Cascades Park in Tallahassee is gorgeous!

Right over the bridge from Railroad Square, is Tallahassee’s newest park and amphitheater – Cascades Park. There is so much to explore here. Whether you stop for a bite at the upscale Edison restaurant, grab a coffee at the Power Plant Cafe, or want to tour the area’s history, there is enough to explore here to last all day.

The legend of the origin of Tallahasssee is that in 1823, Dr Williams Simmons of St. Augustine and John Lee Williams of Pensacola met halfway (roughly) to establish a new seat of government. (When local tribes resisted, they were relocated near Tampa.) Tallahassee is higher in elevation than the surrounding area and includes a watershed. Cascades Park marks the Prime Meridian.

What was once Tallahassee’s historic electric building has been transformed into an upscale restaurant. You can check out the restaurant’s menu and history on its website. The views from the Palladian windows are worth paying a little extra for freshly made food. What may not be so palatable though is the controversy surrounding the owners and investors.

Wander Through The History of Tallahassee in Cascades Park

Prime Meridian Plaza and the Smokey Hollow Memorial

Cascades Park is 24 acres southeast of the Capitol Complex. It holds the prime meridian, referenced by all surveys completed in Florida. You can find the Prime Meridian near the waterspout plaza. North of the Prime Meridian Plaza is a memorial to life in Smokey Hollow in the 1900s. You can walk through the footprint of a home typical to the area and time period. Amazingly, whole families were raised in houses that small!

Cascades Park also has a Korean War Memorial

The Korean War Memorial has informational panels throughout the park. The broken circle memorial is haunting. Thank you to my father and father-in-law and the many others who served during the Korean War.

Community Remembrance Marker

Cascades Park has a memorial marker to document and acknowledge the four known lynchings. Their names are Pierce Taylor (1897), Mick Morris (1909), Richard Hawkins (1937), and Ernest Ponder (1937).

The city of Tallahassee manages this park. Like many of the gorgeous Tallahassee parks, it was partially created to handle the summer stormwater runoff. You can read the history provided by the city here.