Baymont Inn and Suites Tallahassee

The Capitol!

by Antji

Make a visit to The Capitol! One of the 5 tower Capitol in U.S. features panoramic view from 22-floor observatory / art gallery, House and Senate viewing galleries.
Adress: Downtown, S. Duval St.

Drive down to Wakulla Springs!

by pchamlis

Just 20 miles from Tallahassee is the little-known (to the outside world) wonder of Wakulla Springs.

One of the most pristine preserved natural springs in Florida, Wakulla Springs pumps 15,000 gallons of crystal-clear and cool (68 degrees F year round) water into the resulting Wakulla River.

There is a swimming area and a historic lodge on premises. The lodge has an excellent restaurant, where you can enjoy local specialties from the Gulf of Mexico, or maybe some "Southern Fried Chicken".

And, if you're into birding or nature hikes, Wakulla is your place. Entrance to the park is cheap, only US$3.50 per car. To reach Wakulla from Tallahassee, drive south on State Highway 61. At the intersection of State Rd 61 and State Rd 267 (approx 20 miles from Tallahassee), turn east. The entrance to Wakulla is about 1/2 up State Rd 267.

A tiny local Italian treasure

by pchamlis about Bella Bella Ristorante

One of the things I've always loved about San Francisco, New York and New Orleans are the number of little "hole in the wall" local places that have excellent food. I'm talking about the sort of place that locals might just adopt as "their special little place" or "every Thursday night at so and so's". You get the idea. Well, Tallahassee has a ways to go to rival Baghdad by the Bay, or the Big Apple and or Big Easy, but... we're getting more and more of "those" places. Bella Bella Ristorante is one of them.

Apparently, this place has been in business for about six years. But until two days ago, I'd never heard of them. They are located on a little side street, very close to the place where I had my very first job some 35 years ago. The place that is now Bella Bella has been a blueprinting supply place, a print store and an insurance agency, to name just a few. I just happended to be driving down 5th avenue and saw Bella Bella, all shiny and red in color, just begging for me to come inside. (Hey, 5th Avenue... THAT sounds like NYC, too.)

Anyway, I went inside and asked for a printout of the menu. I was welcomed with open arms by the young and eclectic staff. There were a few strangely colored hair styles in there to be sure, but everyone had a glowing smile and really seemed to enjoy working where they were working. I was instantly drawn to Bella Bella's character.

I took the menu home and ran it by my wife and daughter. We agreed that we needed to check it out "one of these days". WELL.... one of these days came sooner rather than later. The very next day, our refrigerator cacked out, the victim of a dead compressor. Now, we do have another fridge - I'm a southerner and that means I have a beer fridge in the garage - so we weren't in desperate straits. But, it became more of a hassle to cook, having to schlep back and forth to the garage for butter and stuff. (FWIW, the kitchen Maytag should be fixed in another day or two, as soon as the new compressor comes in) So, we decided that Bella Bella's Chamlis family audition would happen sooner and immediately. :) We were not disappointed.

This is a simple and casual little Italian place. It looks like they could maybe seat 75-100 people inside, and there are a few street side tables outside. (it being June in Florida, they were EMPTY - hot hot hot outside) Even though Bella Bella obviously does no advertising and is somewhat obscure outside its neighborhood, the place was filled up pretty quickly. The same waitress (Avery) who'd greeted me the other day with a menu and an invitation to come back, waiting our table with spirit and a smile.

We had a wonderfully simple, tasty and fresh Italian dinner, and it all felt so very comfortable. And, I can guarantee you that we will be back to Bella Bella again, sooner rather than later. In fact, the next time my VT buddy doug48 hits town, I think we'll need to get him out there for some good food and friendly atmosphere. :)

The food is pretty simple, well-prepared, and served in honest portions. This isn't a foo-foo spot that nails you for $30 entrees that wouldn't fill up an 8 year old. Everything's homemade and well done, with simplicity and freshness the guiding principle.

My wife and daugher were in the mood to do their usual.... an appetizer and maybe a soup, instead of a main course. Sara had an order of the cheese stuffed mushrooms, and supplemented it with the soup de jour (or should I say soup del giorno??), which was Italian Wedding Soup. Bonnie added one of Bella Bella's specialty salads to her order, the "Bella Bella" salad. (see below, in "favorite dish"). I went with one of the evening specials, the basic meatballs and sauce over angel hair pasta, crusty bread and a house salad. Simple, tasty and fresh... and man oh man, was I stuffed. (Those of you who know me personally KNOW that I CAN eat, so me being stuffed and full means something).

We had intended to try dessert, but were pretty full. Still, my daughter and I had capuccinos. for me the cap was a second choice, and it exposed Bella Bella's only "weakness". They don't have a hard spirits liquor license, so you can't get caffe coretto or something with cognac or whatever. No matter, the wine list is good, and you can always do dessert wines.... just no mixed drinks.

They're open six days a week for dinner, Mon-Sat. 5 pm - 9:30 pm. They are also open Mond-Fri for lunch, 11 am - 3 pm. From the Bella Bella menu.... and the lunch and dinner menus are pretty much the same. Lunch just adds a few sandwiches.

Appetizers include spinach & artichoke ravioli, coconut shrimp ( a favorite in Florida ), cheese stuffed mushrooms, roasted red pepper hummus and tomato & basil bruschetta.

Salads include the Bella Bella (mixed greens, topped with season fruits - last night it was strawberries, pears, orange slices, etc. and toasted walnuts), or the Tuscan (mixed greens with grilled eggplant, mushrooms, roasted peppers, carmelized onions), or the Greek (baby greens, roasted peppers and kalamata olives, topped with sweet potato salad and feta cheese). They also have a house and the ubiquitous Caesar salad varieties.

Entrees included fettucini alfredo, cannelloni, chicken, eggplant or veal parmesan, eggplant rollatini, sicilian and veggie lasagna(s), manicotti, gargonzola ravioli, shrimp scampi, grouper mediterranean or simple angel hair marinara. As you note, there are several excellent choices on all three areas of the menu for our beloved vegetarian pals. :)

The menu also mentions decadent desserts and specialty coffee and capuccinos, dessert wines and the like.

Prices? Entrees range from about $11 to $16, and include bread and salad (house or Caesar, and you can upgrade to a smaller version of a specialty salad for $2 more). Appetizers are priced at $5-8 or so, and the speciality salads are $5-7 and they're huge. (They come in a square bowl - is that an oxymoron? - that's about 14 inches square)

All good value.

florida state capitol

by doug48

the new florida state capitol was built in 1978. architecturally interesting with it's 22 story tower flanked by two identical domes which gives the building a "masculine" appearence. open monday-friday the visitor can go to the observation deck on the 22nd floor for a panoramic view of the city of tallhassee. an interesting thing to do when visiting tallahassee. often there are traveling art exhibts in the observation area. there is no charge to visit the observation deck.

Tallahassee, Florida

by frankcanfly

The capitol city of Florida is really just a large, small town. You can walk explore the downtown area on foot in just a few hours.

It doesn't seem to reflect the large city feel of many capitols, but rather the small-town feel that still exists in much of Northern Florida.

The name 'Tallahassee' comes from the Apalachee Indian tribe meaning "land of the old fields," "abandon'ed villages" or "old town."