Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.
As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees? What is down those roads behind the exit signs? Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths. So, it is no surprise that the bigger the road – the bigger the attractions and if not bigger, the more abundant. On the east coast, I-95 is the big daddy of highways, but who would have known that there was so much to see off of I-95’s beaten path. Come along with me as I lead you down the road less traveled with some of the coolest, silliest and just plain strangest sites that there are to see when you just make a right turn onto a few of the exits of 95 in Northern Florida.
Ruins of Bongoland – Port Orange, Fl
Named after Bongo the baboon that lived their when Bongoland was a functioning theme park. Preceding Disney World, Bongoland was built between 1948 and 1952. Now, the site has become Sugar Mill Gardens, a botanical garden. 12 acres of lush greenery but the remnants of day’s past still linger. There are five lichen covered dinosaurs still standing. Constructed of concrete on wire, the dinosaurs are a real oddity among the present tourist monsters that roam the lands of Florida.
Wat Florida Dhammaram
Located just outside the heart of commercialism, in Orlando, is a real temple and monastery, practicing Theravada Buddhism. Statues and shrines adorn the facility and the monks welcome you to come and take tours. You may soak up the culture as you learn from the monks. You are even invited to attend chanting and meditation sessions. Just remember to take your shoes off at the door.
Mount Dora Ghost Walk and Marionette Show – Mount Dora, Fl
Okay, what does a jail cell, a ventriloquist, a moonshine still and guys throwing fake bones at one another have in common? You guessed it! This tour! It is possibly as weird as ghost tours get. Leading you through the life of the deranged Dr. Nutter and his bone saws – you will visit the aforementioned jail cell, a theater, some bars and a hotel. There are puppets and guys dressed in Victorian clothes, capped off with a bunch of tour guides have an old-fashioned sword fight with some leg bones. You gotta see this.
Spook Hill – Lake Wales, Fl
There is a legend that involves Native Americans and an alligator and revenge curses and horses running out of breath while walking downhill. Where whatever the convoluted myth is, the results are the same. Gravity is defied on fifth street in Lake Wales. You can put your car in neutral at the base of this legendary hill and something will pull it to the top. Curse or not, it is amazing.
Our next adventure takes us even further south as we head into Southern Florida and even more attractions that the sunshine state has to offer.
This article is provided as a courtesy from Monster Vacations Group.
