Native Floridans know this state is unlike any other.
Drive an hour and you can spend the afternoon with professional mermaids. Drive 30 minutes and you can buy gems for your “Victorian cabinet of curiosities.” Hop on your bicycle and you can take a short trip down the road back in time and enjoy a packed lunch among dinosaurs.
Those new to Florida quickly find themselves overwhelmed with the buffet of oddities found around every corner. Even those whose families have been here for generations will find themselves glancing at something out their window, wondering what on earth it could be.
Joshua Ginsberg has attempted to catalogue some of these peculiar local experiences in his new book, “Secret Tampa Bay: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.” It’s filled to the brim with history and bizarre creations as well as suggestions for experiences that one will literally never find anywhere else. Some of the listings are obvious for locals — like the praise of the Florida Strawberry Festival — while others will more than likely stump even a tried and true native: i.e. the Beatles museum in Dunedin or the Warlock of Wesley Chapel.
“Tampa Bay is alluring,” Ginsberg said. “When I think of the word ‘alluring,’ it draws you in. It’s visually beautiful, but the deeper you get into it the deeper you realize it goes. In terms of this area, you could spend an entire lifetime enjoying the beaches and amusement parks and the parks and things, but when you dig deeper there’s a ton of history and experiences that make this place so unique and worthwhile. Tampa Bay is alluring. There’s a reason people were captivated hundreds of years ago and I think there’s a lot of history that unfortunately goes overlooked.”
His passion for discovery was hard-earned. Ginsberg said he knows firsthand how easy it is to allow someplace, however magical or wondrous it may be, to become the backdrop to your daily life. While living in Chicago, he said, he worked and played in a city many go out of their way to vacation in. But he never gave it a second thought.
It wasn’t until five years ago, when one of his closest childhood friends died, that suddenly he realized how precious time is.
“It was a shock to my system and I feel like that was kind of what shook me awake and it made me realize there were all these things we had talked about doing that we never did,” Ginsberg said. “I realized that this ride we are on comes to an end and that may happen sooner than we realize, and that may happen before we take the time to do the things we had always dreamed of doing. If there are things you want to be doing or places you want to see, you have to really seize these opportunities.”
He and his wife started to rediscover Chicago. They got good at finding the hidden gems that gave the city its character. When they realized it was time for them to move on and start a new chapter in Florida, they used their adventures to say goodbye to the city they loved.
When they moved to Tampa Bay, that same passion for discovery remained.
He said they sought that kind of childhood wonder adults tend to lose as they get older. He said people put things in a little box in the attic of our mind too frequently, then lose the key and forget about them.
So, in the pursuit of those moments of wonder, they hit the road and frequently left the beaten path. He and his wife were often accompanied by their shih-tzu Tinkerbell. When Ginsberg began to put this book together, he had to tighten his criteria in order to not be overwhelmed with the possibilities of content. Everything within its pages can be found approximately one hour away from downtown Tampa. He also aimed for a mix of locations or experiences that a lot of locals cherish to venues or activists that you practically have to be lost to stumble upon. Some are indoors and some are outside. Some suggestions are for bars or restaurants and others are for museums and gardens. And the guidebook couldn’t come at a better time. The country is still in the grip of a pandemic. The county’s COVID-19 numbers are still far from manageable and many families are hesitant to return to their normal routine. There is a growing desperation for safe and unique outlets for activity.
Whether someone wants to socially distance at a garden or take a trek to a mermaid/pirate-themed shop, Ginsberg has found an activity for readers to try.
“One of my favorites for sure is Egmont Key,” Ginsberg said. “If you talk to a lot of locals you will probably hear that as a consensus. You have to take a boat to get there, so you will have to be around people for a moment on the boat, but that is still outside and relatively safe. Once you get there you will be on this little island. And there’s so much history. Seminoles that were captured during the Seminole War were interred there. There was a legendary escape. There’s so much to see and you can wander for hours without seeing another human being, plus you have these ruins to explore.”
When it came to Plant City, two relatively known experiences were featured. Ginsberg said he has always had a soft spot for classic vintage roadside attractions, so when he saw the massive dinosaur on the side of I-4 for the first time he knew he had to check it out. And the Florida Strawberry Festival has a cult following in Plant City for a reason. He said he loved having the chance to highlight things you can really only do in one specific place, so it just made sense to make sure the beloved festival got a special spot.
For those who want to start exploring surrounding communities, Ginsberg has two simple but sage pieces of advice: Never pass up opportunities to talk to locals and ask them questions, and always indulge your curiosity. If you want to find a fun place to eat or explore, talk to your waitress or the staff at the museum you’re at. If you see a marker on the side of the road and want to know what it is, pull over. You never know where your curiosity can lead you.
You can get “Secret Tampa Bay” through most major booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. However, if you’re interested in a signed copy and want the chance to get to know the author, Ginsberg will be in front of the Vintage Marche, 2200 2nd Ave. S., St. Petersburg, all weekend long. He plans to be there 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, or while books last.
For more information visit secrettampabay.com.