Tallahassee Off The Beaten Path

As mentioned in one of my sporting tips, college football is HUGE in Tallahassee. This community loves its Seminoles!

As many of you may know, my son plays in Florida State University's marching band (The Marching Chiefs). The "World Renowned Marching Chiefs" (as they are known) always put on a bang-up halftime show, entertaining the crowd with a variety of musical styles and marching techniques. (There is a picture of the entire Marching Chiefs band on the field in my FSU football sports tip)

However, IF you come to an FSU game, try to come a few hours early. The Chiefs hold what they call their "pregame skull session" over at the FSU baseball stadium. This is an opportunity for the band to make final preparations for the show of the day. And, it gives the crowd a chance to sit down and enjoy some musical fun and hijinks to boot.

In addition to playing through most of the day's halftime music AND the school fight and spirit songs, the individual instrument sections work up their own little "cheers", which are actually student-arranged songs. For the most part, the subject matter borders on the silly and humorous. (For example, something like "The Jetsons Theme Song" and such) One particularly weird and funny cheer involved the 18 members of the tuba section (aka the "Royal Flush") playing "The Hokey Pokey song".

So, if you ever find yourself attending an FSU football game, arrive at least two hours prior to kickoff. Go to the baseball stadium (just next door) and enjoy the skull sessions. It's completely free and comfortable, thanks to the outstanding seating at the baseball facility. You'll have a blast.

SPECIAL NOTE. IN THE PHOTO ON THE LEFT (AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE), MY SON IS THE 9TH SAXOPHONE FROM THE LEFT IN THE LONG LINE. HE'S WEARING A GARNET COLORED BASEBALL CAP, AND HIS SUNGLASSES ARE ON THE BILL. And although he won't share such private information, he seems to have more than a casual interest in the lovely young lady who is 10th in line. : )

The School of Music at Florida State University produces a never-ending supply of excellent concerts and theatrical events. Many are actually free to the public, and even those involving an actual ticket price are inexpensive.

On a personal note, my son Jeff is a junior at Florida State, in the School of Music. He is studying Music Education and will someday be a band leader or orchestra conductor.

The last concert that my wife and I attended at FSU was October 20, and featured the university's VERY hip Jazz Ensemble. Among the songs performed were..

Lazy Bird (John Coltrane)
Groove Merchant (Jerome Richardson)
Main Stem (Duke Ellington)
My Brotha (Carl Allen)
Everyday I Have the Blues (Joe Williams)
Mean What You Say (Thad Jones)

At many of these concerts, very renowned guest artists take part. For the concert I described above, NYC jazz drummer Carl Allen sat in with the ensemble. He had spend the day at FSU conducting several workshops and sessions with the highly-motivated and talented student body of the School of Music.

C'mon out and enjoy the music at Florida State!

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.

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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?

One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Tallahassee in 1968 was that we had an official gypsy fortune teller in town. Sister Fay has been in business locally for well on 35 years, a regular pillar of the community. As for the tramps and thieves part of the title, I really don't know of any trampish behavior on the part of Fay over the years.

As for thievery.... let's just say that if collecting money for dubious services is a crime, then the phone company would be in maximum security right now.

I've never had my palm read by the good madame, but I've heard that she's big into getting you to "come back" because she's seen some "unclear issues" in your reading. Hmmmmm.

But, if you're in the mood for something really silly, have a couple of beers and go see Sister Fay. I'd tell you to say hi for me, but why bother? Since she has special powers, she's probably already hearing me as I type now.....

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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!

A lot of people have asked me about hurricanes and such. Sure, they're a pain, and can be deadly. But one thing that is almost magical..... after a storm passes, the weather becomes so incredibly serene and beautiful. It's almost as if we've passed some sort of heavenly test. Hmmmm.

The same is true when we have one of our frog-choker (remind me to put that on my Southern Sayings list...) storms. After a few hours of torrential rain and blasting thunder/lightnening, it's as if peace returns in all her glory. Look around, and take in the beauty and calm after the storm.

There is an interesting animal exhibit at Tallahassee's Museum of Natural History. (otherwise known of in Tallahassee by it's old name, the "Junior Museum") But, if you'd like to see more exotic animals, you might want to motor over to Valdosta, Georgia, some 90 miles away. Wild Adventures Amusement Park and Animal Park has a nice collection of exotic wild animals in a well-maintained and reasonable spacious habitat.

Now, I agree with most of you..... animals in a zoo are not what makes me really happy. Nothing compares to seeing them in the African bush. But, zoos do important research and serve their purpose. I have no issue with zoos so long as the animals are healthy and cared for. This is the case at Wild Adventures.

For more information on Wild Adventures, see my separate tip.

Summing it up, I"m not sure that Wild Adventures is worth the drive if you ONLY want to visit a zoo. (If that's the case, I'd suggest driving the 160 miles to Jacksonville, Florida). But if you'd like to enjoy an amusement park, a water park, some good live music AND a zoo, check out Wild Adventures.