Your family will appreciate an afternoon drive along Tallahassee's oak-shrouded Canopy Roads, but when you're ready for more active adventures, head out to fish, paddle, explore caves and dive into crystal water in a jungle wonderland made famous by Tarzan movies. You can do it all in a variety of terrain in the unassuming city of Tallahassee. See what you can discover in the great outdoors here.
Many Good Fish
Clear blue water, silence and the swish of the fishing line. If you dream of fishing, Tallahassee is a mecca with inland waterways, hundreds of lakes and streams and the bays and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico. The quiet lakes, nestled between the rounded hills near the state capital, boast some of the best bass fishing in the world. Try casting your line by moonlight in Lake Jackson, 4,000 acres of water just north of the city, where night fishing is the norm in hot summers. A Florida fishing license may be required.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Think of Florida as a watery paradise, with canoe and kayak-paddling trails as common as bike trails in other regions. Paddle down rivers beneath forests so dense they form a canopy over the waterway, or in an open bay near coastal scrub, grasslands and dunes. Tallahassee has miles of lakes, rivers and pristine coastline to explore using paddle power, including the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail and the Aucilla Paddling Trail. Experienced boaters adventure through remote, mysterious tupelo swamps on the Apalachicola River trail, named one of the nation's top paddling trails by the American Canoe Association.
Caverns of Adventure
The immense cave-drip formations of limestone stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, flowstones and draperies will dazzle your eyes in Florida Caverns State Park. You can't often find dry caves in a state park, especially with a guided tour available, so don't hesitate to take the family an hour northwest from Tallahassee to discover the excitement. Take the cave tour Thursday though Monday—accessible to all ages—and enjoy all the other bounty the park offers, including picnicking, horseback riding, fishing, hiking and golf.
Wild and Wonderful Wakulla
You'll swear you're on a Tarzan set when you wander Wakulla Springs State Park—and indeed, parts of Tarzan movies were filmed here. The natural spring, canopied by Spanish moss, gushes forth 1.2 billion gallons of water daily, and is so ancient that remains of 10 ice-age mammals were found here. Swim in the crystal waters of this wild and wonderful place, then adventure out on a 40-minute boat tour to see cypress groves, manatees, alligators and wading birds.
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