Unusual Florida Holidays

American television teaches us two things about Florida: it's where they keep theme parks and old people. That makes it about perfect for the young, the old, and the easily amused, but if meeting Mickey Mouse isn't your cup of tea and you can't be persuaded to be impressed just because Dexter and CSI: Miami are set in Florida, you might wonder what else the Sunshine State has to offer you. The short answer is: quite a lot.

The long answer involves a puppet show and a power-point presentation, but in the absence of either, rest assured that there's more to this southern state than tourist traps and plastic-styled entertainment. If you're a nature lover, you can't miss a trip to Big Cat Rescue, Gatorland and Butterfly World. After all, lions and crocodiles are badass, and what sort of jaded soul doesn't like butterflies! Get a car hire in Orlando and drive to Ripley's Believe It Or Not Orlando Odditorium, home to the odd, the bizarre and the downright freaky. And if strange and unusual appeal to you, don't miss the chance to visit the Key West Cemetery. Some people may find graveyards morbid, and sure, if you want to look at pretty graves, you're better off in Europe. Still, you got to love a cemetery where tombs have such colourful inscriptions as 'I told you I was sick' and 'Devoted Fan of Julio Iglesias'.

If anyone ever needed an excuse to visit Miami Beach, then a trip to the World Erotic Art Museum will do the trick. If a family trip means you have tiny people following you around all day, then maybe you should leave the WEAM for some other occasion and take a trip with your USA car hire to Dinosaur World instead. If your smart-ass offspring didn't find the Gatorland's crocodiles all that exciting, maybe he'll be more impressed by their pre-historic forefathers (for extra effect, watch Jurassic Park the night before. Particularly effective for kids under the age of 10). Have you ever been to Florida? What are other suggestions of unusual places to visit?