Events & What’s Happening
One of the Southeast's largest outdoor festivals featuring a grand parade, arts and crafts, live entertainment, and food vendors in downtown Tallahassee.
💡Stake out a parade spot on Park Avenue early; the kids' entertainment stage near Kleman Plaza runs all afternoon.
Tallahassee's signature Independence Day celebration at Cascades Park featuring live music, food vendors, and a large fireworks display over the amphitheater.
💡Arrive by 5pm to get a good lawn spot; bring a blanket and ear protection for little ones during fireworks.
Florida State University's annual homecoming week featuring a parade down Tennessee Street, Sod Cemetery ceremony, and a home football game at Doak Campbell Stadium.
💡The homecoming parade is free and great for kids; tailgating near the stadium is a fun pre-game tradition even without tickets.
Annual three-day festival hosted by the Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church featuring authentic Greek food, dancing, music, and cultural exhibits.
💡Kids love the Greek pastry booth and the folk dancing demonstrations — arrive at opening to beat the lines for loukoumades.
Traditional county fair with carnival rides, livestock exhibits, 4-H competitions, live entertainment, and classic fair food at the North Florida Fairgrounds.
💡Visit on a weekday for shorter ride lines; check the schedule for free kids' days with discounted or waived admission.
Tallahassee's beloved holiday celebration featuring a synthetic ice skating rink, live entertainment, holiday lights, food vendors, and visits with Santa Claus.
💡Ice skating tickets sell out quickly on weekends; book online in advance and visit on a weekday evening for shorter waits.
Annual festival celebrating local and regional cuisine with tastings, cooking demonstrations, and family-friendly activities at Cascades Park.
💡The daytime sessions are most family-friendly; look for the kids' cooking demos on Saturday afternoon.
Weekly farmers market at the New Leaf Market Co-op parking lot featuring local produce, honey, baked goods, plants, and artisan vendors.
💡Great for a weekend morning outing; grab fresh baked treats and let kids pick out fruit — it wraps up by early afternoon.
Tallahassee's creative arts district hosts regular First Friday and seasonal events with open galleries, food trucks, live music, and outdoor art installations.
💡First Fridays are the biggest nights; come before 7pm with kids to explore galleries and food trucks before the crowds grow.
Free weekly story time for young children at the main branch of the Leon County Public Library, featuring picture books, songs, and crafts for ages 2–5.
💡Arrive 10 minutes early to get a good spot on the carpet; the children's librarians tailor themes to seasons and holidays.
Seasonal Saturday morning gardening workshops and plant sales at Tallahassee Nurseries, often featuring kid-friendly planting activities and nature exploration.
💡Kids enjoy potting their own plant to take home; check the nursery's calendar for themed seasonal events in spring and fall.
Cascades Park's splash pad, playground, and paved trails make it a go-to Sunday morning destination for Tallahassee families during cooler months.
💡Sunday mornings in fall and spring are ideal — cool temperatures, low crowds, and the splash pad opens at 8am.
Planning Your Visit
Neighborhoods & Areas
Local Tips for Families
- 💡Wakulla Springs State Park, about 14 miles south of downtown on US-319, charges only $8 per vehicle for entry (not per person) and the glass-bottom boat tours through the cypress-lined spring run depart regularly — book the jungle boat tour for kids who want to spot alligators and wading birds up close.
- 💡The FSU Flying High Circus performs free or low-cost public shows several times per year at the Leach Center on campus — check the FSU Circus website for spring and fall performance dates, as these student trapeze and acrobatic shows are a genuinely unique spectacle found at almost no other university.
- 💡Maclay Gardens State Park charges a $6 per vehicle fee but the peak azalea bloom window (roughly late February through mid-March) draws crowds — arrive before 9am on weekends to get lakeside parking and access to the historic Maclay House before tour groups arrive.
- 💡Tom Brown Park on Easterwood Drive has one of the best free playgrounds in the city plus multiple mountain biking trails rated for beginners — rent bikes from Outdoor Tallahassee (a city-run outfitter at Cascades Park) for under $20/hour rather than bringing your own.
- 💡The Museum of Florida History on R.A. Gray Building downtown is completely free and has a full mammoth skeleton, a reconstructed Spanish galleon, and a walk-through Florida history exhibit that holds kids' attention for 1-2 hours — combine it with the free Florida Historic Capitol next door for a full morning at zero admission cost.
- 💡On FSU home football Saturdays (typically September through November), avoid driving anywhere near campus between 9am and 4pm — restaurants on Thomasville Road in Midtown fill up fast but have shorter waits than the spots directly adjacent to Doak Campbell Stadium on St. Augustine Road.
- 💡St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles south of downtown on Lighthouse Road, is free to enter with a Federal Lands pass (or $5 per vehicle) and the lighthouse trail to the historic 1831 St. Marks Lighthouse is flat, paved, and completely stroller-accessible — monarch butterfly migration through here in October is spectacular.
- 💡Canopy roads like Centerville Road and Miccosukee Road are best experienced by car on a weekday morning — the massive live oak branches meet overhead creating a tunnel effect that's unique to this part of Florida, and the roads are too narrow and shoulderless for safe walking or cycling on weekends when cyclist traffic picks up.