722 Best Sights in Florida, USA

SeaWorld's coaster offering is a hybrid, combining the elements of a high-speed water ride and a roller coaster with lavish special effects and a story line. The lost continent of Atlantis has risen in the harbor of a quaint Greek fishing village, and you board a Greek fishing boat to explore it. An ominous current tugs at your vessel, and an old fisherman (actually Hermes, the messenger of the gods, in disguise) offers a golden sea horse to protect you from the evil Sirens. The LCD technology, lasers, and holographic illusions are really cranked up during a watery battle between Hermes and Allura, queen of the Sirens. Amid this story, you experience frequent twists, turns, and short, shallow dives, as well as one hair-raising plunge that sends you nearly 60 feet into the main harbor (plan on getting soaked). This is followed by a final nosedive into S-shaped, bobsledlike curves. Although the ride is a little dated, it's still not for the faint of heart, anyone with back, neck, or heart problems; anyone who's pregnant; or anyone who dislikes the dark or enclosed spaces. For people with disabilities: You must transfer from your wheelchair to the ride vehicle. Come first thing in the morning or about an hour before closing. Going at night is awesome, and if there's a wait at all, it will be short. Last resort: spring for a Quick Queue Pass.

If the sight of cool slides and water features finds you wondering who Kata's is meant for, look at the height restrictions. To visit this area, between the beach and Walkabout Waters, you must be under 4 feet tall (or accompanied by someone who is). Yes, the entire area of special pint-size slides, pools, and waterspouts is modified for the toddler set (the "deep end" is a modest two feet), but for them it's a big, fun world. Clear, inflatable floats give them a chance to drift about, looking cool. Plus it gives adults a chance to take a break. Be aware the smallest participants will need to wear swim diapers, available at the gift shop, and the Baby Care center is conveniently close.

For a wonderful way to relax, you simply go with the current of this gently flowing stream, bobbing along on a double or single tube that drifts down and around the bend. Along the way, there's a spot where you can exit the river and enter the line for Tassie's Twisters. A little farther, the calm stream flows into a 10,000-gallon grotto filled with thousands of colorful fish and a view of the Commerson's dolphins. This is indeed a lazy river: there's next to no pull so you might have to paddle a bit, especially if you choose the turn that leads into the fish grotto. Guests under 48 inches must wear a life vest. Although there's plenty of river for everyone, try it when most people are at lunch.

The daylong keeper experience (from $399) is perhaps the ultimate SeaWorld offering. Your full day includes lunch, a T-shirt, seven consecutive days of park admission, and, perhaps, a lasting desire to become a SeaWorld trainer. After arriving at 6:30 am, you don a wet suit and then go to work with trainers to care for, feed, and train dolphins, manatees, sea lions, and Beluga whales. An unforgettable experience that includes plenty of photo ops and lasting memories.

The world's first oceanarium was constructed in 1938, 18 miles south of St. Augustine. This National Register of Historic Places designee, now part of the Georgia Aquarium, has come a long way from marine film studio to theme park to its current iteration as dolphin research, education, and entertainment center. The formal dolphin shows are history, but you can have a far more memorable experience with interactive programs that allow you to swim with and feed the animals or become a dolphin trainer for a day. Programs start from a simple "touch-and-feed" option and are as elaborate as a super-expensive "trainer for a day." General admission allows you to observe the dolphins through 6-foot-by-10-foot acrylic windows. The 1.3-million-gallon facility is home to 13 dolphins, and until 2014 the park housed Nellie, the longest-lived dolphin in human care until her death at the age of 61. A new calf, Coquina, was born shortly after Nellie's death. Other exhibits feature native Florida marine life such as tarpon, sharks, spotted eagle rays, and giant sea turtles, as well as historical artifacts dating back to the park's inception as a nautical movie studio.

The site, north of the Historic District, commemorates where America's first mass was celebrated. A 208-foot-tall stainless-steel cross (purportedly the world's tallest) allegedly marks the spot where the mission's first cross was planted in 1565. Also on the property is the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, the first shrine devoted to Mary in the United States. The landscape is exquisitely maintained, and the mission is crisscrossed with paths. A museum and gift shop are also on the property.

Known as the Gonzalez-Alvarez House, Florida's oldest surviving Spanish-colonial dwelling is a National Historic Landmark. The current site dates from the early 1700s, but there's been a structure here since the early 1600s. Much of the city's history is seen in the building's modifications and additions, from the coquina blocks—which came into use to replace wood soon after the town burned in 1702—to the house's enlargement during the British occupation. The complex also includes the Manucy Museum; the Page L. Edwards Gallery and its rotating exhibits; a gift shop; and an ornamental garden.

This tiny 18th-century building of cypress and cedar served not only as a schoolhouse but also as a tearoom, a farmhouse, and a guardhouse and sentry shelter during the Seminole Wars. In 1939, members of the Class of '64 (1864, that is) dressed out the school as they remembered it, and today automated mannequins instruct you on the education of 150 years ago. Apparently teachers had more leeway then because miscreants were given "time out" in a cubby beneath the stairs. And the heavy chain wrapped around the building? It was to hold the structure down during hurricanes. Kids will like the school bell and wishing well in the charming courtyard garden.

Like the tentacles on a huge plastic octopus, a series of tunnels and tubes snake off the platform to provide multiple options for different starting points. Regardless of where you start, once you climb into an inner tube and slide into the slipstream you'll be riding and bouncing through some slick tubes, skimming past some half-pipe tunnels, and then sliding over some slippery moguls that splash you up on the side during some high-bank turns. Fast and furious. Keep an eye on the line, and hop in when it's short.

A nonstop chorus of "aarrrps" and "yawps" coming from behind Sea Lion & Otter Stadium leads you to the 2½-acre home of California sea lions and harbor and fur seals. This naturalistic expanse of beaches, waves, and huge outcroppings of upturned rock, designed to replicate the northern Pacific coast, has a calming effect. The area is roughly circular. Stroll around the edge of the surf zone, a favorite hangout for fun-loving pinnipeds, who swim up close for a share of the smelt you've just bought ($5) or flop over on their sides and laze in the Florida sun. On the far side of the complex you can walk down into a grotto where a large Plexiglas wall allows you to see them darting and diving and playing underwater. Priceless. For people with disabilities: This attraction is completely accessible to guests using wheelchairs. Come anytime. It shouldn't be too hard to find a place away from the crowds.

About a dozen dogs, a dozen-plus cats, and an assortment of ducks, doves, parrots, and a pot-bellied pig (nearly all rescued from local animal shelters) are the stars of this lively, hilarious show. The animals perform complex stunts on a stage that looks like a seaside village. From stealing a string of sausages to driving their "girlfriends" on a date, these cute-as-a-button actors perform feats that are each more incredible than the last. Look around and you'll notice that the show is just as appealing to foreign guests; you don't have to speak English to enjoy what is essentially a live version of a silent movie. Stick around and you'll have a chance to shake paws with the stars. For people with disabilities: Special seating for guests using wheelchairs and assisted-listening devices are available. Gauge the crowds and arrive early if necessary.

At the foot of the Bridge of Lions, this central area of the original settlement was laid out in 1598 by decree of Spain's King Philip II. At its core is a monument to the Spanish constitution of 1812, and at its east end is a portico dating from early American days. This is where products and, regrettably, people were sold, earning the area the twin names of "public market" and "slave market." Today, it's the gathering spot for holiday events, art shows, and evening concerts. Toward the bridge, look for the life-size statue of Ponce de León. The man who "discovered" Florida in 1513 was, apparently, all of 4'11".

The nation's first Ripley's museum is, appropriately enough, in a historic structure—Castle Warden, an 1887 Moorish Revival–style mansion. Like its younger siblings, this odditorium is packed with plenty of unusual items including Robert Ripley's personal collections; a mummified cat; a death mask of Abraham Lincoln; a scale model of the original Ferris Wheel created from an Erector set; and life-size models of Robert Wadlow, the world's tallest man, and Robert Hughes, the world's fattest man.

Even though it has "rapids" in its name, this attraction actually has a mild current that winds around numerous curves and "waterfalls" (really just sprays of water from the edge of the channel). Don a life vest and wade right in at either of two entrances (one red, the other blue, so you know where to exit). Then, whether you're traveling solo or hanging onto the kids, you simply go with the flow. Two advantages: there's no line, so you can always just drop right in, and you can go around and around for as long as you'd like. Guests less than 51 inches tall are required to wear a life vest. Like Loggerhead Lane, there's plenty of river for everyone; still, come around lunchtime.

If you'd like to spend some time with just about the cutest animals anywhere, this 60-minute tour focuses on the naturally funny sea lions and their svelte counterparts, otters. Snap a souvenir shot with a sea lion (and otter), and then make their day (and yours) by helping to feed buckets of fish to the sea lions and harbor seals at Pacific Point Preserve. From $39 adults, $19 children.

If you've always wanted to experience the underwater world but don't have time for scuba lessons, SeaVenture is the solution. You don a dive helmet tethered to an air supply, which allows you to walk on the reef floor (about 15 feet deep), surrounded by schools of fish, sleek rays, and sharks. Even though the sharks are contained on the opposite side of lengthy panoramic panels of glass, you can't tell there's a partition, so the effect is chilling (so chilling, it makes a great souvenir photo). If you feel anxious, don't fret: guides float above you and beside you as you take your underwater stroll. The whole experience, including orientation, lasts about an hour, with about half the time spent on the underwater walk. At the end, you'll be handed a shaker filled with food. When you shake it and release its contents, you'll be instantly surrounded by a cluster of hungry fish. An unforgettable finish. The SeaVenture costs an extra $59. Some health restrictions apply.

A key to Discovery Cove's popularity is that it gives you time to do absolutely nothing. So if doing nothing means something to you, Serenity Bay is your place. This large pool of refreshingly clear, 80-degree water is ready when you are—or not—because maybe you'd prefer to just find a spot on the beach and soak up the sun. Take your pick. It's your vacation, and this is your bay.

Sprawling, towering, and (for kids) beyond incredible, this 3-acre playground has places to crawl, climb, explore, bounce, and get wet. There's an adjacent arcade with midway games; there are pipes to crawl through; a tent with an air-mattress floor; and "ball rooms"—one for toddlers and one for grade-schoolers—with thousands of plastic balls to wade through. Keep on looking and you'll discover miniaturized thrill rides— roller coasters and spinning rides and an assortment of other rides that inject a pint-size dose of adrenaline. Then there are big sailing ships to explore and webbed ropes to climb and water to play in and around. For kids, this part of the park is worth the price of admission—they could be here for hours. For people with disabilities: Various areas offer different levels of clearance. Check with attendants about accessibility. Don't come first thing, or you'll never drag your child away; that said, it's busy here mid-afternoon or near dusk. Bring a towel to dry them off.

Within a large, innocuous white structure are some thoroughly creepy critters: eels, barracuda, sharks, and poisonous fish. You may even spy a few creatures you've never seen (or even imagined) before, like the weedy sea dragon and his cousin, the leafy sea dragon, which look like branches of a tree. But the stars of the show are the sharks, and this attraction doesn't scrimp. The real fun comes when you enter large transparent corridors and see fish, eels, and a half-dozen species of sharks slice gracefully through the water all around you—even overhead—which is a sensational new experience. Consider visiting the attraction in conjunction with a meal at the extraordinarily well-designed Sharks Underwater Grill, where you can order fresh fish and Floribbean cuisine while watching your entrée's cousins. For people with disabilities: Open spaces allow access to guests using wheelchairs. Spend at least 20 minutes here. Crowds are biggest when the adjacent sea lion and otter show gets out; time your visit accordingly.

The focal point of the park is this 400-foot-tall tower, the main mast for a revolving scenic double-decker observation platform. During the six-minute rotating up and down round-trip, you'll get the inside scoop on the park's history, its attractions, and surrounding sights. All in all, it's peaceful, relaxing, and gives you a new aerial perspective on SeaWorld and Orlando. Adjacent to it is Pearl Dive, a small area where you can sit and watch pearl divers snag oysters. For people with disabilities: The tower can accommodate two wheelchairs per cycle. Come whenever there's not a line, or use Quick Queue if necessary (extra fee required).

These overnight events are arranged primarily for kids, with special programs designed specifically for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and students from grades 2 to 12. During the summer, sleepovers are mainly geared to families with kids between kindergarten and fifth grade. Where will you bunk down for the night? The sleepovers are held at various locations, but always indoors beside a habitat for sharks, manatees, dolphins, Beluga whales, polar bears, penguins, or manta rays. The evening begins at 6 and includes a pizza dinner, a walk around the exhibit with a trainer, and ends with a continental breakfast. Expect to pay $95 for the experience, and park admission is included in the rate. Call ahead for reservations.

In this interactive hands-on exhibit (aka a shallow pool), dozens of circling stingrays are close enough to touch, as evidenced by the many outstretched hands surrounding the rim. Buy stingray delicacies (smelts, silversides, shrimp, and squid) available for $5 a tray, two for $9, three for $13 from the attendant. The best part is when the rays flap up for lunch, you can stroke their velvety skin. Even though they have stingers, they won't hurt you—they just want food (and they're obligingly hungry all day). Check out the nursery pool with its baby rays. For people with disabilities: This attraction is easily accessible to guests using wheelchairs. Walk by if it's crowded, but return before dusk before the smelt concession stand closes.

This is one of the weirdest attractions at Aquatica. Reaching it from Loggerhead Lane's lazy river, you go ashore, climb a tower, settle into an inner tube, and launch yourself into currents that carry you away at an impressive speed. But that's not the weird part. After that, the enclosed pipe you've been in delivers you to a massive basin, where you and your inner tube circle around and around and around and around like a soap bubble circling a bathtub drain. Eventually gravity takes over, and you slip through an opening in the side of the basin, straight into a short but thrilling slide into the splashdown pool. Strange and exciting. Keep on eye on the line, and head upstairs when it's short.

In the aquatic equivalent of a bobsled run, you set yourself up on a blue mat at the opening of a large tube, and at the end of a countdown, you and the seven other racers beside you fling yourselves into the chutes. You then slide through 300 feet of enclosed twisting and turning tubes—but that's not the best part. Things really get going when you enter a stretch that's nearly pitch-black except for a small band of light beside you. After what seems like both an eternity and an instant, you reach the final drop and slide the last few yards into the splashdown pool. If you can't see the end of the line, it's probably short—and it's time to head up. Eight lanes keep things moving along.

This walk-through attraction is a three-part experience that begins underground where wide windows reveal a pool inhabited by surprisingly graceful manatees. (SeaWorld, by the way, has rescued more manatees than anyone else in the world and has rescued an estimated 20,000 birds, fish, and animals since 1964.) Part two takes you to a room where rescued sea turtles can be seen swimming past as a host discusses the life cycle of these docile creatures. This bit of background leads to the final room, a domed 360-degree 3-D theater where you are introduced to Nyah, a sea turtle who defies the odds and scurries into the ocean after being hatched. From here, you follow Nyah through a series of near disasters until she returns to the beach to lay her own eggs. Note that the predators attempting to get at Nyah and her siblings may be too intense for kids, and the volume may be cranked up to rock-concert levels. If you have a tinge of motion sickness, hang on to the support rails, because the film makes it seem as if the world's gone topsy-turvy. If you can't handle the virtual motion of the movie, skip the film and take a peek at the manatees and turtles from an outdoor observation area. If there's a long line, the fee-additional Quick Queue pass works here.

Two levels of special tours are offered with Expedition SeaWorld (formerly the VIP Tour) ranging from $59 for children and $79 for adults. With that, you receive instant access to Manta, Kraken, Journey to Atlantis, Turtle Trek, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, and Wild Arctic plus reserved seating at the One Ocean, Blue Horizons, and Clyde and Seamore shows; a chance to feed sea lions, dolphins, and rays; and enjoy a meal at an All Day Dining Deal restaurant. Note that you'll be traveling with a group of up to 12. If you invest in the substantially more expensive Private VIP Tour (from $299 or, with park admission, from $349), it will be limited to you and your guests and included preferred parking, reserved seating at shows, and replace the buffet lunch with an upscale meal at Sharks Underwater Grill. Another plus is that the Private VIP Tour can be completely customized (i.e., if there are only adults, you can skip Happy Harbor and other kids' activities; if there are kids, then the tour will add stops just for them).

A colorful 60-foot "rain fortress" anchors 15,000 square feet of family slides, pools, climb- and crawl-through trails, and two humongous buckets that are filling up constantly and, just as constantly, dumping their contents on frolickers far below. This is a fantastically creative play space comparable to Shamu's Happy Harbor at SeaWorld. Kids that are too big for Kata's Kookaburra Cove are at home here—they treat it as the most amazing aquatic playground they've ever experienced. The slides attached to the play structure flow slowly enough for beginners (note that kids aren't permitted to ride on grown-ups' laps on this one), and supercharged water cannons add another level of fun. Save this area for later, when you're worn out but the kids want to play.

Because water park guests can never get enough slipping and sliding, Aquatica offers this quadruple slide with an assortment of twists and turns. Depending on which tube you select, you'll enjoy a completely different experience. Like its partner slides, much of the attraction here is sliding straight into a darkened stretch; you know for sure that you're heading somewhere, but you're never exactly sure where. In the end, the answer reveals itself: you're heading down the final stretch on a long slide into the splashdown pool. Rinse and repeat. Riders must be at least 42 inches tall and able to retain an upright position unassisted; under 48 inches must wear a life vest. Try it at lunchtime or near day's end.

At this pseudo ice station, you embark on a soaring and swooping virtual helicopter ride that takes you over the Arctic and through some dangerously close calls (if you're sensitive to the very real rolls and pitches, you can opt out for a stationary virtual helicopter). Then you exit onto a long walk through interactive, educational displays which lead to above- and below-water stations where you can watch Beluga whales, polar bears, and groaning tusked walruses (some weighing as much as 3,000 pounds) hoisting themselves onto a thick shelf of ice. This is a diverse and cute collection of animals you certainly don't see everyday, which makes this sneak peak at their lifestyle vastly entertaining. Those who are pregnant or who suffer from neck, back, or heart conditions or motion sickness should opt out of the virtual-helicopter part of the attraction. For people with disabilities: You must transfer from your wheelchair to the ride vehicle. Come early, late, or during a Shamu show. You can skip the simulated helicopter ride if you just want to see the mammals.

On this hour-long program, you'll be able to interact with seals, walruses, and beluga whales. Trainers are there to take your questions—and you'll be delighted when you come face to snout with a whiskered walrus. Too cute! From $59 adults and children.