Experience the best of Tallahassee

Tallahassee sits in the Panhandle region of north Florida, on rolling red-clay hills that are rare in the state. It is Florida's capital, and the Old Capitol, a white 1845 building with red-and-white striped awnings, stands in front of the 22-storey modern Capitol tower. Florida State University and Florida A&M University give the city a youthful feel.

Canopy roads shaded by live oaks draped in Spanish moss lead out of town. Mission San Luis preserves a reconstructed 17th-century Spanish mission and Apalachee village, and the Tallahassee Museum has native wildlife and historic buildings. Wakulla Springs, one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world, lies about 25 km to the south, with alligators, birds and, in winter, manatees on the river, and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge has a lighthouse on the Gulf.

Gulf seafood is the local speciality, from oysters to shrimp and grits, along with barbecue, boiled peanuts and fried green tomatoes. Afternoon storms roll through the hot, humid summers, winters are mild, and the hurricane season runs from June to November. Azaleas and camellias bloom from February to April, and autumn football Saturdays fill the city.