Past the Florida Keys

As aforementioned, my work travel currently brings me to Jacksonville, Florida for a couple weeks hence.  The area seems pretty nice, and all the Mayo Clinic buildings really bring me back to my childhood.  Florida is a huge state that has a lot of different faces, and before a few years ago, it was the state I'd spent the second longest time in, yet I haven't seen that much of it.  Obviously, I've seen Disney and Universal more times than I can really remember to count, but most of the state is a mystery to me.

One of the major motivations for wanting to take a trip while I'm down here is the fact that I've always been curious about a monument known as the Coral Castle.  It took a couple other sites to make me realize and be able to really articulate my love for places such as the Coral Castle.  Last year, Dana and I rolled through Ohio on our way to California, and made a stop at the Hartman Rock Garden.  Originally created by its namesake during the Great Depression, it was clearly a labor of love, thousands upon thousands of tiny stones glued together to create an elaborate work of art.  One man took the time and effort to do something he thought was important, and spent a great deal of his life creating it.  If there's a better definition of "suffering artist," I really am not aware of it.

In the early part of the twentieth century, a man named Edward Leedskalnin moved to the United States from Latvia after being jilted by his fiancee at the altar.  For twenty-eight years he labored in south Florida to create what he dubbed Rock Gate Park and later became Coral Castle.  Using a deep understanding of weight and leverage, he was able to lift and arrange over a thousand tons of stone into gates, arrangements, and doorways.  Purportedly, before it failed in the eighties, there was a nine-ton gate that a child could push open using a single finger, due to the perfect balance that Ed had crafted.  Ed died in 1951 and the monument was passed on to a few other entities, finally ending up as a private company which still does tours today.

The castle is six hours away from where I'm staying, so I figure a two day trip would probably be best.  Fortunately, there's plenty to see between here and there, so I won't be bored for things to see!  Below is my brainstorming for things I find interesting that are potential visits on the way.

Below I'll be classifying things into a few categories:  quick stops/statues, museums and amusement parks, hikes, and restaurants and snacks.

The World's Largest Cross - 27 Ocean Ave, Saint Augustine, FL
A follow up to the Effingham Cross we saw last year, this thing is apparently even taller.  It's dedicated to Our Lady of La Leche, and is lit up at night to comply with FAA regulations. (+5 minutes)

The Bluebird of Happiness - 180 Vilano Rd, St. Augustine, FL
Originally erected in the 1940s as an advertisement for oranges, it was rebranded as a bluebird more recently to advertise Vilano Beach.  It's eight feet tall and truly looks VERY happy.  Makes me continuously hum "Birdhouse in Your Soul," so it must be good.  (+6 minutes)

Michelangelo's David Replica - 19 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, FL
A replica of the famous statue, made in the same manner as the original and now displayed outside the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum.  It weighs 20,000 pounds and was created in the sixties for the New York World's Fair by Italian artisans.  (+3 minutes)

First Airplane Replica - 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL
A replica made of steel of the first airplane flown by the Wright Brothers in North Carolina.  Nearby is a statue of one of the Wright Brothers, looking on as his sibling takes off in their new contraption.  The statues live near the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  (+12 minutes)

The Ruins of Bongoland - 950 Old Sugar Mill Rd, Port Orange, FL
A defunct amusement park of past, Bongoland was open for only four years in the late 1940s and early 1950s before being closed for lack of public interest.  Most of it is gone, now, save for a few (some purportedly awful) concrete statues of various dinosaurs.  It's free to explore, but donations are accepted.  (+18 minutes)

The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame - 6225 Vectorspace Blvd., Titusville, FL
A tribute to the few hundred Americans who have flown into space.  It only seems fitting to give this place a visit after the recent death of the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong.  (+20 minutes)

Earth Rock - 3645 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island, FL
A large boulder painted to look like the earth.  Well, half the earth, anyway.  One side is completely painted black, possibly representing the night side.  Either way, it seems like an interesting quick stop.  (+22 minutes)

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex - Hwy 405, Titusville, FL
I've been here before, but it's been years and years, so I'm thinking of potentially visiting again!  It's a bit pricey, though, so that alone may make me back off a little.  Maybe some external shots of the facility, though.  (+38 minutes)

Giant Orange - US Hwy 1 and Masterson St, Melbourne, FL
Kind of just what it says - a giant orange sitting in a park.  It apparently features a memorial to those who fought and died in the Vietnam War.  (+18 minutes)

Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum - 100 North US. Hwy 1, Jupiter, FL
A museum dedicated to history's greatest actor, Burt Reynolds.  Lots of memorabilia and interesting objects document the actor who grew up on the Atlantic Coast of Florida.  Oddly enough, one of the podcasts I follow features a guy named Mike Carano.  In 2005, he tried to purchase a wax figure of Reynolds from a closing California wax museum and lost the auction.  He was then contacted by Burt Reynolds himself and contracted to deliver the figure to Florida for him.  I'm not sure if it ends up here, but that would be pretty amazing if so.  (+25 minutes)

Butterfly World - 3600 W Sample Rd, Coconut Creek, FL
A kind of zoo that features over eighty species of butterflies.  Seems like a pretty good time, actually!  (+6 minutes)

Scooby Doo Van - 530 Northeast 167th Street, North Miami Beach, FL
An unfinished replica of Scooby and the Gang's blue-and-green detective van.  It sits in the parking lot of a diner, apparently, so it might be a good place to grab a meal after getting a couple pictures of the seventies-inspired Mystery Machine.  (+6 minutes)

Oldest Building in the Western Hemisphere - 16711 W. Dixie Hwy, North Miami Beach, FL
A monastery that was originally built in Spain in the 12th century.  It was moved to Florida, piece by piece, in the 1950s and now stands as the oldest modern structure outside of Europe and Asia.  Costs $8 to tour the place and it's open until about 4pm.  (+16 minutes)

Coral Castle - 28655 S. Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL
As described earlier, the Coral Castle is a collection of monolithic stones arranged in patterns to create a "castle".  It's precisely the kind of thing I love - an interesting art piece created by a lifetime of work from a single person.  Open until 6pm most days.  (main attraction)

As far as hotel goes, I'll probably be able to stay at one of the Hampton Inns in Miami after my 7-8 hour drive.  Right now, this is all only a bit theoretical; we'll see if it can actually happen!