My dad lives in Florida and I’m going out to visit him in a couple of weeks. We’re going to rent a car and go on a little road trip around south Florida. I’m not a Disney World kind of person. We like unique local culture, nature and animals, historical sites that aren’t too touristy but will make exceptions for weird stuff like maybe the Coral Castle. My dad’s not real mobile, so if there’s much walking involved, he may have to ride in a chair (or stay in the hotel with his IPad, which he is happy to do sometimes while I explore).
Looking for suggestions.
Since you reference Disney World and Coral Castle, it seems you are going with the technical and broad definition of “South” Florida. Most “true” South Floridians don’t consider the Orlando area to be part of South Florida. It’s not just a snobby distinction, for instance, the distance between Disney and Coral Castle is quite considerable - over 250 miles.
Anyway, if you’re planning on hitting Coral Castle, you should know that it’s not going to hold your attention for long, maybe around an hour, tops. It’s cool in a quirky sort of way, but there’s not much there, there. (It’s not in the greatest of neighborhoods, either.) The good news is that once you’re there, you are practically at the gateway to both the Keys and the Everglades, both of which hold plenty of promise for the sort of attractions you say you like.
My advice would be to head north to the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41), also known as Calle Ocho on it’s eastern extreme within Miami. If you enjoy Cuban cuisine, get your fill before heading west on Tamiami Trail, where there’s plenty to explore. This is a nice short article about some of the stuff you can expect to find there, but I would particularly recommend Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery, which is next door to the Big Cypress National Preserve Oasis Visitors Center. If you didn’t go for the Cuban cuisine earlier, in this area you will have the opportunity to get your fill of alligator and frog legs, along with more standard fare. Hop on one of the airboat tours to get a deeper look into the Everglades and more alligators than you can shake a stick at. Or go down any of the various self-guided trails, many of which are on raised boardwalks above the swamp, so they are wheelchair accessible.
Yes, this trip would be somewhat touristy, but it’s old-school touristy and plenty quirky, with a lot in the way of the “unique local culture, nature, animals, and historic sites” that you seem to be after.
If you’re up for a big ol’ drive, come on over to Ft Myers after doing the everglades stuff on 41. The city finally restored the Edison-Ford estate. And we have a dinky little local history museum that is sort of cool. And the Koreshan compound in Estero, although that’s an outdoor walking experience. The Bubble Room on Captiva is pretty much the definition of “Out of the way” but is a fun dining experience out in the Lee Islands. But if you do go out to the islands, there’s also the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge and the light house on Sanibel (Both outdoors stuff).
Yeah, I was going to come in here and suggest Ding Darling is you want to do nature and animals. They have great bird watching there at low tide. You might also like the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota.
On the way to Ft Myers on Tamiami stop off on Shark Valley in the Everglades. They have a 15 mile paved trail into the Everglades, and tram tours of the trail.
And while Cuban food is everywhere in Miami, if you want to try some great Peruvian food go to El Chalan.
I second the Shark Valley recommendation; can’t speak as to the recommended restaurant.
I also approve the Ding Darling recommendation; it’s a great experience.
Thanks for the tips! I know nothing about Florida. I will look into these interesting ideas. It’s kind of tricky to plan because my dad will want comfort, but not phony tourist traps or expensive resorts. Everglades, birds, history, local food, beaches; things that make Florida different from New Mexico. What else?
We have a few spares houses if you want to pick one up, cheap.