By Jodi Mailander Farrell
There are unforgettable natural and manmade landmarks throughout Florida for epic Florida selfies. Just bring your smiling face.
“Welcome to Florida” state sign at Florida Welcome Centers on I-10 west of Pensacola, I-75 at Jennings near Lake City and I-95 north of Yulee near Jacksonville.
Flora-Bama Lounge and Package, 17401 Perdido Key Dr., Pensacola. The honky-tonk beach bar and Gulf Coast landmark straddles the Florida-Alabama border and has been memorialized in songs by Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney.
Weeki Wachee Mermaid Show, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, 6131 Commercial Way, Spring Hill. Snap yourself with one of the legendary sirens from inside the famous 1941 park’s underwater theater.
Florida Theatre, 128 E Forsyth St, Jacksonville. The 1927 Mediterranean Revival movie palace, now an arts and music venue, is one of only four high-style movie halls from the era still operating in Florida.
Bridge of Lions, 20 Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine. The 1926 double leaf, drawback bascule bridge, along with the pair of marble Medici lions that guard it, is visible in almost every view of the historic city’s skyline.
Cinderella Castle at Disney’s Magic Kingdom park, 1180 Seven Seas Dr., Lake Buena Vista. A Main Street selfie in front of one of Florida’s most recognizable homes is a must. Note: Walt Disney World Resort rules ban selfie sticks.
Diagon Alley at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter inside Universal Orlando, 6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando. Be a total muggle and pose with Gringotts dragon looming overhead. Note: Florida Selfie sticks are allowed here, but not on rides.
Daytona Beach Pier, 1200 Main St., Daytona Beach. Take a break from the Boardwalk rides to snap a selfie in front of Daytona’s most recognizable landmark and the longest pier on the U.S. East Coast.
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, 4931 S. Peninsula Dr., Ponce Inlet. As Florida’s tallest lighthouse, the 1880s brick-and-granite tower is one of the best-preserved and most authentic historic light stations in the nation.
NASA’s historic Countdown Clock, State Road 405, Titusville. Retired in 2014, the clock is at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex entrance. Dubbed one of the most watched clocks in the world, it ticked down manned blastoffs, from the Apollo 12 moon-landing mission in 1969 to the final shuttle mission liftoff in 2011.
Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Interstate-275 (U.S. 19), Tampa. Rated by the Travel Channel as one of the “Top 10 Bridges” in the world, the steel-and-concrete structure spans Tampa Bay. Best views can be seen from Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, 4905 34th St. South, St. Petersburg, or Fort De Soto Park, 3500 Pinellas Bayway St. South, Tierra Verde.
Dali’s mustache, The Dali Museum, 1 Dali Blvd., St. Petersburg. A giant sculpture of Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali’s iconic whiskers is camera-ready in the gardens outside his namesake museum.
Naples Pier, 25 12th Ave. South, Naples. Sunset selfies are best from this historic pier on the Gulf of America.
South Beach thermometer, Art Deco Welcome Center, 1001 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach. Mark the date, time and temperature of your visit at this historic Art Deco landmark.
Christ of the Deep, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, 102601 Overseas Hwy., Key Largo. Snorkelers and scuba divers will want to take an underwater shot with the statue that rests in 20 feet of water in the first undersea park in the United States.
Southernmost Point Buoy, corner of South Street and Whitehead Street, Key West. One of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West, the anchored concrete buoy, erected in 1983, marks one of the extreme points of the United States.
