Tallahassee T.O.U.R. Guide ?Free Day? at Historic Capitol and Riley Museum
Friday, June 18 at 10:07 AM
Tallahassee T.O.U.R. Guide “Free Day” at Historic Capitol and Riley Museum
Celebrate this Father’s Day with family and local Tallahassee attractions
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 14, 2010 – In an effort to remind long-time residents about the importance of tourism in the Tallahassee area and to encourage residents to explore their own backyard, Visit Tallahassee is continuing its local campaign to recruit T.O.U.R. Guides. The T.O.U.R. acronym, standing for “Tourism is Our Unlimited Resource,” is a six-month program offering free admission to select local attractions on the third Saturday of each month. Launched in March of this year, the fun continues Saturday, June 19, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Historic Capitol and 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the John G. Riley Museum of African American History & Culture, when both museums waive admission giving locals a chance to experience the 21 rooms filled with 250 political artifacts at the Historic Capitol and “The Civil War - A Tribute to Our Colored Soldiers” exhibit at the Riley Museum. Other activities at the Riley House Museum include, meeting the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club as they share the history and gallantry of both the 2nd and 99th Regiments troops that made up the majority of the Union Force at the Battle of Natural Bridge and a “History of the Day” scavenger hunt with door prizes for the winners. The Historic Capitol, usually a self-guided museum, is offering guided tours of the restored areas of the capitol at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. this Saturday. Tallahassee families can make for a special and fun-filled Father’s Day weekend by taking dads to participate in the T.O.U.R Guide program at either Tallahassee museum (www.VisitTallahassee.com/tour).
Once a log cabin, today the Historic Capitol makes up the base of Florida’s Capitol complex housing the restored House and Senate Chambers, Supreme Court, Governor’s Suite and the Florida Legislative Research Center. Originally constructed in 1845, the Historic Capitol has since been restored to its 1902 appearance, featuring an elaborate stained glass dome, red-and-white-striped awnings and the Florida State Seal shown over the entry columns.
Born into slavery in Leon County, John G. Riley defied the nature of the times by learning to read and write and later pursued his dreams of becoming a teacher and prominent Tallahasseean. The John G. Riley Center Museum of African American History & Culture strives to educate visitors about the African American contributions to Florida’s history.
The remaining two-month Saturday lineup of free attractions includes: Maclay Gardens State Park and Goodwood Museum & Gardens (July 17) and the Challenger Learning Center and Mission San Luis (August 21). By visiting each attraction, locals can collect unique decals that contain information on how to add the attraction badges to personal Facebook profiles.
Recognizing that the most frequently named trip purpose to Tallahassee is visiting friends and relatives (33 percent), it is Tallahassee area residents who are the Capital City’s best ambassadors, which is why Visit Tallahassee encourages residents to explore their own backyard. Overall spending by visitors in 2008 was $879 million. These dollars support businesses in our community, augment local sales tax collections and help keep taxes down for residents.
More information on the free attraction days and the T.O.U.R. Guide program is available from Visit Tallahassee at www.VisitTallahassee.com/tour or (800) 628-2866.
