Our Favorite Unique Museums in Florida
Florida is known as a tourist destination hub, but beyond the beaches and theme parks lies a surprising range of eclectic collections and offbeat museums. While EverPresent can bring your own past to the present, these locations preserve everything from the bizarre to the beautifully unexpected. This list rounds up some of the most interesting and quirky museums around the Sunshine State.
Museum of Ice Cream (Miami)
An interactive, colorful experience that blends art, play, and nostalgia. Come for the exhibits, stay for the sprinkles—and definitely don’t skip the photo ops.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (St. Augustine & Orlando)
A classic oddities museum packed with strange artifacts, unbelievable stories, and curiosities from around the world. Equal parts history lesson and jaw-dropper.
The Salvador Dalí Museum (St. Petersburg)
Home to one of the largest Dalí collections outside Europe, this museum dives deep into the surreal, showcasing paintings, sketches, and mind-bending imagery.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
Part roadside attraction, part cultural artifact, this park is famous for its live mermaid shows—a uniquely Floridian blend of kitsch, performance, and history.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (Delray Beach)
A serene and unexpected cultural gem dedicated to Japanese art, history, and gardens, offering a peaceful counterpoint to Florida’s fast pace.
The Ringling Museum Circus Collection (Sarasota)
Celebrating Florida’s circus legacy, this museum features intricate models, posters, costumes, and memorabilia tied to the Ringling Brothers and America’s big-top history.
International Independent Showmen’s Museum (Riverview)
A deep dive into carnival and fairground history, preserving rides, games, music, and stories from traveling entertainment traditions.
Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp
More community than museum, this historic spiritualist town preserves artifacts, buildings, and practices tied to Florida’s metaphysical past—definitely one of the state’s most unusual destinations.
The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing (Ocala)
A high-octane collection dedicated to the history of drag racing, showcasing vintage cars, engines, and the evolution of speed culture in Florida.