Roadside oddities in Florida

Giant objects, odd monuments and things built for no clear reason.

• Roadside oddities27.9618° N, 82.4391° W

  José Martí Park

  Tampa, FL

  Tiny park whose land was deeded to the Republic of Cuba, making it a unique symbolic enclave.

  Access

  Open to visitors

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• Roadside oddities25.0966° N, 80.4383° W

  Jules' Undersea Lodge

  Key Largo, FL

  Underwater hotel reached by scuba diving into a former marine research habitat.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities28.5232° N, 80.6819° W

  Kennedy Space Center Rocket Garden

  Merritt Island, FL

  Forest of historic rockets and missiles displayed vertically like technological monuments.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities24.5482° N, 81.7964° W

  Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory Flamingos

  Key West, FL

  Indoor tropical habitat famous for free-roaming butterflies and resident flamingos Rhett and Scarlett.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities28.5456° N, 81.3723° W

  Lake Eola 'Muse of Discovery'

  Orlando, FL

  Giant partially buried human figure appearing to emerge from the ground beside Lake Eola.

  Access

  Roadside, no entry

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• Roadside oddities30.4608° N, 84.3136° W

  Lichgate on High Road

  Tallahassee, FL

  Fairy-tale Tudor cottage, giant ancient live oak, gardens, and a labyrinth hidden beside a busy city road.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities24.9222° N, 80.6315° W

  Lorelei Giant Mermaid

  Islamorada, FL

  Oversized wooden mermaid tied to maritime folklore and classic Keys roadside kitsch.

  Access

  Roadside, no entry

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• Roadside oddities30.4803° N, 83.2447° W

  Madison Blue Spring State Park

  Lee, FL

  Deep blue first-magnitude spring feeding an extensive underwater cave system.

  Access

  Open to visitors

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• Roadside oddities30.2325° N, 85.8933° W

  Man in the Sea Museum

  Panama City Beach, FL

  Military diving museum where visitors can explore SEALAB I and decades of experimental undersea technology.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities29.4899° N, 82.9754° W

  Manatee Springs State Park

  Chiefland, FL

  Ancient spring system with underwater caves and seasonal manatee gatherings.

  Access

  Open to visitors

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• Roadside oddities28.3204° N, 81.4898° W

  Medieval Times Castle

  Kissimmee, FL

  Full-scale roadside castle housing a long-running jousting dinner show.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities29.9057° N, 81.3155° W

  Mission Nombre de Dios Great Cross

  St. Augustine, FL

  A 208-foot stainless-steel cross towers over the historic mission grounds.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities28.7869° N, 82.6155° W

  Monkey Island

  Homosassa, FL

  Tiny island in the Homosassa River long inhabited by a colony of spider monkeys.

  Access

  Roadside, no entry

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• Roadside oddities28.2917° N, 81.4070° W

  Monument of States

  Kissimmee, FL

  1940s tower built from rocks and objects sent from every U.S. state and many foreign countries.

  Access

  Roadside, no entry

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• Roadside oddities25.3697° N, 80.6847° W

  Nike Missile Site HM-69

  Homestead, FL

  Exceptionally preserved Cold War Nike Hercules missile base hidden inside Everglades National Park.

  Access

  Open to visitors

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• Roadside oddities26.7003° N, 80.0531° W

  Norton Museum Sculpture Garden

  West Palm Beach, FL

  Outdoor sculpture garden with monumental contemporary works.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities25.9013° N, 81.2973° W

  Ochopee Post Office

  Ochopee, FL

  A former irrigation-pipe shed converted into the smallest operating U.S. Post Office after a 1953 fire.

  Access

  Roadside, no entry

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• Roadside oddities29.9053° N, 81.3159° W

  Old Senator Tree

  St. Augustine, FL

  Ancient live oak estimated to be several centuries old near St. Augustine's historic mission grounds.

  Access

  Open to visitors

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• Roadside oddities29.5796° N, 82.3042° W

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

  Micanopy, FL

  Wild bison and horses roam a vast sink-like prairie basin in central Florida.

  Access

  Open to visitors

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• Roadside oddities28.5631° N, 81.7438° W

  Presidents Hall of Fame

  Clermont, FL

  Old-school presidential roadside attraction with wax figures, a massive miniature White House, and a small Mount Rushmore replica.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities28.2428° N, 81.2105° W

  Reptile World Serpentarium

  St. Cloud, FL

  Long-running serpentarium focused on venomous snakes, reptiles, and live educational snake demonstrations.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities27.7660° N, 82.6314° W

  Salvador Dalí Museum

  St. Petersburg, FL

  Surrealist museum whose collection and architecture both fit the OddWay aesthetic.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities27.4372° N, 81.9219° W

  Solomon's Castle

  Ona, FL

  Hand-built silver castle filled with Howard Solomon's found-object art and eccentric architecture.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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• Roadside oddities29.8970° N, 81.3140° W

  St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

  St. Augustine, FL

  Small shrine interpreting the story of early Greek Orthodox settlers in colonial Florida.

  Access

  Seasonal or ticketed

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