Unique Places in Florida

a mini wonder full of pirates great for the kids,and my kids love it .

A 2,400-gallon coral reef aquarium exhibit with fish and invertebrates indigenous to the Keys is the highlight of the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, designed to educate people about preserving the coral reef environment.
The aquarium is part of the Living Reef Exhibit, which also features tanks of hard and soft corals and information about Mote's coral nursery, where more than 22 species of corals are being grown to replenish reefs.

The hands-on environmental center is open 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday and is free. The center, 35 East Quay Road (across the street from Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park) is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

now dont think only big famous city has a famous cementary, key west has one too.

A few blocks from the hustle and bustle of Duval Street -- "dead" center among the narrow, winding streets of Old Town -- this 19-acre cemetery is the final resting place for more than 60,000 people, dating back to 1847, including a few of the island's notorious rogues and privateers. The centerpiece is a 1900 monument commemorating the 1898 sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. Instead of visiting Sloppy Joe's Saloon, visit Sloppy Joe Russell's grave.

The crypts are above the ground, testament to Key West's vulnerability to hurricanes. Originally, the island's residents were buried near the beach, but an 1846 hurricane washed them away, so the cemetery was moved to higher ground.

This cemetery can entertain you for hours.

The Miccosukee Indian Village was my retreat into Indian history in Florida while living in the state for 18 yrs , it is about 25 miles west of Miami, a sign welcomes all to the Miccosukee Indian Village.

Florida's three Indian Wars in the mid-1800s drove many native tribes out of the state, but many Miccosukees stayed.

Guided tours take visitors through the village and cooking and sleeping chickees, where families in tribal dress demonstrate food preparation and traditional crafts. Alligator wrestling and airboat rides into the Everglades are featured attractions.

The alligator wrestling today is a little tamer than it was just a few years ago, but a great show nevertheless. Its not easy to stick your head into an alligator lol!!!

driving direction: Drive west on U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) about 25 miles west of Sweetwater, just west of Shark Alley. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Admission is $10.

The drive between Key West and Fort Myers takes about 6h, which would prevent most people from thinking they could turn it into a daytrip destination if it weren't for the Key West Express ferry service. Leaving from the Fort Myers Beach marina, the catamaran ride to Key West takes less than 4h, thus making it possible to leave early in the morning, spend the afternoon in Key West, and then come back in the evening. More details on the Key West Express ferry are available on my Key West travel page!

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On our last day in Florida, we took the decision to discover Coral Gables and the Venitian Pool. We'll for sure remember this afternoon at the pool for ever.

This pools belongs to the American Heritage and is the only pool to have this title.

Dont'hesitate ! Go ! I join a few pictures i made over there. Simply great !

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Located on Fort George Island, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Kingsley Plantation is a post Civil War era plantation that produced cotton, citrus, sugar cane, and corn. This historic plantation is an easy drive from Little Talbot Island State Park. Zephaniah Kingsley became a wealthy landowner, eventually owning more than 32,000 acres of land, and four major plantations with more than 200 slaves. Interestingly, his wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, was a Senegal, West African slave that Kingsley purchased, and then later married. She was actively involved in the management of the plantation. In 1811 he gave Anna Jai her freedom, and she then acquired her own land and owned slaves herself. Kingsley also placed a slave, Abraham Hanahan, in place as his plantation manager, and during times that Kingsley was away, Hanahan was completely in charge. Kingsley later freed Hanahan. Later when Florida enacted additional restrictive laws that caused even more repression of blacks, both free and slaves, Kingsley and his family moved to Haiti to escape what he felt was a spirit of intolerant prejudice. In Haiti he established a colony for his family and some of his former slaves. On your visit you will visit the home of the Kingsley’s, the kitchen house, the garden area, a tabby barn, and the ruins of the tabby slave quarters. Tabby was an oyster shell concrete used in many coastal plantations. See my second photo for a view of a tabby slave quarter.

Located near the Naples, Florida area, Collier Seminole State Park has the varied vegetation and wildlife of the Everglades. Its tropical hardwood hammock is similar to that of the coastal forest areas of the West Indies and the Yucatan Peninsula. This is an area where the royal palm tree, rare in the wild, may be seen in its natural habitat. Some of the animals you may see are pelican, wood storks, bald eagles, woodpeckers, alligators, manatees, and squirrels. Black Bears, panthers, and crocodiles also live in the park, but are rarely seen.

Activities that can be enjoyed in the park are camping, bird watching, hiking, canoeing, fishing, and bicycling. The park also offers boat tours. These tours take you along the Black Water River. Your guide will tell you about the early settlers in the area, as well as telling you about the wildlife and plants in the Everglades environment. There is a boat ramp for launching your own boats, and canoe rentals are available in the park.

Collier-Seminole Park is located on U.S. 41, 17 miles south of Naples.

When traveling the South Bay area of Tampa (Hillsborough County), take time to view the spectacular sunsets from Little Harbor in Ruskin. Tricky to find from US 41, but well worth it. Great views of St. Pete skyline after dark and even a local can imagine they are far from home while sipping libations at the Tiki Bar and listening to live music.

Destination is at the end of Shell Point Rd. and was to be one of the hottest areas for waterfront developement before the RE bubble. Great food, daily specials, live bands Thurs. - Sat. and the best deal for for weekend breakfast buffet on the water!