{"id":6733,"date":"2012-12-31T22:00:05","date_gmt":"2013-01-01T03:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=6733"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:40:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:40:48","slug":"nature-from-any-angle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=6733","title":{"rendered":"From Any Angle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Tallahassee, Florida <\/em>\u2013 Winter is in full swing now, and most of the snowbirds (aka people who hate freezing temps) have completed their annual migration south. South to Florida, the winter haven paradise. While you may think of southern Florida as the place to go for a winter retreat, I\u2019m finding that Tallahassee offers year-round opportunities for carefree outdoor living. According to NOAA, it has snowed in Tallahassee only 32 times in the last 121 years; mostly trace amounts. Average that out and you\u2019ll see that a dusting of snow may appear once every 3.77 years; not enough to keep a serious golfer off the course, or a serious fisherman off the water. I smile every time I walk outside as I gaze at these rolling hills and massive live oak trees. The Tallahassee area \"\"<\/a>has vast tracts of unspoiled forests, spring-fed waterways, and wild coastlines. Visit Tallahassee<\/em>, a magazine published by Leon County\u2019s Division of Tourism, describes the area as a \u201crich tapestry of nature and human life.\u201d And that\u2019s not just marketing hype; visitors and\u00a0residents fit easily\u00a0into the environment here, engaged with nature\u2019s many offerings. Did you know that nearly a million acres of public lands surround this capital city? There is always something to do outdoors and I\u2019ll start with the granddaddy of them all, the Big Bend Scenic Byway. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Big Bend Scenic Byway is a 220-mile loop that you can begin and end in Tallahassee, or from points along Interstate 10 and US Highway 98. Its Forest Trail is rich with pine forests, hardwood hammocks, streams and rivers; its Coastal Trail leads you to salt marshes, bays, sand dunes, beaches, and springs. Allow two days for exploring the entire Byway; or divide it up into multiple day segments. You\u2019ll find great restaurants, shopping, hotels, B&B\u2019s, and guide services in Byway towns; you can be as active as you want to be with hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, hunting, birding, and swimming. Enjoy nature from any angle; enjoy it any time of year. Winter is the peak waterfowl migration time; in the spring you\u2019ll find the wildflowers and songbirds; in summer wildlife nesting and swimming; in the fall more wildflowers and butterfly and bird migrations. Every day watch for eagles flying high, and alligators basking in the sun.<\/p>\n

The 2013 Tallahassee Visitors Guide<\/em> has a lot more suggestions for doing what comes naturally in this capital city, whatever your outdoor pleasure. I\u2019m not a biker but I\u2019m definitely heading for Wakulla Springs State Park with my binoculars. And who knows where else?<\/p>\n