Skip to Main Content

Estero, Florida: Failed Hollow Earth Utopia

The people who lived at The Koreshan Unity knew that the Earth is hollow and that we all live inside it.

Visitor Tips and News About Failed Hollow Earth Utopia

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Theoretical Tootsie Pop Utopia

Koreshan State Park, south of Fort Myers (on the Gulf Coast), Florida, was the site of a religious commune started back in the late 1800's by a physician named Dr. Cyrus Teed. Dr. Teed was a very religious man, who went by the name "Koresh", which is (I believe) a transliteration into Hebrew of his first name.

His colony was into a sort of communal agricultural lifestyle, but the best part is that the people of "Koreshan", believed that the sun was inside the hollow sphere of the earth. Like the chocolate center in a tootsie pop. They developed some rather unique "experiments" to evaluate their philosophy's central concept. The park replicates these experiments, and has an original copy of the model they used to explain their cosmological views to the uninitiated.

[Dave Tomasko, 12/10/1997]

One of many "Dopey Utopias" around the US, Estero, FL was to be the capital city -- a New Jerusalem -- of the Koreshan philosophy. Koresh was buried in an elaborate vault there, but it was washed away by storms. We have a note that the Koreshan Unity Festival is during the second week of April.

Failed Hollow Earth Utopia

Koreshan Unity Settlement State Historic Site

Address:
3800 Corkscrew Rd, Estero, FL
Directions:
Koreshan Unity Settlement State Historic Site. I-75 exit 123. West on Corkscrew Rd two miles. Entrance to the park is just west of US 41.
Hours:
Daily 8-5. Exhibit open weekends only. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
239-992-0311
Admission:
$5 per car
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Giant Head of BeethovenGiant Head of Beethoven, Fort Myers, FL - 3 mi.
Wonder GardensWonder Gardens, Bonita Springs, FL - 6 mi.
Man on a HoopMan on a Hoop, Bonita Springs, FL - 7 mi.
In the region:
Iwo Jima Statue, Cape Coral, FL - 14 mi.

Latest Tips Across Roadside America

Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.

Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!

Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Save Cool Vacation Destinations! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Florida Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

Great American Alligator Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana (May 13-19, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings