Tallahassee, Florida

            On the way from Atlanta to Tallahassee, I contemplated all that I knew about Florida. I had been there several times over the course of my life, but I usually went to the Orlando area, or at least close by. The last time I visited was with Rob, who is also my companion on this journey. We drove down from New Jersey in the summer of 2012 and visited Orlando, Tampa, and Daytona Beach, and we had a wonderful time. Despite having been to Florida several times, I have never been to Miami or the Keys, and I have never been to the capital city of Tallahassee. I was excited to visit a new town in a familiar state.

            Tallahassee is not only the capital city, but it is also home to Florida State University (FSU). I am a huge fan of college towns, namely because of the wondrous variety and increased economic competition that comes with a large influx of people from other places. Also, people tend to be incredibly friendly in college towns, not only because many of them were visitors at one point themselves, but also because they want tourists to come back. At any rate, I was looking forward to it.

            Florida is one of the states whose recorded history begins with colonization by the Spanish rather than British. Actually, both the Spanish and the French attempted to colonize present-day Florida, but the Spanish rule of the region prevailed, largely with widespread Roman Catholic missions among the native populations. Florida was home to an estimated 350,000 native people before the Spanish arrived, and they belonged to a wide range of tribes. The European relationship with the natives was violent and peaceful at different times, and one of the reasons that the early French colonies failed was the natives attacked them persistently. Until the late 1600s, the Spanish remained largely unchallenged in their control over the southeastern part of what would become the United States, but the British were expanding their territory in the north, and the French were exploring the area around the Mississippi River valley to the west. Soon, the colonies of different nationalities began to clash, and there was a rise in violence around the unofficial borders. At the conclusion of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), the British obtained Florida from Spain in exchange for Havana, Cuba, but just a short time later at the end of the American Revolution, Spain regained Florida for indirect help to the Americans.

            As soon as the British left, Americans, Spaniards, and escaped slaves began to flood into the region. Over time, it became apparent that the area was becoming increasingly more “American” than Spanish, and Spain officially ceded Florida to the United States in 1821. Later that year, Andrew Jackson visited the region to establish a territorial government on behalf of the US. Tallahassee became the official seat of government in 1824, and it has remained so ever since.

            In the late 19th and early 20th century, the railroads brought economic prosperity. The agricultural industry, largely citrus, boomed as the fruits could now be shipped north on the train. Tourism blossomed, and with it more and more money poured into the region. As early as the 1870s, Florida gained intense popularity as a vacation spot among Northerners and Midwesterners. In this way, the agricultural industry and the tourist industry has been the foundation of Florida’s economy for over 100 years. One could even go so far as to say that Florida’s greatest asset has always been its land and climate, and its natural resources have remained its main attraction and moneymaker throughout its history.

            I was certainly excited to enjoy the beautiful weather. I had been staying one step ahead of winter for weeks, but I knew that the warmth would be short-lived, as I would be heading northward to Virginia in less than 2 weeks. I was determined to revel in every moment of sunlight that I could. Unfortunately, the universe did not seem to be conspiring in my favor, since I was coming down with a cold. Hopefully, I wouldn’t get too sick, because my schedule was not exactly flexible.  

            I stopped about halfway on the long drive through Georgia [my gosh, is Georgia a tall state!], to get some Mexican food just off of the highway. It was a locally owned place, and I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical given the location, because it was surrounded by fast food restaurants. Nonetheless, I decided that it was better than a cheap burger, so I parked and hurried in through the chilly evening breeze. I was seated promptly in a booth just a few feet from the door. The restaurant was larger than I expected, and it seemed to be a popular place for families, as many of the occupied tables had at least one kid in the group. I ordered a burrito, which came pretty quickly, and I enjoyed it very much. It is so satisfying to have a good meal during a long drive, and its sustenance got me through the next three hours.

            I arrived at the hotel late in the evening and after checking in, I collapsed into slumber almost immediately. The following morning, I woke up feeling dreadful, and I knew that it was going to be a long day. I had a slight fever, a nasty cough, and a runny nose, but I had no other choice than to go to the Capitol anyway, because the next day I had to drive 6 ½ hours to South Carolina. I showered, took some cold medicine, and stuffed my pockets with tissues before setting off to do my research.

            When I first arrived downtown, I went to the Atomic Café to get some coffee and breakfast. I noticed online that they had Taylor Ham (a.k.a. pork roll), which is a breakfast meat that is usually only found in New Jersey. Florida, along with the rest of the east coast, has many New Jersey transplants, so it wasn’t too surprising that someone had brought the glory of Taylor Ham to Tallahassee. It was comforting to enjoy one of my own state’s favorites, and I was beginning to feel that I was getting closer to home. The coffee and breakfast sandwich were delicious, and I felt revived enough to get through the next few hours of exploring the Capitol.

When Florida outgrew its traditional, domed Capitol, the state built a skyscraper just behind it. It contains the executive and legislative branches, while the Supreme Court resides in another building close by. Although I understand the logic of building a skyscraper that is much more efficient and has more office space, I have noticed that it is not necessarily representative of its state in its design. In fact, many news sources have used a picture of the old, traditional Capitol complete with striped awnings alongside articles about Florida’s state government.

When I arrived, I spent several minutes trying to find parking around the building. Eventually I found a public parking garage across the street, and I walked over to the current Capitol to start. A dolphin statue and fountain dominates the front steps of the building, and the sun reflecting off of the metallic structures blinded me for a moment as I captured the scene. I walked up the stairs and entered the building, picking up a self-guided tour book on my way in.

I began by the enormous state seal on the main floor of the building. The Governor’s office was just down the hallway, along with many tributes to important people from Florida, including men and women lost in combat, law enforcement, and firefighters. There was also a display honoring artists, musicians, and writers from Florida including Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, and Jimmy Buffett. There was a small, non-denominational chapel on the main floor. It was decorated with sea glass and rich wood, and the thick door made it a peaceful sanctuary in an otherwise bustling building. I loved the feeling of calm tranquility that the room provided, and I took a moment to absorb it before continuing on my journey.

The legislative chambers were several floors above, so I took the elevator. As soon as I stepped out, I noticed how quiet it was compared to the main floor below. Since the legislature was not in session, there wasn’t really anyone around. I walked over to the House Chamber first, and luckily for me someone had left the door to the media’s gallery open, and I was able to get a few good pictures of the modern room. It had a rich blue carpet, and a white domed ceiling, with many different murals and portraits surrounding the representative’s desks. I wished that I could have gotten a closer look at them, but unfortunately the main floor is not open to the public.

When I ventured over to the Senate side, I was disappointed to find that all of the gallery doors were locked, so I could only peer in through the glass wall. Because of the fluorescent lighting in the hallway reflecting off of the glass, I couldn’t get a clear picture of the chamber from where I was. The final room of interest in the current Florida Capitol was the observation deck, which was on the top floor. The large room gave a panoramic view of Tallahassee, with FSU to the west. I spent several minutes walking the perimeter, taking in all in. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and I could see for miles. There were several benches tucked away in the corners of the room, and I thought how much I would love to come up here to write, read or lose myself in thought. Like the chapel so many floors below, it was a sanctuary away from the fast paced rhythm of the governmental proceedings. Half of the floor was an art gallery displaying the works of Florida artists. The current paintings were vivid and surreal works, and they were not necessarily the kind of art that I would expect to find in the Capitol. Nonetheless, I appreciated the tribute to the talent of the citizens of the state.

After looking around the current Capitol I decided to venture across the courtyard to the older building, which had been turned into a museum. It was unusually cold today, and the wind chilled me as I hurried across the stone. I entered and stopped in at the information desk to find out what the situation was. The chambers were at either end, and the rooms in the hallways had been converted into museum exhibits. The museum exhibits covered everything from territorial government and early settlement of the region to 20th century politics and controversial social issues including Jim Crow laws and McCarthy-inspired “investigations.” I have been to a few old Capitols that have been converted to museums, and this one had by far the most thorough exhibit on the history of the state government that I had yet seen.

The exhibits also included the history of the building itself. The original part of the structure was completed in 1845, but several additions were added on over the next 120 years to accommodate the growing government. The Supreme Court moved to a separate location in 1913, but even that wasn’t enough to ease the problem of space. By 1970, the building was so stuffed with staff members in every possible corner that they had resorted to setting up cubicles in the attic, so the legislature finally appropriated the funds to build a new Capitol, which they moved into in 1978. The economic recession of the 1970s might explain the efficient, less expensive style of the current Capitol building, and why there is a limited amount of decoration. The other three skyscraper Capitols, Louisiana, Nebraska, and North Dakota, were all completed during the Great Depression in the early 1930s when there were even less available funds, so money was definitely a factor.  

Each of the chambers had large windows that let in lots of sunshine, and they are still furnished with the original furniture. Today, they use these rooms for large gatherings, or other functions. I couldn’t help but prefer the wood accents, pale paint colors, and natural light to the fluorescent classroom feeling of the chambers in the current Capitol, although I understand that practicality sometimes overrules aesthetic appeal. There was also the Old Supreme Court Chamber, which had a similar style to the legislative chambers. Out of the all of the rooms, I particularly enjoyed the old Governor’s office, which has been set up to look like it would have when it was still in use, complete with original furniture. The Governor had the luxury of a three-room suite for his office, including one for his secretary and a conference room with a large table.

The old Capitol was very nice, and it was especially convenient that it was located on the same city block as the current Capitol. It was interesting to see the contrast between the two buildings, and it allowed some comparison between the different styles. Although the traditional, domed Capitol is more aesthetically appealing, the skyscraper Capitol had some clear benefits. Although it wasn’t as decorative, it had much more office space and the observation deck, which was really nice. I also really liked the ‘chapel’ in the new Capitol, which gave staff members and visitors a place to reflect.  On my trip so far, this building is only the second one to have a ‘chapel,’ the first one having been in Indiana. 

By the time I finished looking around, I was beginning to lose some steam, and my coughs were starting to attract concerned looks from other visitors, so I decided it was best that I go back to the hotel and relax. I enjoyed what I had seen of the Capitol complex, but I didn’t want to prolong the illness and to recover, I needed to take it easy. I went back to the hotel and made myself a quick meal, and rested for the remainder of the evening.

The next day, I woke up feeling a little better, and I began packing up my things. I was disappointed that I could only stay in Florida for two nights, but that's the nature of my trip. I enjoyed seeing the Capitol buildings, and learning more about Florida history. Now, it was time to drive to Columbia, South Carolina, so after getting a quick breakfast, I hit the road and drove on.