Gay Tallahassee

The former capital of the Cotton Belt, Tallahassee has been the capital of Florida since before Florida was even a state. Established in 1824 and home to several colleges and universities, Tallahassee is now a recognized science and education hub. In fact, Leon County has the most highly educated population in all of Florida with about half of residents possessing either a Bachelor's, Master's, professional, or doctorate degree. This well-educated population has spawned a culture of liberal-leaning and Democratic voters somewhat unusual given the location. It’s one of only a few Southern cities known for left-wing activism, which the large student populations from Florida State University and Florida A&M University contribute to. Fun fact: Tallahassee has a reputation of being particularly lesbian-friendly, seemingly stemming from the fact that FSU was a women-only institution between 1905 and 1947, and was one of the largest women-only universities in the country. Having a large student population also gives the area a pretty healthy nightlife and arts scene.

14 miles south of Tally, as it's called by  the locals, lies one of the world's most productive aquifers. Known as Wakulla Springs, it's famous for its collection of Pleistocene-era fossils found on the bottom of the springs and in surrounding caves. Located in Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park, the spring contains the longest and deepest known submerged freshwater cave system in the world!

The weather is humid and subtropical. This means it's likely to be quite hot and muggy in summer time and mild in winter. Summer also has frequent intense thunderstorms and showers. While this might make a visit in summer a little uncomfortable, all that moisture is what gives the oak trees in the area that gorgeous coating of moss!

The city formerly had several gay bars around town, but economic woes have whittled those venues down to just gay nights at certain bars. Given the progressive slant of the city, it’s surprising Tallahassee doesn’t have a more visible gay population. They do however have an annual Pride celebration that brings in several thousand people from the area, so it may well be on its way to becoming northern Florida’s gay destination.