By Cheri Sicard
Get ready to go beyond the stereotypical Florida guides we are all used to with Neala McCarten’s fun and quirky new guide to Offbeat Florida. You’ll never look at the Sunshine State the same way again. And if you think you’ve been there and done that when it comes to Florida travel, this book will show you that you definitely haven’t.
What I especially like about Offbeat Florida: The nature, history, culture, and quirk of the Sunshine State
• Neala covers over 800 attractions in over 230 towns across Florida!
• McCarten breaks her enormous subject down into 11 Florida regions, so it’s always easy to find something of interest no matter where you are.
• The attraction entries are short little blurbs, just enough info to let you know what’s available in any given area. But they always share where to go for additional information and more details.
• The short history of Florida chapter gives insight into the factions that helped shape and create this unique state and how it developed into the offbeat place it is today.
• The entries cover an extremely wide variety of Florida travel experiences, from natural attractions, to art and music, to special events, to odd museums and attractions, to history, and much, much more.
• While the New York-born author is a Sunshine State transplant, her love for her adopted state shines through these pages and in the enormous research that it must have taken to write this guide.
What can be improved upon?
This is a small, concise guidebook meant to pique your interest about places to visit. Therefore, don’t expect any photos.
Also, with a title like this and knowing how strange Florida can be, some people may be expecting the recommendations to be, for lack of a better word, weirder than they actually are.
To be sure, Florida’s quirk and weirdness are well represented. But, generally speaking, “offbeat” in the context of this book means attractions beyond the typical theme parks that so many Florida visitors sadly never explore beyond.
Order Offbeat Florida: The nature, history, culture, and quirk of the Sunshine State from Amazon.com.
Like book reviews? Sign up for Cheri’s biweekly Great RV Accessories Newsletter. In addition to many great gadget reviews, you’ll find “The Book Nook,” a section where Cheri reviews her current favorite RV-related books.
##RVT1122
Thank you for the book review, Cheri! We rarely get this far from home on our typical travels. Perhaps this will help in planning a longer, multi-week trip of the most southern parts of the southeast. Happy new year and safe travels! 🙂