Weird Florida: 8 Unusual Things to See and Do in Southwest Florida

Everyone knows Florida is a wonderful vacation destination but if you’re keen to see the weird Florida too — the unusual, strange, odd and offbeat things-you-never-see-in-the-brochure Florida, this guide has you covered.

Southwest Florida is one of the best sunny travel destinations in the Sunshine State year round with countless unique things to do from exploring the natural world around the Florida Everglades, dining out at delicious restaurants, and lounging on the gorgeous white sand beaches.

While Florida may be famously quirky for some things — hanging chads, the Tiger King, living mermaids, and the Fountain of Youth to name a few — it’s not necessarily a destination known for strange or dark tourism. On the contrary, its most notable attractions like Disney are pretty bright, happy, and well, sunny 365.

But we love the strange and oddball places, don’t we — the ones that stick with you for one odd reason or another? Much has been written on weird Florida, but where do you find the weird and wonderful attractions in southwest Florida?

From the abandoned (and now sunk) domes of Cape Romano to hunting for fossils and pythons, there are so many other weird Florida things to do on the southwest coast you’ve probably never heard about.

If you’re looking to learn all about quirky Southwest Florida, this guide has loads of unique things for you to do during your getaway.

8 Weird Attractions in Southwest Florida

1. Prehistoric Fossils in the Peace River

Charlotte County

Most visitors don’t realize the incredible geologic history of Florida’s peninsula, resulting in some of the most stunning natural landscapes in the state (warm natural springs), and leaving behind countless relics and natural fossils from eons ago.

In other words, Florida is filled with vertebrate fossils, and we’re not talking about the snowbirds!

Why does Florida have so many fossils? During Ice Age glacial periods when the sea levels would drop, Florida's land mass was double its current size.

The peninsula was home to prehistoric animals like the Mammoth, Dire Wolf (yes, Game of Thrones fans, they really did exist), and Giant Ground Sloths.

Today, there are several places in Florida that reward relic hunters with extraordinary finds, and one of those places is the Peace River in Charlotte County. The black shark teeth that are found at the beaches in Englewood and Venice are actually fossilized shark teeth!

There are so many fossils in Charlotte Country’s Peace River in fact, that Fossil Expeditions runs an entire kid-friendly fossil hunting program. You and your little ones can play around in the mud, looking for your very own fossils.

You might find sharks teeth and alligator bones. And then, at the end of your day of amateur archeology, you can take your found treasures home with you!

History of the Peace River

Once referred to on 16th century Spanish nautical charts as Rio de la Paz (River of Peace), the Peace River in Charlotte and DeSoto counties appeared on later maps as Peas Creek or Pease Creek. The Creek (and later, Seminole) Indians called it “Talakchopcohatchee”, River of Long Peas.

2. Shark Teeth in Englewood and Venice

Beaches in Englewood and Venice

One of the coolest and quirkiest things to do in Southwest Florida is search for shark teeth!

Venice, Florida boasts the title of the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World” and the neighboring area of Englewood is good for shark tooth hunting as well.

The same geologic phenomenon which lends itself to finding fossils in the Peace River is the same reason you’ll find thousands of fossilized, shiny black teeth dotting the shorelines between Englewood and Venice.

But it’s a bit different than shelling and takes a bit of skill to find them.

Your best bet is to scoop up the sand just past the water line and sift through it to find these shark teeth. Or if you really want to get into the shark hunting experience, you can dive for them.

A few of the best places to search for shark teeth in Englewood and Venice include Manasota Key, Englewood Beach, and Casey Key.

To prove that Venice has earned its title of the “shark tooth capital of the world,” it actually hosts the Shark Tooth Festival every April. During this festival, some of the most prominent fossil collectors in the area show off their finds.

Model of the Hollow Earth Theory
Home of Cyrus Teed, founder of Koreshanity in Estero Florida

3. Koreshan State Historic Site

3800 Corkscrew Rd, Estero

Weird cult or intrepid pioneer history? A visit to the Koreshan State Park and Historic Site in Estero will help you decide if it’s one of the other, or maybe a bit of both.

Like the other sites on this list, Koreshan State Historic Site is another quirky Southwest Florida spot that is both fascinating history and a cool campground in southwest Florida.

The story of Koreshan State Historic Site begins with Cyrus Teed, a 19th century physician and physicist from New York State, who liked to dabble in alchemy. His experiments were far from the mainstream and sometimes involved using high levels of electricity.

Reportedly, during one of these experiments, Teed completely blacked out due to an electrical shock, and in the midst of it claims to have experienced a “divine illumination” in which a beautiful woman told him the secrets of the universe.

After this, Teed changed his name to Koresh, the Hebrew name for Cyrus (as in Cyrus the Great) and started a new religion known as Koreshanity. The core belief of this “religion” is sometimes referred to as the Hollow Earth theory, where the universe exists inside the Earth which is a giant, hollow sphere.

While the popularity of Koreshanity peaked between 1903 and 1908, only several hundred believers followed him to the swamp in southwest Florida to begin their New Jerusalem.

Bet you never thought of this kind of history when you planned your beach vacation did you? While this is the basis of the Koreshan State Historic Site, a visit to the Park is highly recommended. It’s certainly a unique day trip, this offbeat Southwest Florida attraction makes a fun and easy day hike as well.

4. The Venus Project

21 Valley Lane, Venus

While Cyrus Reed Teed wanted to rethink how we looked at the universe, an industrial designer named Jacque Fresco wanted to change how we see our planet and live on it – particularly the architecture on it.

Fresco longed to be an architectural pioneer. He wanted his designs to embrace a futuristic look, which is just what he did with The Venus Project. On what was once a tomato field in Venus Florida about an hour east of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda (43 miles to be exact), Fresco designed and constructed ten futuristic buildings, complete with white exterior and domes roofs.

But the concept of the Venus Project extends far beyond architecture and simply being a quirky attraction in southwest Florida. The project advocates for a resource-based economy as opposed to financial-based, one that is dedicated to human and environmental concerns.

An interesting concept for sure, and one of the most interesting Florida tours you may ever take.

While Jacque Fresco passed on in 2017, today, The Venus Project continues to be directed by his colleague Roxanne Meadows.

Tour the Venus Project:

The only way to visit The Venus Project by taking the official 5-hour tour offered every Saturday by Roxanne Meadows. The cost is $130 per household for the tour which may seem hefty, but includes a seminar and guided tour. Just listen to the testimonials from people around the world who have traveled to see it.

5. The Skunk Ape Headquarters

40904 Tamiami Trail E, Ochopee

Way down deep in the Everglades in the small town of Ochopee, a man named Dave Shealy has devoted his life to finding Southwest Florida’s version of Bigfoot, known as The Skunk Ape.

According to Shealy and unsurprisingly, the Skunk Ape looks like a tall man covered in hair that traipses the swamp in search of well, we’re not quite sure what he’s doing there.

As for the “skunk” part of the name, this mysterious creature supposedly gives off a horribly strong odor, which may further add to his elusive nature.

While Shealy claims to have only seen this creature a handful of times in the past fifty years, all of his sightings have taken place at what is currently Big Cypress National Preserve. In order to continue his research, Shealy has established the Skunk Ape Headquarters located just outside of the preserve (you can’t miss it right along Old Rte 41).

The question is, will you yourself be able to catch a glimpse of this local myth? probably the reason why no one we’ve ever met has ever seen it. Like a snipe I imagine, or using tiger dust. like decaying vegetation, which is quite a surprise given you’re in the middle of a swamp.

6. Pistol Shrimp at J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel

The J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is quite a popular place to visit in Sanibel Island. With its 200 bird species, a thriving mangrove ecosystem, and lurking alligators, visiting this national wildlife refuge is one of the top things to do on Sanibel Island and attracts thousands of visitors every single year.

But below the surface lies a creature that secretly makes it a quirky Southwest Florida attraction.

The pistol shrimp at J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge don’t seem all that special at first. As a matter of fact, unless you’re looking for them, you might not even realize they’re there. Instead, you might just hear a bit of crackling. That’s the pistol shrimp snapping their claws together.

But a sound isn’t all that this claw clicking produces. It also produces small bubbles that are nearly 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit when they pop! And if that weren’t enough to stun you, these bubbles actually create bursts of bioluminescent light.

So if you’re planning a visit here, be sure and keep an ear and eye out for them. Against the peaceful silence of your kayak trip, their unique sound and bioluminescent beauty makes this one of the most unique things to see on Sanibel Island!

7. Python Hunting in the Everglades

The Everglades is a unique ecosystem filled with some of the coolest wildlife in the state. With alligators, Florida panthers, manatees, and more, the Everglades serve as a home for thousands of amazing creatures.

Unfortunately, there are a few invasive species that harm the native species of the Everglades, most notably the destructive Burmese pythons.

To help reduce the Burmese python problem, Florida promotes python hunting through The Florida Python Challenge. These challenges typically take place in both the summer and the winter. As a matter of fact, you can actually win cash prizes for helping to catch these non-venomous constrictor snakes.

>>> If your idea of an Everglades wildlife tour is more dolphins and birds than pythons, you’ll love this

2-Hour Everglades National Park tour with Everglades Area Tours as much as we did! <<<

8. Dome Houses in Cape Romano

Marco Island - GPS coordinates: 25.8453° N, 81.6811° W

UPDATE: Sadly, the dome houses at Cape Romano were knocked down during Hurricane Ian in September 2022, though you can see the tops at low tide, and can still boat around them.

Whether you’re hoping to find Florida’s version of Bigfoot or capture Burmese pythons in the Everglades, these unusual and weird Florida sites and attractions on the southwest coast won’t disappoint and actually, some of them are just downright cool to see.

In 1981, Bob Lee, a retired oil producer, decided he wanted an innovative vacation home for him and his family on the southern tip of Marco Island. One of the most noteworthy features of this home were the concrete dome structures, which collected rainwater from the rooftops for showering and cooking.

Sounds like an interesting idea in this salty environment in the Ten Thousand Islands, right? Concrete built on sand? On second thought…

Unfortunately, the hurricanes and erosions of Southwest Florida were just too much for this one-of-a-kind home. Over time (short time at that), this extravagant home slipped under the ocean waves until just the dome-shaped rooftops remained above the surface.

Today, the structures sit around 150 feet offshore, a testament to the alarming rising sea levels. The houses are long abandoned, but you can take one of these Marco Island boat tours that go out there. Or kayak out to see them, as the site now serves as an unofficial bird and marine life sanctuary.

However you see them, go soon — sea levels continue to rise and they may not be around in another 10 or 15 years!

>>> Take this Shelling and Sightseeing tour from Marco Island to Cape Romano — it’s one of the top rated tours on Viator! <<<

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