The Florida Adventure List: Volume I

Given the fun that Jen and I had creating and exploring our Chicago Bucket List, we decided to create a new one upon our arrival in Florida. Even though we initially called it our Tampa Adventure List, it actually took us all over the state, from Key West up to Saint Augustine and plenty of places in between, which has led me to refer to it more broadly now as the first volume of our Florida Adventure List. It was ambitious, but after just over two years, we're down to the last handful of items and have already begun a second volume. Here's how Volume I looked when we started it:

Here's a list of the items we've completed:

• Item #1: The Henry B. Plant Museum - What was once the Tampa Bay Hotel is today part of the University of Tampa and a museum which shows the city's transformation.
• Item #2: Gravity Research Foundation Monument - one of a dozen such markers at college campuses throughout the eastern U.S. highlighting Roger Babson's battle against gravity.
• Item #3: Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens
• Item #4: Epcot - did you know that's actually an acronym for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow? In terms of iconic Florida images, next to dolphins and palm trees, the golf ball shaped "Spaceship Earth" is probably second only to...
• Item #5: The Magic Kingdom. Or, as I sometimes refer to it, "Shrine of the Mouse God." I'm not complaining though, I've happily paid and prayed at that alter many times since becoming a Florida resident, and I'm sure I will do so a great many times more.
• Item #6: Universal Orlando. We were there just time for their "Halloween Horror Nights," which are impressive enough to warrant the lines.
• Item #7: Airstream Ranch. Essentially RV installation artwork. It has since been removed, but I understand that it may be replaced with an Airstream museum.
• Item #8: Dysfunctional Grace Art Co. Taxidermy, surgical antiquities and occult collectibles. Warning, the stuffed kitten on display might make you cry. I'm not saying that happened to me. I'm just saying that, theoretically, if it did, it would be understandable.
• Item #9: Hong Kong Willie. The beach version of an outsider and recycled art park.
• Item #10: Hindu Temple of Florida. One of Florida's many remarkable architectural sites and, conveniently, the one that happens to be closest to where Jen and I live.
• Item #11: Parque Amigos de Jose Marti. One of Ybor City's lesser known oddities as I'm pretty sure this is the only spot in the United States where you stand on Cuban soil.
• Item #12: Spook Hill. A gravity hill located in Lake Wales.
• Item #13: Bok Tower Gardens. Home to the most stunningly beautiful carillon tower I've ever seen.
• Item #14: Whimzeyland. A home made into a mosaic and outsider artwork.
• Item #15: Clearwater Beach.
• Item #16: Big Bend Power Plant Manatee Viewing Center. On the day we went we must have seen as many as 50 sea cows enjoying the warm water discharged by the power plant.
• Item #17: Gibsonton. A town circus and sideshow performers (go watch the old X-files episode "Humbug" for more detail).
• Item #18: The International Independent Showman's Museum. The place where we discovered that Jen suffers from a rather acute case of coulrophobia, and consequently her absolute least favorite thing on this or any of our lists. I thought it was pretty neat though.
• Item #19: Hand Rolled Cigar. While Ybor City would have been the obvious place for this, I actually had one at Cuban Paradise in Madeira Beach.
• Item #20: Tampa Bay Lightning Game.
• Item #21: Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe. Great food somehow tastes even better while sitting across from a whole wall of Elvis, Howard Finster artworks and a two-headed alligator.
• Item #22: Weeki Wachee. Nothing says Florida quite like the live mermaid shows.
• Item #23: SS American Victory Mariner's Museum. One of only three still operable Victory class ships in the US.
• Item #24: The Dali Museum. We've been here now a few times, but the Frida Kahlo exhibit has been our favorite.
• Item #25: Cleanse Apothecary. Jen loves apothecaries and frankly, after the International Independent Showman's Museum, she earned it.
• Item #26: Gasparilla Festival. It's pretty much a pirate version of Mardi Gras complete with floats, beads and plenty of rum. For our first experience we had the good fortune of getting an invite to the pirate breakfast at the yacht club before they boarded their ship to "invade" Tampa.
• Item #27: Columbia Restaurant. Florida's oldest restaurant and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world, according to their website. It has become our favorite special occasion dining spot.
• Item #28: Tampa Bay History Center.
• Item #29: Jack Kerouac House. This brought me back to my late teen Beat Generation fixation.
• Item #30: St. Augustine. The oldest continually-occupied city in the United States is so wonderfully weird in all the best ways. There's so much to check out here that we created a St.Augustine Adventure List.
• Item #31: Church by the Sea. Also known as the Chicken Church. You can see my Atlas Obscura entry for more information.
• Item #32: The World's Largest Shuffleboard Club.
• Item #33: The Ringling Museum. Actually, there are multiple museums housed here, each of which is worth a visit.

• Item #34: St. Armands Circle. In recognition of Jen's fond childhood memories of Sarasota.
• Item #35: Plant City Strawberry Festival.
• Item #36: Old Tampa Book Company
• Item #37: Lowry Park Zoo.
• Item #38: Oaklawn Cemetery. Tampa's oldest public cemetery is home to veterans for 14 different wars, pioneer priests, pirates, yellow fever victims, Tampa's first Mayor, and much else.
• Item #39: The Sponge Docks.
• Item #40: Fantasy of Flight. The world's largest private aircraft collection.
• Item #41: Shell Factory and Nature Park.
• Item #42: Venice Beach.
• Item #43: Harry P. Leu Gardens.
• Item #44: Monument of States.
• Item #45: Big Cat Rescue.
• Item #46: Fort De Soto.
• Item #47: Skunk Ape Research Center
• Item #48: Ochopee Post Office. The smallest post office in the US.
• Item #49: Key West. Like St. Augustine, there was so much to see and do that this item also got it's own smaller adventure list.
• Item #50: Key Lime Pie. The Keys seemed the ideal place for this item - we had a slice at Blue Heaven and were not disappointed.
• Item #51: Ed Leedskalnin's Coral Castle.
• Item #52: Toss for the Cross.
• Item #53: Museum of Science and Industry. This one was a bit of a let down - I think the Museum of  Science  and Industry in Chicago has set my expectations perhaps unfairly high.
• Item #54: Tampa Bay Ballet. Just as my former life in Chicago led me to disappointment with Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry, Jen's reaction to this item was "the Joffrey it is not."
• Item #55: De Soto National Memorial. To be clear this is different than Fort De Soto.
• Item #56: The Sea Hagg. You can see my write up on it here.
• Item #57: Sea World.
• Item #58: Phoenix Glass Studio.
• Item #59: Canoe the Hillsborough River. Technically we were in a kayak, but I think it fulfills the spirit of this item.
• Item #60: Angel's Diner. The oldest diner in the state of Florida.
• Item #61: Caladesi Island.
• Item #62: Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.
• Item #63: Cassadaga.
• Item #64: Captain Memo's Pirate Cruise. Cheesy, but fun.
• Item #65: Tupperware World Headquarters Museum.

We've still got six items left on the list, but I think we'll be able to knock them out in 2019:

• Item #66: Wandering Eye Art Gallery. Even though it's closed, from time to time they do have shows.
• Item #67: Daytona Drive-In Church.
• Item #68: Bern's. Tampa's most famous steak house.
• Item #69: Drive-In Movie Theatre
• Item #70: OJ Tour.
• Item #71: Shuttle Launch. Or rocket - I think shuttle implies a manned craft. This is the one that I'm most looking forward to.