7 Places to Let Your Family’s Imagination Run Wild in Florida

Even beyond the theme park boundaries, Florida is full of places for dreamers of all ages to stretch their imaginations to the limit. From a spot to see 200 life-size dinosaur replicas and a live-action underwater mermaid show to witnessing a flock of vibrant flamingos in a lush tropical garden, every day on your family’s magical vacation will hold a surprise.

1. Dinosaur World – Plant City

Prehistoric Fun

Dinos, dinos, everywhere! They’re hiding behind trees, racing across fields, and popping out of giant eggs. They’re fighting, feasting, and flashing their fangs. They’re even staring down their own extinction as a few woolly mammoths in the park remind them that the Ice Age is coming. More than 200 life-sized dinosaur replicas at this Jurassic-period park will give you prehistoric thrills and photo opportunities of a lifetime, while teaching you a thing or two about life on earth a couple hundred million years ago. After walking the shady boardwalk, the whole family can dig for a stegosaurus skeleton replica in the Boneyard, explore a man-made cave with a paleontologist, pan for minerals and gems, crack a geode, play mini golf, and run off some energy in the dinosaur-themed playground. The accessible park doesn’t sell food, but visitors are welcome to bring coolers for lunch in covered picnic areas.

2. Ed Leedskalnin’s Coral Castle – Homestead

Love Rocks

Stone mason Ed Leedskalnin stood five feet tall and only weighed about 100 pounds, yet he single handedly moved individual limestone blocks each weighing as much as an armored tank. It’s a physics equation no one can compute, but visitors can see his handiwork in this must-see castle-like monument, built by hand with thousands of tons of oolite limestone (which sometimes contains coral). The story goes that, after being abandoned by his 16-year-old fiancée in Latvia, he emigrated to the United States in 1912. Though he only had the equivalent of a fourth grade education, Leedskalnin employed some of the same laws of weights and leverage employed by the ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids while secretly building the structures. Since it opened to the public nearly 100 years ago, this monument to lost love has inspired, including 1980s rock star Billy Idol, who put the story in his song “Sweet Sixteen” with the line, “Gave my heart an engagement ring. She left everything.”

3. The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens – Delray Beach

Moment of Zen

In the early 1900s, a small group of Japanese farmers formed the Yamato Colony agricultural collective in Palm Beach County. One of the last remaining members of that community, George Morikami, donated his land to preserve traditional Japanese culture, resulting in one of the most authentic and acclaimed Japanese gardens in the United States. Pagodas, bridges, waterfalls, islands, and koi ponds offer focal points throughout the six landscapes, inspired by distinct gardening eras and aesthetics of Japanese history. An otherworldly tranquility helps you leave everyday chaos behind and embrace kokoro (heart and soul), as you contemplate the infinite/eternal patterns of the zen rock garden and centuries-old rituals of the Japanese tea house and bonsai trees.

4. Sunken Gardens – St. Petersburg

Abundant Oasis

A giant vintage sign in the heart of downtown St. Pete welcomes you to this botanical wonderland that is also one of the oldest roadside tourist attractions in the country. More than a century has passed since many of the more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers were planted in this lush, four-acre oasis. As you stroll down shady stone paths and over bridges, pause at one of the many benches to spy the bright plumage of a parrot or macaw, or enjoy a flock of flamingos crossing your path. Colorful butterflies, serene ponds and waterfalls, and a peaceful Japanese garden all create a soothing respite from the outside world.

5. Chihuly Collection – St. Petersburg

Great Glass

Perhaps the world’s best-known glass artist, Dale Chihuly has exhibited his luminous hand-blown glass sculptures in museums and gardens around the world. But this permanent collection in St. Pete Beach’s Central Arts District is the first purpose-built building with large-scale installations harmoniously designed to capture the light and flow of the space—cascading from the ceiling, blossoming from the floor, and overflowing from color-laden boats. It’s easy to spend hours wandering among the vibrantly colored, translucent glass works and let your imagination run away to a fanciful world where art is everywhere. Visitors can gain a deeper appreciation for the craft at a “hotshop” glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Glass Studio across the street, included with your ticket.

6. Salvador Dalí Museum – St. Petersburg

Surrealist Stop

The first thing you’ll notice about this museum dedicated to the Spanish surrealist is the building is seriously cool: It’s an architectural wonder of stark concrete bisected with a DNA-like spiral of blue glass. Once you’re inside, prepare to be entranced by Dalí’s artwork, the most comprehensive collection in the world, including masterworks up to 13 feet tall. If you want a deep-dive with more information, join one of the free tours to learn more about the surrealism art movement and Dali’s influence, inspiration, and character. Two new multisensory experiences bring Dalí and his work to life. In Dalí Lives, you can interact with an AI-powered video Dalí who might take a selfie with you and turn it into art. In Dalí Alive 360°, you enter the new Dalí Dome and are surrounded by the artist’s creations as projected images tower above, below, and around you in a symphony of light and sound. This experience might just awaken a budding artist in the next generation.

7. Weeki Wachee Mermaids – Weeki Wachee

Under the Sea

One of the great joys of the famous Weeki Wachee live mermaid show is simply witnessing such a classic Americana roadside attraction, and now, some modern updates further enhance the magical quality of the experience. Continuing the tradition started in 1947, the mermaid stars still use the same air-tube technology for oxygen as they swim and dance before the 400-seat underwater theater, but now they perform Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, complete with princes and spectacularly glittery and fancy new fins. They also still share the history of Weeki Wachee, which means “Little Spring” or “Winding River” in the language of the Seminole Tribe. It’s perhaps a misnomer, because there’s nothing little about this deepest naturally formed spring in North America, which pumps out more than 170 million gallons of water per day. The show and theater are part of a 538-acre state park that also includes a wilderness cruise, white sand beach, water slides, and a lazy river, where you can see colorful fish and the occasional manatee while kayaking or paddle-boarding in the clear aqua water.