Not far from Florida State University campus lies a national historical landmark called Mission San Luis. When you enter the only reconstructed 17^th century mission in the Southeast, be prepared to be taken to the 1690's when the Apalachee Indians and the newcomers from Spain created a community called Mission San Luis. My kids, who were not looking forward to a history lesson, were truly mesmerized as people wearing costumes from that period guided us through the mission. It was as if we had gone through a time machine and were watching the people doing the daily activities that would have taken place in this little community in the 1690's. My boys were excited to learn about the traditional games that the Apalachee children played....not quite the same as the Playstation games of the 21^st century. 

The most impressive sight is the Council House, which is one of the largest Indian structures ever built in the Southeast. Think about what life was like three centuries ago. There were no bulldozers and heavy equipment to help build a large structure.  It literally took everyone in the community helping to build these structures. What is so impressive about the Council House is that it held over 1,500 people in the 1690's. That is huge! I tried to point out to my kids that if the Apalachee Indians and the Spaniards could work together to build the Council House, certainly mine could get along and work together just for an afternoon to clean their rooms. I will let you know how that goes! In addition to the Council House, you will see the home of the Spanish Deputy Governor and a beautiful church that was built under the supervision of the Franciscan monks, among other buildings.  

Throughout the year there are events going on at Mission San Luis for children and adults. There are lectures on this period of history, performances by the theater and Archeological Lab tours to take visitors behind the scenes. There is a historic cooking class, blacksmith for beginners and arts and crafts events for children. Be sure and check their website and take part in some of these events. 

Now that we have made our first visit, I can promise you it will not be our last. I have to confess that walking around I was a little stunned that so much history is right here in Tallahassee and I didn't even know it after living here for over 30 years. My brother is an archeologist and we have always enjoyed taking trips to see the sites he is working on. Now the kids are planning on taking their uncle to Mission San Luis on his next visit to Tallahassee so they can show him one of our very own historical landmarks!