Our third stop on our Road Trip USA Deep South Tour after leaving Tampa and Clearwater behind was the state capital of Florida, Tallahassee for Thanksgiving.

The new and old state Capitol buildings in Tallahassee

It was a bit of a drive from Clearwater, particularly because we stopped at Homosassa Springs on the way.  It was a nice drive though and it was good to not be on a big interstate highway. Mostly we drive through forests with the usual chain motels, food chains and the occasional “gentlemens “ club or sinkhole fixer or some such thing.

It felt good to do a decent stretch of road again and make our way to the Florida panhandle and into the Deep South!  It was an easy drive with not much traffic, I assume thanks to the fact that it was Thanksgiving.

It is suddenly a lot colder though.  It was only about ten degrees Celsius for much of the time we spent outdoors and even colder at night.  This was a bit of a shock since we are used to t shirt and shorts weather.  Part of me wants to rush back south for more hot weather, but there is just too much of interest in the Deep South to give into this.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Tallahassee

We were very excited to celebrate our first thanksgiving so we reserved a table in a restaurant in Tallahassee that was serving Thanksgiving dinner and it was quite a treat!  Turkey, stuffing, some yummy veggie dishes, gravy and cranberry sauce graced our table.  I don’t think it was completely traditional as it was Italian restaurant, but we didn’t know or care.  It was very generous and it tasted fantastic.

The kids got into it too and enjoyed their colouring books and special water cups.  My only complaint is that we were rushed by the waiting staff. They kept trying to bring out dessert while we were still eating our mains, and the bill (or cheque if I want to use American terminology) was brought out the second we started eating dessert.

We still loved this dinner though, and we got into the Thanksgiving spirit by talking about what we were most grateful for.  I was very happy when S’s response was me <3  I think Z was most thankful for the Christmas lights hanging near him!

Practical Information
Buca di Beppo restaurant.  Thanksgiving dinner was US$49++ for three people. Very yummy!

Sightseeing in Tallahassee

Unfortunately, we did not have much time to see Tallahassee. 

Old State Capitol Building, Tallahassee

In the morning, we headed to the state capitol building and the old capitol.  They were quite a sight.  Very big and grand and the new building looks like it is looming over the city.  The new capitol building is a controversial building and evokes a love/hate sentiment amongst people and I can see why.  It is kind of ugly, especially compared to the grand old capitol.  However, it is so big and towers over everything, so I also think it makes quite a statement.

The city seemed shut down and we were disappointed to find that the capitol building wasn’t open because of Thanksgiving the day before.  We had hoped to go to the top floor, the 22nd, and view all of Tallahassee.  we had to settle with walking around the buildings instead.

Accommodation

We decided to give one of the cheapest US motel chains a try here since it was so centrally located.  We are glad we did!

2 queen bed room in Motel 6, Tallahassee

We are worried what we might end up with prices starting at $40 before tax, but our room was great!  It is in an absolutely fabulous location – we could see the state capitol building from there at the end of our street.  The room was very spacious, clean and quiet and in fact better than far more expensive rooms we have paid for.  The best part is that it has awesome heating – it is cold here.

Practical Information
Motel 6 Tallahassee Central $51.72 for a 2 queen bed room.  The motel had a swimming pool and wifi but wifi costs extra.

Budget

We went a fair bit under our US$136 a day budget including a full tank of gas and some nappies BUT, our thanksgiving dinner came out of the money that my mum gave us for a Christmas present.

Kids?

They loved loved loved loved Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.  Z just loved being able to walk around freely and S loved the animals, particularly the reptile house.  They actually behaved at dinner thanks to it being quick, easy and delicious.  No complaints with this part of our road trip at all.  S was disappointed that we didn’t go in the pool though – too cold for that!

Our verdict?

We enjoyed our drive to Tallahassee, particularly our stop at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park (details to come!).  Our Thanksgiving dinner was great and so was our accommodation.  All in all this was a very successful day on our road trip.  The only thing I would do different is more time in Tallahassee.  I would have liked to at least spend the morning here to visit Mission San Luis and Wakulla Springs National Park.  If we didn’t have to rush to New Orleans for J’s birthday, we would have spent longer.

Our next stop was Mobile, Alabama!  You can read more about this section of our road trip in driving Miami to New Orleans.

How do you spend Thanksgiving?

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