Get outside and explore Leon County's rich history with a self-guided walking tour! You'll not only get a great workout but also learn about the fascinating stories behind our local landmarks. Our tours highlight historical homes, significant sites, and the residences of famous people.

Check out our current recommended tour to see some of Leon County's most distinctive landmarks.

Walking Tours

Fort Braden History Walk

Overview: Trail markers have allowed us to expand on the stories of the fort, school and early settlers who left their mark on this area.

Fast Fact: Fort Braden has a rich history of education with the Fort Braden School House (now the Fort Braden Community Center) being mentioned as early as 1847. One of the earliest schoolteachers, Mrs. Lizzie Black Stoutamire, shared with the Daily Democrat in 1948 some of her memories of a vastly different time. There were no school buses, heated classrooms, or even paper! Students back then used slates and blackboards to do their schoolwork.

Highlights:

• Upload Photos: We encourage all participants to upload photos to social media with the hashtag #HistoryinyourHands.
• Historical Figures: Learn about historical figures from the Fort Braden Area.
• Community Trail Markers: The walking trail adds an additional amenity to the already active area and was developed with input from local community members. Along this trail, you may come across native plants that grow in the area such as Sparkleberry, Spiderwort, Palmetto and wild Muscadine Grapes.

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Omega Lamplighters

Overview: Historical African American Sites.

Fast Fact: The Omega Lamplighters began in 2008 in Tallahassee, and is a mentorship group for young men in ninth grade through12th grade that teaches them leadership, academics, maturity, and perseverance.

Highlights:

• John G. Riley Center: The only African-American historic house in downtown Tallahassee and among the last original remnants of Smokey Hollow.
• The Carnegie Library at FAMU: The oldest brick building on the FAMU campus and the first Carnegie Library to be built on a black land-grant college campus.
• Union Bank: The oldest surviving financial building in Florida.

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Frenchtown

Overview: The oldest community in Tallahassee where African Americans settled after the Emancipation in Florida.

Fast Fact: The Red Bird Club and Cafe DeLuxe in Frenchtown provided a wealth of musical talent for the area. Nat Adderley and brother Cannonball Adderley were known to have played here in their younger days. From 1940—1945, Ray Charles lived in Frenchtown.

Highlights:

• Soul Voices #1 Frenchtown Had it All Historical Way Marker: The only African-American historic house in downtown Tallahassee and among the last original remnants of Smokey Hollow.
• Red Bird Café: The Red Bird Café on Macomb Street was a thriving hub for music in the early 20th century, especially booming from the 1920s through the 1950s.
• The Capitol Theater

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Driving Tours

Canopy Roads & Country Lanes

Overview: Get in the car to enjoy this driving guide of scenic Leon County.

Fast Fact: The canopy roads that we experience as we drive through town are now protected by law. They came into existence from the old Indian trails which then became market roads that plantation owners lined with live oaks.

Highlights:

• Myers Park: William P. DuVal, Florida’s first territorial governor, became one of the earliest U.S. property owners in Myers Park when he purchased a large tract of land in 1827.
• The Quail Trail: The abundance of bob white a quail made this area a popular winter hunting retreat, for wealthy Northerners.
• The Cotton Trail: There was a time when cotton in Leon County was king of the cotton produced in Florida.

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General Historical Sites

Historical Way Markers

Overview: 66 historical landmarks.

Fast Fact: Tallahassee has 15 unique museums to visit. For art enthusiasts, Tallahassee is home to 24 galleries with all varieties of art. The Tallahassee Automobile Museum is home to Abraham Lincoln’s horse-drawn hearse, as well as the Batmobiles from from "Batman Forever" and "Batman Returns".

Highlights:

• Old Fort Braden School: The most important educational facility in western Leon County for many years.
• The Historic Capitol building: A Greek revival structure with a copper dome and a bas relief panel depicting the old state seal of Florida.
• Chaires Historic District: By the turn of the 20th century Chaires was a commercial hub.

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Historical Sites

Overview: The History of Leon County, Florida is varied. Including the Apalachee, the Seminole Indians, the British, Spanish, colonial Americans, and enslaved persons.

Fast Fact: On March 3, 1845, Florida joined the Union as the 27th state and Leon County became the capital county of Florida.

Highlights:

• Jackson Bluff Dam: In 1927 the Jackson Bluff Dam was constructed on the Ochlockonee River to produce hydroelectric power.
• Caroline Brevard Elementary School: Built to accommodate Tallahassee's rapid growth after World War I.
• The Grove: Also known as the Call-Collins House, The Grove was built sometime around 1840.

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