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Tallahassee Offers "Recession-FREE" Family Fun

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – April 23, 2008 – With economists believing Florida, the fourth largest state in the United States, is already in a recession,* Tallahassee offers vacationing families this spring and summer "Recession-FREE" travel options. From alligators to artifacts, Seminoles to sinkholes and canopy roads to the Capitol Complex, Tallahassee offers historic and adventurous diversions to travelers en route to the white beaches and the magical castles of Florida. With its mixture of canopy roads, deep-rooted history, rolling hills, moss-draped oaks, cool climate and Southern-style hospitality, Tallahassee is an ideal venturing spot. Touting unique landmarks, including the site of America’s First Christmas, Capitol buildings, sprawling plantations, civil rights monuments, highly acclaimed outdoor adventures and nearby beaches, Tallahassee is a Florida few have seen. If travelers seek family fun and mouth-watering meanderings, Tallahassee is sure to deliver in full spirit at a low cost (www.VisitTallahassee.com).

 TOTALLY FREE

• Stand guard at the newly reconstructed fort, El Castillo de San Luis, at Mission San Luis
• Dare the off-road bike trails along the St. Marks Trail
• View breathtaking panoramic scenery from the 22^nd floor of the New Capitol
• Picnic in the sculpture garden at LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts 
• Hunt for treasure at more than 200 local geocache sites 
• Imagine America’s first Christmas at the site of Hernando de Soto’s 1539 winter encampment
• Take a Sunday afternoon drive down our beautiful canopy roads or the Scenic Byway
• Get blown away in the hurricane simulator at the Mary Brogan Museum (free daily 4-5 p.m.)
• Retrace your steps on the Black Heritage Trail
• Celebrate native American heritage at four archeological sites: Lake Jackson, Mission San Luis, Letchworth or Velda Mounds
• Get creative at the "First Friday Gallery Hop" at the Railroad Square Art Park
• Stroll throughout historic downtown on a self-guided walking tour with accompanying podcast
• Rejoice at some of America’s oldest churches and historic stained glass
• Feed the ducks, turtles and fish at Lake Ella
• Volley on 19 tennis courts at Forest Meadows Park
• Play in the squirting fountains at SouthWood Town Center
• Climb the rope tower at Tom Brown Park
• Relive the Battle of Natural Bridge 
• Have a visual feast at free art galleries and museums: Artport, City Hall, FAMU Foster Tanner, FSU Fine Arts and TCC Gallery
• Saddle-up on the Apalachicola National Forest’s Vinzant Riding Trail
• Honor the past at memorials and statuary throughout the city
• See Capitol Hill come to life at the Mildred and Claude Pepper Library and Museum
• Tour the Old Capitol Museum with "Governor Jennings" as your guide

NEARLY FREE

• Swim in the crystal clear waters of Wakulla Springs State Park ($4 per vehicle, $1 per extra passenger)
• Mountain bike, horseback ride, kayak or stroll through Maclay Gardens State Park ($4 adults, $2 children)
• Count birds or track butterflies at the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge ($5 fee) 
• Rent kayaks at The Wilderness Way, Florida’s Big Bend Paddlesport Outfitter ($30-35 per day)
• Hit range balls at the Fred Couples/Gene Bates-designed SouthWood Golf Course ($8 large bag, $5 small bag)
• Splash and slide at the Trousdell Aquatic Center ($3 adults, $2 seniors, $1 kids under 16)
• Stargaze at the Challenger Learning Center Planetarium ($5 adults, $4 kids) 
• Tour the 1834 house and garden estate at Goodwood Museum & Gardens (Tours $5 adults, free under 3)
• Visit the Riley House & Museum of African American History & Culture ($2 adults, $1 kids)
  

Places to Eat
(Entrees under $10)

• Another Broken Egg, a new Tallahassee breakfast and lunch hotspot
• Crispers, a garden fresh alternative to fast food
• Sonny’s, a southern barbeque institution 
• Tallahassee Ale House & Sports Bar, award-winning Ale House wings and raw bar 
• Whataburger, since 1950, a Tallahassee hot-rod favorite
• Trail Break Café, Tallahassee Museum, with sandwiches, salads in the great outdoors
• Moe’s Southwest Grill, features the biggest burritos in town
• Po’ Boy’s Creole Café, laissez les bon temps roulez!
• Samrat, Indian cuisine at its finest
• St. John’s Café, homemade lunch classics, always fresh

Places to Stay

• Cabot Lodge North, from $69 per night
• Best Western Pride Inn & Suites, from $69.95 per night
• Hilton Garden Inn, from $89 per night
• Park Plaza, from $99 per night
• The Wingate by Wyndham, from $99 per night
• Holiday Inn Capitol East, 30 percent off regular rates
• Howard Johnson Express, 20 percent off regular rates
• Hampton Inn & Suites – Thomasville Road, 10 percent off regular rates
• Homewood Suites, 10 percent off regular rates
• Governor’s Inn, from $125 per night

To experience Tallahassee "Recession-FREE," go to www.VisitTallahassee.com or contact the Tallahassee Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 628-2866.

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