OK, this one is even weirder than the Death Bug from Hell….. I was kayaking with a friend on Lake Jackson, right outside Tallahassee, and as we paddled along I heard a very large SPLASH behind me. My first thought was “Holy Cow, an alligator just ate Kevin !!!” But when I turned to look, … More The Flying Giant Goldfishes

The Lake Jackson Mounds, near Tallahassee FL, was a large Native American village and ceremonial center, constructed by a group of “Fort Walton Culture” natives who were likely ancestors of the Appalachee tribe. Archaeological excavations show that the site was first occupied around 1000 CE, and grew steadily in size for the next 500 years. … More Lake Jackson Archaeological Mounds

Well, I had a rather unusual encounter this morning… Found this fellow near the entrance to the Walmart: That would be a Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus species, floundering on the sidewalk. He was very large, and very angry. Since there’s no pond in the immediate area, I have no idea how he got here—though he … More The Death Bug From Hell 🙂

Originally, this area of land had been granted to the Marquis de Lafayette as a reward for his service to the US during the American Revolution. In 1837, North Carolina naturalist and plantation-owner Hardy Croom bought the land, but he and his wife were both drowned when the ship they were sailing to Florida sank in … More The Goodwood Museum and Gardens

When Hernando DeSoto landed in Tampa Bay in May 1539, he was disappointed. He was hoping to find gold and silver; instead he found Cayusa Native Americans who had no wealth for him. But they told stories of a large trading city to the north, among a tribe known as the Appalachee. So DeSoto took … More DeSoto Encampment Historical Site

The Mission San Luis was established in 1656 as a Spanish administrative center for western Florida and as a Catholic church to convert the native Appalachee tribes. In time the settlement grew into a local trading center and a military garrison, and reached a population of about 1500 people. The site had a church, a … More Mission San Luis

The Antique Car Museum in Tallahassee bills itself as a car museum, but it’s really an eclectic collection of whatever the owner found interesting, including collections of Steinway pianos, Case pocketknives, outboard boat engines, toy pedal cars, and some other stuff. It does have an 1860 hearse carriage used to carry President Lincoln’s body. It also … More The Tallahassee Antique Car Museum

The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (known as the “Mag Lab”) is located in Tallahassee FL. It’s funded by the National Science Foundation and the State of Florida, and is home to a wide variety of research magnets, many of them the strongest of their type in the world. About 1400 researchers from around the … More The Mag Lab

I met up with a cyber-friend for an afternoon of hiking around the St Marks Wildlife Refuge near Tallahassee on the Gulf Coast. PHScott scours the trees for birdies Slash pine forest, recently burned. The saw palmettos are already growing back in. These wet grasslands had an “Everglades” feel to them The St Marks Lighthouse Bluebird … More St Marks Wildlife Refuge

The original State Capitol Building in Florida was constructed in 1845. Over the years it was modified several times, with various wings being added on or removed. It contained the Governor’s offices, the State Supreme Court, the Florida House of Representatives, and the Florida Senate. In 1977, it was replaced by the new State Capitol Building, … More The Old State Capitol Museum