South City - Tallahassee, FL Area Guide

As with much of the state of Florida, Tallahassee was originally inhabited by Native Americans and eventually conquered by Spanish explorers. The city of Tallahassee was formed after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1822, and nobody could agree on which city should be the state capital: St. Augustine or Pensacola. Ultimately, a point in between the two became Florida's capital city. In 1824, a log cabin housed the state's first Capitol building, and a new city formed, Tallahassee.

Tallahassee's rich history lends it to a number of museums and historical venues throughout the city. The two largest include the Museum of Florida History, which explores the origins of the state, and the Tallahassee Museum of Natural History, which sits lakeside, and hosts wildlife tours and exhibits.

The Council on Culture and Arts promotes artistic expression in Tallahassee.

Very few bars or restaurants reside within the South City neighborhood itself due to its size and residential nature. However, its proximity to the downtown Tallahassee area as well as the Florida A&M campus make this irrelevant.

One of the few restaurants that calls the South City neighborhood home, Mr. B's Real Grill BBQ serves authentic, traditional, southern barbecue with ribs, chicken, pulled pork and more. This barbecue hot-spot remains family owned and only opens on the weekends, so plan accordingly, but be sure to give it a try.

Kool Beanz Cafe in downtown Tallahassee presents a colorful, unique dining experience. Kool Beanz patrons enjoy a rotating menu that takes advantage of seasonal ingredients available to the restaurant's chefs. These rotations span the entire menu from appetizers and sides to entrées to desserts, and includes a combination of both meats and vegetarian options. If in season, the sweet-potato waffles with fried chicken and spicy-honey dipping sauce examples one of their many specialty items.

Nightlife comes easy in this college town. This combination of city and college entertainment provides for a wide array of nightlife options with something for anyone. Bullwinkle's Saloon sits just off the Florida A&M campus and crawls with college students Wednesday through Saturday from 9 or 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. Bullwinkle's hosts live music and has drink specials almost nightly that make it one of the most popular stops for area college students. For an older crowd, Level 8 Lounge downtown or the Top Flite Club near campus prove viable late-night entertainment options.

While most of the roads do not have bike lanes, paths exist along many of the major arteries that take bikers around town. The residential nature of the South City neighborhood makes biking relatively safe, but if heading toward downtown or to a neighboring part of town, using the paths proves wise. The neighborhood rates as easily walkable due to its small size of less than 2 miles from corner to corner. Public parking comes available both on the street and in private lots, however campus and downtown parking charges a fee.

Taxi options also prove plentiful in the area. City Taxi Inc. serves the entire metropolitan Tallahassee area in a traditional manner with vehicular transport. Capital City Pedicabs has a fleet of taxi carts pedaled by certified bike riders, or Uber estimates a ride from South City to downtown between $7 to $9. The nearest highway, Interstate 10 sits just 6 miles north running east to west, and the nearest north to south highway, Interstate 75, runs into Interstate 10 about 102 miles to the east.

For public transportation, the StarMetro Bus Line Company services the greater Tallahassee area. Bus routes change depending on day of the week and time of day, and the main hub to pick up these rides remains the C.K. Steele Plaza. During the day Monday through Saturday, the M bus services South City, and arrives every 20 minutes at Gate 13 of the Plaza going north into Tallahassee and Gate 11 going south. On Sundays and nights all week, Route 5 serves the area with the same pick up/drop off locations as the M.

The city of Tallahassee operates and maintains five parks, three trails and one paddling trail for the enjoyment of its residents. Each of these trails rests within one of the large parks in the city, green spaces intended for biking and hiking with varying levels of difficulty and terrain. The paddling trail in Lafayette Heritage parks allows canoers and kayakers a venue to exercise and practice their sport. Tom Brown Park encompasses the largest and most activity based area in the park system, and holds fields and courts of every kind, a lake, segments of trail, and a full-size disc-golf course. A full 600 acres of wetland and trails make up Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, the second largest in the city.

All city operated parks and trails remain free to use, while some activities and events at these parks come with small fees. The spaces prove family friendly, including pets. A wide variety of annual youth and adult leagues exist in the park system, including baseball/softball, volleyball, soccer, football and more.

South City, and Tallahassee as a whole, have a virtually identical cost of living to the state of Florida. This cost of living also hits right on par with the national average. A one-bedroom rental in South City averages $459 per month, slightly less than the cost of rent in the downtown area.

A one-trip bus fare from South City to downtown, or anywhere the bus stops in the Tallahassee area, costs $1.25. The bus services also provides daily, weekly, and monthly passes for $3, $10 and $38. A domestic beer at a local pub averages $2.75. Gas prices in Tallahassee average about 5 percent above the national average.

Governor's Square represents the one major shopping center that serves the Tallahassee area. This mall touts a multi-tiered set up that houses all the stores expected out of a big shopping center. Dining, entertainment and shopping options exist in this retail destination.

Closer to the South City neighborhood sits a number of specialty and locally owned shops. Citi Trends on Monroe Street sells brand-name women's clothing and accessories. Most of the items gear toward a younger, urban demographic, but a huge store area and wide selection make it possible to find something for everyone. World Market on the east side of Tallahassee markets a wide array of products from furniture to wine. Their rotating assortment of products makes the shopping experience different every time you go, stocking goods from all over the world.

Several grocery stores service the area of South City on Monroe Street. Save-a-Lot resides on Monroe, and King Food Store and Publix also sit nearby. For healthy shopping, Earth Fare presents a good option on the east side of the city. The Tallahassee Farmers' Market, along Timberlane Road, operates at full staff on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., and opens with limited vendors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.