Florida is crowded with offbeat attractions that once drew crowds but now, because of development and big-time theme parks, receive only a trickle of visitors.

We asked Carl Shiver of Florida's Bureau of Historic Preservation Florida is crowded with offbeat attractions that once drew crowds but now, because of development and big-time theme parks, receive only a trickle of visitors.

Louie Favorite/Staff (ENLARGE)

Ron Dutrow of Orlando takes a snapshot at the entrance to Gatorland.

We asked Carl Shiver of Florida's Bureau of Historic Preservation for his pick of sites to see before they vanish forever. They include:

• Silver Springs, Ocala. The 350-acre theme park hits all the major Florida notes: a gator-filled lagoon, an island inhabited by creepy crawlers, a water show with acrobatic nozzles and glass-bottom boat cruises.

• Marineland, St. Augustine. Before SeaWorld and Flipper, there was Marineland and Nellie, the 53-year-old dolphin. The world's first oceanarium, which opened in the 1930s, has dolphin-interaction programs and a conservation center that protects future Flippers.

• Coral Castle, Homestead. Florida has its own Stonehenge-like mystery: How did a 100-pound man named Ed Leedskalnin build a palace out of 1,110 tons of coral? The compound is a study in stone, with the aforementioned sculpted castle, a nine-ton gate, a moon fountain and a heart table.

• Gatorland, Orlando. Despite a recent fire, the gator-mouth entryway • and its kitschy theme park known as the "Alligator Capital of the World" • is still wide open to visitors.

• Historic Bok Sanctuary, Lake Wales. Hear native birds chirp and carillon bells ring at the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed gardens.

• Trapper Nelson Zoo Historic District, Hobe Sound. Though Trapper Nelson is long gone, boats still tie up at his river retreat, which includes a zoo, log cabins and a glimpse at a loner's lifestyle.

Too late for these

According to the Web site LostParks.com, which keeps a tab on the Sunshine State's vanished roadside distractions, "Tourist attractions have a way of springing up on the Florida roadside like wildflowers • or litter: bright, shiny and full of hope to begin with, only to wither and die when they just can't quite sustain the magic."

We asked Lost Parks founder Robert H. Brown for a list of the most popular closed attractions featured on the site, gleaned from the number of page hits and comments he has received. They include:

• Pirates World, Dania. Featured concerts and buccaneer-themed rides. Closed in 1975.

• Circus World, Polk County. Part winter quarters for the Ringling Bros. circus, part theme park with roller coasters and other rides. Closed in 1986.

• Six Gun Territory, Silver Springs. A rootin'-tootin' but ultimately doomed look at the Old West. Closed around 1984.

• Floridaland, Osprey. An all-purpose park, with an Old West town, gardens and porpoises. Closed in the early '70s.

• Stars Hall of Fame, Orlando. A big-budget wax museum with more than 200 figures. Closed in 1984.

• Aquatarium, St. Petersburg Beach. A gulf-front park, replete with trained sea life, that went belly up. Closed in the mid-'70s.

• Cypress Knee Museum, Palmdale. An ode to, according to Lost Parks, those "knobby protuberances that cypress trees grow from their roots up above the surface of the swamp water that often surrounds them." Closed in 2000.

• Masterpiece Gardens, Lake Wales. Built around a mosaic of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," the park featured a few rides, a gator pit and Monkey Island. Closed in 1981.

• Miracle Strip Amusement Park, Panama City. Beachfront icon with Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and requisite roller coasters. Closed in 2004.

• Tragedy in U.S. History Museum, St. Augustine. Morbid collection of doodads scoured from history's dark moments, including Lee Harvey Oswald's bedroom furniture. Closed in 1998.