Roadside attractions – Fountain of Youth Entrance, St. Augustine, FL. – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Ovidiu Hrubaru
Most know Florida for its world-class theme parks, beautiful beaches, and hot weather, but do you know about its haunted dolls and castles? Florida is home to many tourist attractions. These spots may not attract the millions of tourists that run to Disney, but they have certainly earned their fame. Consider this list of tourist attractions if you want to take a little detour on your next Florida visit. Florida’s Fourth Estate is helping you in going beyond the theme parks and beaches as you plan your summer vacation.
Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden, the hosts, share their top five roadside attractions in Florida.
Robert the Doll
The doll that inspired the “Chucky” film franchise happens to be a Floridian.
People who want to see Robert the Doll can head to Key West.
“This all started in 1900. There was a pretty wealthy family — had some servants — and they say, this is the legend, the servant got this doll for the kid and maybe put a voodoo curse on it because the family treated the servant badly. According to legend and this roadside attraction, the family would hear the child speaking to someone in the room while he was by himself with this doll, and they would hear a voice that was not their child’s. They would go into the room, and it would be the kid and the doll, they say things would get flipped over and crash in the middle of the night and they would go in there and the kid would say the doll did it,” Austin said.
Dinosaur World
Ginger remembers going to Dinosaur World in Plant City all the time while she lived in Tampa. She claims there are over 100 dinosaurs for kids and parents to enjoy, but that’s not all.
“They have areas where kids can skim for dinosaur eggs,” she said.
There are no rollercoasters, she says, but “it’s really entertaining.”
“If you have ever driven past it, you are on I-4 and you are going from Orlando to Tampa or vice versa, you can’t miss it, because they have these giant dinosaurs outside of the wall,” Gadsden said.
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is one of St. Augustine’s most prominent attractions.
“This is supposedly where Ponce de Leon landed in Florida, found this spring that he could sip from, that would keep him young forever,” Austin said. “ (But) Ponce de Leon is dead.”
Weeki Wachee
Austin is looking forward to visiting Weeki Wachee Springs State Park near Spring Hill.
He called the designer of the park and the breathing apparatus that allowed the performers to stay underwater without scuba gear a genius.
Coral Castle
Gadsden is obsessed with Coral Castle. She claimed she’s been there twice and understands why this wayside sight is so popular.
She claimed that the man who built the castle and its surrounding structures out of limestone was inspired by unrequited love and would erect new parts of it at night. Austin stated that the walls are massive and that the designer claimed to have discovered the secret of how humanity built the pyramids.
On Florida’s Fourth Estate, you may discover more about each of these attractions. You may listen to the podcast or view it on News 6+ at any time.
Are you interested in Florida travel? For stories like this and much more: Florida Insider is dedicated to educating, entertaining and informing its readers about everything Florida. Easy to read content at the palm of your hands and covering the stories that matter.
Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
