Sights to See in the Greater Red Hills Region

Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science

3945 Museum Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32310
(850) 575-8684
www.tallahasseemuseum.org

Explore the rich history, native wildlife, and natural beauty of the Big Bend region. See Florida panthers, red wolves, black bears, and more at the natural habitat zoo. And step back in time as you tour an 1880s farmstead, historic school and church, and antebellum plantation home.

Thomas County Museum of History

725 N. Dawson Street
Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 226-7664
www.thomascountyhistory.org

Learn why wealthy Northerners flocked to Thomasville in the 1880s—a period known as the great Winter Resort Era. And find out how Thomas County's antebellum cotton plantations were transformed into magnificent quail hunting retreats. Tour a pioneer log house, a modest Victorian home, a 19th century courthouse and a bowling alley built in 1893.

Thomasville Cultural Center

600 East Washington
Thomasville GA 31792
(229) 226-0588
www.thomasvillearts.org

The Center is located in a 40,000 square foot 1915 Italianate building listed on the registry of Historic Places. Inside, the Center reveals galleries, dance studios, classrooms, a fine arts library, and a beautifully restored 500-seat auditorium. Throughout the year, the Center features art exhibitions and offers special events.Nature Centers.

Mission San Luis

2021 West Mission Road
Tallahassee, FL 32304
(850) 245-6406
www.missionsanluis.org

Modern day visitors to Mission San Luis discover a re-created community where Apalachee Indians and newcomers from Spain lived in close proximity drawn together by religion as well as military and economic purpose. Visitors can tour the Apalachee village, the council house, and the mission church built under the supervision of Franciscans.

Goodwood Museum & Gardens

1600 Miccosukee Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
(850) 877-4202
www.goodwoodmuseum.org

Situated on sixteen acres of sprawling lawns, gardens and centuries old live oaks, the Main House and thirteen outbuildings provide a glimpse to a rich past. Begun in the 1830s as one of the finest antebellum plantations, Goodwood evolved at the turn of the 20th century into one of the stylish manors of the Country Estate era.

Birdsong Nature Center

2106 Meridian Road
Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 877-4408
www.birdsongnaturecenter.org

Birdsong spans 565 acres of lush fields, forests, and swamps, providing a pristine haven for birds and other native wildlife. Visitors are encouraged to explore its 12 miles of nature trails and visit its Bird Window, which offers a wonderful opportunity to observe an array of resident and migratory bird species.

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park

3540 Thomasville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32309
(850) 487-4115
www.floridastateparks.org/maclaygardens/

The gardens are open year-round, featuring a secret garden, reflection pool, and hundreds of camellias and azaleas. In addition to the gardens, the park provides opportunities for swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and picnicking. And hikers, bicyclists, and equestrians can enjoy five miles of multi-use trails.

Metcalfe Historic District

The district is comprised of 35 historic structures, including the Metcalfe Railroad Depot built circa 1887. This little village served as an important railroad hub in the late 19th century, exporting the area's cotton and longleaf pine timber to Georgia coastal markets.

Miccosukee Historic District

At the crossroads of Moccasin Gap Road and State Road 59 is the village of Miccosukee. The town was platted in 1908, but its heritage goes back much farther. Near the shores of Lake Miccosukee was the largest of the Seminole Indian towns with an estimated population of 1,000 in the early 1800s. Today, the sleepy hamlet is a good place to stop en route to nearby beautiful Lake Miccosukee at Reeves Landing.

Tallahassee Historic Districts

(850) 488-7334
www.taltrust.org

Tallahassee boasts three National Register Historic Districts in or near downtown. The Calhoun Street and Park Avenue Historic Districts contain some of the finest Territorial Period architecture found in the state of Florida. The Magnolia Heights Historic District reflects the architecture of Tallahassee's first suburb. In the downtown area, visitors can enjoy a wealth of museums, art galleries, and fine restaurants.

Thomasville Historic Districts

There are eight National Register Historic Districts in the City of Thomasville, which is noted for its fine Victorian architecture and has one of the best Main Street programs in the nation. See sites 12-16 for Thomasville highlights.

Thomasville Visitors Center

401 S. Broad Streed
Thomasville, GA 31799
(located in the Thomas County Chamber of Commerce Building) (229) 228-7977 or (866) 577-3600
www.thomasvillega.com

The Center provides self-guided walking and driving tours, as well as resources for locating and enjoying Thomasville tourist attractions.

Hardy Bryan House

312 N. Broad Street
Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 226-6016

The Hardy Bryan House is the headquarters of Thomasville Landmarks, Inc., a non-profit, historic preservation organization with about 700 members.

Lapham-Patterson House

626 N Dawson Street
Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 225-4004
http://gastateparks.org/info/lapham/

Visit one of the most outstanding architectural landmarks in Thomasville. The house was built between 1884-85 as a winter cottage for prosperous shoe merchant C.W. Lapham of Chicago, who like many northerners, seasoned at Thomasville during the Gilded Aged. Maintained by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the house is open for public tours.

Thomasville's Black Heritage Trail Tour

(229) 228-7977
www.thomasvillega.com/html/black_heritage.htm

This self-guided tour will introduce you to 68 historical sites significant to Thomasville's African American history, complete with pictures and an easy-to-follow map.

Pebble Hill Plantation

1251 US Hwy. 319 South
Thomasville, GA 31792
(229) 226-2344
www.pebblehill.com

Prepare to be amazed and captivated while touring the South's premier hunting plantation, covering more than 3,000 acres. The only one of its kind open to the public, it stands as testimony to the sporting life during the early 1800s, featuring a stately main house with more than 40 rooms, 18 bedrooms, and 21 bathrooms.

Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy

13093 Henry Beadel Drive
Tallahassee, Florida 32312
(850) 893-4153
www.talltimbers.org

Tall Timbers is considered one of the premier research, conservation, and education organizations in the nation focusing on fire ecology, wildlife management, and land conservation. The former antebellum and hunting plantation comprises 4,000 acres on the north shore of Lake Iamonia. Tours are offered of the historic Beadel House, the Jones Family Tenant House, and nature trails.

Bradley's Country Store

10655 Centerville Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 893-1647
www.bradleyscountrystore.com

Near the intersection of Old Centerville and Moccasin Gap Roads is the famous Bradley's Country Store, which has been selling its renowned sausage since 1927. A great pit stop on any day, travelers can enjoy a fresh sausage sandwich while sitting on the front porch with the Bradley family.

Lake Jackson Archaeological Mounds

(850) 922-6007
www.floridastateparks.org

Ancestors of the Apalachee Indians began developing the Lake Jackson Mounds around AD 1000 as a religious and administrative capital for this region. Some 500 years later, for reasons still unknown, they abandoned this ceremonial center, and relocated to other parts of the province. Visitors can climb to the top of the mounds, as well as hike a quarter mile nature trail past remains of a grist mill dam and earthen dyke from an antebellum cotton plantation once located here.

Phipps-Overstreet-Maclay Greenway

(850) 891-3866
www.floridastateparks.org

It's Tallahassee's largest greenway, connecting Maclay Gardens, Lake Overstreet, and the Elinor Klapp Phipps Park. The greenway includes miles of hiking and equestrian trails.

Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway

2280 Miccosukee Road
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(850) 488-0221
http://www.dep.state.fl.us

This Greenway parallels six miles of Tallahassee's historic canopy roads through 500 acres of mixed hardwood and pine forests, interspersed with several large pastures reflecting its agricultural background. Along the trail, you may observe more than 46 bird species, including ibis, egret, and heron, Sherman's fox squirrel, and a variety of plants and wildflowers.

Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail

(850) 245-2052
www.dep.state.fl.us

The 16-mile trail runs from Florida's capital city, past the Apalachicola National Forest, and ends in the coastal community of St. Marks. Through the early 1900s, this historic railroad corridor helped provide cotton from the plantation belt to the coast for shipment to textile mills in England and New England. Today, as a paved trail, it provides an excellent workout for street bikers, walkers, and skaters. The adjacent unpaved trail also provides space for horseback riding and access to the Munson Hills Off Road Trails in the National Forest. St. Marks offers seafood, fishing, and San Marcos Apalache Historic State Park to top off your journey.

Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve

(850) 245-2094
www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/lakejackson/info.htm

The Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve is comprised of the Lake Jackson, Carr Lake, and Mallard Pond ecosystem, which are valuable biological, aesthetic, and recreational resources of Leon County and the State of Florida. The Preserve was created primarily to preserve and maintain biological resources in their essentially natural condition. The expansive freshwater marshes and native submerged vegetation provide exceptional fish, waterfowl, and wading bird habitat. Lake Jackson is internationally known for sport fishing and its trophy largemouth bass.