Let me tell you about the time my wife casually turned a normal "drop our daughter off at college"…read moretrip into what felt like a deleted scene from a survival movie... destination: Solomon's Castle in the absolute middle of nowhere. And when I say nowhere, I mean NOWHERE. I'm driving waiting for streetlights... nothing. Gas stations? Nope. People? Questionable. Cows? Plenty. Motorcycles flying by like we accidentally entered a post-apocalyptic biker convention? Oh yeah. At this point, I'm looking at my wife like, Babé are we visiting a castle or auditioning for The Walking Dead: Florida Edition?" Then suddenly... BOOM. Out of nowhere... like a mirage built by a very creative pirate appears this shiny, aluminum-covered CASTLE. Now I'm confused. Because one minute I'm dodging cows... and the next minute I'm like: Did we just teleport to medieval times sponsored by Home Depot? But here's the thing this place is AMAZING. Inside? Pure genius. Art everywhere. Sculptures made out of stuff you probably threw away last week. It's like if creativity, humor, and a junkyard had a baby and that baby became a castle. And then there's the restaurant. Yes. A restaurant. Inside a boat. Inside a castle. In the middle of nowhere. At this point, I've stopped asking questions and just accepted that I'm in someone else's dream. If you want the backstory, go ahead and Google it because it's wild. But honestly, just go. Don't overthink it. Would I have ever planned this stop? Absolutely not. Did my wife once again prove she's the CEO of random but incredible detours? 100%. Final verdict: Unexpected Slightly suspicious drive in Completely worth it If you're ever near Ona, Florida--or even if you're not take the detour. Just make sure your gas tank is full... and maybe say a quick prayer once the streetlights disappear

On our drive from St Augustine to Tampa, we made reservations to see Solomon's Castle in the middle…read moreof nowhere on beautiful land here in Florida. This castle was built by Howard Solomon, a high school dropout, with his bare hands and his own designs with whatever scraps of metal he could find or that were donated to him by others. He had friends and neighbors who helped him build. He built vertically because his land was more narrow than wide. So there are stairs to climb. Everything including his unusual artwork inside the Castle was donated or built by Solomon. He also had a 1930s collection of cars and trucks that are displayed at the Castle. His personal story is very interesting which will be told during the tour. Visitors are not allowed to photograph the auto collection nor anything inside the Castle. There is no cell service/wifi there on the property. They do not use computers so everything is paid by cash: the tickets (we paid about $40 in cash for the castle tour and the classic car tour), the food, and souvenirs. They are dog-on-leash friendly, which is nice. The staff is very welcoming and fun to interact with! The tour is very interesting with funny jokes thrown in. Food is served on the boat and reviewers have been favorable about the meals offered. Remember, it is cash only. Parking is free and at the entrance before you get to the Castle. Wear comfortable shoes. I was happy that we got to do the tour. I don't know that I would go back because it is so out of the way but it was worth the trip.

Captain Al is great guy. We really enjoyed our cruise with him. It was a lovely 2 plus hour ride…read morealong the beautiful Peace River.We saw alligators and a variety birds. If you're looking for a pleasant boating adventure with a very nice gentleman, this is your cruise.

Had a beautiful day touring with Captian Al! Great ride and…read moreeven better conversation. Capital was knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife! We loved the dolphins and ALL of the birds in the mangroves! Thank you thank you! This is definitely a recommended excursion for your trip! Thanks from the PA ladies and our sleepy baby girl

Lots of fun for a work outing. Worth the $$ Captain Mike was…read morefunny & informative. Boat ride lasted about an hour & we saw over a dozen alligators. Definitely have food at restaurant before you leave !

Mike was an awesome tour guide ! Funny and informative - it was a chilly day but we still saw more…read morethan a dozen gators and some really neat birds . We would definitely go again !

This was one of the highlights of our trip. Even though we were here during the high water season…read more(fewer alligators) we still saw a ton of smaller gators. Our airboat captain was a creole guy with a great personality and very accommodating. He was very laid back and we were allowed to take our own cooler and drinks (including alcoholic drinks). It was a little pricy but still worth it. I want to go back and hope to see some huge gators sunning, but even if you're here during the summer it's still worth it. They also have a little "zoo" area that you can walk through and see their alligators, and they have one in the office that you can hold.

What an amazing experience with my family. The kids (10 & 14) enjoyed the boat and buggy tour…read more Being able to see alligators in their natural environment is worth very penny spent.

Since there are only a few airboat options around, we chose Captain Jack's based on the good…read morereviews and the bundle price, and they did not disappoint! We felt completely safe the whole time because the crew clearly knows what they are doing... Zipping through the mangrove tunnels was an absolute blast... Captain Heath was amazing; he made sure we had a ton of fun while also making sure we spotted some cool wildlife. Great experience for the whole family!

had a great time, wish we saw more wild life we did see 2…read moredolphins which was fun our granddaughter and son came with us this time everyone had fun

Had the BEST Day o. The water with Neecha! Great boat - loved our stops and just a great experience.read more

The four of us had a great time! Very interesting to see everything from the water point of view…read more Took us to a great spot to find Shells and Shark's Teeth! Will definitely be doing this trip again!

Our experience was absolute perfection. Jenni is phenomenal in every way! She was unbelievably…read morekind, informative, patient, explorative, caring and compassionate. She is a wealth of knowledge and knew when to be hands-on helpful and when we were content to just take in the beauty around us. We had four adults and two kids and she was a pro with us all! We saw several pods of dolphins, manatees, and birds galore! She is a gem and booking a charter with her is an absolute must!

We had a great trip with Jenni a couple weeks ago! Everything as expected, and she knows the area…read moreso well.

Thank you Capt. Mike for an amazing tour of beautiful Sarasota…read more-kids were blown away and we all just really enjoyed our time spend with you. Say "Hi" to the many Dolphins next time you run into Debra, Susanne and Piper as my daughter named them ;-)

From the owner: SpeedBoat Tours offers VIP-style tours, both fully private and semi-private small groups (maxiumum…read more6 guests) for a more personal and special experience! We provide dolphin and sightseeing tours, sandbar boat charters as well as beautiful sunset cruises!