Florida

The African Queen is a historic steamboat located in Key Largo, Florida. Built in 1912, the vessel gained worldwide recognition after being featured in the 1951 film “The African Queen” starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Today, visitors can take a 90-minute cruise on the African Queen, exploring the beautiful waterways of Key Largo while learning about the boat’s fascinating history. The boat has been meticulously restored and is a beloved attraction in the area, providing a unique and memorable experience for visitors of all ages.

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The Amelia Island Museum of History provides visitors with an overview of the island’s history, starting with its Native American occupants and continuing through modern times. The museum is located in the former Nassau County jail.

The Bay of Pigs Air Memorial is located at the Miami Executive Airport in the Miami suburb of Kendall.

The Clermont Citrus Tower first opened to visitors in 1956. It took 13 months, roughly $300,000, five million pounds of concrete and 149,000 pounds of reinforced steel to build the tower. Counting its antenna, the tower reaches over 500 feet above sea level, making it the highest observation point in the Sunshine State. At one point, more than 500,000 people visited the tower every year. However, the 1964 extension of the Florida Turnpike provided a waste route for motorists and the tower’s popular among travelers began to wane. Then, that roadside oddity called Walt Disney World opened. The rest, as they say, is history.

Located off of Interstate 75 in Ocala, Florida, the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing features an amazing array of cars and vintage engines Garlits has rebuilt for display. Garlits’ impact on the sport is immeasurable. He was the first driver to officially surpass a number of speed marks, including hitting 270 mph on a quarter-mile track and 200 mph on a 1/8-mile track. Artifacts that help tell the story of drag racing’s history are featured throughout. Highlights include the Swamp Rat I, the car Garlits raced when he set his first world record; the Swamp Rat 14, the first rear engine car Garlits built; and the Swamp Rat 34.

Everglades National Park was dedicated in Everglades City, Florida, on Dec. 6, 1947. It is famous for its unique ecosystem: wetlands, sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, and mangrove forests. It is home to a diverse array of plant and animal species, including endangered species like the Florida panther and the manatee and rare species like the American crocodile. Visitors can explore the park’s many hiking trails, canoe and kayak along its waterways, take an airboat tour, or participate in ranger-led programs and educational activities. The park is also a popular destination for birdwatching, fishing, and camping.

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The Florida Keys Memorial, also known as the Hurricane Monument, is a landmark located in Islamorada, Florida. The monument was constructed to honor the hundreds of victims of the devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, which caused widespread destruction and loss of life in the Florida Keys. The 81-foot-tall memorial is made of native keystone.

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Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. Construction of the fort began in 1845. The fort was built as part of a mid-19th century plan to defend the southeast coast following the War of 1812. Though it has been modified over the years, Fort Zachary Taylor was used during the 1898 Spanish–American War, World War I, World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida, is a historic building that served as the winter White House of President Harry S. Truman during his presidency. Originally built in 1890 as the naval station’s command headquarters during the Spanish-American War, it was later used as a vacation home by several presidents before Truman. The house is now a museum that is open to the public for tours, which offer visitors a glimpse into the life of Truman and other presidents who stayed at the house. The museum features exhibits, artifacts, and photographs that highlight the history of the house and its famous occupants.

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The Key West Memorial Sculpture Garden, located in Mallory Square, features bronze busts of locals who had had a significant impact on Key West, including Henry Flagler, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams. It originally featured 39 bronze busts but has space to increase to 72 busts. The city of Key West established the garden and the criteria for inclusion in the memorial, which opened in 1997. “The Wreckers” monument stands at the Key West Memorial Sculpture Garden’s center.

Mallory Square is a plaza situated on the waterfront in Key West’s historic Old Town just west of the northern end of Duval Street, facing the Gulf of Mexico. It hosts the nightly “Sunset Celebration,” considered one of the city’s main tourist attractions. Every night, hundreds of tourists flock to the square — or one of the adjacent watering holes — to watch the sunset. The celebration includes arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, and food carts. Adjacent to Mallory Square is the city’s cruise ship port, which opened in 1984. However, cruise ships must depart before the nightly sunset celebration.

Dr. Charles Bressler-Pettis conceive the idea for the Monument of States in the dark days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Bressler-Pettis wrote to governors and asked them to send stones for a monument; they obliged. The 40-foot-tall monument is topped by a 562-pound bald eagle made of concrete and was built using stones from all 48 states (at the time of its completion). Bressler-Petti also included stones he and his wife collected from other places. The structure, dedicated in March 1943 and located at the corner of Monument Avenue and Johnston Street, contains 1,500 rocks from all 50 states and 22 countries. A number of parties, including tourists, governors, a prime minister and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, also donated stones to the cause. While it can’t be confirmed, a human skull is also alleged to be included in the mix. Interestingly some of Bressler-Petti’s ashes are said to be buried in the monument.

The Overseas Highway is a 113-mile-long highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys to Key West. It was largely built on parts of the former Overseas Railroad right-of-way, an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West Extension completed in 1912. The 1935 Labor Day hurricane heavily damaged and partially destroyed the Overseas Railroad. The Florida East Coast Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections and sold roadbed and remaining bridges to Florida, making it a famous drive between Miami and Key West.

The Seven Mile Bridge is perhaps the most famous bridge on the 113-mile-long Overseas Highway through the Florida Keys to Key West. The Florida East Coast Railway build the original bridge, initially known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, from 1909 to 1912 as part of its Key West Extension, also known as the Overseas Railroad. Following the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, the railroad, financially unable to rebuild the route, sold the remaining bridges to the government, which reworked it as a highway. A newer bridge, constructed from 1978 to 1982, replaced the original span, which largely remains in place.

The Barnacle Historic State Park in Coconut Grove was built in 1891 and is the oldest house still standing in its original location in Miami-Dade County. The Barnacle was once the home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, who was not only one of the founders of Coconut Grove but also the founder and Commodore of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. Furthermore, he was a prominent designer of sailing yachts. The Florida Park Service acquired the remaining five acres of Munroe’s original 40-acre property from his descendants in 1973. You can easily access The Barnacle Historic State Park by taking the Miami Metrorail at the Douglas Road and the Coconut Grove stations.

The Torch of Friendship is a monument on Biscayne Boulevard in Downtown Miami, Florida, at the northwest corner of Bayfront Park. It was built in 1960 to signify the gateway for immigrants coming from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States of America. The flame was intended to act as a welcoming beacon for both old and new immigrants to the nation. In 1964, it was re-dedicated in memory of President John F. Kennedy following his assassination.

The Wings Over Miami museum, situated at the Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport, is about 13 miles southwest of Miami’s central business district. It houses a fascinating collection of historic aircraft, with the 1992 Grumman F-14D being the star attraction. This particular aircraft is significant because it was one of the last active F-14s to serve with the Navy before its official retirement in September 2006. Other notable airplanes on display include a 1943 North American AT6D, a 1942 Ryan PT-22 Recruit, and a 1972 Nanchang CJ-6A. Additionally, the museum has a 1943 Consolidated PBY-5, which is another aircraft worth visiting.