Where the Manatees Are

It was cold when we got to Florida but warmed up. You may think, like I did, that you have only to cross the border into Florida to find warm, sunny weather. We learned a number of years ago on the boat that you have to get at least to mid-Florida before it starts feeling warm in winter. Still, it was warmer than farther north and wasn’t raining. We drove past acres of pecan orchards in Georgia and arrived in Tallahassee mid-day.  Actually we were a bit out of town but our campsite had a lovely view of Lake Talquin. After setting up, we set off to see some sights. 

First we visited Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, which has an extensive collection of camellias (that were in bloom), small ponds and paths that wind among big, old oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. We were lucky that the price was $6 per vehicle because in a few days, after January 1st, it was going up to $6 per person, which we would have considered too steep.

After that we visited Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park where a trail through the woods takes you past a couple Indian mounds. There is some basic information about the culture who built them. The mounds look like small, unremarkable hills. They were built around 1100-1200 AD for ceremonial or religious reasons. That night we ate our only dinner out at Barnacle Bills. Our dinners were good not great, although lots of people seemed to be enjoying huge mounds of oysters. Tallahassee seems big and busy.

The following day I had planned a bike ride, but it was too cold. So we set off to see more sights. First we visited Mission San Luis, which has an okay museum in a modern building and other historic mission buildings positioned about the grounds. We shivered as we watched the blacksmith make an iron nail. We quickly saw everything outside,

then headed to the Museum of Florida History where we spent a couple hours viewing the extensive exhibits. You could spend all day learning the history of Florida. It was interesting, but after awhile we were saturated. 

Our last visit that day was to Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park, which was disappointing and not worth the $3 fee. There was a monument and a few plaques about the battle and nothing much to look at, although it was neat to see a gnome’s home behind the fence (not on state property).

On our third and final day in Tallahassee, once again it was too cold in the morning to go biking, so we visited the 22-story Florida State Capitol. There wasn’t a guided tour, but we read the brochure, which described the building and some of the rooms. On the 22nd floor, you can see a great view of Tallahassee and some exhibits. 

The paintings by Christopher Still, who also painted murals in the Senate, were especially nice. 

Warm weather arrived in the afternoon, and we went to Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. The springs themselves are warm (69^o), year round, so in winter, manatees arrive to enjoy the warmth. Manatees also flock to other locations with warm water in winter in Florida. We saw at least eight manatees swimming around, playing or sleeping in the idyllic setting. You could see them very clearly in the water, and they came close to the viewing platforms. I also saw a large gar and a school of fish that looked like catfish. We looked in the lodge, which has a smallish lobby with a painted ceiling. 

Then we took the park’s 45-minute, 3-mile river boat tour with Capt’n Bob, who did a great job explaining the ecology and history of the area. We saw lots of small alligators and birds in the cypress swamp. 

Some grass had gotten caught in the boat’s prop, and when we returned to the springs, a manatee came up and nibbled on it. 

After that we had a late picnic at San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park in St. Marks. There was a short interpretive trail through the park, which had been a fort on the St. Marks River. From there we drove to the end of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge to look at the Gulf of Mexico and St. Marks lighthouse. 

Along the way vast saltwater marshes were dotted with lots of birds and alligators.