Takes readers on a tour through the backroads of Florida, providing directions, maps, and recommended sights.

Takes readers on a tour through the backroads of Florida, providing directions, maps, and recommended sights.

Winner of the Horgan Award from the Florida Historical Society for a book of outstanding merit written primarily for the general reader. In this first of a three-part series, Douglas Waitley offers an informative, laid-back tour through Florida's heartland, capturing its scenic beauty and Southern grace. Instead of buzzing through congested highway traffic, why not cruise along a shaded country backroad, stopping periodically to enjoy the hospitality of a town you've never noticed on a map? Complete with directions, detailed maps, recommended stops, and photographs of interesting sights, this book offers more than just a glimpse into the past. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

Do you need a break from the demands and pressures of daily life? Spending a weekend, a few days, or even just an hour away from the world may be exactly what you need to renew your spirit. Going on spiritual journeys and retreats is not new-people have been going on pilgrimages and journeying to sacred shrines for centuries. Florida's modern options include monasteries, spiritual retreat centers, and unique religious sites in peaceful, secluded, and spiritually nurturing settings that you can enjoy individually or in groups.

Learn 200 quick, painless history lessons in one thoroughly researched book. An indispensable guide for Florida students, newcomers, and old-timers alike. Florida has a long and complex and very interesting history, but few of us have time to read it in depth. So here are 200 quick looks at Florida's 10,000 years of history, from the arrival of the first natives to the present. The distilled version is packed with unusual and little-known facts and stories.

From Fort Pickens in the Panhandle to Fort Jefferson in the ocean 40 miles beyond Key West, historical travelers will find many adventures waiting for them in Florida. In this new updated edition the author presents 74 of his favorites—17 of them are new to this edition, and the rest have been completely updated. Along the Gulf Coast, see Henry Plant's Moorish jewel of a hotel in Tampa; John Ringling's home and art and circus museums in Sarasota; and the humble homes of Cuban and Italian cigar workers in legendary Ybor City. Up in north Florida visit Civil War battlefields; stroll the University of Florida campus; and see buffalo and wild Spanish horses on Paynes Prairie. In central Florida explore Eatonville, home of writer Zora Neale Hurston, and listen to carillon music as you stroll the gardens around Bok Tower. Down in the keys find the 250-year-old wreck of the San Pedro, a "living museum in the sea" and the Key West home of famous author Ernest Hemingway.

"A guide to 70 of Florida's most interesting small towns"--Cover.