Let me tell you about the time my wife casually turned a normal "drop our daughter off at college"…read moretrip into what felt like a deleted scene from a survival movie... destination: Solomon's Castle in the absolute middle of nowhere. And when I say nowhere, I mean NOWHERE. I'm driving waiting for streetlights... nothing. Gas stations? Nope. People? Questionable. Cows? Plenty. Motorcycles flying by like we accidentally entered a post-apocalyptic biker convention? Oh yeah. At this point, I'm looking at my wife like, Babé are we visiting a castle or auditioning for The Walking Dead: Florida Edition?" Then suddenly... BOOM. Out of nowhere... like a mirage built by a very creative pirate appears this shiny, aluminum-covered CASTLE. Now I'm confused. Because one minute I'm dodging cows... and the next minute I'm like: Did we just teleport to medieval times sponsored by Home Depot? But here's the thing this place is AMAZING. Inside? Pure genius. Art everywhere. Sculptures made out of stuff you probably threw away last week. It's like if creativity, humor, and a junkyard had a baby and that baby became a castle. And then there's the restaurant. Yes. A restaurant. Inside a boat. Inside a castle. In the middle of nowhere. At this point, I've stopped asking questions and just accepted that I'm in someone else's dream. If you want the backstory, go ahead and Google it because it's wild. But honestly, just go. Don't overthink it. Would I have ever planned this stop? Absolutely not. Did my wife once again prove she's the CEO of random but incredible detours? 100%. Final verdict: Unexpected Slightly suspicious drive in Completely worth it If you're ever near Ona, Florida--or even if you're not take the detour. Just make sure your gas tank is full... and maybe say a quick prayer once the streetlights disappear

On our drive from St Augustine to Tampa, we made reservations to see Solomon's Castle in the middle…read moreof nowhere on beautiful land here in Florida. This castle was built by Howard Solomon, a high school dropout, with his bare hands and his own designs with whatever scraps of metal he could find or that were donated to him by others. He had friends and neighbors who helped him build. He built vertically because his land was more narrow than wide. So there are stairs to climb. Everything including his unusual artwork inside the Castle was donated or built by Solomon. He also had a 1930s collection of cars and trucks that are displayed at the Castle. His personal story is very interesting which will be told during the tour. Visitors are not allowed to photograph the auto collection nor anything inside the Castle. There is no cell service/wifi there on the property. They do not use computers so everything is paid by cash: the tickets (we paid about $40 in cash for the castle tour and the classic car tour), the food, and souvenirs. They are dog-on-leash friendly, which is nice. The staff is very welcoming and fun to interact with! The tour is very interesting with funny jokes thrown in. Food is served on the boat and reviewers have been favorable about the meals offered. Remember, it is cash only. Parking is free and at the entrance before you get to the Castle. Wear comfortable shoes. I was happy that we got to do the tour. I don't know that I would go back because it is so out of the way but it was worth the trip.

This was one of the highlights of our trip. Even though we were here during the high water season…read more(fewer alligators) we still saw a ton of smaller gators. Our airboat captain was a creole guy with a great personality and very accommodating. He was very laid back and we were allowed to take our own cooler and drinks (including alcoholic drinks). It was a little pricy but still worth it. I want to go back and hope to see some huge gators sunning, but even if you're here during the summer it's still worth it. They also have a little "zoo" area that you can walk through and see their alligators, and they have one in the office that you can hold.

The guide did a great job of pointing out the wildlife and allowing us ample time to get pictures…read moreand view the animals. We saw so many gators!!!

Lots of fun for a work outing. Worth the $$ Captain Mike was…read morefunny & informative. Boat ride lasted about an hour & we saw over a dozen alligators. Definitely have food at restaurant before you leave !

Mike was an awesome tour guide ! Funny and informative - it was a chilly day but we still saw more…read morethan a dozen gators and some really neat birds . We would definitely go again !

So impressive from the moment you called to make a reservation, clear instructions on where to…read moremeet. The captain of the Airboat showed up on time very pleasant great since of humor and filled with knowledge. I have for years been going all the way to the Everglades and only to see maybe one alligator if you're lucky however, on this one there were plentiful we saw at least five. Plus learned so much about the ecosystem and the lifestyles of the alligators. Absolutely amazing company and and highly recommend.

We had a great time on the Peace River and saw an abundance of alligators. Captain Henry was a…read moreknowledgeable guide.

Captain Al is great guy. We really enjoyed our cruise with him. It was a lovely 2 plus hour ride…read morealong the beautiful Peace River.We saw alligators and a variety birds. If you're looking for a pleasant boating adventure with a very nice gentleman, this is your cruise.

Had a beautiful day touring with Captian Al! Great ride and…read moreeven better conversation. Capital was knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife! We loved the dolphins and ALL of the birds in the mangroves! Thank you thank you! This is definitely a recommended excursion for your trip! Thanks from the PA ladies and our sleepy baby girl

Great one hour airboat trip. Our captain Brett ran a fantastic tour. Everything was one time,…read moreclean, safe and fun!

From the owner: We are here to bring you "A True Florida Experience!" Enjoy a Trail ride through Natural Florida…read moreHabitat on one of our beautiful horses. Glide through the waters of the Peace River on one of our airboats, and find new views of Florida wildlife on the top of our Swamp Buggy! Don't Forget to stop in our old style country store to pet the baby alligators, and pick up gifts to take home and share your adventure!

Fun ride and our guide was very knowledgeable. Saw lots of wildlife and learned some new thingsread more

Joy ride on river was thrilling! Wish there was more explanation of river sights and clearer…read moreexplanation about wher the alligator was posing in the reeds.

These guys showed is SO MUCH Hospitality!! Had a blast and saw like 30 gators!! Would definitely…read morerecommend!!

Captain Mike is AWESOME! He's born and raised in the area and is very knowledgeable. We really had…read morethe best time and are so glad we chose him!

We went on a walk-in tour in late March 2019 with our 9 and 11 year old children while on a…read morevacation in Florida. (Mark also offers kayak-in trips as well) In my 11 year old's words, it was "the highlight of his vacation". Mark is an amazing tour guide, a wealth of knowledge, and an amazing personality. We had so much fun on this tour. We met up at a predetermined location in Arcadia, along with two other families, where Mark showed us a few examples of the types of fossils we would be finding and should be looking for. He was very specific that while there was a possibility of finding giant megladon teeth and other awesome finds, they would likely not be what we found that day. After the orientation, we drove about 15 minutes to our dig site. Mark provides the shovels and screens for our fossil digs. We spent 3-4 hours in a shallow river (3-4 ft deep) digging and screening for fossils. The kids' attention was kept for at least two hours before they started chasing minnows and playing in the river. Mark had the families in different areas of the river, and took turns with each group throughout the day to help identify our finds, and to give pointers on where to dig. In the end, we walked away with a few handfuls of fossils, most notably a prehistoric giant armadillo plate, and 4 small shark teeth. Mark is very knowledgeable, and gave us all quite an educational, yet fun experience. We enjoyed chatting with Mark, and learning about his adventures and finds. If you're even considering this trip, do it, I can't recommend it enough. A few tips: - bring a hearty lunch in a cooler, you'll be hungry when you break for lunch. Also bring cold drinks. - wear water shoes, or socks and an old pair of tennis shoes. There's lots of sand and gravel in the river, and they get stuck in sandal type shoes. -don't forget sunscreen! -bring a tube of hand sanitizer for mealtime -bring a change of clothes, you WILL get wet. I wore a swimsuit and shirt. -if you're interested in purchasing on of Mark's books, bring some extra money ($20 each) -don't be shy, ask questions