If you are ever in Florida (near Miami), and if you are looking for a different and unusual place to visit, then this may just be the place for you. It is castle that was carved out of coral rock as a labor of love by the artist.

The site is called Visit Coral Castle. It was created by one Edward Leedskalnin, who was born in Riga, Latvia in 1887. He was engaged to be married to the love of his life when one day she called it off. Heartbroken and deeply saddened by this tragic loss, he set out on a lifelong quest to create a monument to his lost love that has culminated into one of the world’s most remarkable accomplishments. Ed’s unusual creation is called the Coral Castle, (it was originally called “Rock Gate Park”). Without any outside assistance or large machinery he single-handedly built the Coral Castle. He carved and sculpted over 1,100 tons of coral rock as a testimony to his lost love.

What makes this so unique is that while he was only five feet tall and weighed 100 pounds, he did all of this with only hand tools. He acquired these skills from working in lumber camps and with stone masons in Latvia. The story of how he built this is unknown because he would not tell anyone. He also would not reveal how he moved the entire structure ten miles when he was looking for privacy. Equally astonishing is how he made his money by giving tours, and what happened to the structures after he passed away.

So if you are looking for something to do on the next trip to Florida, this may be it. But you can also experience the gardens by visiting the site online. The Warp-o-Meter gives this site a 7.5 rating.

[tags]warp-o-meter, warped.info, Coral Castle, Edward Leedskalnin, Rock Gate Park, Florida attraction[/tags]