Ten great places in Florida you never knew existed 

Lifelong Floridian, can confirm this is a great list. I did not know about the bison in Paynes Prairie

Vizcaya wasn't mentioned, or the Spanish monastery in Miami, or Blowing Rocks Preserve in Jupiter. Saint Augustine's Fort or the Oldest wooden schoolhouse there, or Whitehall Flagler museum West Palm. The Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates in Fort Myers. Florida has a lot of history.

Fort Jefferson Dry Tortugas National Park was one of my most memorable trips in Florida. My mom, sister, and I visited this place by a small seaplane with a pilot in July 1975, and it only cost 65 dollars R/T from Key West to Fort Jefferson. Exploring historic Fort Jefferson was extraordinary, and relaxing on the beach was pleasant despite the tropical warmth. We saw a shark in Dry Tortugas water. I grabbed the coconut from the palm tree in Fort Jefferson, took it home, and ate it - surprisingly good.

Ichetucknee springs is another tubing spring in Florida. It’s wonderful and free.

I have lived in Florida my entire life and a couple of those spots were new to me. Very interesting, love the channel.

I moved to Florida when i was three years old. I remember when Florida was a natural environment. Sand or shell driveways, empty beaches, and small town traffic. It was great to grow up in, but I left in 2010, when it became unrecognizable. I have gone back once since for one day, and it has become twice as crowded. I could never live there again. I do miss what it was, but not what it has become.

I have visited many caves in the United States and will say that Florida Caverns was not only a top of the list caverns for its natural beauty, but also one of the best guided cave tours I have experienced. I highly recommend that if you are in Florida, go.

Thanks for this video, I moved to Florida from Texas two years ago and at the end of May when I retire from trucking I’m looking for all the fun places Florida has to offer

I've lived in WC Florida for 35 years and never heard of any of these parks 😳!! Thankyou for this wonderful and very informative video.

Content creators like you make YOU Tube AWESOME !!!!!!!! You were GREAT !!!! The production quality of your sound and visuals AAAAGH!! A+ I live here and just loved your informative journey guild, of how special FL is.

I'll never forget when I drove by the Archbold Biological Station in Venus for the very first time. It was as if I landed on another planet, it's indescribably beautiful and exotic. Truly peaceful, too.

The coral castle, is one of my goals, and Thomas Edison house witch was made into a small museum went there years ago.

I've been to many of these places. Ft. Jeff is truly a beautiful place to visit. Back in the days I served in the Coast Guard and was assigned to a Patrol Cutter based in Key West, we often would anchor off the Fort when the wind and waves came up. We used to take our smallboat to the beach and explore the Fort. I love Payne's Prarie. Its a neat place. I do need to take some time to visit the sinkhole in Gainesville. Another neat place to visit in Gainesville is the Butterfly enclosure on the UF campus. Also pay a visit to Micanopy in southern Alachua County about 20 minutes or so from Gainesville. Its a gem of an "Old Florida" town. They filmed several movies there, "Doc Hollywood" that starred Michael J. Fox about 30 years back now and a film adaptation of the memoir "Cross Creek" of author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings who came to live in this place and wrote her famous novel "The Yearling" set in Cross Creek. I've visited most of the other places featured in this film as well. I prefer the more natural, historical and "old timey" out of the way places in Florida over Disney and the other theme parks.

I am 60 year old native Floridian and have only been to the Dry Tortugas from your list. Thanks for the interesting video.

Cool list. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is really cool during the winter. There are lots of migratory birds there in the winter.

My husband and I got married in the cavern in Marianna way back in 1996. We felt it was a unique location and we visit it almost every year on our anniversary.

Falling waters state park in Chipley. Florida's biggest waterfall at 70+ feet.(when the water table is high). Close to Florida caverns too!

I was born and raised in Florida, even lived in Tampa from 1971 through 1978 before I left for the Annapolis and DC areas. I never learned of Jose Marti Park while I was in Tampa despite numerous visits to Ybor City! Wonderful presentation, thank you! Going to replay the video and make a list of the seven or so places that were new to me and hope to visit on my next trip south. Avian fans who are also automobile adventurous will also enjoy exploring Loop Road, a (very) small road that hangs below US41 in the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. By the way, the Gulf Coast has many lovely unclogged beaches, but I shall keep that a personal secret.

Florida has 175 state parks, and they're all awesome and unique!

Stop telling people out of state how great Fla is. Can we have anything for ourselves?.

Best state in the nation BABY! No others come close!

I've been living in Florida for 23 years and I never heard of these places !!! ❤

Haven't been to rocks spring. But Tarpon spring is great.

I remember climbing down the Mill Hopper and then using a vine to climb up by the small trickle of water flowing down. That was in 1956. We have a fun day.😊

I live in Apopka and our family loves to go paddle boarding at Rock Springs. Although, being a native to Florida I have seen a lot more tourists in the area then when I was a kid.

Devil's Den is really cool and might as well do Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens while in Williston, Fl. Rainbow Springs is also not far from these. You could spend a weekend out there and have a cool 3 day tour. Good times! Thanks for the video. ✌

Depends where you're from. Floridians know about all of these (well most of us). And everyone definitely knows about the Prairie...but you have to have a lot of luck, not just a little. I live here and go hiking all the time and I rarely see them. Devil's Milhopper is neat, I go all the time living less than 5 minutes from it, but don't expect much. You can walk around the entire park in 5 minutes and the sinkhole is neat, but it's a short trip. Perhaps you've covered Ichetucknee in another video, but that's more deserving of a spot than Kelly.

Just southeast of Tallahassee, near Woodville, you can find Natural Bridge Battlefield State park. Very nice monument and nice trails for nature walks

I have not lived in Florida since 1970. I have heard of all of these places and been to most. I was disappointed you did not mention Wakulla Springs. While living in Florida we had a class party there every year.

The Barnacle state park in Coconut Grove, Florida which is my family's home and was sold to the state in the 1970's. It sits right on Biscayne Bay and is a beautiful place to see some original Florida history.

I've lived in Florida my whole life, now going on 6th generation after grandparents migrated from Cuba back in the 30's. While I've visited many parks in Florida, actually got married in Flamingo, Everglades National Park. I hadn't even heard of several you noted in this video. Back to my bucket list!

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights is another awesome FL state park. It has nice hiking trails with some of the most extreme elevation changes in the state

Great Video! I am trying to move from Houston, Texas to Ocala. Every couple of years we drive to Steinhatchee to Scallop in the summer. I have been to Ichetucknee Springs, which is amazing. Thanks!

Great video! Been to several on the list; and they’re all different and diverse, which is so fantastic! One you could add is Highland Hammocks State Park near Sebring. Old growth oaks, cypress, pines, and plenty of wildlife! Thanks!

St. George Island in the panhandle. Great State Park on one end of the island. SGI is one of a few barrier islands up there . All beautiful

Nice presentation.. kept my interest throughout. Maybe I'll visit there one day. ..appreciate it.

Recently stopped by to tour Florida Caverns on my way to Pensacola for a family get-together. It is worth the visit!

I've been to a couple of springs. They are really fun but too cold for me to enjoy for extended periods of time.

The caverns are a great park. Worth the visit, go the right time and you can visit the “waterfall” in the same area. Also worth checking out.

The Peace River has a small section of rapids created by sunken trees. You actually can hear the roar of the water before you make the bend of the river to their location. Some very interesting places in Florida. There are hundreds more, but I knew about most of these.

Ichetucknee River, talk about crystal clear water. It looks cold, but the water temperature is beautiful! Tubing, canoeing, scuba. It's remarkable. Thanks for the video. Grew up in Florida, watched to see if I had been to them all, and yes, I've seen them all, thanks again.

Some other places: Vizcaya Museum and the Bonnet House, Bok Tower Gardens, Shark Valley Trail and Tower, Coral Castle, and perhaps a quick look at Stiltsville.

Great video! Florida has a long, fascinating history and so many interesting things to see and do beyond the theme parks. Thanks for giving those things the attention they deserve.

I absolutely LOVE Kelly Park/Rock Springs!

Coral Castle in Miami. Ichetucknee Springs near Lake City. If you go to Rock Springs make sure you get there an hour before it opens or you won't get in. And that's even on the weekdays. Getting line around 7:00 a.m..

Awesome video and great info for travelers and locals alike. Thanks for sharing!

Very cool!! I have been to Dry Tortuous and loved it. Such cool places you put on this list Thanks!

O'Leno State park where the Santa Fe river goes underground for three miles

Thanks for sharing this..I’m definitely adding Hillsboro River, Rock Spring, and Boneyard to my bucket list of places to visit in FL 👍👍

Great video, thanks for sharing!

I've been to the Florida caverns back in the late 70s it was great especially in the summer time it's like 30 degrees cooler than on the Surface.

I’ve been to Florida Caverns National Park. Amazing place

4:40 if you are driving southbound on I-75, there is a rest stop that is home to “The Great Snake Wall”. It’s a very short trail up a brick wall that is designed to look like a Queen snake. When you get to the lookout point (the “head” of the snake), you get a great view of the Paynes Prairie. Definitely recommend stopping! I believe it’s called the Alachua County Rest Area

This is great! With the exception of Hillsboro River State Park, I didn’t know about the others. Thank you for sharing this. You may want to add devils den in a future video.

This was a great video. Thanks so much. Love the Cuba/US park.

Thanks for doing this. I've lived in Florida for 14 years and did not know most of these places.

As a Florida Park Ranger I did know most of these. If in the Gainesville area; visit 2 state parks that are National Landmarks. Dudley Farm Historic State Park and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park. Both are unique historic parks.

Loved learning a few new places to explore I didn’t know about. I think we have so many amazing springs that are the best kept secrets ❤️ So beautiful ❤ Shhhhh!

I haven't been to Florida,but it's on my bucket list. I didn't realize some of these places existed! Thanks!

Thanks for your videos 😊

Lived in Tampa for many years and enjoyed your video. When I visit next time I will some of these out.

Great video. Thank you for writing and narrating it the real way !

Great video, thank you 👍

Rainbow River in Dunnellon, FL. Is Amazing, Crystal clear and also popular for floating down the river

Been to Dry tortugas 🐢 for camping 2 times. Love it ❤

Well done, love Payne's and Ichetucknee...

Wow. I lived in the Tampa area for most of my life and never knew that the Jose Marty Park belonged to Cuba! Your list of 10 sites to visit is great. I have been to most of them with the exception of the caverns and the 'boneyard', but now I will have to put those two spots on my list of places to see. Thanks!

Amazing places to visit!

Very cool video! Jose Marti's last name is pronounced "mar-TEE", not "MAR-ty". Details do matter.

I love Florida Caverns State Park. Well worth visiting.

Quite groovy and informative.

I've been to a few springs. Great video

Ichetucknee near Gainesville is a great 2 hour lazy river float with crystal clear water and frequently see river otters…

You missed Ichetucknee. It is near Fort White, FL. There is also Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs FL

Kelly rock springs; you can not rent a tube inside the park. The inner-tube rental is a private business in the parking lot of a local cafe that is not far away from the entrance.

I was in Fort Jefferson back in 1985 and I loved it. I have a picture I took from a plane and it is on may wall in our house.

Great video

Good summary 👍 thanks

Visited all of these. Pretty spectacular

Great stuff.

Big Talbot Island is awesome. I love that place.

Great video.

A map with pin points would have been a great addition. Good video, we visit Florida every year and now have some new ideas

The Fort Jefferson was never used as a defensive fort because by the time it was completed and manned, advancements in cannons made brick protection worthless or so it says in the literature. Its defensive use notwithstanding, I have sailed there twice and it is magnificent. The surrounding waters are beautiful if you have your own boat and like snorkeling and SCUBA diving. I saw a Goliath Grouper, formerly named a Jewfish, that was the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, hanging around one of the off island wrecks and all kinds of wondrous sea life. The fort is fascinating as well. The multiple arched corridor inside the north(?) side of the fort was used in the movie, "Romancing the Stone".

His face staring at the rapids was great 😂 honestly though, this video was really awesome

Good video love 💕 it

I was skeptical with the title of the video but you are right on I’ve lived in Florida for 25 years and hadn’t heard of a single one of these places.

Florida caverns are a MUST SEE!!! Ive been a few times and its 1 of my favorite places to visit!!!

1st video for me. Loved it. .hoping you will be doing some videos on Ruth Gilchrist Blue Springs. If you haven't already. Hoping you'll give info on the cabin rental situation, dogs and things to do. Same for Crystal RIver and any other manatee areas. If you have more things to do in ALL the Florida keys that would be great. Going to look and see what you have in your archive. Thanks for the tips!

Most likely anyplace with the words springs in it means the water is 72 degrees and doesn't get any warmer. In general Florida woods are dangerous because of the wild animals. It's not just alligators its snakes and wild pigs. I wouldn't cross the street to see the devils millhopper, it reminds you of the sink draining...a slow small spiral after you walk down (and then back up) hundreds of steps. The best place in Florida that most people don't know about is the coral castle. The wonder house is also something to visit but it doesn't have the grandeur it once did. The coral castle can be called America's pyramids because no one knows how it was done. It's a must find out history lesson because the mystery is what is so intriguing. Basically there are lei lines on the earth, a lot of people call it pseudo science but never the less all the "good" stuff is built on lei lines. Washington DC, the Vatican, Stonehedge, the heads on Easter Island, the pyramids etc. One guy built this structure and he started somewhere else and realized he had miscalculated and moved the whole thing. This area was populated at the time but no one ever saw him do anything and no one ever saw any equipment. The coral he used weighted tons and no one saw a thing. There was a rotating door (several tons) that you could move with one finger and after his death they called in all kinds of universities and no one could fix it. But don't expect an actual castle, thats just the name.

I visited the cavern as a child and it is an amazing site.

These look cool I hope I get to go 🥰

I recommend this on spring it’s around 2 hours away from Orlando it has underwater caves

I knew about the Dry Tortugas but most of the rest were new to me.🙂🙂

Thank you, Some I wasn’t aware they exist in Fl!

I was born in Florida and only knew about three or four of these places. Thanks

I used to go swimming at Rock Springs all the time! The water up by the rock is fast and cold!

If you go to Big Talbot Island, head up to Fernandina Beach for Fort Clinch, and the lighthouse….. I also recommend taking an island tour by boat…. It is amazing

5:55 I went to Devil's Millhopper several times when I was in college, and I've got to say, it's pretty remarkable. We know that most of Florida is pretty much flat, but then there's this, just a massive hole in the middle of typical Florida bush, looking like an inverted negative hill thing.

Don't forget Coral Castle. Great video!