Florida is a magnet for tourists and vacationers, known for the speed of its development and the bustle of its urban centers. But beyond hotspots like Miami and Orlando remains a state very much in touch with its long history—St. Augustine is the nation’s oldest city, after all!
The allure of “old Florida” is still present, hidden among all the modern-day vacation-centered attractions, winking from around the corner. Quirky, unapologetic, and delightfully kitschy, remnants of old Florida speak to a time when the state was in a different sort of heyday, a time when Florida first began to establish its reputation as America’s lovably weird wild card.
Cedar Key
Where can you traipse around a tiny island town that measures two square miles, featuring homes and businesses built almost entirely on stilts? Why, just off the west coast of Florida, of course.
Weeki Wachee
Florida has long been a place where dreams come true, so why wouldn’t the Sunshine State give life to fantasies and draw mythical creatures into existence? Head to Weeki Wachee and you’ll hardly believe what your eyes are seeing: real-life mermaids twirling and dancing beneath the stunningly clear, beautiful blue waters of Weeki Wachee Springs, the bottom of which, for the record, has never been found—that’s one deep cavern.The Florida Keys
The Florida Keys remain an enduringly popular tourist attraction today, though that doesn’t detract from the charm of the island chain’s old-Florida kitsch—of which you can find plenty, as long as you know where to look. Beginning in Key Largo and extending all the way south to Key West, Florida’s historic funkiness is on full display in the Florida Keys.
Case in point: Roadside attractions, a relic of Americana, never went out of style in the Keys. In Key Largo, make a pit stop at Shell World to browse 18,000 square feet of pure Florida Keys goodness in the form of every souvenir you can think of—and then some. It’s not merely a gift shop, but a national treasure, and while there are tacky items aplenty, there’s also every kind of shell—rare and common—you can imagine. The founder originally opened the shop in a gas station across the street in 1972, dubbing it Jimmy’s American Gas and Gifts at the time. By 1977, it had evolved into Shell World, and the rest is history.
But Florida’s longtime quirkiness doesn’t end there; keep driving south. By the time you hit Islamorada, you’ll be ready again to pull over for one of the Keys’ most famous locals, a giant lobster affectionately nicknamed Big Betsy. Marking the entrance of the delightfully funky Rain Barrel Village, Big Betsy lays claim to the title of “world’s largest lobster” and makes selfies very hard to resist.
Drive through the Florida Keys and, while you will undoubtedly encounter sunscreen-slathered crowds who share your same desire to break from reality for a bit, you’ll also see glimmers of the state Florida once was—and still very much is. Even tourist-clogged Key West holds hundreds of years of fascinating history, much of which has been preserved to this day for visitors to enjoy. Head straight to the Hemingway House or take an Old Town Trolley Tour to see what I mean.
Drive all you want and stop where you please, but whatever you do, don’t pass Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen in Key Largo without indulging yourself with a slice of the best key lime pie your mouth may ever meet.
The Coral Castle
If you’re driving to the Keys from Miami, add another old-Florida stop to your road trip itinerary: The Coral Castle could be the eighth wonder of the world if it weren’t so quirkily Floridian.
Ocala National Forest
For a peek at the Florida that’s truly never changed, venture into the Ocala National Forest and explore the same lands where generations of Native Americans also once roamed.
For a peaceful yet adventurous day, head to any of the springs in the Ocala National Forest—there are more than 600 springs, lakes, and ponds—and spend the day at an old-fashioned swimming hole. The waters may be a frigid 72 degrees year-round—if that for some reason sounds warm to you, I can assure you it’s not—but on a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than diving into their mind-blowingly crystal-clear waters.
Everglades City
There’s a reason Everglades City isn’t a tourist hotspot, but there are even more reasons you should visit it nonetheless. With just a couple of hotel options, a few restaurants within walking distance, and not much else going on, you might wonder why you should bother making the trek there. But if old Florida is what you seek, that’s exactly what you’ll find in remote Everglades City. It’s one of the few places in Florida that makes no attempt to be anything other than exactly what it is: a tiny Everglades town just doing its thing, as it has year after year and will continue to.
There’s one weekend per year that the city shakes alive, however, and that’s when the annual Everglades Seafood Festival comes around in February. Go for a few days of fun—and fish—and take an airboat tour of the Everglades while you’re at it. You’ll leave with an authentic taste of Florida on your palate—thanks to a place simply minding its own business and existing in harmony with the nature surrounding it.
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