Fall Break 2015: Tallahassee Jr. Museum

On the second day of our Florida trip, my niece, Izzy, went to school for a field trip to visit the Tallahassee Fire Department. 

My mom and sister took Levi and Jack to the fire station while my brother, Isaac and I had a lazy morning at the house.

When they came home from their outing, we packed snacks and a light lunch to take with us to the Tallahassee Museum (it was called the Jr. Museum when my brother-in-law was growing up).

The Tallahassee Museum is an outdoor museum that feels more like a mini zoo than a museum. Set on 52 acres of natural flora and fauna, it is a living exhibit of Florida's wildlife. 

You can explore the Wildlife Florida section by wandering down nature trails and boardwalks which take you through various gardens and animal habitats that are native to the region.

At the beginning of our walk my mom commented that she smelled a skunk. As we circled back through the Wildlife section we discovered an area that did indeed house a skunk! 

As you walk through the wildlife section you will notice large metal sculptures of dinosaurs nestled into the habitat. The collection was created by Jim Gary in 1979; and after exhibiting around the world, it now resides at the Tallahassee Museum where it provides an element of whimsy to the natural environment. 

In addition to the native animals, there is a section of the Museum called Big Bend Farmstead that is dedicated to showing how rural farmers lived in the 1880s. Here you can view livestock and get a glimpse of how rural farmers spent their days.

If you have the time, you should try the Tree Top Adventures Ropes Course. As you walk through the Museum you will notice the ropes course in the tree canopy above you. 

We were unable to do this adventure on this particular trip because you have to wear close-toed shoes and we were all in sandals. We hope to come back and see the habitats from above! 

There is a children's ropes course (ages 3+) and two different courses for adults. As you walk through the Museum you can see all of the platforms above you and watch as people zip line between trees. 

At the end of our trip we stopped at the playground for lunch and to let our kiddos play. On more than one occasion one of our boys would yell, "Hey! There's someone flying [on a zip line] over that building!"

The museum has been an iconic Tallahassee landmark for more than 50 years and is ranked as one of Florida’s top museums. We enjoyed our afternoon there and hope to return to do the ropes course in the future.

Fall Break Recap:

Ellijay, GA   |   Stringers Ridge, TN   |  Wakulla Springs, FL   |  Tallahassee Jr. Museum, FL   |  St. George Island, FL