The Thing About Florida

To find the true essence of Florida you must be willing to travel it’s backroads, coastal regions and swamps to immerse yourself deep within it’s communities. That's just what author Tyler Gillespie did. In his latest book "The Thing About Florida" – Gillespie journeys to unexpected places such as halfway houses, gator pits, rattlesnake rooms, and clothing-optional campgrounds, where he meets eclectic and unconventional Floridians. He talks about his interviews with storm chasers, Civil War re-enactors, cattle ranchers, drag queens, python hunters, and pet smugglers in his quest to explore our misunderstood state. And if that's not weird enough, we look into the story of a snake-handling preacher, who spread this venomous gospel throughout Florida to deadly results. Then from the pages of Weird Florida, we read about Cassadaga, The Psychic Capitol of the World.