Community, Recreation and Attractions
Rich in cultural diversity, Tallahassee boasts more than 31 community established performing arts groups. Local cultural attractions include Springtime Tallahassee, the Winter Festival of Lights, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Tallahassee Ballet, LeMoyne Art Foundation, The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science and Shakespeare in the Park.
An undisturbed natural environment allows Tallahassee residents to enjoy the many recreational resources in the area. The popular Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail is a 16-mile long trail, which was once the oldest operating railroad in Florida. Stretching from Tallahassee to the Gulf of Mexico, the trail offers bicyclists, skaters, hikers, joggers and equestrian’s miles of natural scenery to enjoy.
The Florida Trail in the Apalachicola National Forest is a 68-mile trail that offers some of the most remote hiking available in Florida. A 5.5-mile Leon Sinks Trail, part of the Apalachicola National Forest, offers the tranquility and beauty of several sinkholes. Many other parks in the Tallahassee area offer hundreds of miles of off-road bike and scenic trails and other recreational outlets for those who love the outdoors.
The Tallahassee area offers numerous events throughout the year including the Downtown Market Place open March through November features fine arts, crafts, visiting authors, writers and poets, live jazz, chefs, children’s storytelling and a farmer’s market.
Whether festivals, dances, music, golf tournaments, costume balls, carnivals, parades or fairs, there seems to be something for every type of person in Tallahassee.
Additionally, Leon County is home to wildlife reserves where the hunter can take his pick of quail, turkey, duck, geese, squirrel and whitetail deer. Numerous lakes are available for freshwater fishing including Lake Jackson, Lake Talquin, Lake Iamonia, and Lake Miccosukee.
Also, there are the Capitol buildings to see, which seem to epitomize Tallahassee’s heritage. At the New Capitol, visitors get a glimpse of government in action and a view of the city from the 22nd floor observatory. The Old Capitol stands restored to its 1902 appearance with candy-striped awnings, stained glass dome and historic displays.
America’s largest concentration of original plantations that encompass 300,000 acres and 71 plantations are between Tallahassee and Thomasville, Georgia, just 28 miles away.
And there’s bird watching, archeological sites to visit, the governor’s mansion, museums, Civil War battlefields, the Tallahassee automobile museum, federal preserves and fishing charters, to name a few things to do.