Choose Your Own Adventure in Miami With Exile Books' Meremaid Hunt Zine

"X" marks the spot, but the treasure you'll find at scattered spots around Miami this month isn't your typical chest of buried gold.

Artist Justin Long and Exile Books are inviting locals to partake in a treasure hunt around the city in recognition of his new zine, The Meremaid Hunt, released this month via the nonprofit South Florida publisher.

The hunt begins with the unveiling of the zine at Gramps Getaway on Thursday, January 16. Its pages invite readers to quest around Miami and solve clues in search of Long's sculpture, the titular Meremaid.

"Justin's very into nautical history and unusual things in Miami," says Exile Books founder Amanda Keeley. "His idea is kind of an homage to the old Tropic Hunt." Now called the Herald Hunt, the Tropic puzzle hunt was co-created in 1984 by Dave Barry with Gene Weingarten and Tom Shroder of Tropic, the newspaper's long-defunct Sunday magazine.

Long, a Miami local who grew up near Biscayne Bay, says the 13 locations featured in his Meremaid Hunt zine are notable because they're frequently overlooked. "They're favorite spots of mine, and what I've found with these special landmarks is that they don't really stay forever, especially in Miami," he says.

The Meremaid Hunt isn't the first time Long has worked with themes of mapmaking and exploration. He says he creates maps from memory and, in turn, those pieces furnish him with a unique appreciation for the city he grew up in.

"A couple of these spots — they probably won't be here in a year or two," he predicts. "So it's nice to visit them now while they're here. And, hopefully, I can share my appreciation for them with others."

The Meremaid Hunt was selected from among 75 other zines submitted to an open call by Exile Books. Those who attend the release at Gramps Getaway will be able to pick up a copy from one of Exile's "zine machines," which Keeley describes as retrofitted news racks that are now stocked with art books released by the publisher. Anyone interested in joining the search party can also grab a zine from one of five other machines stationed at Books & Books, Locust Projects, Sweat Records, the Bakehouse Art Complex, and in front of Exile's Wynwood office.

Long expects the hunt to last about a week or two. If searchers are stumped, he'll periodically tease clues on Instagram.

The Meremaid Hunt. 5 p.m. Thursday, January 16, at Gramps Getaway, 3301 Rickenbacker Cswy., Key Biscayne; 305-465-2482. Admission is free via eventbrite.com.