The Talegate Podcast

Polk County is home to lake monsters, haunted hills, meth maniacs, and Harrison the Florida Man (not sure which is scarier). Join us as we investigate the Lake Clinch Monster and drive upon a gravity hill said to be haunted by a rivaling Indian Chief and Ghost Gator!

The Lake Clinch Monster is a Nessy-like sea serpent once said to lurk beneath the dark waters of Lake Clinch in Frostproof, Florida. Though there have been no sightings in recent times, it still makes you wonder what creature or act of nature could give rise to such an urban legend.

Spook Hill in Lake Wales, FL, is a gravity hill and popular free tourist attraction adjacent to Spook Hill Elementary (with Casper the Friendly Ghost as their Mascot). A gravity hill is a natural phenomenon occurring all across the glove where the eye perceives the impression of a neutral car moving up hill. Spook Hill specifically attributes this to an Indian legend where a chief and giant alligator were locked in moral combat until both man and beast fell. Their spirits are said to haunt this very spot. Skeptical? Venture down to Polk County and try it for yourself.

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected]. 

Polk County is home to lake monsters, haunted hills, meth maniacs, and Harrison the Florida Man (not sure which is scarier). Join us as we investigate the Lake Clinch Monster and drive upon a gravity hill said to be haunted by a rivaling Indian Chief and Ghost Gator!

The Lake Clinch Monster is a Nessy-like sea serpent once said to lurk beneath the dark waters of Lake Clinch in Frostproof, Florida. Though there have been no sightings in recent times, it still makes you wonder what creature or act of nature could give rise to such an urban legend.

Spook Hill in Lake Wales, FL, is a gravity hill and popular free tourist attraction adjacent to Spook Hill Elementary (with Casper the Friendly Ghost as their Mascot). A gravity hill is a natural phenomenon occurring all across the glove where the eye perceives the impression of a neutral car moving up hill. Spook Hill specifically attributes this to an Indian legend where a chief and giant alligator were locked in moral combat until both man and beast fell. Their spirits are said to haunt this very spot. Skeptical? Venture down to Polk County and try it for yourself.

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected]. 

Every year since 1904, Florida has hosted the largest Pirate Parade in the world in celebration of the infamous pirate, Captain Jóse Gaspar. The Talegaters interview the ghost of Gaspar himself to get the first-person account of this local legend. 

The Legend of Jóse Gaspar dates him as an 18th Century pirate captain and former captain in the Spanish Armada. However, the legend itself has only been in circulation since the early 19th century. Is there any truth behind his swashbuckling stories of terrorizing the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico? 

It is believed his legend was first fabricated as part of a ploy to lure tourists to a luxury hotel in Central Florida, but perhaps there a grain of truth behind the story. In the wake of this larger-than-live adventurer, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival has become an annual part of Floridian culture. A Mardi Gras styles celebration has beads, pirate garb, parades, and a huge pirate invasion as hundreds of boats sail into the Bay.

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

The Talegaters interview the Florida Skunk Ape for the real story behind the ancient legendary cryptid dating back to the Mayakka Tribe. Taking a deep peek at decades of photo and video evidence, The Talegate is on the hunt to find whether or not these testimonies are legitimate or mere myth. 

The Skunk Ape is common folklore throughout the Southeast United States, chiefly Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. Though reports of the Skunk Ape or Swamp Ape first appeared in papers in the 1960s and -70s, most famously Dave Shealy's encounter in 1974, this magnificent and mysterious creature predates settlers. The Esti Capcaki, or "Cannibal Giant" is a staple of Seminole (Creek Confederacy) and similar stories existed with Myakka tribes as well. 

Follow us as we interview the beast in question by listening on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Deezer, iHeartRadio, and other fine podcast directories; and please subscribe, rate. and review! OR simply visit www.thetalegatepodcast.com. 

The Talegaters discuss the root of the Skunk Ape’s legend. Florida’s First People told stories of the large, hairy beast not at all dissimilar to what we know today as the Skunk or Swamp Ape. Sometimes this humanoid was seen as just another part of nature, others a cannibalistic giant. With Skunk Ape having such deep roots in the region of the American Southeast, it isn't a wonder that tales and sightings are still alive today. From the Dave Shealy's Swamp Ape Headquarters to the Social Distancing Skunk Ape at Gatorland in Kissimmee, this haunting but nonetheless beloved cryptid has endured for centuries.

The 2010s have seen a boom in Sasquatch-centric films: Abominable, Small Foot, Son of Bigfoot, Missing Link, The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot, and more.  Why the sudden saturation? Why is the message of Man VS Nature so prevalent today? What is your favorite Bigfoot film?

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

The Talegaters interview the Florida Skunk Ape for the real story behind the ancient legendary cryptid dating back to the Mayakka Tribe. Taking a deep peek at decades of photo and video evidence, The Talegate is on the hunt to find whether or not these testimonies are legitimate or mere myth. 

The Skunk Ape is common folklore throughout the Southeast United States, chiefly Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. Though reports of the Skunk Ape or Swamp Ape first appeared in papers in the 1960s and -70s, most famously Dave Shealy's encounter in 1974, this magnificent and mysterious creature predates settlers. The Esti Capcaki, or "Cannibal Giant" is a staple of Seminole (Creek Confederacy) and similar stories existed with Myakka tribes as well. 

Follow us as we interview the beast in question by listening on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Deezer, iHeartRadio, and other fine podcast directories; and please subscribe, rate. and review! OR simply visit www.thetalegatepodcast.com. 

The Talegaters discuss the root of the Skunk Ape’s legend. Florida’s First People told stories of the large, hairy beast not at all dissimilar to what we know today as the Skunk or Swamp Ape. Sometimes this humanoid was seen as just another part of nature, others a cannibalistic giant. With Skunk Ape having such deep roots in the region of the American Southeast, it isn't a wonder that tales and sightings are still alive today. From the Dave Shealy's Swamp Ape Headquarters to the Social Distancing Skunk Ape at Gatorland in Kissimmee, this haunting but nonetheless beloved cryptid has endured for centuries.

The 2010s have seen a boom in Sasquatch-centric films: Abominable, Small Foot, Son of Bigfoot, Missing Link, The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot, and more.  Why the sudden saturation? Why is the message of Man VS Nature so prevalent today? What is your favorite Bigfoot film?

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

Every year since 1904, Florida has hosted the largest Pirate Parade in the world in celebration of the infamous pirate, Captain Jóse Gaspar. The Talegaters interview the ghost of Gaspar himself to get the first-person account of this local legend. 

The Legend of Jóse Gaspar dates him as an 18th Century pirate captain and former captain in the Spanish Armada. However, the legend itself has only been in circulation since the early 19th century. Is there any truth behind his swashbuckling stories of terrorizing the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico? 

It is believed his legend was first fabricated as part of a ploy to lure tourists to a luxury hotel in Central Florida, but perhaps there a grain of truth behind the story. In the wake of this larger-than-live adventurer, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival has become an annual part of Floridian culture. A Mardi Gras styles celebration has beads, pirate garb, parades, and a huge pirate invasion as hundreds of boats sail into the Bay.

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

Join the Talegaters, Cheesehead and Florida Man, as they embark on a roadtrip across America to uncover the mysteries behind tall tales, fairy tales, folktales, fishtales, & urban legends, one interview at a time!

You can listen to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Deezer, iHeartRadio, and virtually any other podcast directory. OR listen at www.thetalegatepodcast.com. Please subscribe, rate, and review!

Join the Talegaters, Cheesehead and Florida Man, as they embark on a roadtrip across America to uncover the mysteries behind tall tales, fairy tales, folktales, fishtales, & urban legends, one interview at a time!

You can listen to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Deezer, iHeartRadio, and virtually any other podcast directory. OR listen at www.thetalegatepodcast.com. Please subscribe, rate, and review!