When the weatherman announces you're living in the coldest place on the planet, it's time to hop a plane to somewhere warm--which is what happened to me in March, 2003. Tallahassee, Florida's capitol city, was where my finger dropped on the map, so off I went to investigate their 75 degrees of spring air, leaving the frigid winter weather to the rest of the family around town! With its sprawling city limits and rolling hills, Tallahassee isn't quite what you expect in Florida. However, the trees were certainly green, and hanging with the Spanish moss I'd come to expect from my trips through the Southern states. Tallahassee also has five official canopy roads where the moss-draped oaks create an emerald tunnel. In fact, I found lots of Southern charm in this small city, along with a rich history, and appreciation for the bountiful gifts that nature has bestowed on the area.

Tallahasse has been recognized as a capital leader for more than 8 centuries. This diaorama of the of the aboriginal people from around 1450 shows the area as a ceremonial center. The photo was taken in the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee. http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/museum/ The museum also houses the bones of Herman, a mastodon between 12000 and 18000 years old, who would have weighed in at over 5 tons.

Tallahassee's wildlife museum was chartered in 1957. In 1962 it moved to the outskirts of the city onto 56 acres, which allows the animals to be housed in natural habitats. This is a photo of one of the wild cats in the museum. All of the animals there have been rescued or are unable to return to their natural habitats due to physical problems. http://tallahasseemuseum.org/

The Concord Schoolhouse embodies the African-American community's struggle for an education. It served the needs of the African-American community in Leon County for over 60 years before being relocated to the museum to preserve the heritage of African-Americans. The earliest record of the school is in 1878, where it educated the children of former slaves. The earliest known teacher was Lucien Fisher, who taught in 1893. The school was used until 1968, when the students were intergrated with the rest of the community. The historical interpreter pictured here is Sabrina, at the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science. http://tallahasseemuseum.org/

Wakulla Springs State Park is just outside the city of Tallahassee. Wakulla Springs, which means "strange and mysterious waters" has been occupied by humans for nearly 15,000 years. Studied since the 19th century, the park springs have immense underground caverns littered with the fossilized bones of giant sloth, armadillos, camels, and other ancient "park visitors." More recently, it has been used as the filming location for such movies as the Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan "Tarzan" movies, "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "Airport 77." Wakulla Springs web site: http://tfn.net/Springs/WakullaSprings.htm

The Wakulla Spring is a pre-ice age sinkhole connected to an underground cave. It contains 11 distinct natural communities, including basin swamp, dome, floodplain forest and floodplain swamp. This is the Anhinga bird, whose key unique feature is that its feathers become wet in the water, allowing it to dive through the water more easily. Without boat motors running, the waterways are filled with the sounds of numerous birds and wildlife species -- listen. It's an experience you won't easily forget!

This car is a 1903 Stanley Steamer Stick Seat Runabout. Its home is the Tallahassee Antique Car Museum -- http://www.tacm.com The museum received the 1999 National AACA First Place Award as the number one museum in the United States for the preservation of antique cars. It houses 85 cars, all carefully restored and maintained in show quality. Some of the features of the collection include Batman's Bat Cycle, and two Batmobiles used in the original batman movies, along with the Duck the Penguin rode in the Batman Returns movie. In addition to cars, the museum houses many children's toys--mostly cars from matchbox size to the peddle car used by the Little Rascals, plus a large collection of boat motors.

Tallahassee has America's largest concentration of original plantations -- 300,000 acres, among 71 plantations, exist between Tallahassee and Thomasville, Georgia, a mere 28 miles away. This photo is of the Goodwood Plantation, which is inside Tallahassee's city limits. It is currently a a museum and gardens open to the public for viewing and special events. http://www.taltrust.org/goodwood.htm Some of the home's features include the oldest frescoed ceilings in the State, a gazing globe garden, and priceless furnishings such as a Mycean urn.

From the spun glass art of Dale Chihuly's Seaform show at the Mary Brogan Museum of Art Center to the exquisite natural beauty of the new camellia flower, Tallahassee is a memorable destination...