2025 Bike Tours

We will meet and get acquainted at 4:00 PM at our hotel, the Hampton Inn, which is located in Tallahassee’s famous Railroad Square Art District. After getting the rental bikes fitted and making sure everyone is prepared for tomorrow’s ride, we’ll have a pizza dinner at the hotel, from a well-known local pizza restaurant in the nearby College Town section of Tallahassee.

20 miles - We 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 from our hotel. 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 traveled 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, “Old Joe” an enormous alligator found in the springs many years ago, 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 the Tarzan and Creature of the Black Lagoon movies were shot. Or you can swim in the spring and jump off the high platform!

30 miles – From Wakulla Springs we ride to and then through the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, finishing the day at the historic and picturesque St. Marks Lighthouse, which was built in the 1800s. The wildlife refuge is one of the oldest in the United States, and it is home to 44 species of mammals and dozens of amphibians and reptiles. Yes, you are likely to see alligators and possibly wild boars, bears, bobcats, and flamingos, so be aware if you decide to get off your bike and walk around a bit. Hundreds of different types of migratory birds either live in or visit the refuge every year, and countless Monarch Butterflies pass through the refuge during their migration to Mexico every October. The wildlife area encompasses 86,000 acres with most of that being completely undeveloped and wild. There is a visitor center and public bathrooms on the ride to the lighthouse, and many dirt side trails that you may wish to explore. From the lighthouse we pack up the bicycles and hop in the van for a ride to our hotel. Then we eat with the locals at a choice seafood restaurant.

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.

Today our final destination will be the old fishing town of Apalachicola. But first, after more coastal riding and an outdoors lunch, we visit the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center, where we can learn about the Apalachicola River and Bay and the importance of this ecosystem for fishing and oystering. Then we ride across the beautiful four mile bridge to St. George Island, and ride west on the island into the remote state park. This is beach-side riding (on a paved bike trail) at its best! Then we finally load up the bikes and take the van across another expansive bridge into historic Apalachicola, where we check in to our waterside hotel, replete with individual covered porches overlooking the river) and then enjoy local cuisine in one of the fine restaurants there.

15 miles – On the final day of the tour we present a choice: a casual urban ride through the little neighborhoods, quirky museums, parks, and boat yards of Apalachicola; or a casual walking tour of the town. Both options provide an opportunity to experience the unique architecture of this historic town, as well as the eclectic boutiques, eateries, book stores, bakeries, and art galleries tucked into old brick buildings and tin-roofed warehouses. At 1:00 PM we pack up the bikes and return to Tallahassee. Projected arrival time back at the hotel in Tallahassee is 3:30 PM.