Florida

The sweltering heat of the Florida sun breaks as a chill runs down your spine. A dark shadow looms from a nearby tourist trap - you didn't expect to find this kind of shade in Florida.

If only there was some sort of travel guide to steer you through the spookier locales. Well, you're in luck. Check in at The Biltmore in Coral Gables to spot the ghost of slain Fatty Walsh roaming the thirteenth floor. Sit down for a meal with the spirit of Ethel Allen at Ashley's Restaurant in Rockledge. Visit haunted graveyards, museums, parks and battlefields. Hear macabre stories of spectral pirates, gangsters, witches and madmen. From phantasmagoric packs of Madam McCoy's girls on Pensacola streets down to the ghostly clacking of Hemingway's typewriter in the Keys, Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz lead brave readers through the darkest locations in the Sunshine State.

Storyteller Caren Neile, PhD, shares myths, legends and folktales that reflect the diversity of characters and cultures that make Florida such a fascinating place.

Florida boasts mysterious tales that stretch back more than twelve thousand years. Dive into the lives of the proud Wakulla Pocahontas and the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge. Meet local lawbreakers like John Ashley, as well as transplants like Ma Barker and Al Capone. Stalk stumpy gators or Hogzilla as they prowl Florida's swamps and suburbs. Discover the quintessential Cracker cowboy and the Barefoot Mailman, plus the origin of names like Boca Raton and Orlando.

The New River winds its way through a mysterious and tumultuous history, from the whirlpools of a legendary birth to banks stained with the blood of a massacre. Long-lost tribes flourished on the bounty of fish from its crystal-clear water and game from its wooded shores, only to succumb to European weapons and disease. They were replaced by Seminoles and runaway slaves, with a few white pioneers seeking opportunity in the new southern frontier. After the Civil War, a trickle of immigrants became a flood of Confederate refugees and northern opportunists. South Florida's destiny was changed forever when inshore transportation evolved from foot and hoof to inland waterway and steel rails. Schemes to "drain the Everglades" turned swamp to subdivisions with the New River at its core. Trace the storied arc of Fort Lauderdale's ancient waterway with author Donn R. Colee Jr.

Shiver with these eerie stories of the Sunshine State after dark.

Surrounded by golden beaches, sparkling Atlantic waters, and palm trees as far as the eye can sea, Florida can give the appearance of a tropical paradise, but the Sunshine State is home to numerous eerie legends and mysterious creatures. From reports of an elusive Skunk Ape skulking around the Everglades, to an uncanny doll said to be cursed with a life of its own sits inside a glass case in the Florida Keys to welcome any tourists brave enough to come near, and even the tale of a man in South Florida who constructed his own castle by ways still unknown. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they uncover the history behind the state's creepies stories and unusual locations.

Millions of people flock to Florida for its beaches and tourist attractions. Most never learn about the strange locations just off the beaten path.

In the beautiful Florida Caverns, a second Rip Van Winkle was woken from one hundred years of sleep. The Green Swamp is home to murders, monsters and mysteries galore. A shining castle made of recycled material, built by an artist like no other, gleams within a Florida swamp. A spectral horse heralds tragedy and caused a notorious scandal in a central Florida city. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they share tales of Florida's myths, monsters, massacres and legends and the hidden history behind them.