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Glide through three of Winter Park’s lakes on a pontoon boat for this hour-long tour. Nature-lovers can spot birds such as ospreys and herons. The more materialistic can swoon over huge lake-side mansions, sometimes getting close enough to peek in a window. The architecture of Rollins College, and the secluded feel of the canals, make this tour a popular option for the kitsch-weary.

You can’t miss this attraction from the outside: it looks as though a classical building has landed upside down on top of a warehouse. Inside, there are 85 hands-on exhibits. Highlights include an earthquake simulator; a Bridge of Fire, where you can literally experience the hair-raising effects of 250,000 watts of static electricity; and Virtual Hoops, which uses some of the latest cinema technology to put you on TV to play basketball against one of the NBA’s top players. You can also try Virtual Hang Gliding, which sends you soaring like a bird through the Grand Canyon, and WonderCoaster, which challenges your roller coaster-designing skills and then your nerve to ride your creation in a simulator. WonderWorks also runs a laser-tag venue and a twice-nightly magic show, both of which cost extra.

Gimmicks abound inside this building, which, like Ripley’s, is sinking into the ground, only this time it’s roof first. Inside, there’s an interactive arcade of some mild scientific educational value. Among the more than 85 hands-on activities, the curious can experience an earthquake or virtual hang gliding, and test their reflexes. For simple fun, the huge laser-tag field is a blast.

As the marketing story goes, a tornado picked up this four-story building and sent it crashing upside down on top of a 1930s era brick warehouse. Silly perhaps, but it stops traffic.

The banked turns of this mini coaster are absolutely exhilarating.

Orchids come in a multitude of strange shapes and colors, all of which are on display at this working greenhouse, home to 1,000 of the exotic flowers. Lush paths, serene streams, and the occasional squawk from a parrot offer respite from the busy hubbub of the theme parks.

The Latin heart of Tampa contains the Ybor State Museum, plus trendy art galleries and lively cafés. Take the opportunity to try a Cuban sandwich and strong café cubano , or to salsa and merengue into the small hours in one of the district’s dozen or so clubs.

Zora Neale Hurston earned fame as one of the brightest stars of Harlem’s literary heyday in the 1920 and 1930s. Many of her most famous writings (including the 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God ) reflected life in her hometown of Eatonville, the first incorporated African-American municipality in the USA. The front porches and stores of Eaton-ville, where Zora’s characters lived and spun their tales, have long since disappeared, but she is not forgotten. This museum keeps the writer’s memory alive, with maps for a self-guided walking tour to the remaining literary landmarks of her neighbourhood.