Florida State Capitol

Florida Panhandle


The stark and imposing 22-story Florida State Capitol's top-floor observation deck affords 360-degree views of the city. In session the capitol is a hive of activity, with politicians, staffers and lobby groups buzzing in and around its honeycombed corridors. There are few states that have as diverse a legislature as Florida's – in one hall, you may hear Cuban Americans from Miami brokering deals with good old boys from the Panhandle. America!

Locals and tourists alike have noted that the new building, a lone shaft with rounded domes on either side, bears striking resemblance to a, um, er...well, go look for yourself.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Florida Panhandle attractions

1. Florida Historic Capitol Museum

0.07 MILES

Adorned with candy-striped awnings and topped with a reproduction of its original glass dome, the 1902 Florida capitol building now houses an interesting…

2. Museum of Florida History

0.16 MILES

Florida's history is splayed out in fun, crisp exhibits, from mastodon skeletons to Florida's Paleo-Indians and Spanish shipwrecks, the Civil War to 'tin…

3. Knott House Museum

0.33 MILES

This stately, white, columned 1843 house, affiliated with the history museum, is a quirky attraction. Occupied during the Civil War by Confederate and…

4. Museum of Fine Arts

0.66 MILES

Florida State University boasts its own Museum of Fine Arts, which features temporary exhibitions that range from internationally renowned artists to…

5. Meek-Eaton Black Archives

0.72 MILES

The Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center & Museum was a forerunner in research on African American influence on US history and culture…

6. Florida State University

1.37 MILES

A liberal-arts school of more than 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Florida State University specializes in sciences, computing and performing…

7. Mission San Luis

2.56 MILES

This 60-acre site is home to a 17th-century mission that housed Spanish colonists and Apalachee tribespeople. The compound has been nicely reconstructed,…

8. Tallahassee Museum

4.13 MILES

Occupying 52 acres of pristine manicured gardens and wilderness on the outskirts of Tallahassee, near the airport, this wonderful natural-history museum…