Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Ochopee Post Office, Big Cypress Gallery, and Platt Island. Also, be sure to include Monroe Station in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Big Cypress National Preserve (Florida).
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Ochopee Post Office
The Ochopee Post Office is the smallest post office building in the United States. It is a tiny shed on U.S. Route 41 in Collier County near Ochopee, Florida. It is located about 3 miles east of the intersection of US 41 and State Road 29. Its Zip code is 34141 in Area Code 239, Exchange 695.
The building used to be a storage facility for irrigation pipes of an adjacent tomato farm. It was converted into a post office in 1953, after a fire destroyed Ochopee's previous post office, located in the Gaunt Company Store. The post office is fully functional, serving a three-county area, including the surrounding populations of Miccosukee and Seminole Native Americans. Tour buses often stop at the site and the postal clerk is asked to cancel letters with Ochopee's postmark.
The Wooten family has owned the property since 1992. Its USPS internal site designation is 1842US.[1]
Address: 75 mi west of Miami, Big Cypress National Preserve
Big Cypress Gallery
Museum
Address: 52388 Tamiami Trl E Ochopee, Florida 34141, Big Cypress National Preserve
Platt Island
Island in Collier County, Florida. Platt Island is an archaeological site off Florida State Road 29 in Collier County north of Miles City. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Ceramic fragments dated to about 2500 years old were found at the site, which is in the Big Cypress National Preserve.[2]
Monroe Station
Restaurant. The Monroe Station was a historic gas station, restaurant and bar in Ochopee, Florida. It was located at the junction of Tamiami Trail and Loop Road. On May 11, 2000, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. As of July 29, 2007, it was boarded up and abandoned.
Monroe Station burned to the ground April 9, 2016. It was delisted from the National Register on May 15, 2019.[3]
Deep Lake
Sinkhole in Florida. Deep Lake is a natural sinkhole in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. This 90-foot-deep naturally occurring sinkhole lake is the deepest lake south of Lake Okeechobee, and one of the deepest in the entire state.[4]