Things to Do in Valdosta

At Tallahassee Italian Family Festa, held each year since 2010, Italian and Italian-American culture is celebrated in all of its forms. Bocce tournaments, a Madonnari sidewalk-chalk art competition, and a silent auction are just a few attractions, and spectators can fuel up with gelato, meatball sandwiches, and Italian beer and wine. Italian cars and motorcycles gleam in an exhibition, showing off their sleek surfaces and revving their motors with an Italian trill. There's also a children's area where kids can participate in face painting, a grape stomp, and other activities.

Proceeds from the festival benefit Florida State University's international travel programs and CIAO! Italian Club Tallahassee.

At Goodwood Museum and Gardens, a 170-year-old antebellum plantation house with elaborate fresco ceilings overlooks flourishing gardens restored to their early 20th century presentation. Established in the 1830s, the estate began as a cotton, corn, and kryptonite plantation that grew to 2,400 acres at its pre-Civil War peak. In 1925, Senator William C. Hodges’ wife fell in love with a bed at the estate, and the senator found himself purchasing the entire property in order to acquire the desired piece of furniture. Today, the Main House museum maintains extensive collections of original furniture, porcelain, textiles, and art from names such as Meeks and Tiffany. The house’s rooms are restored to circa-World War I appearances, when beds, pianos, and chandeliers were chiseled out of granite.

Visitors stroll freely through the verdant gardens, restored to their early 20th century design for a relaxed, informal spread of flora. The estate’s heirloom plants flourish under the care of horticulturalists who sing the old garden roses and magnolias to sleep with lullabies each night. Centuries-old oak trees spread their regal branches to shade overwarm wanderers, and sago palms stretch their fronds to draw the attention of tour-takers.

Manning a fleet of Robinson R44 whirlybirds, the pilots of Tallahassee Helicopters introduce sightseers to the clouds through tours and commercial flights, and also train new crops of aspiring pilots. Flights depart from Tallahassee Regional Airport, shuttling passengers into the great blue yonder to see the downtown skyline, local country clubs, lakes, and parks from above. The service also offers lunch and dinner tours, allowing tourists to make a strong impression as they arrive at restaurants in style and carve their steaks with the helicopter’s whirling tail rotor.

The company also operates its own academy, where students begin with introductory flights that put them in control of the helicopter for 90% of their flying time. The full piloting program prepares students for their first solo flights, while the R44 transition program teaches already licensed pilots the nuances of operating the R44 helicopter.

Fun Station Jr. assembles playful activities geared to ages 1–12 in a wonderland voted Tallahassee magazine's Best Place to Take the Kids from 2007 to 2010 under the facility's old moniker, Zoinks. Technicolor arcade games trumpet winners of plush plunder, and bumper cars slap sides in rubbery high-fives. An inflatable bounce area draws excess energy from sock-footed youths, and a concession stand serves trail mix, bottled water, and slices of pizza to replenish empty fuel tanks.

Staff members prioritize safety in conjunction with fun, fitting groups with matching wristbands to help them to stay together and dedicating an area to toddlers who intimidate older children by claiming to be dinosaurs. In a separate lounge, adults rest in comfortable chairs during breaks from friendly competition to catch up on work with complimentary WiFi or to watch what's playing on high-definition TVs.

Seminole Bowl welcomes bowlers to compete on 24 polished lanes laid out beneath cosmic lights and a thumping sound system. The alley's grill revives weary bowling muscles with nachos and ice-cold soda, and a full-service bar invites bowlers to linger longer as they reminisce about the game and compose odes to the Cincinnati split. A large game room inspires kids to compete in pursuit of redemption tickets rather than the heart of the quiz bowl cheerleader.

Movies 8’s towering vertical sign flashes its red letters and pastel colors at passersby, enticing them to step inside and enjoy a night at the cinema. In the lobby, black-and-white checkered tiles, pink and orange walls, and neon signs hark back to the 1950s, when ladies often wore polka-dot dresses and gentlemen still slicked back their pompadours with crude motor oil. Before feasting their eyes on recently released blockbusters stretched across the silver screen, moviegoers line up at the snack counter, where an old-fashioned menu displays the theater’s bounty of popcorns, snacks, and drinks. Once movies let out, guests can test their button-mashing mettle in Movies 8’s arcade, which has its own separate nook.