North Florida : Tallahassee
Tallahassee
Northwestern Florida is known to some as either the Panhandle or the Emerald Coast – is generally laid-back and friendly. You’ll find most of the typical tourist attractions and crowds along the coast, but most of the area is made up of quiet forests or farms and small towns. Tallahassee was selected as Florida’s capital in 1823 because it was halfway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, then the state’s major cities. That location puts it almost in Georgia, and, in fact, Tallahassee has more in common with Macon than with Miami.
Tallahassee is a fairly small city, extending for about 5 miles in all directions from downtown. However, compared to many bigger southern cities, what is in town is fairly well packed together and not sprawled all over the region. Downtown is currently not very lively, though efforts are underway to change that. The major roads through town are Monroe St., Appalachee Pkwy., and Tennessee St. - the former two are US 27, the latter is US 90. Tennessee St. is famous for its bars, frequented by the collegiate population on a nightly basis. Monroe and Apalachee hold both of Tallahassee’s malls along with the majority of shops in town. Capital Circle NE/US 319, part of the larger Capital Circle, is where many of Tallahassee’s better restaurants can be found.
The other predominant action in town revolves around politics. The main legislative sessions run in the early spring and early fall, bringing in legislators & media from all across the nation and state. Beyond this, Tallahassee is home to many of the state’s major services and departments, with their offices spread out throughout the city. The governor’s mansion is located about a mile north of downtown and is currently home to Gov. Jeb Bush. About 90% of the town’s major news comes from either politics or academics; the rest tends to come from sporting events or the rare crime event in/around town. WCTV-6 is the overwhelming leader in news in town.
Nearby towns include Thomasville, GA, Bainbridge, GA, Quincy, FL, Monticello, FL, Crawfordville, FL and Cairo, GA. The coast is a half-hour drive to the south, with some of the best beaches in the state located near Apalachicola & St. George Island approximately 75 miles to the southwest. Panama City, a two hour drive, is very popular with the college students, especially in the spring and summer. In the panhandle, Tallahassee is somewhat isolated from other major cities - Jacksonville is a two and a half hour drive to the east, while Macon, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta and Pensacola are three or more hours away.
The town itself has a distinct southern feel - some refer to it as Southern Georgia as opposed to Northern Florida - and is quite different than the bigger cities in Florida’s peninsula such as Orlando, Tampa and Miami. There are no major professional sports teams in town, though Florida State football takes over the town in the fall. Major concerts and social events tend to pass Tallahassee by for larger venues, though this isn’t always the case, as exhibited with the popular “Seven Days of Opening Nights” feature each winter run by Florida State.
Outdoor recreation opportunities are numerous, whether by means of roadtrips along Tallahassee’s famous canopy roads, equestrian activities in one of the town’s horse parks, outdoor sports in one of Tallahassee’s numerous parks, or exploring nature by bike or foot along some of the trails or side roads to the north and south of town. The Apalachicola Natl. Forest is located on the western edge of town, while the St. Marks bike trail is located on the southern edge of town. Numerous state and national parks are within a short driving or biking distance from town.
Traffic, on the whole, is fair comapred to most cities the size of Tallahassee. The roads are congested during rush hour - from about 5p-6p - but move well most of the rest of the time. During home football games at FSU and the legislative session, traffic can be substantial at times. Most roads in town are two lanes; the major thoroughfares are usually 4 lanes, with other roads at 6 lanes. I-10 is the major conduit out of town to the east and west, while US 319 serves communities to the north. With many back roads in and near town, however, the potential to explore is great.
Tallahassee is a quaint town with it’s own charms. The panhandle region is a great place to visit, with many natural and other attractions to visit throughout the year. On the whole, the people are friendly and the city itself has much of what you’d find in many of the larger cities elsewhere in Florida.
