Florida is known for its beautiful landscapes, its agriculture (including citrus fruits), and its eccentricities. So you will find a few things there that are rather rare outside of the Sunshine State!
The numbers in front of the titles below are used to help you find your way on the map below.
1 . Visit Geronimo Prison
It’s also a way for us to tell you about the wonderful white sand beaches of the Panhandle (northwest). The ones in Sarasota are good, but the ones in the Panhandle are the nicest. And in Pensacola, they are breathtaking, with this beautiful Fort Pickens to watch over the estuary. Geronimo was a prisoner there with some of his warriors in 1886-87.
Be careful, do not confuse Geronimo with Jérôme Hinault who is probably a cyclist.
2 . Visit an upside-down house
Well, it’s not that unique, there are several in the USA, including two in Florida (Panama City Beach and Orlando: it’s an attraction called WonderWorks, with scientific-type activities inside! In any case, when you walk next to it it’s weird!
3 – Swim in a vortex spring
Well, the most important thing to know is the generality: there are magnificent blue and fresh springs throughout the northern half of Florida, the most beautiful of which are Blue Spring, Silver Spring or Rainbow Spring, but there are really around twenty very beautiful ones, and with different experiences: kayaking or ziplining among gators, glass-bottom boats, and then some have caves where it is possible to dive. This is the case with Vortex Spring: at a depth of 18 meters, you can swim in a cavern of almost 500 meters! And it is allowed to dive up to 35 meters deep! It is limited because in the early 1990s there were 13 deaths among divers, so strict regulations and limitations then resolved the problem.
4 . Put your finger in a carnivorous plant
Throughout the Panhandle (northwest Florida), you find a large number of carnivorous plants in the shape of a long tube with a small cap which is used to dose the level of rainwater necessary to concoct the anesthetic nectar which is found at the bottom of the tube. The carefree ones are attracted by the smell, and when they are at the bottom of the plant, they are asleep then hairs close on them and then precipitate them inside the nectar which will also be used to… digest them!
5 . Swim with the manatees
It’s a classic in Florida: manatees come to warm up in the rivers between mid-November and the end of March. It is possible to swim with them in certain springs, but the most beautiful is the crystal clear waters of Crystal River where several companies take you by boat to the most beautiful places where the animals are found. Of course, in Florida, you can also find water parks where you can swim with dolphins, (nurse) sharks, etc.