Florida Hidden Gems

When you think of Florida, think of Hidden Gems: Ringling Museum, Animal Kingdom, Bok Gardens, St. Augustine and Winter Park. Okay, maybe that is not what first comes to mind. Nice weather, Disney World, Gators, Miami, Tampa, Tom Brady? All great things to think about or to visit, but we are going to focus on the real Hidden Gems of Florida.

Well, we will admit it, we live in Florida. Robin and Cos moved down here in 2000. Cos’s move was part-time. At the time he still lived in New York, worked in Washington, DC and visited here occasionally. He moved down permanently in 2010 and met Robin in 2017. Robin has been here fulltime, although her career as a financial executive had her travelling all over the Southeast. Nevertheless, we both are very happy to be out of the snow and the cold northern winters. Here are some of the Hidden Gems we love to visit around our home state.

Sarasota, Florida

For many years we both thought of Sarasota as only the place you moved to in order to retire. Today, Sarasota is anything but a retirement home, and is one of the most active, young cities in Florida. Not only Sarasota, but the entire coast from Tampa to the Keys, has become a booming and fun place to live and to visit.

One of our favorite places to visit in Sarasota is the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. It is the official State Art Museum of Florida. To see more information about the Ringling Museum, visit Our Favorite Museums post. The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium is a fascinating visit where it features not only fish but also their research studies. Cos and Robin were there for the shark feeding, only to find they were going to feed the sharks…. quite an experience!

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is the center of Florida and perhaps, due to Disney World, the most well-known area in the State (sorry Miami, we are giving you a backseat). Disney World is clearly not a Hidden Gem. However, there is a part of Disney World, Animal Kingdom, that we think ranks in that category. It and two other areas of Orlando Metro Area can be classified as Hidden Gems.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Disney’s Hidden Gem

While the Magic Kingdom and Epcot tend to dominate the Disney World adventure, we highly recommend taking some time out and visiting the Animal Kingdom. As you travel through the simulated safari, you get pretty close to some of the wildest animals in the world. While this will be a great fun time for the kids, Robin and I will admit we enjoyed it a lot as well. You might also want to add a Disney Cruise to your list of things to do while in Orlando. If interested check out Our Favorite Cruise Lines post.

Winter Park – One of Central Florida’s True Hidden Gems

Winter Park is a small city of 30,000 people just North of Orlando. It has some excellent restaurants and is a wealthy community with a charming Main Street and village green. Winter Park is home to Rollins College. Pictured above is the school’s chapel. One of the more fun things to do in Winter Park is to take a boat ride around the connected lakes in the area.

Many don’t know about one of the infamous events in Winter Park which occurred in 1972 when a huge sinkhole opened up to a width of over 300 feet (Florida is famous for these sinkholes) and it swallowed up five Porsches from a local repair shop. It became quite the attraction at the time!

Bok Tower Gardens, A Florida Hidden Gem

One of the best Hidden Gems we have ever run across is Bok Tower Gardens. The Tower, pictured here, is a Carillion. A Carillion is an instrument that is played on a keyboard by a professional carillonneur. Additional details about Bok Tower Gardens is included in our Gardens Post. Please check here for more details: Our Favorite Gardens.

Kennedy Space Center

When visiting Florida, you will be making a grave mistake if you don’t visit the Kennedy Space Center. A short one-hour drive from Orlando, a visit to the Space Center is both educational and fun. Robin and Cos visited the Space Center in early 2022. As senior citizens, they found it to be fascinating as they recalled many of the earliest days of space flight. For any baby-boomer, the visit will be a great way to recall the space events, good and bad.

Hidden Gem – St. Augustine

St. Augustine is located in what is becoming known as Florida’s First Coast. The city is the oldest city in America and is located thirty minutes south of Jacksonville, Florida or about an hour drive on I-95 once you cross the Florida-Georgia line. It is a great place to learn about the impact of the Spanish in Florida and how they treated the Indigenous People of the region. For more information about St. Augustine, please see our post about Haunted Houses in St. Augustine.

No Longer a Hidden Gem – Bonita Springs

Located between Naples and Fort Myers on the Southwest Coast of Florida, Bonita Springs is one of the fastest growing cities in Florida. Many people who have recently retired have found Bonita Springs to be their new home. We are planning a college reunion there in January 2025 and have provided information about the best way to get to and enjoy Bonita Springs in a separate new post.

Wynwood Walls – Not A Hidden Gem in Miami

On our recent trip (Janauary,2024) to Key West we decided to stay overnight on the way home in Miami and visit the famous Wynwood Walls and surrounding community. It is an art world like no other.

Wynwood Walls is a popular tourist destination located in the Wynwood Art District of Miami, Florida. It is a public art installation that features a collection of murals and graffiti artwork by some of the world’s most renowned street artists. The walls are transformed into giant canvases, creating arguably the greatest collection of street art ever seen in one place. 

The late Tony Goldman, a real estate developer, initiated the project in 2009 by using the walls of the warehouses as canvases for artists to create art. Since then, in addition to the Wynwood Walls, the surrounding area is home to a variety of art galleries, restaurants, shops, and street art everywhere you go.

Overall, Wynwood Walls and the surrounding area is a must-visit destination for art lovers and anyone looking for a unique experience. It is not a hidden gem, but rather a well-known and popular attraction that has been featured in films, music videos, and magazines.

During our visit in January of 2024, we were unable to get into the actual walls as they didn’t open up until after we had to leave for home. Neverthelss we drove around the entire community and got pictures of some of the best street art we have ever seen. the pictures above are a very small sample. To see some of the amazing work, please visit our We Love Graffiti Art Post.