As the summer begins to get closer to its end, we're thinking about all the experiences that we've been adding to our bucket list to explore. While you still have free time, it might be time to gas up the car, grab your BFFs and take a bucket list trip through the Sunshine State. On this list, you'll find historic cities, haunted halls, sweets & booze, and some of the coolest experiences with nature you could possibly imagine. Get ready to update your bucket list with these 13 bucket list things to do in Florida this August. Rent a Vintage Van for Your Road Trip Price: $700 for 3 days and 2 nights - includes taxes, fees, vehicle prep, checkout, liability insurance, and 100 free miles. Additional nights can be added for $250/night, including an extra 50 miles. Address: 6330 46th St N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781 Hours: Business hours are by appointment only. Availability for each van is subject to change, depending on other bookings, and can be obtained by filling out their availability form, here. Why you need to go: If you want to turn your summer bucket list into a bucket list road trip with your BFFs, you just gotta rent one of these bad-boys! You'll be hitting up all the coolest destinations in style ~ The top pops up for that cool camping feel with some creature comforts like a bed and stove to cook a meal. Florida Oldscool Campers website Go to Tarpon Spring's Free Hippie Fest When: Saturday, August, 10th 2pm-10pm Where: Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks - 735 Dodecanese Blvd, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 Price: FREE - any money you decide to spend will be on vendors and food trucks or shops on the Sponge Docks. Why you should go: A free hippie festival reminiscent of Woodstock and UC Berkely. Enjoy food trucks, live entertainment, street performers, contests, prizes, arts and crafts, music and a 70's bus rally. You can also visit all the attractions, shops, and dining along the waterfront at the World Famous Sponge Docks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by abbeyfessler (@abbeyfess) on Aug 15, 2015 at 5:14pm PDT website Try a Donut & Beer Pairing at Orlando Brewing Price: $20/per person When: Every 3rd Wednesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The next one will be on Wednesday, August 21st. Where: Orlando Brewing - 1301 Atlanta Ave. Orlando, FL 32806 Why you should go: Get four 5-ounce craft beers and four delectable donuts for only $20 - each is organic and crafted especially for the pairing with complimentary flavors; Get tipsy and indulge your sweet tooth all in one go. Great value for the price, and a super unique tasting event. View this post on Instagram PSA: @orlan_dough will be sharing #gameofthrones inspired donuts at a pop-up this sunday, and they’re all amazing. the “mother of dragons” donut even has a chocolate prosecco dragon egg on top! 🐉⠀ ⠀ if you haven’t signed up to do the monthly pairing between @orlan_dough and @orlando_brewing, you’re seriously missing out! which pairing here do you want to try the most? A post shared by Orlando Food (@thehungriestplaceonearth) on May 18, 2019 at 8:58am PDT website Visit a Hidden Fairytale Inspired Cottage in the Woods Price: Free - donations are welcome. Hours: Dawn until dusk; you just park at the end of the trail and walk up to the cabin through the woods. Address: 1401 High Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32304 Why you need to go: This beautiful little place is hidden just a few blocks from Florida State University's main campus that you have to check out; it gives all those fairy tale cottage vibes situated on over 3 acres of land - it even has a Shakesperian Garden and giant oak. View this post on Instagram Lychgate : a roofed gate in a churchyard under which a corpse rests during the initial part of the burial service 🐇 A post shared by 𝓛𝓮 𝓟𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓾𝓻 (@le.passeur) on Apr 23, 2019 at 1:50pm PDT Website Explore Historic St. Augustine Price: will vary depending on what all you decide to do during your visit Where: St. Augustine, Florida Why you need to go: Tons of old Spanish architecture that will make you feel like you're in another country. Explore the city taking in the sights and find hidden gems, especially on the historic St. George Street - enjoy gourmet food and coffee at an adorable hut, get a massive milkshake at The Sweet Spot, or oggle-the-odd at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. Visit an old wooden schoolhouse, military fort, the Flagler College, Lightner Museum, and so much more - a historical treasure trove. View this post on Instagram Impromotu getaway trip to St. Augustine, FL ☀️ First stop at the Lightner Museum, warranted a little freshening-up 💦💦 . . . . . . . . . . . . #StAugustine #Florida #VisitFlorida #SaintAugustine #SummerTime #Getaway #HistoricCoast #LoveFL #ThingsToDoInSaintAugustine #CentralFlorida #LightnerMuseum #OldTown #LetsGoEverywhere #GirlsTopTravel #DarlingEscapes #TravelingWomen_ #GirlAroundWorld #WellTravelled #TravelFlorida #travelingdoctor A post shared by Danni | Traveling MD ✨ (@niellasbucketlist) on Jul 19, 2019 at 8:19am PDT website Take a Ghost Tour of the Haunted St. Aug Lighthouse Price: $25 for a standard Ghost Tour$50 for an Investigation Only Tour Address: 81 Lighthouse Avenue; use 100 Red Cox Road St. Augustine, FL 32080 for GPS. Hours: Tour times are generally between 9 and 10:30 pm for start time. You'll get to choose your time slot when purchasing your ticket. General hours are 9am-7pm daily. Why you need to go: A spooky tour through one of St. Augustine's allegedly most haunted locations, confirmed haunted by Ghost Hunters (T.A.P.S) on Sy-Fy. Whether you're a skeptic looking to investigate first hand or are simply fascinated by the paranormal, the Dark of the Moon tour will get your heart racing. View this post on Instagram Lighthouse reflections A post shared by Eastcoastgreens (@eastcoastgreens) on Dec 16, 2018 at 3:35pm PST websiteYou can purchase tickets here Touch the Jellyfish at this Aquarium Price: varies a little depending on the day - the price stays around the $30/adult mark for single-day admittance. Address: The Florida Aquarium - 701 Channelside Drive Tampa, Florida 33602 Hours: Open daily - 9:30 am-5pmClosed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day Why you need to go: Experience a creature you probably never have up close and personal. Touch the jellyfish in the touch tank or admire them as they float gracefully in a lighted tank, and learn more about them and their surprising survivability. Of course, you can explore the rest of the aquarium too - the Shark Exhibit is a fan fave. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝑳𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒐 (@lizettecalvillo) on Jul 21, 2019 at 12:13pm PDT WebsiteAdmission tickets can be purchased online here. Feed and Pet the Sloths (or Rhinos) at Busch Gardens Tampa Price: Base park admission$59.99 for the animal encounter - must have base park admission. They're known to offer great ticket deals, so always keep an eye out. Hours: 10am-10pm, 7 days a week. Address: 10165 McKinley Dr, Tampa, FL 33612 Why you need to go: Get a chance to pet and feed adorable sloths or rhinos up close while learning more about them and their care in one of Busch Gardens new animal encounters! Of course, you'll also have base park admission, so you can have yourself a full theme park day after your experience with the sloths. We still need to ride the Tigris! Busch Gardens Tampa website Take A Magical Horseback Ride Through The Florida Wilderness Price: $50 for a 45-minute tour through some of Florida's most lush, diverse, and untouched landscape. Location: Forever Florida - 4755 N. Kenansville Road, St. Cloud, Florida 34773 Hours: Horseback tours can be scheduled at 9am, 11am, and 2pm; Forever Florida's park hours are 8:30am-5pm daily Why you need to go: A stunning ride through the most scenic sights that Florida has to offer on Forever Florida's Allen Broussard Conservancy. Great for riders of all experience level, as you mosey through the forest trails, fields, and water. This relaxing and raw excursion will also get nature lovers up close and personal with gentle cracker horses. You can also be a cowboy for a day here! View this post on Instagram Exploring Florida's nature 🐴🌿🍃 A post shared by Luis (@luis_riv) on Jul 20, 2017 at 9:37am PDT website Ride The Only Zipline Roller Coaster In The U.S. Price: $80/person for 3 separate zipline adventures including the coaster, 45-foot free drop, and the Peregrine Plunge zipline. Minimum of 2 people per tour. Location: 4755 N Kenansville Rd, St Cloud, FL 34773 Hours: Forever Florida park hours are 8:30am-5pm daily; you book your zip coaster ride in an available timeslot online through the website. Why you need to go: It's the only zip-line roller coaster in the entire U.S., and it will fill your need for speed! You'll soar through the Florida tree-tops at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, with nothing between you and nature as you suspend almost 80 ft in the air and plummet down the tracks many dips. View this post on Instagram Some weekends are just better than others! 📸: @tony_sarria . . . . . . . . #anniversarygetaway #anniversaryweekend #foreverflorida #igers_orlando #zipline #ziplining #treetopzipline #ziplinerollercoaster #countryliving #lovefl #floridaadventuregroup #liveagreatstory #adventureawaits #floridafeautres A post shared by @ the0thers1de on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:28am PDT website Swim, Snorkel, or Dive with the Devil Price: Monday - Friday: $15.00/personSaturday, Sunday, & Holidays: $20.00/person Admission fee does not include mask, snorkel, and fins which are required - snorkel equipment is $10.00/person and includes Mask, Snorkel, & Fins. Location: Devil's Den Prehistoric Spring - 5390 NE 180th Ave Williston, FL 32696 Hours: Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday-Sunday 8am-5pm; last water entry 1-hour before close. Why you need to go: Swim in the historic underground spring; Admire amazing rock formations, snorkel the depths, and look up to the sky through the nature skylight formed in the rock at the top. A beautiful and unique place you have to visit at least once in your life! View this post on Instagram Sezona godisnjih odmora je pred nama. Ekipa Chicago Glasnika spremila je za vas nekoliko interesantnih destinacija za odmor. Velika vecina nasih sunarodnika najcesce odmara na Floridi pa cemo vam iz tog razloga predstaviti neka nova mesta za koja verovatno do sada niste culi.#chicagoglasnik#chicagoserbs #cikago #čikago #devilsdenflorida #floridavacation #chicagovacation A post shared by Chicago Glasnik (@chicagoglasnik) on Jul 18, 2019 at 8:27am PDT website Swim in Florida's Clearest Spring Price: $5.50/person day-use fee; If you're camping out, the average campsite plot is only $21/night here. Address: Alexander Springs Recreational Area - 49525 County Road 445 Altoona, Fl 32702 Hours: 8am-6pm 7 days a week, unless you're camping out here that is. Why you need to go: Florida's clearest spring due to being a 1st magnitude spring - the best underground stream-fed spring with the clearest water for snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, and the most gorgeous (and clear) underwater shots imaginable. A deep blue dream perfect for keeping cool this summer. View this post on Instagram Find you a place to stretch out and let your hair down ❤️ . . . . #underwater #wildwoman #naturegirl #swim #lovefl #springs #flsprings #dive #flstateparks #bikinilife #explore #chill #wanderlust #gopro #mermaid #underwaterphotography #pureflorida #fit #nature #intothewild #getoutside #optousidefl #adventure #goodvibes #lifeisgood #florida #floridalife #landscapephotography #solo A post shared by Brandy Clark (@brandyland80) on Apr 15, 2019 at 5:16pm PDT website Take an Underwater Alligator Tour with Crocodile Chris Price: Varies depending on what all you want out of your tour; email chrisgillettewildlife@gmail.com for booking and a quote. Address: The Everglades Outpost - 35601 SW 192nd Ave, Homestead, FL 33034 Hours: Tour time will vary depending on when booked; The Everglades Outpost is open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm or 10am-6pm on Sat & Sun. Why you need to go: The experience of a lifetime swimming up close and personal with Casper, a gator Christopher Gillette, aka Gatorboy_Chris on Insta, has worked with for years and knows well; Gillette will be with you the whole time for safety, as well as take photos for you if you'd like. View this post on Instagram Casper looking like Godzilla on one of my underwater gator tours. Checkout little Helen watching Casper as he floats by. If you’re interested, I’ve got spots open for this coming Friday/Saturday still! If you want to meet Casper and join us for a swim, the next available dates I will be running underwater gator tours March 15, 16, 29, and April 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20. I offer these tours for people to be able to enjoy and experience being in the water with gators or to get their own underwater photos/footage or pickup the photo package I offer. The tour appeals to adventurers and animal lovers who just want to check out the gators too, and I offer to shoot my own photo package for them as well. If you want to come join me on a dive with Casper and meet him shoot me an email and I’ll send info on details/pricing(can vary, so email only for pricing!) ChrisGilletteWildlife@gmail.com Let me know if you want to go!! Share the water with alligators in a safe and controlled environment! This is done safely at the Everglades Outpost Wildlife Rescue in Homestead, Fl. You get to swim with the gators and take photos, gator selfies, or I can get shots of you swimming with gators. It is for people of any skill level, you don’t have to be scuba certified, just have an interest in wildlife! This is a no contact experience! Observation and photos only at the @evergladesoutpost Mask by @cressi1946 #underwaterphotography #uwphotography #gator #alligator #everglades #florida #southflorida #adventure #coexist #respect #reptile #adventure #floridalife #southflorida #mia A post shared by Christopher Gillette (@gatorboys_chris) on Mar 12, 2019 at 9:18am PDT website What are you waiting for? The summer is almost over - add these items to your bucket list and take advantage of your free time to get out and experience some of the most amazing experiences the Sunshine State has to offer. We strongly advise that before you go swimming or visit a potentially hazardous location, you check for the most recent updates on potential hazards, security, water quality, and closures. If you do plan to visit a location, always respect the environment.
