Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower

The Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower is one of the Florida Keys' most wonderfully eccentric landmarks — a wooden tower built in the 1920s with the earnest aim of attracting bats to control the area's notoriously aggressive mosquito population. The scheme never quite worked as planned, but the tower has outlasted its creator to become a roadside curiosity with genuine historical character. Located on Sugarloaf Key between Big Pine Key and Key West, the tower is an easy and free stop on the drive down the Overseas Highway. It's the kind of offbeat attraction that makes exploring the Florida Keys so enjoyable — unexpected, quirky, and completely authentic.