Paranormal Pop Culture: Florida's Official Skunk Ape Headquarters

A statue of Florida's favorite cryptid outside of the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters.

Dave Shealy opened his Skunk Ape Headquarters to the public in 1997, and it has remained a popular destination since for those interested in the Bigfoot-like cryptid said to roam the Everglades.  Shealy has been investigating reports of the hairy hominid for over 30 years, and has appeared on the Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, TLC, Unsolved Mysteries, The Daily Show, The Pulse, and Inside Edition; and in print in the Enquirer, The Sun, Miami NewTimes, and Readers Digest.  Visitors to the Skunk Ape Headquarters can expect plenty of merchandise featuring the Floridian monster, but also plenty of research, including a profile of the creature's suspected feeding habits and daily habitat.  

If you're interested in searching the swamp for skunk apes yourself, then you may want to check out the Everglades tours offered through the Skunk Ape Headquarters official website.  It's worth a look even if you prefer not to get your feet wet, since the site still has plenty of interesting information on this uniquely southern swamp monster, and you may decide you need something with a skunk ape on it to add to your collection of cryptid items.