ALFRED B. MACLAY GARDENS STATE PARK
3540 Thomasville Road
487-4115 Ranger Station 487-4556
www.floridastateparks.org
Hours: Daily 8 am-sunset

On the rolling hills overlooking picturesque Lake Hall, Alfred B. Maclay created a masterpiece of floral architecture. The gardens, which bloom between January and April, are known for their breathtaking array of camellias and azaleas. The Maclay House, complete with museum exhibits and antique furniture, is open to the public during this blooming season. The Recreation Area features a boat launch, swimming beach, picnic shelters and playground. Lake Overstreet property, with its hardwood forest and spectacular ravines, offers more than eight miles of trails for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.

THE BLACK ARCHIVES CAPITOL COMPLEX AT THE HISTORIC UNION BANK, 219 Apalachee Pkwy., 561-2603, www.famu.edu/acad/archives. Hours: M-F 9 am-4 pm.

Exhibits focus on the experiences and contributions of African Americans throughout the state, with special emphasis on famous Black Floridians. Often features special exhibits, lectures, and programs developed especially for school-age children, and senior community members and groups. A joint project between the Florida Department of the State and Florida A&M University, housed in a former Freedmen’s Bureau Bank.

THE CHARACTER & HERITAGE INSTITUTE (formerly Rossier Productions, Inc.)
224-0372
www.TheCHInstitute.org

The Character and Heritage Institute develops innovative programs and products through arts, history and culture for individuals, schools, homes, educational organizations, and communities. Offers the Operation Filmmaker program, a workshop designed to let young people have a hands-on experience of creating a documentary from concept to completion. This program facilitates cross-community exchanges by offering opportunities to students in the local and surrounding counties.

CLAUDE PEPPER MUSEUM
636 W. Call Street
Florida State University
644-9311
www.claudepepper.org/museum
Hours: M-F 8:30 am-5 pm.

Exhibits dramatically portray the personal and political experiences of U.S. Senator Claude Pepper, one of the most influential and longest serving members of Congress. Included are recreations of Pepper’s childhood home, his 1930s U.S. Senate office, his 1980s U.S. House office, and a recreation of Pepper delivering one of his last speeches. An audio wand tour featuring Pepper and his aides supplements each of the exhibits, and an interactive kiosk allows visitors to “Ask Senator Pepper” about his views on the elderly, health care, labor, and other issues.

THE FLORIDA HISTORIC CAPITOL & LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH CENTER
400 South Monroe Street
487-1902
www.flhistoriccapitol.gov
Hours: M-F 9 am-4:30 pm, Sa 10 am-4:30 pm, Su 12-4:30 pm

Do you know who your state senators are? Who was the first African American in Florida state government? How did one prisoner change the legal system? What does a butterfly ballot look like? Come explore these and other questions in the intriguing world of Florida politics. Through photographs, recordings, and multimedia displays, visitors can experience the people and events that have helped shape Florida. Every first Saturday at 11 am: Doorknobs to Domes: An Architectural Tour. Every second Saturday at 11 am and 1 pm: Great Floridian Film.

FLORIDA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
906 East Park Avenue
224-8128
www.floridatrust.org

The mission of the Florida Trust is to promote the preservation of the architectural, historical and archaeological heritage of Florida through advocacy, education and historic property stewardship. In 2005 the Florida Trust rescued a 1910 Queen Anne home in Tallahassee, the Hays-Hood House, which is now the new headquarters of the Florida Trust and Florida’s Preservation Center. This home is located at 906 East Park Avenue and is in the Magnolia Heights National Register District.

GOODWOOD MUSEUM & GARDENS
1600 Miccosukee Road
877-4202
www.goodwoodmuseum.org
Hours: Main House Tours M-F 10 am-4 pm, Sa 10 am-2 pm; Garden M-F 9 am-5 pm, Sa 10 am-2 pm

One of the finest antebellum plantation houses ever built in this region, situated on sixteen acres of sprawling lawns, gardens and centuries-old live oaks. The Main House, now open to the public as a museum, was built circa 1840. The collections and furnishings are all original to the house, and there are thirteen outbuildings, a roller rink, and reflecting pool. The gift shop sells specialty items such as note cards, framed prints, antiques and collectibles, and regional books. The café is open for lunch Tu-F 11 am to 2 pm.

GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LABORATORIES, 222 Clark Drive, Panacea, FL (30 miles from Tallahassee), 850-984-5297, www.gulfspecimen.org. Hours: M-F 9 am-5 pm, Sa 10 am-4 pm, Su 12 pm-4 pm

An aquarium like no other. Centering around marine animals found in the Gulf of Mexico, the Lab offers adults and children a place where they can come in contact with these unusual and beautiful creatures. They offer shallow touch-tanks which give people a chance to handle sea urchins, star fish, crabs (careful, they pinch!), as well as many other species. There are also deeper tanks showing sharks, sea turtles, and large fish. With a collection that changes literally every day, there is always something new to discover.

JOHN G. RILEY CENTER/MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
419 E. Jefferson Street
681-7881
www.rileymuseum.org
Hours: M, W, F 10 am-4 pm, Saturdays by appointment

Nestled among oak, pecan, and palm trees is one of Tallahassee’s most significant historical treasures, the John Gilmore Riley House. This two-story frame vernacular house, built in 1890, was home to a former slave who became the first Negro principal in Leon County. A genuine artifact, the house is a museum featuring a variety of exhibits based on the history and heritage of African American culture, including rotating exhibits from local and national artists.

THE KIRK COLLECTION, The Public Broadcast Center, 1600 Red Barber Plaza, www.wfsu.org. Hours: M-F 9 am-5 pm.

A 300-piece collection of antique radios, televisions, musical instruments, microphones, and other sound equipment, from the turn of the century through the mid 1950s.

KNOTT HOUSE MUSEUM
301 East Park Avenue
922-2459
www.museumoffloridahistory.com
Hours: W-F 1-4 pm, Sa 10 am-4 pm; closed August

Enter this historic house and step back in time. Preserved in its 1928 décor, the uniquely furnished home is a portrait in time reflecting the lives of state official William Knott and his wife Luella, a poet and temperance activist. Built in 1843, the Knott House holds many memories, from the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865 to the whimsical poetry Mrs. Knott wrote for her furniture in the 1930s. Annual events include Romantic Readings in February, Emancipation Celebration in May, and a variety of other programs throughout the year. Guided tours on the hour Wednesday through Friday, starting at 1 pm with the last tour at 3 pm. Free admission.

LICHGATE COTTAGE/LAURA JEPSEN INSTITUTE
1401 High Road
383-6556
Hours: Tu 10 am - 2 pm, F 11:30 am - 3:30 pm and by appointment.

Named for the gates of medieval England that separated the world of the living from the world of the dead, Lichgate is a lovingly built enchanted cottage reminiscent of the fairytale cottages of childhood stories. With butterfly, perennial and daffodil gardens enhancing the grounds, Lichgate stands as a memorial to the world of retrospect. Regular events include High Tea on High Road, a delightful English tea with all the trimmings, a Women’s History Month event, and book workshops.

MISSION SAN LUIS
2021 W. Mission Road
487-3711
www.missionsanluis.org
Hours: T-Su 10 am-4 pm

See history come alive at the only reconstructed 17th century Spanish mission in Florida. Visitors can explore Florida's Hispanic and Native American roots through costumed living history, hands-on exhibits, re-creations of period buildings and archaeological excavations. Guided group tours are available by reservation. The site was the capital of the western missions in La Florida from 1656 to 1704.

MUSEUM OF FLORIDA HISTORY
R.A. Gray Building, 500 S. Bronough Street
245-6400
www.museumoffloridahistory.com
Hours: M-F 9 am-4:30 pm, Sa 10 am-4:30 pm, Su 12-4:30 pm; extended hours from 5-8 pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Opening in 1977 as the state's official history museum, the Museum of Florida History hosts temporary and permanent exhibits from prehistoric Florida through the 20th century. Highlights include a nine-foot mastodon skeleton, the beautiful St. Johns Diorama (a depiction of an early Timucan Indian village along the St. Johns River before Spanish contact), exquisite gold and silver jewelry (from Spanish shipwrecks), a recreated 19th century steamboat, and walk through an impressive tribute to Florida's citizens during World War II. Free admission.

PEBBLE HILL PLANTATION, U.S. Highway 319, Thomasville, GA (30 miles from Tallahassee), 229-226-2344, www.pebblehill.com. Hours: Tu-Sa 10 am-5 pm, Su 1-5 pm.

This timeless Southern plantation home boasts an eclectic collection of fine art, crystal, porcelain, and antique furnishings. Visitors may wander through the pine and magnolia-dotted grounds, which feature a dog kennel/hospital, cow barn, firehouse, historic cemetery, log cabin schoolhouse, and brick horse stables.

SAN MARCOS DE APALACHE HISTORIC STATE PARK, 148 Old Fort Road, St. Marks (20 miles from Tallahassee), 922-6007. Hours: Th-M 9 am-5 pm.

This site’s history dates back to the early 1500s. Two wooden forts occupied the area prior to construction of a stone fort in 1739. In the mid-1800s, the fort’s stones were utilized in construction of a U.S. Marine hospital. Today the museum contains exhibits and artifacts covering the area’s history, a nature trail through historic fortification ruins, and a visitor’s center.

TALLAHASSEE AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM, 3550-A Mahan Drive, 942-0137, www.tacm.com. Hours: M-Sa 10 am-5 pm, Su noon-5 pm.

A vast selection of rare antique cars that date as early as the 1860s, including the horse-drawn hearse that was used in President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession, the actual Batmobile from Batman Returns, and a mint-condition 1965 Corvette Grand Sport. Also includes boat motors dating back to 1908, Indian artifacts, sports memorabilia, motorcycles, pedal cars, perfume atomizers, baby rattles, and much more.

TALLAHASSEE IRISH SOCIETY
www.irishtallahassee.org

The Tallahassee Irish Society is a not-for-profit organization promoting Irish-American and Celtic heritage through cultural and social events in the greater Tallahassee community. Each year the Society sponsors a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, dramatic presentations, and music sessions with entertainers from Ireland and across the world. With the Tallahassee/Sligo Sister City Program, we promote social, cultural, educational, and athletic exchanges between the countries and are co-sponsors of the every first Saturday trad session at the Warehouse.

TALLAHASSEE MUSEUM
3945 Museum Drive
575-8684
www.tallahasseemuseum.org
Hours: M-Sa 9 am-5 pm, Su 12:30-5 pm

Discover adventure at the Tallahassee Museum and see why it was voted “Best Museum” and “Best Place to Take the Kids” in the “Best of Tallahassee” survey. Guests trek along the boardwalk and winding pathways through the Natural Habitat Zoo, where they encounter animals indigenous to Florida. On the other side of the grounds, discover the historical buildings area. Learn from hands-on exhibits in the Discovery Center, observe the feathered residents of the area in the Natural Science Building, or see the recreation of a 19th century Big Bend farm. The Museum houses more than 30,000 artifacts from the 1800’s to the present, and more than 125,000 individuals visit the Museum every year with their families or on field trips, camps, and workshops.

TALLAHASSEE TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
423 E. Virginia Street
488-7100
www.taltrust.org
Hours: M-F 9 am-4 pm

Located in the historic James T. Perkins House, across from the historic Brokaw-McDougal House in the Calhoun Street Historic District. Contains an extensive library of books, reports, periodicals, photographs, and maps relating to historic Tallahasssee, the region, and the state. Library is open to the public and staff is available to assist with research questions and historic preservation issues. Also features a rotating art exhibit featuring historic themes in the main reception area.

TOURS IN TALLAHASSEE
561-0317 or 212-2063
www.toursintallahassee.com

Let Tours in Tallahassee connect you to Tallahassee’s history, arts, and culture, offering fun and informative guided tours of Florida’s capital city. Passengers will hear stories about this area’s deep south customs, people, events, and architecture. Tour routes include Tallahassee’s new and old places such as the 1902 Historic Capitol, antebellum/early 19th century architecture, the 1829 Old City Cemetery (burial location of Bessie, rumored to be a witch), the governor’s mansion, high points on the campuses of FSU and FAMU, and a loop around South of Soho, officially named Railroad Square Art Park. Tours can be expanded to include a visit to the unique Forgotten Coast; great for bird and alligator sightings, jungle cruises, dining, or just to stretch the legs. Our Downtown Historic Ghost Tour is offered each October, truly a theatrical hoot.