Florida Beach Horses

Horseback riding on the beach is one of those bucket list memories. You only have to travel as far as Bradenton to enjoy this fantastic experience. Participants can walk, trot, canter, and swim with the horses, depending on their riding experience level. Many horses are rescues, and there are horses for every type of rider.

8400 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton
(941) 527-9621
www.floridabeachhorses.com 

C Ponies

Take the family horseback riding through Palma Sola Bay in Bradenton. You will ride the horses as they swim, something they love to do. There are day rides and sunset rides.

8400 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton
(941)773-5196
www.cponies.com

Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables

Free tours of the national landmark hotel are offered by the Dade Heritage Trust every Sunday at 2 pm. Visitors can relive the hotel’s early days and rich stories of the city’s past. Reserve your tour on Eventbrite. If it shows that tours are sold out, call 305-910-3996 and they should be able to fit you in.

1200 Anastasia Ave, Coral Gables
(855) 969-3080
www.biltmorehotel.com

Venetian Pool

Hundreds of thousands have enjoyed this unique pool since it opened in 1923. Spring water from an underground aquifer fills the pool daily with 820,000 gallons. The pool has two waterfalls, rock formations, and cave-like grottos.

2701 De Soto Blvd, Coral Gables
(305) 460-5306
www.coralgables.com/attractions/venetian-pool

Coral Castle

Coral Castle was created in the 1920s by an eccentric artist named Edward Leedskalnin. More than 30 sculptures are made from oolite limestone, including a nine-ton gate, a Polaris telescope, and a sundial that shows the time of day to the minute and the seasons and solstices. There are also stone celestial sculptures. It’s a great castle for young kids to enjoy since they can’t break anything. Guests can take a tour or wander.

28655 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead
305) 248-6345
www.coralcastle.com

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art & Circus Museum

The museum and the grounds are free every Monday. Guests can enjoy this massive 66-acre campus in Sarasota which recently opened a new Greatest Show on Earth exhibit at the Circus Museum. The estate also includes the 1920s mansion Ca’ d’Zan, the Historic Asolo Theatre, the Bayfront Gardens, and more.

5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
(941) 359-5700
www.ringling.org/visit/venues/museum-art

Florida Aquarium

We are near one of the best aquariums in the state. Guests meander through various habitats that feature everything from playful otters and colorful roseate spoonbills to tiger sharks, turtles, a vast array of fish, and more. There is a coral reef, a shoreline habitat and an opportunity to pet the stingrays.

701 Channelside Dr, Tampa
(813) 273-4000
www.flaquarium.org 

The post 7 Best Day Trips for Families in Collier and Lee Counties appeared first on SWFL Family.

Discover the World’s Largest Potato, a Biblically-correct 2,000-ton Ark, and a 40-foot biologically correct lobster

By Karen T. Barlett

Bob Payne, who resides in the uppermost stratosphere of American travel writers, launched his career as a hitchhiking teenager who happened upon the World’s Tallest Thermometer. From there he went on to spend his entire life on an epic journey of discovery, revealed in his new 142-country memoir, Escape Clauses: Getting Away With a Travel Writing Life.

With kids and grandkids (and you know, budget considerations), we can’t all head off untethered to the far reaches of the planet. Luckily, it’s not always how far you go but the camaraderie, silliness, and beyond-weird roadside attractions along the way.

Did Bob ever commune with the World’s Largest Potato (Boise, Idaho), America’s Largest Garden Gnome (Kerhonkson, New York), Giant SpongeBob (Clements, Maryland), or the weird UFO Welcome Center (Bowman, South Carolina)? Probably not. But we can.

There’s plenty of fun stuff out there, and you can find a few of them right here.

Florida

Betsy the Lobster, Florida Keys

You can’t miss the massive 30’ x 40’ biologically correct fiberglass crustacean waving her 12 spiny legs and antennae at travelers along the Overseas Highway in Islamorada. The old girl, who lives in front of the Rain Barrel Village shops and galleries, has been luring tourists to stop in for nearly half a century.

www.rainbarrelvillage.com

Solomon’s Castle, Ona

Not surprisingly, the three-story castle just northeast of Sarasota is TripAdvisor’s #1 of two things to do in Ona. Constructed of polished-up aluminum newspaper printing plates, it’s a mashup of a medieval castle with a moat restaurant, the Alamo, and a 16th century Spanish galleon. It’s a family legacy run by the founder’s son. Ticket costs can add up for a family on a budget.

www.solomonscastle.com

Kentucky

Ventriloquist Museum, Fort Mitchell

Across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, you’ve got Vent Haven Museum, which houses about 1,000 ventriloquist dummies. It’s under renovation for the big reopening in the spring. You go on ahead; I may catch up with you.

www.venthaven.org

Ark Encounter, Williamstown

Also in the great state of Kentucky is the 510-foot-long Noah’s Ark, built to biblical specifications and weighing in at 2,000 tons. It claims the title of Largest Timber-frame Structure in the World. With its impressive interactive exhibits, exquisite craftsmanship by Amish artisans, and daily audiovisual presentations, it’s very family friendly.

www.arkencounter.com

Georgia

Smiling Peanut, Plains

You might recognize the toothy grin of America’s 39th president, who happens to live right around the corner from this 13-foot peanut. Jimmy Carter himself has never been amused by the monument, but it does make a great selfie.

www.nps.gov/places/smiling-peanut.htm

Old Car City USA, White

This 34-acre graveyard of 4,000-plus classic vehicles in various stages of rust, artistic enhancement and overgrowth calls itself the world’s largest open-air classic car museum. It’s a dream for fashion shoots and a certain kind of funky photographer (me). Check out the collection of Styrofoam cup art. Modest admission plus $10 for your camera.

www.oldcarcityusa.com

The Panoramic Encyclopedia of Everything Elvis, Cornelia

According to Joni Mabe the Elvis

Babe’s website, her

Elvis museum houses some 30,000 Elvis Presley items (postage stamps, velvet paintings, lava lamps, concert tickets, you name it). In case you’re interested, there’s a formaldehyde-preserved wart in a glass vial enveloped in red velvet, purportedly donated by Elvis’s doctor, and a “Maybe Elvis” toenail clipping Mabe found at Graceland. Each August she hosts the annual Big E Festival and Elvis tribute artist competition. Cornelia is 90 minutes northeast of Atlanta.

www.corneliageorgia.org; www.bigefest.com 

Goats on the Roof, Tiger

At this 1970s-era roadside tourist attraction the biggest draws are 14 goats that may, at any given time, be grazing on the sod roof or trying to dine on the back pocket of your shorts. You’ve also got your food truck, your fudge shop, your playground with quirky climbing structure, your gem-mining, and your kitschy gift shop. Kids love it. It’s about 45 minutes off I-75 in Georgia’s northeast corner.

www.goats-on-the-roof.com

New York

The Big Duck, Long Island

The 1930s-era 10-ton, 30-foot-long concrete Pekin duck in the town of Flanders has red Model T taillights for eyes. Yes, they light up. Cool museum about Long Island’s duck farming, and of course, ducky souvenirs.

www.bigduck.org

Illinois

The World’s Largest … Everything, Casey

If you’re into world’s largest things, head to the town of Casey, 30 minutes west of Terre Haute, Indiana, which thrives on Guinness World Records. They’ve got the World’s Largest Swizzle Spoon, Barber Pole, Pitchfork, Wind Chime, Wooden Shoes (Does Holland know about this?) and at least seven more, variously climbable, swingable, and playable. Most were built with recycled materials like telephone poles, pipes, and old oil tanks by one man on a mission to put his hometown on the map.

www.bigthingssmalltown.com

New Jersey

Lucy the Elephant, Margate City

Lucy the Elephant lives on the beach on the Jersey Shore. Standing 65 feet (six stories) tall, the 1881 real estate office is now a super-cool museum (yes, you can go inside!) with a brand-new facelift unveiling this month.

www.lucytheelephant.org

The post The Quirkiest Roadside Attractions to Add Interest to You Family Roadtrip appeared first on SWFL Family.