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Among the top states to visit, the Sunshine State's charm has no bounds. While some cities urge their constituents to 鈥渒eep the city weird,鈥� there's all kinds of it in Florida. Often called the weirdest state in the Union, it needs no kitschy lines to attract the sun-worshippers.

Among the natural attractions, the Spook Hill challenges your perception of gravity. The mischievous monkeys on their own island in the Homosassa River have a place to live and play while attracting the curious to the already popular area with springs, a state park, and access to the Gulf. So welcome to Strange Florida. In no particular order, we start off just outside of Miami with a story about a man who carved away his sorrows of an undying love.

Coral Castle

The enigmatic Coral Castle, with its colossal stone garden furniture and sculptures, is the product of one man鈥檚 undying affection in solitary toil. Featuring 1,100 tons of carved rock, the castle where the barely over 5-foot-tall, some 100 pound creator spent 28 years handcrafting it all is veiled in mystery. Today, you can enjoy the satisfaction of the heavy coral door swinging open so perfectly and learn the life of Edward Leedskalnin, born in Riga, Latvia, in 1887. The 26-year-old fellow had plans to marry Agnes Scuffs, who canceled the wedding the day before, breaking his heart.

Attempting to leave his sorrows behind by moving to Florida, Ed splurged his feelings into this monument to lost love. Opened to the public in 1923, Ed would greet visitors personally at Coral Castle until his death in 1951. The enduring mystery of how he built the Coral Castle himself using basic tools attracts visitors from far and wide as one of the strangest roadside attractions in Florida. Was it the power of undying love that gave him the strength, an ancient secret, or perhaps help from above? The architectural feat on South Dixie Highway in Homestead, south of Miami, seals the secret.

Gatorama

What can be more precious or strange than holding a real-life killer in the palm of your hand? The Gatorama in South Florida鈥檚 Palmdale features hundreds of alligators and crocs, among other wildlife, for real up-close and personal interaction with these prehistoric creatures. Some two hours and change from Miami or Orlando, Gatorama was established in 1957, before Disney in Florida in the early 1970s. Experience the old-fashioned, roadside charm with an admission fee and buy some gator feed before crossing the long boardwalk. It鈥檚 open on each side to take pictures, with swarming gators and crocodiles hissing and grunting right under, showing their affection for the bag of crunchy treats. And the more you have, the more excited they get, fighting furiously if not a little uncoordinatedly.

The enclosed smaller specimen sunning themselves on top of each. Sightsee Salty, the saltwater croc, and greet Goliath, the park鈥檚 oldest resident, who moved from the main pond because he killed too many crocs, is turning 75 this year! From Big Gator Feed Show and activities like the 18+ 鈥淔ast Hands or No Hands鈥� Gator Feeding, you can learn the proper way of feeding them. Afterwards, get all things 鈥榞ator, like wallets, belts, and hides. Gatorama also hosts a festival, gator hatchings, and night tours where alligator eyes shine in the dark.

Koreshan State Historic Site

A religious group led by Cyrus Reed Teed believed in Koreshanity, that our universe was a concave sphere, cellular cosmogony, if you will. He brought the faithful to Florida in 1894, building a somewhat enclosed utopia from the rest of the 麻豆AV. In the colony, the "Seven Sisters" ran the daily affairs, and everyone kept working by the principle of collectivism. After Teed died in 1908, the colony pressed on until 1961. The last four cult members passed ownership to the state, which turned it into a state park with preserved late-19th and early-20th century wooden structures open to the public among a wide variety of plants and trees from around the 麻豆AV. Koreshan State Park is located at 3800 Corkscrew Rd. in Estero, with camping possible on-site.

Utopia or cult? Visit yourself to decide on a stroll along structures and inventions, some functional and most unique to the modern 麻豆AV. Trees like African sausage, Japanese bamboo, and everything in between add to the utopian feel. You can meander the property on your own and see the building with the large sphere and one of the tools used to scientifically "prove" their theories. A hired ranger on site can pass on more accessible information in words that go beyond descriptions for you to comprehend the whole weird factor behind this miniature 麻豆AV turned state park.

Spook Hill

Lake Wales has a few strange sites, but nothing plays with your mind more than Spook Hill. It's impossible not to fall for the charm of this quirky playground of the laws of physics, or its anti-laws, where reality gives way to perception. Just pop your can into neutral and enjoy the reverse ride up with the sensation of a ghostly push from behind as you roll up. Spook Hill is a bewildering spectacle for the whole family to experience, or if you're traveling through the area. It spurs folklore and curiosity in a constant string of tourists, breaking into Team Optical Illusion, who say it's a trick of the landscape, and Team Paranormal's own inquiries.

Plus, the scenery here is quite lovely, framed in lush trees, which you can literally enjoy from the comfort of your seat. The only known magnetic hill in the state of Florida was added to the National Register of Historic Places in April of 2019. Another delightful detour from the ordinary is the nearby Bok Tower Gardens, designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. The 205-foot Gothic and Art Deco Carillon Tower in a garden sanctuary fills the air with concert music from its 60-bell carillon. Meander your way through the greens and blooms to an on-site caf茅 then stop by the historic Pinewood Estate for a tour.

Miami Circle

The Miami Circle was discovered in 1998 by archeologists who were after Indian artifacts at a construction area planned for high-rise commercial development near the mouth of the Miami River. They were following the Florida Statue stating that a building site must be checked for any historical traces. Having stumbled on what looked like midden piles and old refuse heaps among construction salvage, County Archaeologist John Ricisak found these to be Tequesta (the area's Native tribe from the 3rd century BCE to the 19th century CE) and Glades (prehistoric southern Florida peoples before Seminoles) cultural artifacts, carved into limestone bedrock. Arranged in a perfect 38-foot circle in diameter, it contained 24 intentionally set holes and distinctly marked cardinal directions.

Reportedly created by Tequesta Indians some 2,000 years ago, its purpose could have been a prehistoric calendar or a sacrifice site. They also recovered stone artifacts, bone, pottery, and shell objects. The site was immobilized and construction plans halted. In 2000, Florida bought the 2.2-acre site for $26.7 million. Reburied for protection in 2003 from the weather, "America's Stonehenge," the only known ancient structure cut into bedrock in the continental US, made it on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2009, visitors are welcome to see the recreation at Miami Circle Park, with its circular landscaping and benches that act as a buffer between the preserved dig site, high-rises, and the shore, affording beautiful water views and a touchstone to the original Miami Circle.

Monkey Island

This strange attraction, "where monkeys go for bad behavior," is for all the nature lovers in Homosassa. It started as an overlooked, easily-missed rock outcropping that boats would regularly crash into until a developer, G.A. 鈥淔urgy鈥� Furgason, had enough. His crew, a little over-enthusiastic to throw "some" dirt on the pile as instructed, created a whole small island when Furgason returned from his business trip to Africa. Without skipping a beat, the optimist threw in a lighthouse and some greenery before tending to his new wildlife attraction, now the Homosassa Wildlife State Park, up the stream. The small group of monkeys used by polio researcher Dr. John Hamlet was to retire to his wildlife park. But these particular precious creatures were exceptionally obnoxious escape artists.

Stealing sweets from kids and biting visitors' hands, it did not fare well with a family-friendly park, and Furgason was not having it. Now that he had a monkey-sized Alcatraz right up the stream in the form of a tiny island, it was the perfect getaway for the monkeys to do as they wished and visitors to find their behavior amusing without repercussions in a controlled setting. The first three spider monkeys and two squirrel monkeys were shipped to "Monkey Island," and after some trivial changes, peace ensued between the beast-loving man and the primates who still live and play there today. The nature preserve now boasts air conditioning, plus Monkey Bar Restaurant, riverside hotels, and lodges for perfect views. The springs and the river are the main draws in the area with Gulf access.

Historic Haile Homestead

The story of this last strange Florida attraction lands you in Gainesville. In 1854, Thomas Evans and Serena Chesnut Haile moved their family here to the 1,500-acre Sea Island cotton plantation they christened Kanapaha. It was completed in 1856 by enslaved craftsmen as a 6,200-square-foot mansion, now one of the region's few remaining antebellum homes. Fast forward to today, tourists visit the restored Historic Haile Homestead for its Talking Walls. Haile's family and friends scrawled over 12,500 words on the unpainted walls and artwork in almost every room, including the closets. The reason behind it remains a mystery. Was it just an unusual habit to vandalize their own home?

From the Music Room to the Parlor, you can learn about the Haile family, plus a newer wall of writing previously covered up in plasterers. The young Benjamin's name is the oldest dated writing from 1859 upstairs in the Trunk Room, while the family's holiday party visitors at the turn of the 20th century were the most expressive. Other writings are personal observations, names of visitors, kids' growth charts, recipes, inventories, business records, and prose. Buy some of the most humorous or 麻豆AVly writing for sale at the house to make your own walls start talking. The on-site Allen & Ethel Graham Visitors Center and Museum exhibits on the enslaved people at this and four other Haile plantations.

The Sunshine State has a reputation for being a little weird鈥攈ello, Key West鈥攁nd over centuries has attracted many weirdos, utopians, and individuals for lifemaking. Their legacies are some of Florida's strangest landmarks, a touchstone to their 麻豆AV, sometimes millennia old, like a park housing an ancient "America's Stonehenge."

From "Talking Walls" to Koreshans, challenge yourself to question the reality or physics, face hissing gators, and enjoy beautiful views along the way, like the Monkey Island. And while there are many more, these seven are some of the favorite family-friendly places to get a kick out under the Floridian sun on your next visit or a road trip.