Day 130: Stroll through the art gallery at Le Moyne

Visiting the LeMoyne Center for Visual Arts now is a bit different than it was a few years ago. The art museum has been hit very hard by the economic recession. It has forced the museum to downsize, selling off one of the historic homes it used to display art and sell off some of its collection to pay off debt. The new LeMoyne is much trimmer. It’s still located in a downtown historic home and is still free (though donations are encouraged and very much appreciated). When I attended, the exhibit featured art all about cats. There were dozens of paintings that featured cats and since I’m a bona fide Crazy Cat Lady I totally dug it. I wouldn’t say the LeMoyne is child-friendly, though they do offer summer camps and great activities for kids. LeMoyne also offers art classes year-round. Strolling through LeMoyne, though, I mostly felt pity for the museum and a desire to restore it to back to its glory days. Support LeMoyne by visiting on your lunch hour or on a Saturday afternoon and for pete’s sake make a donation!

Address: 125 North Gadsden Street

Day 127: Glimpse new homes at the Parade of Homes

This blog post was intended to be published on May 7

I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with real estate. My idea of a good time is watching HGTV while also scrolling through the Multiple Listing Service. So it goes without saying my favorite time of the year is early May when Parade of Homes is going on. If you’re not familiar, Parade of Homes is put on by the local Tallahassee home builders. Each year, local builders show off their new homes, holding open houses over two weekends to let people walk through dozens of new homes that were built in recent months. It’s popular with people in the market and also just nosy homeowners like me who want to know what’s in style. Usually the homes vary greatly in prices, with everything from low $100Ks to $1 million and up. You can pick up a guide to the Parade at your local Publix. You pick which homes to see and in what order. I especially enjoy oogling the high-end homes that are way beyond my station in life. The Parade has hit some hard times recently, with the number of homes shrinking due to the economy. But it’s still a great way to spend the afternoon and completely free.

Address: All over town

Day 122: Take a yoga class at a studio

This blog post was intended to be published on May 2

There are plenty of options when it comes to yoga classes in Tallahassee. First, most gyms offer yoga classes. I’ve taken the ones offered by the YMCA. But to be honest, the better classes in town are offered by private yoga-only studios. Studios tend to cater to yoga enthusiasts whereas gyms attract a lot of beginners. And in general the yoga instructors at the studios tend to be more experienced. If you’ve never tried yoga before, I would start with a studio because you’ll get more one-on-one attention. The two studios I have tried in town include Journeys in Yoga and Namaste Yoga. Both offer more intimate classes for advanced and beginner yogis. They also offer a variety of different types of yoga, from hot yoga to more of the relaxed flow yoga to a more stringent workout yoga. The best part is that both studios don’t charge for your first class. So you can get a taste of whether you like yoga before committing to spending money. Both studios charge about $10 per class, and offer discounts when you buy in bulk. My one complaint is I wish they had more early morning classes. There are also a few other yoga studios in town, including one that specializes in hot yoga.

Address: Journeys in Yoga is at 111 South Magnolia and Namaste Yoga is at 1369 East Lafayette

Day 118: Go hiking at the St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge

This blog post was intended to be published on April 28.

A short drive south of Tallahassee is St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge. I’ve written about the lighthouse at the park before. But there is more to this national park than some old lighthouse. There are hiking trails near the main entrance that take you over murky swamplands and leave you utterly convinced you are moments away from being swallowed by alligators. Indeed, there are signs posted warning you of alligators nearby. St. Mark’s is classic Florida, a mix of tall pines, shallow swamps, rivers of grass and thick brush. I like to muse about how difficult life must have been for Native Americans who lived in on this terrain not so long ago. Besides hiking, there are also spots to go fishing and you can even take a peek at the ocean, though don’t expect crashing waves.

Address: St. Marks, Florida

Day 116: Visit the Riley House Museum

The Riley House is the African-American version of the Knott House. The 1890-built house sits in downtwon Tallahassee across from the Republican Party headquarters. It was the home of John Riley, a prominent Tallahassee resident who was born into slavery and ended up becoming principal of what is now Lincoln High. At the time, his home was in the black middle-class neighborhood of Smokey Hollow. Riley devoted his life to making sure other African-Americans in the city received an education. The home itself is filled with antiques and mementos about Riley’s life, with a temporary exhibit on African-Americans in the Civil War, for instance. I really loved this museum in part because it appealed to my love of underdogs. I get the sense that the Riley House doesn’t get many visitors as the similar Knott House. The museum is free, though of course they welcome donations. Their hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address: 419 East Jefferson

Day 106: Shop for art at the Chain of Parks

The Chain of Parks is an art festival sponsored by the LeMoyne art museum that stretches across several small mid-street parks in downtown Tallahassee. It attracts artists not just from the city, but from all across Florida and the Southeast, who set up mini-stores underneath white tents. The art tents to be very Florida-based with lots of paintings or photographs of drooping trees layered in Spanish moss, swampy forests, and white-sand beaches edged with rippling blue waters.  I went with the intention that I would just window shop and sample the food vendors. But I found myself drawn to the art and loved the opportunity to speak with the artists about their particular style. (Most of it was outside of my price range. Think $500 to $2,000.) I ended up walking away with a lovely photograph of the Czech Republic from Larry Humphrey that I will hang on my living room wall. The food vendors weren’t bad, there was an abundance of kettle corn and some great locally-made ice cream from Barb’s Brittles. This isn’t exactly a child-oriented festival, it’s better  to go with friends or a spouse. The festival is free, but $1 are encouraged.

Address: Downtown Tallahassee

Day 101: Go worm grunting in Sopchoppy

The annual Sopchoppy Worm Grunting festival sounds like it is fictional, straight out of a novel mimicking the goofy traditions of the redneck South. Except that it’s real. The annual festival in the tiny Wakulla County town of Sopchoppy celebrates the lost art of worm grunting. What is worm grunting, you say? Why it’s making the ground vibrate in such a way that worms emerge from the Earth. You can then use these worms as fish bait. The festival does offer worm grunting contests in the morning, but most of it is similar to what one might find at any outdoor fest — a live band, booths hawking soaps, kids clothing and baked goods, and loads of food vendors. It is held in Sopchoppy’s miniscule downtown. I got a kick out of walking around the town, where they have an old-fashioned downtown grocery store. Sopchoppy also has a pretty darn good restaurant called Backwoods Bistro. The best part of the festival was just the appreciation of simple pleasures: a hot summer day, good food, and music that makes you dance. (By the way, there were kids galore and strangely, no alcohol served).

Address: Sopchoppy, Florida. Just follow Highway 319 south.

Day 98: Take a walk around Lake Ella

When locals refer to “Lake” Ella, do not expect a wide expanse of water with boats skimming across. It is really a pond off Monroe Street that has a sidewalk and benches surrounding it. On a nice day, it’s a perfect spot to take a walk or read a book. The aforementioned Black Dog Cafe is also nearby and so are a number of locally-owned shops, such as the Panhandler’s Kitchen, which sells kitchen supplies and cooking classes. You’ll also often find children tossing bread crumbs to the ducks that make Lake Ella their home. The surrounding homes in the Midtown neighborhood around Lake Ella are not exactly historic but they ooze mid-century charm.

Address: Monroe Street and Lake Ella Drive

Day 90: Enjoy Springtime Tallahassee

Springtime Tallahassee is the city’s biggest annual festival and a cherished spring tradition. The festival started as a way to show legislators in town for session that sleepy Tallahassee had options for entertainment. The all-day extravaganza is worth indulging in. It starts with a 5K and 10K run in the morning. Even if you’re not a runner, park yourself along the race course and cheer on runners. My husband and I really enjoyed running in the 10K, which begins in downtown Tallahassee and winds its way through the nearby (and very hilly) Myers Park neighborhood. Then there’s the Springtime parade, with loads of giant floats that people have spent months bedazzling. This year, Florida’s Governor served as the Grand Marshal. It’s a definite favorite for kids, and extremely family-friendly. Thankfully, there is no need to display body parts to secure beads. Afterward, several downtown city blocks are closed to street vendors selling clothing, food, knick-knacks and art. I discovered the best shaved ice of my life at one of the food vendors. It wasn’t just hot dogs and cotton candy, either. They had seafood, Thai, BBQ and more. I can’t say enough good things about Springtime, though it does get crowded as seemingly the entire city descends upon a few downtown blocks. Come armed with a parking plan and good walking shoes.

Address: Downtown Tallahassee

Day 82: Tour the Historic Capitol Museum

The white-columned historic old Capitol that sits in front of the new, modern 22-story Capitol building is a popular destination for tourists. The old Capitol has been restored to its 1902 version and is also a museum of Florida’s political history. Admission is free, though donations are encouraged. Each room is devoted to a different part of Florida politics, whether it’s the history of Florida’s governors, or a display of the more recent history of the 2000 presidential recall that focused so much national attention on Florida. There’s lots of cool memorabilia, from old desks to the clothing our old politicos wore. Museum officials have kept intact the rooms that used to house the Supreme Court and the House and Senate chambers. Interestingly, more tourists (and even locals) visit the old Capitol than the new, which instead of showcasing history is making it. If you want to read more about the new Capitol and why it was built, check out my Tallahassee Magazine article.