Goodnight Marco Island pokes fun at everyday occurrences on Marco Island. Crazy drivers, Rules, Regulations, Permits and People. It's trouble in paradise and guaranteed to make you laugh... Especially if you are a true Marco Island local. It's a kid-friendly, adult story time book.

Secrets of an iconic artifact Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Meritorious Achievement in Preservation Communications Excavated from a waterlogged archaeological site on the shores of subtropical Florida by legendary anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing in 1896, the Key Marco Cat has become a modern icon of heritage, history, and local identity. This book takes readers into the deep past of the artifact and the Native American society in which it was created. Austin Bell explores nine periods in the life of the six-inch-high wooden carving, beginning with how it was sculpted with shell and shark-tooth tools and what it may have represented to the ancient Calusa—perhaps a human-panther god. Preserved in the muck for centuries on Marco Island and discovered in pristine condition due to its oxygen-free environment, the Cat has since traveled more than 12,000 miles and has been viewed by millions of people. It is one of the Smithsonian Institution’s most irreplaceable items. In this fascinating account, Bell traces the clues to the Cat’s mysterious origins that have emerged in its later lives. Captivating readers with the miracle and beauty of this rare example of pre-Columbian art, Bell marvels at how an object originally understood to hold cosmological power has indeed transformed the people and places around it. The Nine Lives of Florida’s Famous Key Marco Cat is the story of a timeless masterpiece of staggering simplicity that has prevailed over impossibly long odds.

There are few places that have undergone a more radical transformation during the past half-century than Marco Island, Florida. Once a pristine tropical paradise with only a few hundred residents, Marco Island is now one of America's most popular island destinations. With a permanent population nearing 20,000--a figure that virtually doubles between the months of January and March--its modern state is largely attributable to the ambitious vision of Florida's "Famous Mackle Brothers." The Mackles, founders of the Deltona Corporation, literally reshaped the island in keeping with their long-term masterplan, capitalizing on the unique history, community pride, and undeniable natural splendor that continue to make it so alluring.

Marco Island projects prominently from Florida's mainland at the peninsula's southwestern fringe, where the waters of the Everglades and the Gulf of Mexico commingle. Its tropical climate, verdant landscape, unique topography, and abundant wildlife sustained prehistoric Native American cultures for centuries. The first pioneer settlers arrived in 1870, carving out a niche on the harsh Florida frontier. Bustling villages soon sprang up on the island, bolstered by strong leaders and economies centered around farming and fishing. The crash of Florida's land boom, along with the Great Depression, devastating hurricanes, and a series of failed developments, ultimately stunted the island's growth. Most of Marco Island was sold to the Deltona Corporation in 1964, which transformed the island into a place its early residents might find unrecognizable. Despite Marco Island's common distinction as the largest of Florida's Ten Thousand Islands, there are only 12 square miles of land upon which to wander--making the enormity of its history all the more remarkable.

Based on our much larger guide to Tampa Bay & Florida's West Cost, this zeroes in on Naples & The Everglades, Marco Island & Chokoloskee Island. This easy-to-use book is packed with practical information and enticing facts that make it fun to read: A clean, attractive layout makes it easy to find what you're looking for within each of the book's six sections, whether it be suggestions for finding the best food, lodging, kayaking, fishing, or shopping; even driving directions are included. Following are reviews of the full guide: This new edition of Walton's comprehensive guide is a must for visitors. --Bon Voyage. It was very knowledgeable. Told about most of the activities going on in Tampa and St. Petersburg. -- Beverly McChesney. Chelle Koster Walton's third edition of Tampa Bay & Florida's West Coast is out, and it updates all the basics on accommodations, restaurants, natural areas and historic sites alike. This adventure-oriented guide outlines the best in inland and water trips, includes museums and shopping, and provides an outdoor focus and budget-minded focus which will appeal to trip planners. -- Midwest Book Review. A full update of this popular guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here! -- Amazon reviewer. A full update of this guidebook, previously called the Adventure Guide to Florida's West Coast. This book takes in all the cities, towns, nature preserves, wilderness areas and sandy beaches that grace the Sunshine State's western shore. Covers Tampa Bay to Naples and Everglades National Park to Sanibel Island. Canoeing the Everglades, hiking on Gasparilla Island, exploring the history of Tampa's Ybor City - it's all here! -- Lissa

A (mostly) Kids' Guide to Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades is the region's first guidebook for families with children. The 80-page softcover book, with more than 150 full color photographs, is a fun and humorous kids'-eye view of the beaches, nature preserves, attractions and experiences on land and sea. From awesome museums and attractions in sophisticated Naples to outrageously exciting adventures deep in the Everglades, A (mostly) Kids' Guide to Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades is packed with tidbits of regional history and trivia that even parents, grandparents, educators and armchair travelers will love. They'll laugh out loud right along with the kids at some of the strange stories and quirky creatures that inhabit this exciting land. Airboats and swamp buggies, pirates and Indians, even the legendary Skunk Ape - it's all inside, along with a comprehensive index with websites and phone numbers. A (mostly) Kids' Guide to Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades covers activities for all ages from toddler to teen. It's a must for anyone planning a visit to Florida, as well as newcomers and local kids who want to find even more exiting things to do in their own backyard. Author Karen T. Bartlett is an award-winning travel journalist and photographer who was lucky enough to raise two children in this wild and wonderful land. Her published works include 11 travel destination books and hundreds of travel features in regional and national magazines.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Soak up the sun—and the intrigue—with the first novel in John Grisham’s beloved Camino series. “A happy lark [that] provides the pleasure of a leisurely jaunt periodically jolted into high gear, just for the fun and speed of it.”—The New York Times Book Review A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a secure vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, but Princeton has insured it for twenty-five million dollars. Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts. Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Bruce Cable’s circle of literary friends, ideally getting close enough to him to learn his secrets. But eventually Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise as only John Grisham can deliver it. Look for all of John Grisham’s rollicking Camino novels: Camino Island Camino Winds Camino Ghosts

Another of Delaplaine’s books offering a personal view on the best things to do, places to eat, shops to visit and attractions to focus on during a Long Weekend in Naples and nearby Marco Island. LODGINGS - RESTAURANTS - ATTRACTIONS - SHOPPING "Just what we needed to dip our feet into Naples." --- Belinda H., Milwaukee “We finally took this book’s advice and spent a couple of days on Marco Island. Now THIS is really a place to relax. We loved it!” --- Belinda G, Phoenix “I find the Delaplaine guides perfect when I travel. No fluff. Just basic information that cuts to the chase. And when he doesn’t like something, he says so bluntly.” –Carolyn M., Dayton