Places to Visit in Florida Besides Disney World

Don't think mermaids are real? Well, they are in Weeki Wachee Springs. It's only about two hours west of Orlando, so if you just can't live without a visit to see Mickey and Donald, it won't be too far out of your way.

I visited Weeki Wachee when I was about seven years old. As I watched the mermaids swim in the underwater theater, I was mesmerized. It's a memory I've kept with me all my life.

This year I wondered if watching mermaids swim would be as magical 30 years later, so I talked my then fiance into taking a day trip down south. He was skeptical, but agreed to take me. Love rocks!

After sitting through two different mermaid shows, I have to tell you I'm still fascinated with the Weeki Wachee mermaids, but it's for an entirely different reason than when I was a kid. The skill these performers have underwater is amazing. I wish I could swim and not burn. I'd totally rock that bikini top and tail.

But there's more to see at the springs than mermaids. Across the lagoon from the theater is a water park with slides that slide into the springs. There's a boat ride that will take you on a lazy journey down the Weeki Wachee River. Guides will tell you about the native wildlife and history of the area. Of course, no trip to Florida is complete without seeing an alligator, and there are animal shows that will show and tell you all about Florida's other famous animal.

Don't just show up and think all you're going to see is water bubbling up out of the ground, though. There's more to do than drink up. There's a lot to see in this 15 acre park.

The Discovery Globe theater gives visitors a sense of how the New World, and Florida in particular, was founded. Long before Ponce de Leon arrived the site was home to Indians, and there's a recreated Indian village that shows how they lived there on the inlet.

The park is also home to the site of the very first mission in the United States, the Nombre de Dios. It's been historically recreated so visitors can see it as it was 500 years ago. There's other recreated structures on the property, and reenactors are at the park on special occasions. To me, it's amazing to see how Floridians lived a half millenia ago.

I visited for the first time last year, and I fell in love with the park. It's minimal, something I like in an attraction. I drank my cup of water from the fountain. (it's free!) Sorry to report I feel and look just as old as I ever did.

Most visitors to Florida have never heard of Marineland. Heck, most Floridians haven't heard of it. But if it's your goal to get up close and personal with dolphins on your Florida vacation, it's the place to visit.

It's not a park where you'll see dolphins perform as they would in Seaworld. Marineland is more education based. Visitors can simply observe the dolphins and their trainers, or they can be a dolphin trainer for a day, swim with them, and learn how these amazing animals learn and live in the sea.

There's also a pretty cool museum that displays items spanning from Marineland's opening, way back in 1938, up to the time it closed as a show park in the 90's.

Marineland is definitely worth visiting if you're interested in aquatic life, especially dolphins. I've written a detailed history and review of Marineland, which will give you a better idea as to what to expect from your visit.

For example, the early Tarzan movies and a few episodes of Sea Hunt were filmed here. During the 30 years Tarzan filmed here, a few monkeys that were used in the movies kind of liked the area, escaped, and lived quite happily on the river until they were relocated. 

For years, Silver Springs was a pretty popular destination. It was even used as a concert venue and top country music artists performed here. But as with most older attractions in Florida, it finally lost visitors to bigger and shinier attractions further south. It finally closed in 2012, and became part of the State Park system.

The only boat ride that remains is, thankfully, the glass bottom boats. Canoers and kayakers can now enter the park from the river. Silver Springs had beautiful gardens and trails, and the State Park system has kept them and even expanded the trail system.

Unfortunately, the animals have been relocated to zoos, so if you were wanting to see an alligator on your trip to Florida, I'm sorry to tell you, you won't find them here. Well, at least not in captivity anyway.

So if you're curious to see parts of Florida many don't know even exist, take a day out of your vacation and travel to some of these places I've listed, or just drive until you find a hidden gem of your own.