Florida Road Trip: 5 Sights for the Fans of Art and Tech

Florida is a favorite American travel destination. Its endless beaches and hundreds of amusement parks are the main reason to go there. However, Florida is also a great spot for those interested in history, art and technology. 

Are you among them? Then it would be a great idea to rent a car and go on an exciting trip around the Sunshine State. You will find many attractive options scattered throughout Florida, and a rental car is the best way to find them. Here’re some of Florida’s top spots for the fans of art and tech…

Mandarin Museum and Historical Society

The Mandarin Museum is located near Jacksonville. In order to get there, you need to drive your rental car north of Orlando. In fact, this is a whole historical complex placed on the territory of a former farm. During the tour, the guide will tell you about the family of the founder of the farm and show you the most iconic local structures. The buildings are decorated in a rustic 19th century style. Everything looks as if the owners were just there, but left, leaving for the city fair. 

Next, you will see a post office and a store, located in the same building. In the store, you can try yourself as a seller and weigh the fruit on a scale with weights. In addition to the reconstructed buildings, there’s also a real museum. Its exhibits tell the story of the American hinterland. Several exhibits are dedicated to the “Maple Leaf” steamer, which wrecked near these places.

Address: 11964 Mandarin Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32223

Orlando Science Center 

The Orlando Science Center in the USA is a great place for students. With car rental under 21 Florida, you can easily get there even if you are a young traveler. Unlike research institutes, the doors are always open for visitors there. The aim of this project is to show how science and its latest developments are reflected in the daily life of people. 

One of the most interesting parts is the planetarium. Advanced computer graphics and real images of space objects from telescopes and scouts are used to create realistic images. You will have an unforgettable space journey performed as a show. The magnificent panoramas are accompanied by the story of how the universe was formed. You will learn the latest data from scientists in the field of astronomy and open up the broad perspectives of space tourism.

‘Night Adventure’ show is very popular too. It includes an educational tour of the scientific center and a thematic seminar. After the main part, there will be dinner and sleep right in the halls with exhibits. The whole family can go to this exciting event.

Address: 777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803

Sarasota Classic Car Museum 

The Classic Car Museum is one of the centers for collecting vintage cars in the country. It’s located in Sarasota, 58 miles south of Tampa, making a rental car the best way to get there. 

This unique museum has collected classic, exotic and one-of-a-kind cars. Here you will admire 100 years of history in the global automotive industry, starting with the very first cars. All assembled cars have been restored and are in excellent condition. 

The collection includes celebrity cars: Mable Ringling’s Rolls-Royce collection, John Lennon’s Mercedes Benz and Paul McCartney’s Mini Cooper. The souvenir shop sells smaller copies of the legendary cars. Both children and collectors will like them. You can also purchase rare books about cars in the Classic Car Museum.

Address: 5500 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243

Kennedy Space Center 

This is a real flight control center with launching rockets and guided tours for visitors. The space center gives a lot of positive emotions and new knowledge. This is a unique place where you can touch rockets that have been in space with your own hands, and see a real moonstone. Plus, there are regular meetings with real astronauts. 

On the tour, you will learn about the history of US space exploration, as well as familiarize yourself with the work of the mission control center. Also, there’s the opportunity to look inside the Apollo 1 capsule.

Interactive cinema helps to feel like a real astronaut entering orbit. Most of the displayed exhibits are not life-size models, but real rockets. A bus tour of the station includes an inspection of the missile launch site. If you are lucky, you can even see the launch itself.

Address: Florida 32899

Orlando Museum of Art

Orlando Museum of Art is another great place to drive your rental car. Here you will not only enjoy the masterpieces of art, but also learn how to create them yourself. The collection contains works of art by the peoples inhabiting the United States. The collection of African costumes is interesting in terms of national dress. 

Each piece of clothing is not made by chance, but designed to inform the social status or position of the wearer. So, a girl for marriage has one suit, while a married lady has a completely different one. The American part contains canvases of artists from the formation of America to the present day. 

This exhibition is on permanent display. All the main directions are reflected there: realistic painting, modernism and abstractionism, which appeared after World War II. The collection of antiquities of the indigenous peoples of America is also very interesting. It provides ceramics, stone products, and jewelry made of precious metals. A special place is occupied by funeral dresses, which have been very well preserved to this day.

Address: 2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803