9 Offbeat Florida Towns To Visit In 2025
According to records from the Florida tourism office, the state received around 143 million tourists last year, emphasizing its position as one of the most popular states in the country. While many people visit Florida for the fine weather, world-class beaches, and remarkable amusement parks, some are motivated by a different reason. Several towns have unusual attractions that draw a special kind of tourist. From bizarre foods and roadside quirks to eccentric festivals and haunted tours, these deliver an out-of-the-ordinary traveler experience.
St. Augustine
The United States' oldest continually occupied settlement of European and African-American origin, St. Augustine is also one of the most offbeat Florida towns to visit in 2025. It is chock-full of bizarre attractions, many of which have curious backstories dating back centuries. These include the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum, whose vast collection of authentic and fictional pirate artifacts stretches back to the 1600s, highlighted by Captain Thomas Tew's treasure chest. The town also houses the Medieval Torture Museum. This unconventional venue explores historical methods of torture and execution in a time when these were common.
Like many other historical destinations, St. Augustine is home to claims of hauntings at several old buildings. The Ponce de Leon Hotel, now part of the Flagler College campus, usually comes up in paranormal conversations. Despite its luxury and opulence, the ghost of the man who constructed the hotel in the 1880s, industrialist Henry Flagler, is rumored to visit occasionally.
Crystal River
Crystal River enchants tourists with the largest concentration of manatees in the United States. The drop in water temperature in the nearby Gulf of Mexico pushes the gentle giants to the city's pristine, spring-fed natural pools, opening the doors to rare up-close encounters with humans. At Three Sisters Springs, the creatures can be seen swimming through the crystal-clear waters. Guests can also visit Bird's Underwater Manatee Dive Center for unique snorkel and scuba diving tours and the opportunity to swim with the manatees underwater.
Meanwhile, Crystal River Escape Room keeps vacationing families engaged with fun games. In these games, groups work together to solve cryptic puzzles by uncovering hidden clues to escape a sticky situation in 60 minutes.
Lake Wales
Lake Wales is a small town in Polk County with beautiful natural spaces and exciting outdoor opportunities. However, fans of the unusual come to see a strange optical illusion at Spook Hill, where cars placed in neutral appear to roll up the hill. The gravity-defying feat has existed in the town for centuries, and before the automobile age, it is alleged that horses would struggle to make it down the hill.
Lake Wales is also home to Bok Tower Gardens, which hosts possibly the world's most aesthetic carillon tower. The historic landmark sits atop Iron Mountain, surrounded by a 250-acre garden with colorful flowers and a thriving bird population. Another option for outdoor enthusiasts is the vast spaces of Lake Kissimmee State Park, which cultivates recreation like canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, and bird watching.
Williston
Williston is a hidden gem in the heartland of inland Florida, celebrated for its cluster of impressive natural treasures. It is notably home to Devil's Den, a prehistoric karst window with a collapsed roof exposing a mysterious natural pool. The site is popular among scuba divers and delivers a rare experience. Meanwhile, Blue Grotto is the largest accessible underwater cavern in the state and another noteworthy point of interest. It beckons divers of all skill levels with unforgettable underwater fun.
Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens embodies Williston's natural diversity. This 20-acre botanical garden sits in a century-old restored limestone quarry that was transformed into a paradisiacal oasis with colorful flowers, shrubs, and trees.
Key West
This popular cruise ship stop in the Florida Keys is famous for its pristine beaches and scuba diving destinations. However, paranormal enthusiasts brave the journey to the southernmost point in the state to experience the legend of Robert the Doll. The story of this infamous doll originates from the early 20th century and has been haunting the local residents since then. Today, guests book the Robert the Doll Experience & Paranormal Investigation to test the theory of strange occurrences after the tour.
The Hemingway Home and Museum preserves the 1930s home of famed writer Ernest Hemingway. Besides browsing famous works and memorabilia by the author, visitors can also witness dozens of six-toed cats that call the property home. Finally, the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S. Buoy provides a rare photo opportunity.
Lake Helen
Lake Helen is an unusual community in Volusia County that introduces visitors to the world of psychics for a possible chance to see into their future. It is home to the Cassadaga Florida Psychic Medium Center, which highlights the culture and activities of psychics and mediums that have practiced their unique gifts since the 1800s. If you are open to the idea of palm reading and crystal ball reading, you can visit an actual psychic in Lake Helen at Cassadaga Raven Star Psychic Witch.
Finally, the Cassadaga After Dark tour welcomes vacationers to delve into the spirit world through paranormal investigations at different sites in the city, with a chance to better understand the concept of spiritualism.
Dade City
Dade City's unusual charm stems from its rare automobile resting place. It is home to Florida's Volkswagen Graveyard, where car enthusiasts pay their last respects to different Volkswagen models, from Bugs and Buses to Ghias. Pioneer Florida Museum and Village provides a unique perspective of the state in the old days. The museum complex comprises a collection of a vintage schoolhouse, a train depot, a church, household items, medieval tools, and farm equipment depicting the pioneer era.
Dade City also promises spine-chilling scares for anyone who dares to tour the Scream-A-Geddon Horror Park. This paranormal encounter features scary clowns, zombies, demons, and fire pits that will have your heart pounding like never before.
Sopchoppy
This small town in the Florida Panhandle is known for hosting one of the quirkiest festivals in the state. Every April, townspeople gather on the grounds of Sopchoppy Depot Park to celebrate the annual Worm Gruntin Festival. This invokes the age-old practice of coaxing worms from the ground through sustained vibrations. Meanwhile, outdoor lovers can head to the lush grounds of Myron B. Hodge City Park for quality alone time.
Finally, don't forget to sample the town's tasty craft brews at Civic Brewing Company. This popular hub in downtown Sopchoppy delivers an authentic small-town experience through great-tasting beers and pizzas amidst welcoming patrons.
Siesta Key
This coastal paradise in the Gulf of Mexico excites vacationers with its amazing beaches and thrilling water sports. It offers multiple stretches of sand where you can revel in the waterfront scenery, including Siesta Beach. This popular space stands out for its powdery white sands, which are fully quartzite, never getting hot despite the Gulf Coast sun. The Beach plays host to the annual Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival.
It draws some of the most talented sculptors in the country and culminates in fabulous sculptures, attracting over 40,000 attendees. Siesta Key also beckons thrill seekers with remarkable parasailing adventures courtesy of Parasail Siesta, with a chance to feel the rush of wind against your face.
Instead of the typical beaches, amusement parks, and other everyday attractions synonymous with the Sunshine State, these offbeat Florida towns to visit in 2025 go against the norm with their peculiar points of interest. They are destinations for vacationers seeking an alternative Florida experience, whether you plan to see your future during a psychic visit in Lake Helen, or swim with the gentle manatees in the crystal-clear natural bathing holes that dominate Crystal River.
