Tallahassee Off The Beaten Path

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This is a small town, but has a number of antebellum homes from the good old days of commerce and trade coming up and down the Flint River. Not much commerce is left now, but the homes are intact, and preserved real find for some areas. eare no homes to tour, and the town basically keeps the old homes under control of maintenance. Downtown there are some antique shops.
The town is about 40 miles north of town on Hwy 27

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This is a very nice town that is about 35 miles north of the city. Take HWy 319 out the the north part of the city. The historic preservation downtown, as well as scores of homes has kept a real pristine image for the town. There also is a county museum that has a nice complex of old farmstead homes, and a mansion to tour.

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We went down Hwy 393 to Hwy 98 to get the Shell Point and St. Marks village, both on the water. The drive was an additional 20 plus miles from Wakulla Springs, and would be about 40 miles from Tallahassee. The beaches are not used as much as in other places, but also not maintained form seaweed and grass edges. St. Marks is no more than two bars that serve some food, and boats to drop in the water, or store.

the letchworth indian mounds are located about 15 miles east of downtown tallahassee on US 90 near the town of lloyd. the area around tallahassee was inhabited by the weeden island culture of native americans from 1,000 to 1,700 years ago. this archeological site has ceremonial and burial mounds. the letchworth ceremonial mound is the largest in florida. for those interested in native american history and culture the letchworth mounds is an interesting site near tallahassee.

If you find yourself exploring out in eastern Leon County, somewhere in the MIccosukee-Lloyd-Monticello areas, there's a little gem of a country store and deli that you should try. It's call the Hilltop Country Store and Deli, and it's quite a find. They have wonderful deli sandwiches, as well as terrific barbecue and hamburgers. Fried chicken, too. All good.

If you call ahead, they'll have your sandwiches ready to go.

The Hilltop also has a lot of nifty local delicacies. One of my favorites are the amaretto chocolate dipped pecans, that come from nearby Monticello, Florida. I've shared these with friends far and wide to great acclaim. Guys, these are good enough to give to a woman you love, if you know what I mean. : )

Hilltop's official address is 14807 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32309

Their phone number is 850.906.0752

FINDING HILLTOP....
(from Miccosukee) Drive south on Veterans Memorial Drive (County Rd 59). When the road dead-ends at US90 East (Mahan Drive), turn left. Drive about 2 miles and Hilltop will be on the right... not surprisingly at the top of a hill. :)

FROM TALLAHASSEE
Drive east towards Monticello on US90 (Mahan Drive). Drive past Cap Circle, and the Interstate highway 10 on ramp. About 10 miles beyond the interstate intersection, you'll see Hilltop on the right.

pebble hill plantation is one of over seventy plantations that still exist in the tallahassee-thomasville area. pebble hill plantation was established by thomas j. johnson in 1825. the plantation home you see today was designed by english architect john wind and was built in 1850. during the radical reconstruction era after the civil war pebble hill fell into a state of disrepair. a wealthy northerner named howard m. hanna bought the plantation in 1896. the hanna family restored the pebble hill and built additional buildings on the property. pebble hill plantation is listed on the national register of historic places. for those interested in architecture and southern culture pebble hill plantation is well worth a visit when in the tallahassee area. for admission and times see the attached web site. pebble hill plantation is located on US 319 twenty five miles north of downtown.

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The nearby south Georgia city of Valdosta, Georgia, hosts Wild Adventures Theme Park. There is also an adjoining water park (Splash Island), which is considered part of Wild Adventures.

Valdosta is an easy drive, about 90 miles away from Tallahassee. WA is a pleasant little theme park, every bit as entertaining as your basic Six Flags type place....just a smaller scale. PRICES are on a smaller scale, too.

One-day admission is about $30. Sometimes, they'll give you two days for the price of one. A SEASON pass is only $64 per person, and includes all the concerts (see below), too. And remember, your admission gets you into both Wild Adventures and Splash Island water park. A helluva good deal, if you only go a twice a year! And (sounds like a TV infomercial.....) there's even more..) your season long passport is also good at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in Winter Haven, Florida. (both parks are owned by the same management)

Wild Adventures is clean, civil and well-managed. Parking isn't a problem, nor is traffic. And, unless you hit it on a weekend in the summer, it's usually not crowded, either.

How big IS Wild Adventures? Well, it's not remotely Disney or MGM.... but consider this... they have NINE rollercoasters! Some of them really move, too.

In addition to the amusement park, Wild Adventures has a well-maintained wildlife park, where you can get an up-close look at many exotic animals. (see zoo tip in off the beaten trail, Tallahassee) There are the pre-requisite animal shows that you'd see at any theme park scheduled at various times during the day.

And there are concerts...... your admission ticket will often get you into a concert being played by some famous entertainers. Your admission ticket only gets you general admission....if you want a reserved seat, you have to pay some extra. The last couple of years' acts at Wild Adventures have included Foreigner, Styx, Huey Lewis & the News, Loretta Lynn, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Boyz II Men, the Animals and EVEN Iron Butterfly! (remember In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida?) I heard this afternoon (March 2009) that Keith Urban is coming soon. I wonder if Nicole Kidman will come along for the ride?

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SPECIAL NOTE, 7/6/08. For those of you who have heard the story of "the lucky duck", she's doing well. At this time, she's moved to a permanent home out at the Tallahassee Junior Museum. She can't fly well enough to be released into the wild, so this lucky duck will live the rest of her life being well cared for. If you'd like to help Goose Creek take care of rehabbing animals, please send a check made out to Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, attn: Noni Beck. The address is 830 Watt Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Please drop my name (Pete Chamlis) and say that you read about Goose Creek on my VT page. :)

Also, if you'd like to see a photo taken today (1/21) of the famous duck, look at my second tip photo. This is my daughter Sara holding the rescued duck. :)

Here's the original tip text:

e Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary is really nothing more than a collection of people who truly love rescuing and rehabilitating injured wildlife. If you truly have an interest in this endeavor, give Goose Creek (Noni) a call when you're in Tallahassee.

My daughter, Sara, who lives for this type of vocation, has volunteered with Goose Creek and Noni for over five years. In the attached photo, she's holding "Goober", a beautiful little adult Eastern screech owl. Goober cannot be released back into the wild because he cannot fly. So, Goose Creek takes care of him and uses him in educational demonstrations. My daughter has been working with Goober for years, and they make quite a pair. BTW, if you're wondering about Sara's (my daughter) outfit, she was wearing a skunk costume on this day. She was doing wildlife talks and demonstrations for small children at a local festival.

ALSO, IF YOU TRULY HAVE AN INTEREST IN CARING FOR INJURED WILDLIFE AND WOULD LIKE TO SEND CONTRIBUTIONS TO A GROUP THAT WILL SPEND EVERY PENNY YOU GIVE TO THEM ::ON:: THE ANIMALS....NO ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OR SALARIES, IT'S ALL VOLUNTEER, please contact me and I'll tell you where to send your dollars, euros, shekels, rupees, kroners or whatever. Thanks!