There’s something about finding a place that’s a little off the beaten path but a true gem — the kind of place you want to tell your friends all about.
In a recent ranking put out by the website WorldAtlas, two communities in Flagler County made the list of “8 Quirkiest Florida Towns You Didn’t Know Existed.”
Flagler Beach among Florida’s quirkiest towns
Flagler Beach is an interesting study in contrasts — both a sleepy beach town and a go-to destination for surfing fanatics. One of the features that makes Flagler Beach unique is its copper-tinted sand, the result of coquina bedrock ground down for hundreds of years. A familiar site to locals are the pirate statues perched over the high railing of one oceanfront home as if keeping watch over beachgoers.
The walkable little town along scenic Scenic Road A1A, now referred to as Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, is a cozy combination of quirky restaurants (including the oceanfront Funky Pelican where you can leave your mark on a colorful chalkboard), bars, mom-and-pop hotels and boardwalk-type favorites like pizza-by-the-slice and ice cream joints.
Of course, Flagler Beach’s pier and historic A-frame structure entrance (soon undergoing reconstruction) are iconic, and if you’re looking for a place to spend the night you can’t get much more unusual than the Si Como No Inn, a retro motor lodge painted in a rainbow of colors and featuring tree-hung hammocks.
Marineland also makes list of Florida’s quirkiest towns
Marineland is home to just nine residents, according to the most recent census data from 2024. Of those nine, three are part of the governing body of Marineland: a mayor, vice mayor and commissioner.
But the town is nostalgic to so many who may have visited Marineland as a kid. Its main attraction, now called Marineland Dolphin Adventure, first opened in 1938 as an aquatic backdrop to such cult movie classics as “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954), “Revenge of the Creature” (1955) and “Blood Waters of Dr. Z” (1975). Visit the museum and you can see film posters and other memorabilia from the site’s cinematic history.
These days, Marineland aims to be a champion of marine wildlife conservation in Florida with a sea turtle hospital that helps injured turtles and other water species.
Nature lovers will enjoy the town’s wildlife and protected estuaries, kayaking on the Matanzas River, eco-tours and the tiny town’s small seaside.
What other towns in Flagler, Volusia might be considered quirky?
Even though they didn’t make the list, we think there are a few other towns within the greater Daytona Beach area that could qualify as eclectic and worthy destinations in their own right.
What other Florida towns made the WorldAtlas quirkiest list?
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Where are Florida’s ‘quirkiest’ towns? Here’s a hint: 2 are in Flagler County
Reporting by Colleen Michele Jones, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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