Florida is the land of sand and sun. Aside from sandy beaches that stretch for miles, gargantuan theme parks, and thousands of reasonably priced hotels, it’s also very culturally rich with plenty of fascinating sites and experiences that are not to be missed. In this guest post, travel expert Nadine Hallak explores 10 of Florida’s wonderful tourist attractions.
1. Disney World
You will be hard pressed to find someone that does not like at least one Disney character. Disney World is the largest theme park in all the world. It features four separate parks: Epcot Centre, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom Park. Each park is large enough to spend an entire day in and still not have enough time to see everything! There is something for everyone at Disney World; it really is the holiday of a lifetime.
2. Gatorland
Located just outside of Orlando, Florida, Gatorland is home to rescued gators from all over the state, providing them with a safe place to live. If you are interested in a walk on the wild side, “Swamp Walk” is a very educational and fun tour, but, be warned, it is not for the faint hearted.
3. Holy Land Experience
The Holy Land Experience, located in Orlando, is a museum and theme park based on the life and time that Jesus Christ lived. It features a recreation of the cave where the dead sea scrolls were discovered as well as replicas of the Tomb of Cavalry and Jerusalem in the first century AD.
4. Coral Castle
Located in Homestead, Florida, this castle was hand built by a man named Ed Leedskalnin. It is a beautiful piece of artwork that shows his love of the sea with 2.2 million tons of handpicked coral that he spent most of his life diving for in order to create his castle. The biggest draw of Coral Castle is that its creator was very secretive about it and built the castle during the night with no help of mortar or cement. Perhaps you can figure out the secret behind its construction?
5. Jules’ Undersea Lodge
Jules Verne’s famous book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has long been popular among children and adults for over one hundred years. This hotel is entirely submerged under the sea off the Key Largo Coast in Southern Florida. To get to the hotel, guests have to scuba dive twenty-one feet under water and enter the hotel through a hatch at the bottom of the structure. Once inside, all of the modern conveniences of a traditional hotel are available.
6. Kennedy Space Center
Located in Titusville, Florida, there is a life size replica of the first American rocket that went to the moon and back. The Shuttle Launch Experience is an attraction featured there that will make you feel as if you really have been to the moon.
7. Odditorium
This is what the Orlando, Florida Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum is called. It features some of the strangest things in all the world. This includes an entire house inside a redwood tree.
8. Dinosaur World
Located in Plant City, Dinosaur World is the largest place to see life size replicas of dinosaurs. It features over 100 skeletons from various types of dinosaurs found all over the world.
9. Monkey Jungle
Located in Miami, Florida, this is one of the few places in the world where the humans are caged and the monkeys are free to roam. It was founded in 1933 and features over ten different species of monkey.
10. Orange World
Located in Kissimmee, Florida, this is the largest orange in the state. It is an orange shaped building that offers a free glass of freshly squeezed Florida orange juice to everyone that walks through the door. It is a museum as well as gift shop and cafe.