All Locations

Located in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, the Emerald Coast Science Center is a hands-on museum igniting curiosity since 1989, dedicated to STEM education through interactive exhibits. At 31 Memorial Parkway Southwest, it’s minutes from Okaloosa Island’s white-sand beaches, offering over 45 exhibits like robotics labs, dino digs, and a hurricane simulator. Unique features include the SciPad for young explorers with sensory play, live animal encounters with creatures like snakes, and outdoor nature trails spotting local Read more…

Situated in Key West, Florida, the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is a historic gem preserving the legacy of the Nobel Prize-winning author, who lived there from 1931 to 1939. Located at 907 Whitehead Street, this Spanish Colonial home, built in 1851, features original furnishings, Hemingway’s writing studio, and a lush garden with descendants of his famous six-toed cats—about 60 polydactyl felines roam freely. Guided tours, offered daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., share Read more…

In Bonita Springs, Florida, the Everglades Wonder Gardens is a historic 3.5-acre botanical jungle and wildlife sanctuary, established in 1936 by the Piper family as one of Southwest Florida’s first attractions. Located at 27180 Old 41 Road, it blends lush gardens with rescued animals, showcasing alligators, flamingos, otters, and parrots amid tropical flora like orchids and banyan trees. Unique features include guided tours, animal encounters, and a boardwalk through a cypress swamp, plus exhibits on Read more…

Located in Homosassa, Florida, the Flamingo Island Flea Market is a vibrant outdoor marketplace operating since the 1990s, offering a treasure trove of goods across 600 vendor spaces. At 6499 South Suncoast Boulevard, it’s open Friday-Sunday 8 a.m.-4 p.m., with free entry and parking. Unique features include diverse stalls selling antiques, beachwear, fresh produce, and handmade crafts, plus food vendors offering local seafood and tropical smoothies. Events like live music and seasonal festivals create a Read more…

Tucked in Largo, Florida, the Florida Botanical Gardens is a 100-acre oasis showcasing tropical beauty since its creation in 2000 as a free public park. Located at 12520 Ulmerton Road, it features 30 themed gardens, including rose, herb, and wetland displays, plus trails through pine flatwoods teeming with birds and butterflies. Unique elements include the Moccasin Lake Nature Park with raptor exhibits, a butterfly house, and seasonal events like Holiday Lights in the Gardens, drawing Read more…

In Fernandina Beach, Florida, the Florida Classics Library is a unique bookstore and cultural hub dedicated to rare and regional literature, housed in a charming historic building at 108 South 2nd Street. Operating since the 1980s, it specializes in out-of-print Florida titles, maritime history, and signed first editions, with shelves brimming with books on Amelia Island’s pirate past and coastal lore. Unique features include author readings, book signings, and a cozy reading nook evoking old Read more…

Located in St. Petersburg, Florida, Florida CraftArt is a nonprofit gallery and cultural hub championing fine crafts since 1951, showcasing works by over 150 artists. At 501 Central Avenue, it features exhibits of ceramics, jewelry, glass, and fiber art, often inspired by Gulf Coast aesthetics like seascapes and tropical motifs. Unique offerings include artist talks, workshops like pottery throwing ($50-$100), and the annual CraftArt Festival, a juried outdoor event drawing thousands. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5:30 Read more…

In Marathon, Florida, the Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters is an interactive marine park opened in 2014, offering hands-on experiences with tropical sea life. At 11710 Overseas Highway, it features guided tours through coral reef tanks, stingray touch pools, and predator lagoons with sharks and groupers. Unique encounters include snorkeling in a 200,000-gallon reef tank ($95) or feeding stingrays ($50), with educational talks on conservation. Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m., admission is $25 for adults, $20 Read more…

Nestled on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, Florida, the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center is a 57-acre marine life nature preserve dedicated to inspiring environmental stewardship since its founding in 1964 by the Florida Oceanographic Society. This nonprofit hub focuses on education, research, and advocacy for Florida’s coastal ecosystems, bridging the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. Unique features include a 750,000-gallon Gamefish Lagoon teeming with native species like snook and tarpon, interactive touch tanks for Read more…

Located in Perry, Florida, the Forest Capital Museum State Park commemorates Taylor County’s designation as the “Tree Capital of the South” in 1965, with the museum opening in 1968 to educate on Florida’s forestry heritage. This octagonal building with a glass-dome ceiling, shaded by pines, explores the industry’s past, present, and future through immersive exhibits. Unique features include displays on longleaf pine products—from turpentine to paper—a talking tree named Terry explaining forest ecology, a detailed Read more…