Free & Cheap Things to Do in Tallahassee

History & Government

The 22-story 1977 Florida State Capitol — flanked by the much shorter 1902 Old Capitol on the same plaza — offers free self-guided tours of the legislative chambers (5th-floor visitor galleries) and a 22nd-floor observation deck with 360-degree views as far as 20 miles to the state line on clear days. The Capitol Gallery rotates exhibits by Florida artists.

Address: 400 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32399

Tip: Open weekdays 8 am – 5 pm, closed weekends and state holidays. Security screening required (purses, bags, electronics). Start at the Florida Welcome Center on the plaza for self-guided maps.

History & Government

The 1845 Old Capitol restored to its 1902 appearance, with 250+ artifacts across 21 rooms covering Florida's political history from territorial days through the 1970s. Restored chambers include the Governor's office, House, Senate, and Supreme Court rooms. Three floors of exhibits, an audio tour, and a kid-friendly scavenger hunt.

Address: 400 S Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32399

Tip: Open Mon-Fri 9–4:30, Sat 10–4:30, Sun 12–4:30. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sits in front of the modern State Capitol on the same plaza — easy double-visit.

Historic Sites

A ca. 1840 antebellum house built by enslaved craftspeople — the Call-Collins House — preserved as a Florida state museum focused on the intertwined histories of slavery, civil rights, and 20th-century reform. Governor LeRoy Collins (Florida's first major civil-rights-era governor) and his wife Mary Call Darby Collins were the last residents. Guided tours run on the hour.

Address: 902 N Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32303

Tip: Open Wednesday-Saturday 10 am–4 pm. Guided tours every hour. Group tours (10+) $1/person, pre-arranged. Free parking lot on site.

Parks & Free Programming

Downtown Tallahassee's signature urban park, built on a reclaimed former municipal dump and reopened in 2014 with 24 acres of stormwater ponds, interactive fountains, a Discovery cells children's play area, a Smokey Hollow Commemoration honoring the Black neighborhood that once stood here, and the 3,500-seat Adderley Amphitheater named for jazz brothers Cannonball and Nat Adderley.

Address: 1001 S Gadsden St, Tallahassee, FL 32301

Tip: Free Downtown Concert Series at the Adderley Amphitheater each spring/summer evening. Free parking in three nearby state-owned lots/garages and on downtown streets after 5 pm.

Trails & Biking

A 16-mile paved rails-to-trails route along Florida's longest-operating railroad (1836-1983) connecting south Tallahassee to the historic fishing town of St. Marks on the Gulf coast. Smooth pavement through pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, and small Wakulla County towns. Interpretive exhibits at multiple points tell the railroad's 146-year story.

Address: 1358 Old Woodville Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32305

Tip: Open 8 am – sundown daily. Free parking at the north Tallahassee trailhead off Woodville Hwy. Multiple shaded rest stops with restrooms, water, and picnic tables along the route. Leashed dogs welcome.

Historic Sites

Tallahassee's only National Historic Landmark — a 1656-1704 living-history reconstruction of the western capital of Spanish Florida, where the Apalachee people and Spanish colonists lived alongside each other. Reconstructed buildings include the Apalachee council house (the largest known indigenous structure in colonial America), the Franciscan church, fort, and Spanish-style homes. Living-history interpreters in period dress.

Address: 2100 W Tennessee St, Tallahassee, FL 32304

Tip: Open Tue-Sun 10 am–4 pm. Homeschool Days every other month on 3rd Wednesday — regular admission, no pre-registration. Teacher Plus membership $30/year covers 2 adults + kids free all year — strong value for repeat visits.

History & Culture

The 1890 home of John Gilmore Riley — Tallahassee educator, civic leader, and son of enslaved parents — preserved as the John G. Riley Center & Museum for African American History & Culture. Permanent exhibits cover slavery, Reconstruction, the Smokey Hollow neighborhood the house anchored, the Tallahassee bus boycott, and contemporary Black Tallahassee. Guided tours include adjacent Smokey Hollow Commemorative Park.

Address: 419 E Jefferson St, Tallahassee, FL 32301

Tip: Open Tue-Thu 10 am–4 pm. The combined Riley House + Smokey Hollow tour gives the fullest context — start at the house. National Register of Historic Places site.

State Parks & Family

1,176 acres of rolling hills, gardens, and woodlands on Lake Hall, formerly the winter home of New York banker Alfred B. Maclay. The formal Maclay Gardens are at peak January through April with hundreds of camellias, azaleas, and rare ornamentals; the surrounding park has miles of nature trails, a swimming beach, picnic shelters, and a fishing dock.

Address: 3540 Thomasville Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32309

Tip: Garden admission fee is May-Dec FREE / Jan-April adds $6/person, $3 child 2-12 (peak bloom season). Park itself is $6/vehicle year-round. Open 8 am – sundown daily.

State Parks & Family

One of the world's largest and deepest freshwater springs — pumping 200 million gallons of crystal-clear 70°F water a day — surrounded by 6,000 acres of Florida forest 14 miles south of Tallahassee. The 1937 Wakulla Springs Lodge sits beside the spring run; the half-hour wildlife river boat tour glides past manatees, alligators, and 200+ bird species.

Address: 550 Wakulla Park Dr, Wakulla Springs, FL 32327

Tip: About 14 miles south of Tallahassee. Open 8 am – sundown daily. Boat tours run multiple times daily — first-come; arrive early on weekends. Swimming in the springs is free with park admission.

Family & Wildlife

A 52-acre living museum on the shore of Lake Bradford with native Florida wildlife (red wolves, Florida panthers, black bears, river otters, alligators, white-tailed deer) viewable along a 1.25-mile boardwalk, plus an 1880s historic farm, a one-room schoolhouse, a 19th-century church, and the Phipps Manor House. Tree-to-Tree zip-line course on site (separate ticket).

Address: 3945 Museum Dr, Tallahassee, FL 32310

Tip: Open daily 9 am–5 pm. Allow 2-3 hours for the wildlife boardwalk and historic buildings. Monthly K-5 Home School Program first Thursday — see homeschool page. Tree-to-Tree ziplines start at $26 separate.