Things to do in Tallahassee
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Lake Ella
- Tallahassee, USA
- Sights › Lake
Part of Tallahassee life for well over a century, Lake Ella, east off N Monroe St to the south of W Tharpe St, is a much-loved urban park that's great for a run or blade, or picnic.
Originally known as Bull's Pond, in the 19th century this sylvan, spring-fed pool was renamed by planter Jabez Bull for his daughter. It has long been a swimming hole, baptismal site and picnic spot. It was here, in 1867, that more than 2000 newly freed slaves celebrated Emancipation Day.
The roaring '20s saw Lake Ella become a holidaymaker's playground. In 1924 Gilbert Sewell Chandler built the Lakeside Motel (the cottages still line the east shore today, housing boutiques and craft shops),…
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Tallahassee-St Marks Historic Railroad State Trail
The ultimate treat for runners, skaters and cyclists, this trail has 16 miles of smooth pavement shooting due south to the gulf port town of St Marks and not a car or traffic light in sight. It's easy and flat for all riders, sitting on a coastal plain and shaded at many points by canopies of gracious live oaks. (More experienced riders may opt for forest trails, like the rugged 7.5-mile Munson Hills Loop trail, navigating sand dunes and a towering pine forest.)
Rent bikes at Great Bicycle Shop.
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Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University
Universally referred to by its acronym, FAMU (fam-you), Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University was founded in 1887 as the State Normal College for Colored Students, with 15 students and two instructors. Today it’s home to a population of about 10,000 students of all races, as well as the Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center & Museum. A forerunner in research on African American influence on US history and culture, the center and museum holds one of the country’s largest collections of African American and African artifacts as well as a huge collection of papers, photographs, paintings and documents pertaining to black American life.
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Tallahassee–St Marks Historic Railroad State Trail
The ultimate treat for runners, skaters and cyclists is the Tallahassee–St Marks Historic Railroad State Trail – with 16 miles of smooth trails shooting due south to the gulf port town of St Marks and not a car or traffic light in sight. It’s easy and flat for all riders, sitting on a coastal plain and shaded at many points by canopies of gracious live oaks. Though the rail trail begins 4.5 miles north of the main trailhead, the city section is not so scenic, and it’s best to start at the main trailhead (with parking), 100yd south of the intersection of Capital Circle and Hwy 363. You’ll find plenty of jumping on and off points with water and restrooms.
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Museum of Florida History
Though housed in a stark and off-putting modern building with no charm (it's a tie with the new Florida State Capitol for unattractiveness), this museum is filled with wonderful exhibits, tackling everything from Florida's Paleo-Indians, who inhabited these parts beginning at the end of the Ice Age, to Civil War times, Spanish shipwrecks in the Atlantic and the rise of 'Tin-Can Tourism,' when the middle-class traveler began hitting Florida in droves – driving south, camping out and eating dinner out of tin cans. You'll see a 1925 Model T, a 1911 Baker electric car, a reconstructed citrus packing house of the 1920s and the star attraction: a North American mastodon…
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Cycling
It's a cyclist's fantasy: no cars, gutters or traffic lights, just uninterrupted, smooth-as-silk riding (or running, blading or walking). Opened in 1989, the Tallahassee-St Marks Historic Railroad State Trail is the original and longest paved rail trail in the state. It spans 16 miles from Tallahassee due south to the Gulf port town of St Marks, and is recessed at the confluence of the Wakulla and St Marks rivers.
At times canopied by oaks that create a shady tunnel, it sits on a coastal plain, making it flat as a tack the entire length and easy for riders of all abilities.
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Historic Capitol
Next door to the current state capitol is its far more charming 1902 predecessor, adorned by candy-striped awnings and topped with a reproduction of the original glass dome, and as grand as its successor is uninviting. It now houses the Florida Legislative Research Center & Museum, including a restored House of Representatives chamber and governors' reception area, plenty of governors' portraits, and exhibits on immigration, state development and the infamous 2000 US presidential election, with displays such as the equally infamous butterfly ballot, now enclosed in glass.
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Knott House Museum
This stately, white columned 1843 house, affiliated with the history museum, is a quirky attraction. Occupied during the Civil War by Confederate and then Union troops before the Emancipation Proclamation was read here in 1865, it's otherwise known as 'the house that rhymes.' That's because in 1928 it was bought by politico William V Knott, whose poet wife, Luella, attached verses on the evils of drink to the many of the furnishings.
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FSU Theatre Department
The FSU Theatre Department has three venues. The Richard G Fallon Mainstage Theater in the Fine Arts Building, north of Call St on the campus, does large productions of plays and musicals. The Studio, in the Williams Building on campus, stages various free student productions. Off campus, at the corner of Lafayette St and Copeland St, the Lab does a range of works, from Shakespeare to musicals, in its 150-seat thrust-stage setting.
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Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center & Museum
Housed in Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, the Black Archives Research Center & Museum is a forerunner in research on African American influence on US history and culture. The center and museum holds one of the country's largest collections of African American and African artifacts as well as a huge collection of papers, photographs, paintings and documents pertaining to Black American life.
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Posey's Oyster Bar
Perhaps the highlight of the Tallahassee-St Marks Historic Railroad State Trail; is just to the left of the St Marks trailhead (which also has a rest area and facilities). Posey's Oyster Bar is an absolute pearl of an old-time oyster shack on the water, with an outdoor courtyard, great bar and bands rocking the joint Friday to Sunday... so you may want to arrange for alternative transport on the way back.
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Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park
Biking trails wind through the Alfred B Maclay Gardens State Park, which peaks from January to April with more than 200 varieties of flowers. It’s also the trailhead for the Lake Overstreet Trails, which circle the lake and wind through deer, gray fox and bobcat habitat. From I-10, take exit 30 to Thomasville Rd north and follow the signs – the entrance is on your left.
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Chez Pierre & 2 Chez
Southern charm meets French sophistication at Chez Pierre, a Midtown charmer located in a beautiful antebellum house and serving excellent, authentic dishes like beef bourguignonne, tuna nicoise and saffron-scented lobster ravioli. Its lower-priced, more casual adjoining 2 Chez, is a lovely outdoor café, specializing in raw-bar offerings, steamed mussels and burgers.
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Florida State University
A liberal arts school of over 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Florida State University specializes in sciences, computing and performing arts (and football). From September to April, free campus tours depart from Visitor Services ([tel] 850-644-3246; 100 S Woodward Ave) Monday to Friday. Call for a schedule.
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Kool Beanz Café
It's got a corny name but a wonderfully eclectic and homey vibe – plus great, creative fare. The menu changes daily, but you can count on finding anything from hummus plates to jerk-spiced scallops to duck in blueberry-ginger sauce.
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Andrew’s 228
This upscale dining spot brings a hushed and glamorous Tuscany-meets-New York setting to town with a selection of fine pastas and steaks, along with excellent wines and 27 different martinis served in individual shakers. Spicy mussels arrabiata, toothsome lobster ravioli and rosemary flecked grilled lamb are among the tasty offerings.
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Quarter Moon Imports
Quarter Moon Imports is located in the cottages at Lake Ella. This eclectic shop offers fair-trade items from around the world – with handcrafted jewelry (of beads, silver, pressed flowers, amber or turquoise), ceramics, dresses from small-time designer labels and hemp wallets among the very cool offerings.
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Tallahassee Automobile Museum
Autos ranging from the oldest known surviving US car, the 1894 Duryea, through to the Batmobiles featured in the Batman films are on show at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum. The 1948 Tucker Torpedo, one of only 51 made, is a treat, as is the collection of boat motors (hey, this is Florida), dating back to 1908.
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Tallahassee Museum of History & Natural Science
A working 1880s farmhouse and 52-acre natural habitat zoo with Florida panthers and black bears make the Tallahassee Museum of History & Natural Science another winner with kids. Allow a few hours to check out the nature trails and exhibits, including the birds of prey aviary and reptile house.
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Florida State Capitol
It's stark, ugly and massively imposing, but the 22-story Florida State Capitol still deserves your visit. That's mainly because of its top-floor observation deck, which affords wonderful 360-degree views of the city and its edge of rolling green hills that stretch to the horizon. In session, the Capitol is a hive of activity, with politicians, staffers and lobby groups buzzing in and around its honeycombed corridors.
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Whataburger
This kitschy A-frame, part of a popular Southern chain, packs ’em in at all hours (particularly after clubs close) for some of the cheapest and tastiest burgers around. Grab a red-vinyl booth and grab one with cheese – or opt for pancakes, grilled chicken or some hot apple pie.
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Black Dog Café
Wine and beer aren’t served until 6pm, but this special spot, beloved by the city’s creative community, is always happening, thanks to frequent poetry readings, open-mic music, chess boards and outdoor tables overlooking Lake Ella. If you want to eat here, mains are $2 to $7.
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FSU Seminoles
From September to November, the FSU Seminoles football team plays to an 80,000-plus crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium on the FSU campus; tickets, it goes without saying, are like hen's teeth.
FSU Seminoles baseball steps up in the spring at Dick Howser Stadium.
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Mission San Luis
In a lofty hilltop setting spanning 60 acres, the Mission San Luis is a trip back to the 17th century. The site of a Spanish and Native American mission settlement from 1656 to 1704, it was at one time the provincial capital under Spanish rule and home to up to 1500 residents. The entire mission has been wonderfully reconstructed – including the dramatic, soaring council house of the Apalachee village, which stands like a towering, light-filled tepee on the bucolic land. Free tours, led by knowledgeable interpreters, are available at the excellent visitor center, which also screens a short film.
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Opposite the Old Capitol, on S Monroe St, a huge US flag billows between two granite pillars of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, inscribed with the names of 1869 Floridians killed and 83 missing in action during the war.
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