A tour of the Florida Panhandle, its history and natural attractions.

A guide to visiting the odd and less known tourist attractions in the state of Florida.

The tale begins over three-hundred years ago, when the Fair People—the goblins, fairies, dragons, and other fabled and fantastic creatures of a dozen lands—fled the Old World for the New, seeking haven from the ways of Man. With them came their precious jewels: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls... But then the Fair People vanished, taking with them their twelve fabulous treasures. And they remained hidden until now... Across North America, these twelve treasures, over ten-thousand dollars in precious jewels, are buried. The key to finding each can be found within the twelve full color paintings and verses of The Secret. Yet The Secret is much more than that. At long last, you can learn not only the whereabouts of the Fair People's treasure, but also the modern forms and hiding places of their descendants: the Toll Trolls, Maitre D'eamons, Elf Alphas, Tupperwerewolves, Freudian Sylphs, Culture Vultures, West Ghosts and other delightful creatures in the world around us. The Secret is a field guide to them all. Many "armchair treasure hunt" books have been published over the years, most notably Masquerade (1979) by British artist Kit Williams. Masquerade promised a jewel-encrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that Williams cleverly hid in his art. In 1982, while everyone in Britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, The Secret: A Treasure Hunt was published in America. The previous year, author and publisher Byron Preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental U.S. (and possibly Canada) to secretly bury a dozen ceramic casques. Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1984 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues.

The story of the search and discovery of the treasure wreck--Nuestra Senora de Atocha.

A compelling argument that connects the lost treasure of the Knights Templar to the mysterious money pit on Oak Island, Nova Scotia, that has baffled treasure hunters for two centuries • Fascinating occult detective work linking the Cathars, the Scottish Masons, and Renne-le-Chateau to the elusive treasure pit on Oak Island • Draws on new evidence recently unearthed in Italy, France, and Scotland to provide a compelling solution to one of the world's most enduring mysteries When the Order of Knights Templar was ruthlessly dissolved in 1307 by King Philip the Fair of France it possessed immense wealth and political power, yet none of the treasure the Templars amassed has ever been found. Their treasure is rumored to contain artifacts of spiritual significance retrieved by the order during the Crusades, including the genealogies of David and Jesus and documents that trace these bloodlines into the royal bloodlines of Merovingian France. Placing a Scottish presence in the New World a century before Columbus, Steven Sora paints a credible scenario that the Sinclair clan of Scotland transported the wealth of the Templars--entrusted to them as the Masonic heirs of the order--to a remote island off the shores of present-day Nova Scotia. The mysterious money pit there is commonly believed to have been built before 1497 and has guarded its secret contents tenaciously despite two centuries of determined efforts to unearth it. All of these efforts (one even financed by American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt) have failed, thanks to an elaborate system of booby traps, false beaches, hidden drains, and other hazards of remarkable ingenuity and technological complexity.

Collects legends of buried treasure in Texas, including the gold of Haystack Mountain, a missing Incan hoard, and the Deer Island shipwrecks

Blackbeard, Jose Gaspar, Jean Lafitte—the names conjure up a romantic, swashbuckling figure with a black patch over one eye, a cutlass in his teeth, and a brace of pistols tucked into his waistband. Actors such as Errol Flynn did much to create that devil-may-care attitude glamorized on the silver screen, but in fact, real pirates were not so admirable; for the most part they were cruel, greedy, dastardly brigands, many of whom were slave traders or smugglers in addition to being pirates. Still, we continue to be fascinated by their lives and exploits, perhaps because they led such adventurous lives full of bravery, recklessness and daring. It is certainly more enjoyable— and safer—to read about pirates than to encounter one. This book chronicles the lives and times of 20 notable Florida pirates, from the English privateers of the 1500s to present-day drug smugglers and “yachtjackers." Pirates have always found easy prey in the seas around Florida; not only did the treasure-laden ships on their way back to Europe have to sail close to Florida's shores to catch the currents east, but the treacherous Florida Reef foundered many a ship, making easy pickings. Most of what we know about pirates comes from Navy records, newspaper accounts, or eyewitness statements from those whom the pirates spared. This book distills the most interesting facts from many sources into a book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in a different perspective on Florida's history.

“Spooky tales of vanished sailors, wandering phantoms and lost treasure scattered across the ocean floor” from Florida’s husband and wife ghost hunters (TCPalm). The Treasure Coast is such a popular destination that some choose to never leave. From the spirits of ancient Indians who once inhabited the beaches to the pirates who spied for passing victims from the safety of the inlets and coves, the region is infused with eerie, tragic history. A phantom widow keeps watch from the Boston House window for men long ago lost at sea. Spirits of the victims of a murderous cop linger at the Devil’s Tree, where their bodies were found. The dreaded pirate Black Caesar still steers his ghost ship toward Dead Man’s Point in the St. Lucie Inlet. Authors Patrick and Patricia Mesmer navigate through spooky tales of vanished sailors, wandering phantoms and lost treasure scattered across the ocean floor. Includes photos!

The Hillsborough River, which runs through the big population area of Tampa, is a popular site for leisure activities. Kevin McCarthy, author of more than 20 books about Florida, guides the reader and boater from the source of the Hillsborough River in the Green Swamp west of Tampa, through Hillsborough River State Park, then through the city of Tampa, to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. Both a history and a guidebook, "Hillsborough River Guidebook" features information on the wildlife and culture along the river as well as travel tips, with recommendations of places to eat and stay. Includes photographs and maps. The other books available in the series are "Suwannee River Guidebook" and "St. Johns River Guidebook."