2024 Bike Tours

We'll meet and get acquainted at 4:00 p.m. at our hotel, the AC Hotel by Marriott Tallahassee Universities at the Capitol. After getting rental bikes fitted and everyone prepared for tomorrow's ride, we'll go to dinner at a newly renovated restaurant located in Cascades Park right across the street from the hotel.

20 miles - We'll start our week of cycling on Florida's very first Rail Trail, the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail, which we'll connect to after jumping on the Capital Cascades Trail in the park. Our destination is Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, home to one of the world's largest and deepest fresh water springs. The year-round 70 degree sapphire-blue water and the ancient cypress swamps support manatees, alligators, and a host of diverse wildlife.
You will feel like you’ve travelled back in time when you first enter the 1930s Spanish style lodge - our overnight stay - which is located next to the springs. The lodge features period furniture, original elevators, colorful painted ceilings depicting old Florida, and much more.

Boat tours are available at the river; attractions include majestic bald cypress trees, elegant wading birds, toothy alligators as well as the actual location where some Tarzan movies were shot. Or you can swim in the spring and jump off the high platform!

22 miles - This morning we take back roads to return to the St. Marks Trail and then link to the onto the newly built Capital City to the Sea Trail (Coastal Trail).
We eat lunch, then those who care to can hop on canoes and kayaks for a down-stream trip on the Wakulla River. You may see all manner of birds like anhingas (the “snake” bird), egrets, and herons, and may experience mullet jumping and turtles sunning. Manatees are common on this stretch of the river and occasionally they will glide gently to our boats. Alligators may be seen, but they keep to themselves along the banks. After our river journey, we finish our ride to our hotel.
For dinner, we'll go to Angelo’s Seafood restaurant, an iconic "Forgotten Coast" restaurant right on the shore of Ochlockonee Bay.

35 miles - Today we proceed to the tiny fishing village of Carabelle, and will spend a large part of the day cycling along the shore of Apalachicola Bay, where we can see St. George Island in the distance. We cycle through the town of Panacea, which boasts the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory, a hands-on marine museum and sanctuary.
Our lodging for the evening is either at the Old Carabelle Hotel or The Moorings of Carabelle, where we can see the fishing boats and hear the sounds of the harbor.

22 miles – Today we cycle to the historic fishing town of Apalachicola, but first take a short detour to visit the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center where we can learn about the River and Bay and their important ecosystem for fishing and oystering.
We will have time to explore Apalachicola with its beautifully restored historic downtown filled with eclectic boutiques, unique eateries, and art galleries tucked into brick, tin-roofed warehouses. We will dine on freshly caught fare from the Bay and Gulf. Tonight we stay at the iconic Gibson Hotel built in 1907 during Apalachicola’s lumber and shipping boom. In 2018, it was completely renovated to reflect its original charm and is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

25 miles - Today is a day of impressive bridges. We first cycle back over the Apalachicola River and then south across Apalachicola Bay to get to St. George Island, where we'll have a chance to put our toes in the water and catch some rays. We'll cap our week with lunch at the beachfront Blue Parrott Grill and then reluctantly load into the van and head back to Tallahassee.