Last Updated: August 1, 2026
Tallahassee sits in Leon County and has been the capital of Florida since 1824 — chosen, in the practical way of the era, because it was roughly halfway between the two population centers of the time, St. Augustine and Pensacola. It does not feel like the rest of Florida. The oak-canopied roads and southern homes belong to the Deep South rather than the beach coast, and after a month of dunes and condos the change was welcome. It is also a real city, which meant a Costco — and after weeks of small Panhandle grocery stores we were embarrassingly excited about restocking. From Panama City Beach it was about a two-and-a-half-hour tow.
Coe Landing Campground on Lake Talquin
First, the thing everyone gets wrong: Coe Landing is not a US Army Corps of Engineers campground. “COE” is simply the name — it is a Leon County park, and the confusion costs it a lot of visitors who scroll past assuming it is federal. It is a genuine hidden gem. There are not many sites, they are all wooded, and about half of them have water views over Lake Talquin. We had 50-amp service and good water pressure but no sewer. Tallahassee is close enough to pull in plenty of over-the-air television, and Leon County broadcasts a free public WiFi signal that our Parsec Husky Pro antenna picked up cleanly — strong enough to stream at night, which is not something we expected from a county campground in the woods.
Lake Talquin itself is man-made. The Jackson Bluff Dam went up across the Ochlockonee River in 1927 to generate hydroelectric power, flooding roughly 10,000 acres with more than 40 miles of shoreline. The name is a contraction of the two towns it sits between — Tallahassee and Quincy. It is still one of only two working hydroelectric plants in Florida, and the lake is well known regionally for largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie and catfish.
Our site had water views through the trees, and the spacing between sites was generous enough that we neither saw nor heard our neighbors — a rarer thing than it should be. Without a sewer connection we used the campground showers, which were clean and clearly little used, though the hot water ran out faster than we would have liked. Plan a short shower or an early one.
Jake the dog walked the campground and the marina every day and considered the squirrel population a personal responsibility. There was also a pair of chickens living their best lives around the sites, entirely unbothered by dogs, campers or anything else.
A pair of Bald Eagles worked the lake almost daily and kept a substantial nest within sight of the campground. They never came close enough for a really sharp frame — the long lens has limits, and so does a photographer who will not disturb a nesting pair to get one stop closer — but watching them was the best part of the week. A Great Blue Heron worked the same stretch of shoreline every morning with far more patience than the eagles and far less regard for us.
Bearded tooth fungus — also sold as lion’s mane — spilling down a hardwood trunk in white icicle-like spines, and pink wood sorrel still blooming in the middle of January. Mild winters produce odd juxtapositions like this, and both are easy to walk straight past if you are not looking down and up within the same hundred yards.
Tallahassee Museum
The Tallahassee Museum is an unusual and very successful combination: a 52-acre outdoor property that is part restored historic farmstead, part native Florida wildlife park, part boardwalk through cypress swamp. Calling it a “museum” undersells it — almost all of it is outdoors, and you walk the whole thing. The centerpiece on the history side is a restored working farm representing Big Bend life in the 1880s.
The buildings are furnished rather than roped off, and there are enough everyday objects — a tobacco tin, a set table, a crib beside the bed — to give a real feel for how much smaller and harder life was here in the 1880s.
The farm keeps pigs, cows, goats, geese and sheep, and in January they were all doing what everything in north Florida does in January — lying down in whatever sun they could find.
At the forge, a blacksmith was teaching a group of teenagers to shape metal — actually working it, not demonstrating at them. As someone who spends his own time at a pottery wheel, watching a craft taught hand-to-hand like that was the part of the day I keep coming back to.
The wildlife side of the property houses native Florida species — black bear, Florida panther, bobcat, red wolf, otter, white-tailed deer and foxes — in large wooded habitats rather than cages. The animal above is a gray fox, and the fact that it is resting well off the ground is the whole point of the species: the gray fox is the only canid in North America that routinely climbs trees. It has hooked, semi-retractable claws and rotating forearms, and it goes up trunks to escape coyotes and dogs, to sleep and to hunt. We had no idea until we saw one doing it.
A caboose, an abstract dinosaur, bald cypress standing in black water and a long elevated boardwalk through the swamp. It is a slightly eccentric mix, and it works. The best part is simply that it is a beautiful piece of property and a very good way to spend an afternoon — we went in expecting an hour and stayed most of the day.
Visiting Tallahassee: Coe Landing and the Tallahassee Museum
Coe Landing Campground — 1208 Coe Landing Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, about 20 minutes west of the city on Lake Talquin. A Leon County park, not a federal one. Hours: campground and boat ramp are accessible 24/7. Facilities: a small number of wooded RV sites with electric and water (no sewer at the site), a dump station, restrooms and showers, picnic grounds, a fishing pier, boat ramp, docks and a fish cleaning station. Reservations: through the Leon County online booking system — book ahead, since there are few sites and the waterfront ones go first. Phone: 850-606-1470. Website: Leon County Parks — Coe Landing.
Tallahassee Museum — 3945 Museum Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, roughly 15 minutes from Coe Landing. Hours: Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission: $17.50 adults, $16.50 seniors 65 and over and college students with ID, $12.50 children 4 to 15, free for children 3 and under and for members. The Tree-to-Tree Adventures zipline and ropes courses are priced separately, with combo tickets available. Phone: 850-575-8684. Website: tallahasseemuseum.org.
Practical Tips for Tallahassee and Coe Landing
Do not let the name put you off. Coe Landing gets overlooked because people read “COE” as Corps of Engineers and assume it is either federal, remote or already full. It is a small county park with big wooded sites and half of them on the water, and it is one of the better values we found anywhere in Florida.
Book early and ask for a water site. There are not many sites and the lakefront ones go first. Reserve through Leon County’s online system rather than turning up.
Arrive with empty tanks. Sites have water and 50-amp electric but no sewer. There is a dump station on site and the campground showers are clean — just be aware the hot water is limited, so take your shower early or take it short.
Bring a WiFi antenna. Leon County puts out a free public wireless signal that reaches the campground. Our Parsec Husky Pro antenna pulled it in strongly enough to stream at night — without an external antenna you may not see it at all.
Give the Tallahassee Museum a full afternoon. It reads like a two-hour stop and is really a half-day. Almost all of it is outdoors and spread across 52 acres, so wear walking shoes and check the weather — there is very little indoor shelter if it rains.
Use Tallahassee to restock. After weeks of small coastal towns, the capital is where you catch up — Costco, full-size groceries, hardware, RV parts and anything else that has been quietly running out.
Watch the trees, not just the water. Bald Eagles, a resident Great Blue Heron, bearded tooth fungus on a hardwood trunk and a tree-climbing gray fox were all found by looking up. January in north Florida is quiet, and the quiet is what makes them findable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coe Landing an Army Corps of Engineers campground? No. Despite the “COE” in the name, Coe Landing is a Leon County park on Lake Talquin, roughly 20 minutes west of Tallahassee. Reservations go through Leon County’s own online booking system, not Recreation.gov, and Corps or federal passes do not apply.
Does Coe Landing have full hookups? No. Sites have water and 50-amp electric but no sewer connection. There is a dump station on site, along with restrooms and showers, a fishing pier, a boat ramp and a fish cleaning station.
What is Lake Talquin? It is a roughly 10,000-acre reservoir created in 1927 when the Jackson Bluff Dam was built across the Ochlockonee River for hydroelectric power. It sits between Tallahassee and Quincy — hence the name — has more than 40 miles of shoreline, and is a well-regarded fishery for largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie and catfish.
How much does the Tallahassee Museum cost? General admission is $17.50 for adults, $16.50 for seniors 65 and over and college students with ID, and $12.50 for children 4 to 15. Children 3 and under are free. Zipline and ropes course tickets are separate.
Is the Tallahassee Museum worth visiting for adults? Yes. It is not a children’s attraction with a farm attached — it is a 52-acre outdoor property with a restored 1880s Big Bend farmstead, working craft demonstrations, native Florida wildlife in large wooded habitats, and a boardwalk through cypress swamp. Plan a half day.
Can gray foxes really climb trees? Yes — the gray fox is the only wild canid in North America that regularly climbs. Hooked semi-retractable claws and forearms that rotate let it grip and shinny up a trunk, and it climbs to escape coyotes and dogs, to rest, and to reach food. The one at the Tallahassee Museum was doing exactly that when we walked past.
Is Tallahassee worth a stop on a Florida road trip? If you have only a week of Florida, probably not. If you are travelling slowly, yes — it is culturally more Deep South than Florida, the oak-canopied roads are lovely, it is a good place to restock, and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is only about 25 miles south for excellent birding.
From Tallahassee we crossed the peninsula toward the Atlantic side and Indian Mound Fish Camp at Oak Hill, trading lake water for the Intracoastal.
