Tallahassee offers close proximity to a wealth of outdoor experiences that can satisfy both the timid and the more seasoned nature lover, and our warmer climate allows year-round access to the great outdoors.
Multi-use trails, city and neighborhood parks, canopy roads, and greenways pepper the local Tallahassee landscape, with a wide range of topography available for easy access to fresh air during study breaks. Tom Brown Park, the Miccosukee Greenway, and Phipps Park are popular retreats within the city limits. A jaunt around Lake Ella to observe the ducklings and the turtles is an essential complement to a trip to get a cup of coffee at Black Dog.
On hot summer days, it is nice to know that lakes, streams, rivers, sinkholes, and the Gulf offer abundant opportunities for swimming, kayaking, canoeing, tubing, houseboating, and just about any other water sport you could desire. Opportunities range from the more calm waters of the roped off swimming area of the Maclay Gardens lake in town to the rushing waters of the Ichetucknee River about two and a half hours away. An hour’s drive will take you to the closest Gulf of Mexico beaches or to the historic plantations of Thomasville, Georgia. For a more ambitious weekend trip to the beach, Cedar Key, St. Joseph Peninsula, and Sandestin are all close at hand.
From Florida Caverns to Wakulla Springs State Park or Homosassa Springs, the Florida State Park System has great parks within reach for hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities besides just enjoying the beach.
The well-travelled St. Marks Trail allows biking from Tallahassee down to the Gulf coast, and the Apalachicola National Forest has miles of trails waiting to be conquered.
Wherever you go, you are sure to see unusual wildlife—alligators, armadillos, bald eagles, black bears, bobcats, river otters, or the famous white squirrels at the Tallahassee Museum. If you’re lucky, you might even spot an endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, manatee, or Florida panther while you are out on a hike.
If you’re interested in reading more about the bioregion, try to get your hands on a copy of Between Two Rivers: Stories from the Red Hills to the Gulf, a collection of essays by local writers about their experiences with nature on the Florida panhandle.
photos and prose by Kelly Bryan
