Secret Florida: 9 Places You Never Knew You Needed to See

I’m not totally sure what’s going on here, because I’m pretty sure it’s “everything.” The Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop and Drive-In Theater is a huge facility, containing an 88-acre flea market, farmer’s market, a drive-in movie theater, a video arcade, and a…Ferrari museum, for some reason, as well, which, okay, sure! Why not–it’s free. This place is at least five places combined into one thing, making it automatically worth a visit simply for that reason alone. But on top of that, all five things are fun things. There are also locations in Tampa and Lake Worth, however, they are not as massive (and do not contain all of the things advertised above) as the Fort Lauderdale location.

Let’s face it, if something has “secret woods” in the title, it’s going to be a good thing worthy of your time–that’s just science. Take a little journey through the everglades in this urban wilderness area (the first of its kind in Florida, established in 1978) hidden under mangroves and located in between the 5- and the 595-interstates (not a place you might expect to find a secret woods, but here we are). The Secret Woods Nature Center has trails for hiking and walking through (secret?) nature, as well as a full nature exhibit, butterfly garden, and reptile habitat.

Located in the Southbank area, this huge tree, which looks more like the Mind Flayer from Stranger Things than it does an “actual tree”, is truly a sight to behold. It is thought to be around 250 years old and, in 1995, was preserved thanks to the city and its residents. It is kept in good condition by preservation efforts to this day, and the area surrounding it is referred to as Treaty Oak Park by locals. This is one big, important, squid-looking tree.

A tiny rainforest in the middle of Florida, this state park is a little wonderland of lush green environment, containing a sinkhole called the Devil’s Millhopper. You can descend into this 120-foot hole via ramps and stairs, and when you finally reach the bottom, you’ll look upon a bunch of fossils and remains (bones) in a muddy grave. The sinkhole is a wonder in and of itself, as streams line the limestone walls, disappearing and reappearing as you venture downward.

The Coral Castle Museum is a sculpture garden built entirely by one man, Ed Leedskalnin, over nearly 30 years (1923 to 1951). There are over 1,100 tons of coral rock, carved into various shapes and sizes. It is said that no one ever saw Ed carving these sculptures, adding a bit of mystery to the park, because, truly, how did one man do all of this? Regardless, that’s what happened, and since Ed isn’t around to tell you about it himself anymore, today you can take an audio-based tour giving you all the details of these carved rocks that were oh-so-treasured by the man who spent 28 years making them.

This park is a known hidden gem in Florida and contains many statues by the sculptor (and Tallahassee native) W. Stanley “Sandy” Proctor, who has been called a local treasure. Most notable is a gigantic Komodo dragon sculpture, pleasantly sitting on a rock. The park itself is full of little pathways and ponds amongst a whole lot of grass, and as you wander it you will encounter Proctor’s works, in the likes of bronze children playing, fishing, holding frogs, and more.

This grand swimming pool is the only one of its kind on the National Registry of Historic Places. It’s emptied and refilled every single day with naturally filtered water, making it the biggest freshwater pool in the whole country. Constructed in 1923 out of a coral rock quarry, this 820,000-gallon pool is the gem of Coral Gables, and is typically open to the public (albeit closed currently due to COVID-19). Additionally, the pool has a couple of waterfalls flanking it, as well as grotto-like caves and two lookout towers.

You won’t find this much pirate memorabilia in one place anywhere else. The St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum is one of the most legitimate and largest collections of pirate artifacts in the world. The museum is about 5000-square-feet, but there’s more to experience here than just thousands of incredible pirate treasures–there’s also a lovely outdoor courtyard as well as an upper deck boasting views of the Matanzas River and the Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century fort right across the street. Go for the pirate artifacts and stay for the beautiful outdoor scenery.

The Neptune Memorial Reef is a man-man reef, built to represent the lost city of Atlantis, as well as a literal final resting place for the dead. No, seriously, people who choose to may have their cremated remains put here when they die, making it an actual underwater burial ground. Visitors are welcome and the reef is free of charge.