Local drag racer Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits won 144 national events and 17 World Championship titles, shattering numerous records in hand-built breakneck speedsters along the way. In his Museum of Drag Racing, you'll find engine collections and an impressive lineup of dragsters, including Garlits' custom-designed 'swamp rats.' The adjacent Antique Building, also known as the Museum of Classic Cars (10am to 4pm daily), houses Don's impressive attic of automobiles, including the two-toned 1950 Mercury driven by the Fonz in Happy Days.
Don Garlits Museums
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
28.18 MILES
The winter home of nearly 20% of Florida's West Indian manatee population, this wildlife refuge protects almost the whole of Kings Bay. Up to 800 of these…
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13.76 MILES
This state park was once an amusement park – glass-bottomed boats were invented here in 1878 to show visitors the natural springs and stunningly clear…
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29.05 MILES
The second-largest nationally protected forest in the state of Florida, Ocala National Forest is a treasure to be savored. Hidden within 607 square miles…
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27.92 MILES
One of the newer attractions in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is Three Sisters Springs, which contains 57 acres of wildlife flanked by a…
Nearby attractions
13.76 MILES
This state park was once an amusement park – glass-bottomed boats were invented here in 1878 to show visitors the natural springs and stunningly clear…
27.92 MILES
One of the newer attractions in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is Three Sisters Springs, which contains 57 acres of wildlife flanked by a…
3. Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
28.18 MILES
The winter home of nearly 20% of Florida's West Indian manatee population, this wildlife refuge protects almost the whole of Kings Bay. Up to 800 of these…
29.05 MILES
The second-largest nationally protected forest in the state of Florida, Ocala National Forest is a treasure to be savored. Hidden within 607 square miles…