Best Kept Secrets in Florida

So, most of you guys already know that the Emerald Coast is a fantastic place to live or to even visit. But, what about the rest of the Sunshine State? So, I was curious just as many of you guys are curious about other places to visit while in Florida. Of course, we all know about Disney World, Universal Studios, Busch Garden, SeaWorld. Yes, we all know about those. But, what about those hidden gems in Florida that we don't really hear much about? There's a lot of places out there that really don't get the attention and the credit that they deserve. So, I did some research on some of the best kept secrets in Florida.

Okay. So, some of the best kept secrets in Florida. I'm actually going to share five of them with you.

MORIKAMI MUSEUM AND JAPANESE GARDENS

So first, let's talk about the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. Now, this is located in Delray Beach where you can explore exhibits of Japanese art, culture, sample Japanese food, stroll through the historical gardens, and even check out their amazing bonsai collection. I'm super excited to visit this place someday because I actually lived in Japan as a child. I was aged two to seven years old. My dad was stationed out there in the air force. So, I don't have a whole lot of memory of it, that's pretty much where my memory picks up. I do remember bits and pieces, I do remember lots of snow, I do remember the music and the food of course. So, I definitely want to make sure I check out the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden to kind of prep me and hype me up for my future visit back to Japan.

DEVIL'S DEN

This is a prehistoric natural spring and it's located in a small town called Williston, Florida. It's about forty five miles south of Gainesville. You can experience diving and snorkeling in the crystal clears, seventy-two-degree water. And, there's also fossils that were dating back to the pleistocene era, that's what, 10,000 years ago. And, the early settlers that found the cave, they named it devil's den because they thought that the steam coming from the den kind of reminded them of the smokes from hell. So, there's also cabins to ranch, there's an RV park and tent campgrounds if you do want to have an extended stay and spend the night. And, you can just camp and enjoy maybe a couple of days’ worth of your time out there in Devils Den.

FLORIDA CAVERNS STATE PARK

This is 1,500 acres located near Mariana. It's about two hours from Destin, Florida. It officially opened in 1942 where visitors can explore these stunning caverns. You can actually see the chisel marks from the civilian conservation co workers in the 1930's where they expanded the passageways for visitors to be able to stand upright as they tore the caverns. So, if you're not claustrophobic, make sure you check out the Florida Caverns State Park. It's amazing, a place to visit and just to kind of stroll through and take a look at these hardworking men built in the 1930's.

VENETIAN POOL

The Venetian pool located in Coral Gables. This is actually the largest fresh water pool in the US. It was built in 1923 from a coral rock quarry. There's 820,000 gallons of spring water in this pool. How amazing is that? And there's also a separate children's play area. It's about two feet deep, so you can sit inside and watch your little ones enjoy a good time. There's also a sandy area. So, if you want to sit or lay out and soak up the amazing florida sun, you'll be able to do so and kind of pretend like you're on the beach, which you're really at this amazing pool. There's also two waterfalls that create an amazing backdrop and there's a little cave to create another little fun experience for the swimmers. They are closed, I believe, throughout December and January, and I think there's another time frame where they're closed for maintenance. So, just make sure before you visit the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, you go to their website and check out their schedule. That way, you don't become disappointed if you do show up during a time that they're closed because we don't want you to miss out on this amazing experience swimming at the Venetian pool.

DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK

Now this is located seventy miles west of Key West. So, there's not as many visitors because it's not easily accessible. You'd have to get there by either a seaplane, which will take about forty minutes or by a ferry that can take two and a half hours to get there or just bring your own boat. This national park consists of seven islands. One of them being garden key, which holds a port called Fort Jefferson. This is actually the nation's largest 19th century fort. So, it's the the central attraction of garden key There's also a seventy foot wide moat that surrounds the fort, which is pretty awesome. And, the second tier of Fort Jefferson is where they used to have a prison. So, I would think back in the day if I were a prisoner, I wouldn't mind serving my time there because you have amazing views from that second tier of the fort. And, you can also enjoy snorkeling, walk along the beach, you enjoy wildlife viewing, fishing. It's just a great getaway, a one day getaway because you could just get there early and spend the day just touring around the islands. I think there's only three of the seven islands that are open for the visitors because you can't disturb the birds nesting and some of the other wildlife out there. But yes, it's definitely a great one day getaway because, especially if you just use the seaplane. Of course, that takes away some of your travel time. Or, even if you decided to take the ferry, of course, anyone wouldn't mind a nice little boat trip and still be able to enjoy a day out at the Dry Tortugas National Park. So, make sure you check that out and plan your visit to Dry Tortugas National Park. I definitely will one day to have my own little getaway.

Alright. Well, those are the five or only five of the best kept secrets in Florida. I'm sure there are more, which I will probably do in another video. I do plan on visiting some of these places myself. I'm very excited to plan these future trips. If you have any questions or want to know more, please feel free to call/text us at 850.320.7757 or email us at Admin@WhittemoreGroupRE.com