature trees and waterways. Some residents even say they’ve seen panthers, bears and other slithering creatures

Jodie Pillarella said she moved to Florida specifically to be in the Hernando Beach area.

“We need to protect their environment. We need to protect it for our children,” she said.

But county commissioners are looking to bring more recreational activities to the area.

At the April 27 Hernando County Commission meeting, they voted 4-0 to move forward with the study

“Hernando County has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last 15 to 20 years and with that is coming a reduction in opportunities for recreation,” Commissioner John Allocco said.

He added that, through a feasibility study, the county will be able to determine if and how it can put beach access, a boardwalk from Linda Pedersen Park to the Weeki Wachee Preserve and other water activities.

“It is a documented process to allow everyone to have a voice,” Fulford said. "There are some in the community, mainly some of the newer residents and some of the younger residents, that are looking for improvements.”

Fulford said he’s very familiar with the area. He’s been visiting since the 90s and built his home on Hernando Beach in 2016.

Residents who’ve lived along the preserve for a decade or so say the possible added recreation would cause unwanted traffic

Dr. John Paul Reeve and his wife Kelly have lived in the area for more 10 years.

They told Spectrum Bay News 9 the preserve is the reason they made Hernando Beach home.

“We got two small roads that go north and south, and that’s just going to be a total nightmare,” he said, explaining that Shoal Line road is the only way to and from homes in the area. It’s important to note that Shoal Line road is a one lane road in both directions.

Residents say this area already has the recreational activity space that the county is looking to add. There used to be a swimming area that was shut down by the county, so now they’re asking why officials won’t what’s already there rather than adding something new.

“We all utilize the businesses here,” Dr. Reeve said. “In fact, that’s really what we would like to have it — where we could age in place and have businesses that cater to our needs here. And that would be excellent.”

This is not the first time a conversation about bring recreational activities to the area has been brought up. It was first discussed by Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), the property owners, in 1997.

The county has already allocated funds to move forward with the study, however results won’t be seen for possibly another year.

Fulford said the funds have been budgeted to conduct the study using Park Impact Fees. These are funds that already exist so there need for new tax payer funds to conduct the study.

Mermaids have intrigued sailors and land-dwellers alike for centuries and though their existence has never been proven (save for Discovery channel drama-mentaries), they're still fascinating. The notion of a humanoid-like creature having the ability to live underwater for extended periods of time is somewhat of a dream for many, and in Florida, also a reality. Not only is this state home to the world's only 'real' mermaids, but it's also where those flock to who wish to become mermaids.

Weeki Wachee is home to mermaid shows that dazzle and amaze its visitors, especially those who are enchanted with the idea of a real-life Ariel. The park also has a history that precedes some of the world's biggest entertainment parks, showing no signs of stopping its maritime success anytime soon.

The Beginnings Of The Weeki Wachee Mermaids

Since 1947 - which is older than Disneyworld, for those who are counting - the Weeki Wachee mermaids have been entertaining fans from all over the world. However, the shows were not originally as popular as they are now. In fact, the auditorium in which visitors watch these clever underwater shows was originally less than half the size that it is today.

The man responsible for creating such a venue, and entertainment idea, was Newt Perry. Perry was a former U.S. Navy veteran who, being familiar with the water and movement in it, came up with Weeki Wachee. Perry was also an all-star swimmer and coach, so it was easy to bring his idea to fruition when searching for the perfect business venue. Once the site of Weeki Wachee was found and cleaned of the junk that weighed it down, he moved on to the next step: underwater breathing.

A post shared by Weeki Wachee Springs (@weekiwacheesprings)

Those who have seen the show have likely noticed the tubes that dangle down into the water tanks. These tubes were his creation; the air flowing through the tubes allows performers to breathe underwater while giving them mermaid-like qualities. Once that problem was solved, the next was simply choreography. The performers hired trained with Perry to learn ballet-style moves which were performed underwater, thus literally bringing to life everyone's mermaid dreams. Additionally, the water is kept at a constant temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, but the current at the bottom of the spring is always moving at five miles per hour. As one can imagine, this makes performing somewhat challenging, but one would never know it from the ease of its mermaid's movements!

Guests who are watching the shows at Weeki Wachee are in for a true surprise. The theater, upon entrance, is covered with a blue curtain - but once it rises, the entire theater 'stage' becomes an enticing underwater world. It takes place inside of an actual water spring which automatically eliminates the need for any props or set design. This also adds an incredible realness to the show which is how the mermaids became so popular!

In addition to that, the Weeki Wachee mermaids perform shows including the beloved Hans Christian Anderson's story, The Little Mermaid. One of the newest shows is Wonders of Weeki, dedicated to Perry.

Other Things To See At Weeki Wachee

Weeki Wachee might be famous for its mermaid shows but that's not the only thing visitors should experience there.

For those who enjoy getting into the water just as much as they enjoy watching people perform in it, the Buccaneer Bay Waterpark is a great way to cool off. With lifeguards watching the waters, a giant water slide, and flume rides, it's perfect for the whole family after catching an early mermaid show.

The park itself is home to more than 530 acres, and visitors are free to explore it on their own with a paddleboard or kayak rental. For anyone who wants a fully-immersive experience, a boat tour through the Florida hot springs is an absolute must-do. This is also a great way to see the wildlife and natural flora of the surrounding area.

Those interested in getting a glimpse at some of Florida's most beloved animal species can also do so at Weeki Wachee. While mermaids are only legends, these animals are very real, and entirely worth learning about during a visit to the state park.