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.

There are thousands of little museums like this across the country and each one is designed to give…read moreyou a taste of life in the past of whatever little town it is in! I stopped in and found it was staffed by three wonderful ladies whose average age seemed like 150. LOL! Of course, this was by design as they were all born in my little town and had lived much of the history! They were fountains of knowledge and a pleasure to chat with. I spent a pleasant hour perusing the displays and learning about the past. Who knew that in the late 1800s my little town was known for its pineapple production! That's right, pineapples growing commercially in Central Florida. Go figure! This is a free museum with limited hours Wednesday through Friday! If you are a history buff or just want to while away an hour in the heat of a Florida day, this can be a pleasant little excursion.

It's such a shame this place is hidden and has terrible signage as it's a wonderful quick visit!…read more Location- It's on the second floor of my town's Community Center located on Main Street. There is a small sign. Parking is a snap and free. What to expect- A few small beautifully lit rooms and a small gift shop. See my pictures. Please control your children. Duration- This is a small museum dedicated to local and regional artists. I've visited twice now, and each time spent less than an hour, but it was time very well spent. Because of its size this is not a destination in and of itself but a place to stop by when you're in the area and to get out of the Florida heat! Hours- They are limited so go to the web site which is on the Yelp page. The Neighborhood- Because it's on Main Street there are several eateries and places to grab an adult libation. Many are within walking distance or at most, a two-minute drive. Mexican food is particularly well represented. Use your Yelp app to find them. It's amazing what you can discover in a teeny tiny town and this experience is a great example!

Peter Powell Roberts Museum of Art and Cultural Center features a valuable collection of paintings…read moreby Florida Master Artist Peter Powell Roberts (1926 - 2014). His work is renowned for rendering the oft-overlooked Florida minutia in powerful near abstract compositions using oil paint on wood. The Museum also offers sculptures and furniture made from rare sunken cypress logs salvaged from Florida rivers by Master Diver, Sawyer and artist, John Claytor. The gift shop offers three dimensional and wearable art from select regional artists as well books from local authors and Peter Powell Roberts prints, cards and collectibles.

Quite a surprise for teeny tiny Avon Park! The college has an enormous campus here with dozens of…read morebuildings. Read on for why you should visit. Location- With so many buildings it can be a little overwhelming. Let your GPS do its thing along with the picture I posted, and you'll have no trouble spotting it. Plenty of easy parking. Time Commitment- This is a small museum. Ninety minutes and most folks will be done. What to Expect- As the name suggests, expect the focus to be on Florida including the artists. It's a great way to learn about this wonderful state! Cost- Every time I have been here it has been free with donations requested. Hours- Extremely limited. Check first before you go. This is not a "Destination" location. It's the kind of place you visit when you are in the area and have a few minutes. Yelp will give you plenty of places for lunch within five minutes of here. What a great place to walk off that huge platter of Gator Bites & giant pitcher of beer!

We last visited these gardens, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (who also designed Central Park…read morein Manhattan), in early 2024. This time, more flowers were in bloom, and we saw a different variety of birds on the premises. The tower is, of course, the centerpiece of the gardens. We had the pleasure of listening to it sing at least 5 times during our visit. We briefly visited the children's garden, and recommend this if you have youngsters in tow. After we were done in the gardens, we had a nice lunch in the on-site café. Portions are large, so you may want to consider sharing.

These gardens are so beautiful and peaceful. I love walking…read morethrough every path available while smelling nature The food at the restaurant is good and fresh Everything is nice and clean

This place is kind of deceptively huge…read more I enjoyed the circus museum of the area! There's two buildings that contain the entire thing. I really liked the interactive areas of the upstairs portion. And seeing the train cars in person was really interesting! The art museum was partially being renovated during the visit but there was still a huge amount of very large art pieces available to see. I enjoyed the restaurant inside a lot too. Very good food but if you go during 12-1pm, it's best to have a reservation. It was a full house! The store was cute and I only wish they had a few more museum-specific souvenirs. Make sure to bring a hat and water if you'll be exploring the full area as it can be HOT outside exploring the garden areas.

Came to check it out on free Monday. The admission does not include the circus museum…read more Walking along, the grounds is very peaceful. The art collection inside the museum was very great. This place reminded me of walking through Italy. Love the replica of David in the courtyard. Also, the pianos mixed in as a part of the collection was a great touch. Only downside was there will be a line since the museum is free on Mondays so come early.

This is an out of the way botanical (and sculpture) garden that doesn't look like much at the…read morebeginning but gets better as you go along. Admission is paid at a booth as you drive in. They normally accept AHS reciprocal memberships for admission, but because there was a special exhibit (origami) during our visit, we paid a reduced rate vs getting in free. Wrist bands are issued when you pay. Once you've parked there's a booth where you can get a map of the premises. The garden is divided by Riverside Drive. The side where you park is just ok, but much of the real beauty (at least in mid- March during our visit) was on the other side of Riverside. There are lots of sculptural elements, pools, and garden color in that area. There's a koi pond, and we saw a little blue heron there during our visit. We spent about 90 minutes enjoying the scenery. There are apparently plans to enhance these gardens, so stay tuned!

Nice gardens in an area I didn't anticipate seeing something. We were lucky enough to be there…read morefor a metal origami exhibit which was interesting. Nice mixture of trees, plants and statues. The koi pond was nice and you could feed them If you chose. The gift shop was very nice with reasonably priced items. I wish there were more signs on the plants and trees so I knew what I was looking at.

These bots ticks gardens is such a beautiful conservatory of a lot of amazing floral and plant…read morespecies. You can take your time and stroll through the gardens or come or one of their many events they hose such as outdoor movie nights! Check their website and calendar to see when you'll want to stop by

I had to schedule some activities on non-theme park days, found Harry P Leu Gardens as an option,…read moreand it was one of our favorite visits. They host various exhibits at different times of the year to keep things fresh. I was there for Origami in the Garden, which ran from February to September last year, and they had 13 different origami sculptures scattered around the gardens. We got lucky for parking, which seemed plenty, but the gardens was host to several private celebratory events. The people at the welcome center were very friendly and informative, letting me know where to go and giving me useful guides. There's also a small cafe and marketplace before you make your way to the gardens. Overall, the grounds has a fair ratio of both shaded and unshaded areas with different plant species organized in some manner that goes beyond my understanding. You MUST make sure you are well protected by the UV, as it bears down. You should consider thirst quenchers, too. It wasn't too crowded, and there's plenty of semi-secluded spots for a peaceful picnic. I loved that the origami exhibits allowed us to have goals along the grounds. If I go here again, I'd be interested in touring the historic Leu house. The "secret garden" was not really anything except a bunch of foliage, in my opinion, so it was kind of a waste of time trying to find it. The map is very helpful, and the paths are distinguished enough to not get lost. It looks like they had several beautiful options for wedding venues. The Leu Gardens is a great place to pair with some downtown Orlando or Winter Park exploration.

What an outstanding experience to tour this campus! The…read moreguide Jack C is simply amazing. Me & Barby took the one & one half hour tour & really enjoyed it. We found free parking on College St one block away. It cost about $30 & you can get a AAA discount. They give you a small audio ear piece & you can hear Jack in your ear as you walk from building to building. If you're a FLW fan, this is a singular experience.

I'm just here to add to the chorus of voices offering praise for this comprehensive and enjoyable…read moreFLW extended tour. The guide we had was knowledgeable and a great storyteller. I also appreciated some of her strong opinions about the architecture and the architect. Our tour had many delights along our walking/exploring journey. We went a little long, which everyone appreciated, and I was not tempted to look at my watch once. (Pro Tip: The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College is extraordinary, and you will find several local-flavor restaurants nearby.)