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Friday, October 11, 2024: Congratulations Chris Byrd & Stephanie Clay! They found the bicentennial coin at Pimlico Park in Killearn in Tallahassee on the morning of Friday, October 11, 2024.

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

1. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2024: If you were to draw an imaginary line down the middle of Tallahassee, you would need to be searching on the right side, or the east side of that line. (This was a great way to start the scavenger hunt: eliminate half of the search area!)

2. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2024: The coin is less than 500 feet from water. (This water refers to the pond in Pimlico Park.)

*Due to Hurricane Helene, we suspended the scavenger hunt and clues for the remainder of this week, resuming on Monday, September 30th.*

3. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024: A famous local chain used to have a location less than a mile from here. (This could have been anything, but it was referring to Hobbit Hoagie Shannon Lakes location, which used to be just to the west in what is now the Four Oaks Center.)

4. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024: Cows drank from the nearby water 70 years ago. (This refers to the dairy farm that used to be on this land. More on that with an upcoming clue.)

5. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2024: Less than two miles away was once a legendary spot that is no more. (The Bradfordville Blues Club was once located just to the east.)

6. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024: The closest school to the west was named after the family that donated the land for it to be built on and was once the location of an all-black, one-room schoolhouse. (Roberts Elementary School was named after a local family that was instrumental in educating black children in our area. The descendants of the Roberts family donated the land for the new school to be built on in 2001.)

7. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2024: Mamma will be proud if you know the name of the closest restaurant. (Brickyard Pizzaria is the closest restaurant and on their menu you’ll find several of “Mamma’s” selections, including Mamma’s Baked Meatballs and Mamma’s Marinara Sauce, which is sold in mason jars.)

8. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2024: This land used to be part of a large dairy farm and the man that owned it said he would never ever sell it. (This clue really narrowed it down to the old Velda Dairy property. Where all of Killearn Estates is currently located used to be a 3,800-acre dairy farm called Velda Dairy owned by Charles Coble, who was known for saying that he would never sell his beloved farm. The center of the dairy operation was located where Man O War Trail dead-ends into Whirlaway Trail. A man named Bill Cartee was Coble’s accountant and, after several years of convincing and the backing of development partners J.T. Williams and Mallory Horne, the stage was set for Tallahassee’s first planned unit development to be born on what was then a dirt, two-laned, rural Thomasville Road. In 1964, J.T. Williams and partners Mallory Horne and Bill Cartee bought 3,800 acres of the dairy land. And at the time this was a relatively undeveloped, uninhabited section of town. This was the beginning of what would eventually become Killearn.)

9. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024: The coin is surrounded by champions. (This referred to the street names in this section of Killearn. Many of the streets are named after champion thoroughbreds known for winning major Triple Crown competitions. Horses have always been a big part of Killearn Estates. In 1966, the Killearn Estates’ Master Plan included 13 acres of space dedicated to a riding academy and miles of Bridle Trails. There are actually still stables in Eastgate and horses are still spotted from time to time on roads recently in Killearn Acres. Today, the Bridle Trails are used for many purposes. For the most part, they serve as both utility easement and recreational trail. The trails are easy to spot and run the whole of Killearn Estates. Simply look for the wooden rails/fenceposts and powerlines. It is possible, that by traveling via the paths, you can get from Centerville Road to Centerville without pavement. For the most part, when using the trails, you can expect to cross a street an average of once every 1/4 mile.)

10. MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2024: If it rains, the coin won’t get wet. (Many scavenger hunters were wondering if the coin was openly exposed to the elements. But the coin was wrapped in a ziplock bag and hidden in a way to shield it from rain.)

11. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2023: To the west is an institution named after someone who is very important to Tallahassee history. (This refers to DeSoto Trail Elementary School on Velda Dairy Road. Hernando de Soto is one of the most important figures in Tallahassee’s rich history. From October 1539 through March 1540, de Soto and his expedition occupied land in present-day Tallahassee. Their winter encampment is the site of the first Christmas celebrated in North America. Located at the Governor Martin House on E. Lafayette St.)

12. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2024: Just over a mile away is the former residence of one of Tallahassee’s most beloved and famous celebrities of all time. (The former residence of FSU Head Coach Bobby Bowden is located on Shamrock North. He lived there from 1976 until his death in 2021.)

13. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2024: To the west you can observe Yom Kippur. A little further west and you can be social for sure. (Congregation Shomrei Torah is located just to the west on Kerry Forest Parkway. Social Kitchen

14. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2024: The coin is half a mile away from something large and green. (This refers to the large green water tower in Killearn Estates that is easy to see from this part of Killearn. It’s physical location is behind Community Christian School on Seaton Ct.)

 

Wednesday, June 5, 2024: Congratulations Josh Clayton! Josh found Rocky Hanna’s Boxing Gloves on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 5, 2024 near the bird sanctuary at the Miccosukee Greenway.

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

1. MONDAY, MAY 27TH: East of Monroe. North of Orange. (This clue effectively eliminated a huge chunk of Tallahassee for this scavenger hunt! Definitely going to be on the east side of town.)

2. TUESDAY, MAY 28TH: The nearest public high school is three miles away. (Lincoln High School located three miles to the south.)

3. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29TH: The closest fire station is nearly 2.5 miles away. (This refers to Tallahassee Fire Station #7, located on Shamrock Street South in Killearn Estates, just over two miles to the north.)

4. THURSDAY, MAY 30TH: Just to the east of here you’ll find the namesake of one of Tallahassee’s most notable insurance men. (This clue introduces us to Payne Midyette, Sr., a prominent Tallahassee businessman, City Commissioner, State Representative, and cattle rancher. Midyette Plantation, located just east of Miccosukee Greenway, is a residential development named after him. Midyette started one of the most long-standing and reputable insurance companies in Tallahassee history: The Midyette-Moor Insurance Agency, founded in 1922. In 1935 Midyette and his partner Frank Moor bought the Exchange Bank building, which still stands at the corner of Monroe St. & College Ave. At six stories high, this was Tallahassee’s tallest building when it opened in 1928. Midyette Road in Tallahassee was also named for him and was originally a short dirt road running south off Old St. Augustine Rd. and dead-ending at Midyette’s cattle ranch east of town. In the 1930s he granted the county an easement through his property so the country could extend and pave the road all the way to Tram Rd., three miles south of Old St. Augustine Rd. Now Midyette Rd. is only a half-mile long, as it was replaced by part of the construction of Capital Circle in 1962-1963. It is also interesting to note that Payne Midyette, Sr. was one of two landholders who sold their property to financier Ed Ball, founder the St. Joe Company. The land Midyette sold to Ball became part of what is now Southwood. It was also Midyette who proposed beautifying Lake Ella with the addition of ducks and geese.)

5. FRIDAY, MAY 31ST: One of the first physicians at TMH has something named after him 1.5 miles Northwest of here. (This is referring to A. J. Henry Park. It was named after Dr. Joe Henry, one of the first physicians, and one of the most respected, in TMH history since opening their doors in 1949. Dr. Henry owned a large tract of land that would later become a huge part of Killearn Estates. He donated 72 acres of his land to the City of Tallahassee to develop the park in 1985.)

6. SATURDAY, JUNE 1ST: Less than two miles to the west is a well-known Tallahassee establishment that has been in the same location since 1996. It was located closer to the center of town from 1953-1996. (Holy Comforter Episcopal School on Fleischmann Road is just west of the Miccosukee Greenway. They have been at that location since 1996. Before that, beginning in 1953, Holy Comforter was located between TMH and Goodwood on Miccosukee Road. Classes were added through the years, and the school now offers education from Pre-K through eighth grade on the campus on Fleischmann Road. Also of interest is that the original land for Holy Comforter was donated by Margaret Hood, who owned the Goodwood property in 1953.)

7. SUNDAY, JUNE 2ND: The famous French man’s name is everywhere. But in this case, it’s right across the road. (Marquis de Lafayette’s name seems to come up in every scavenger hunt. That’s because he is such an important figure in Tallahassee’s rich history. For his assistance in the American Revolutionary War, the Federal Government gifted Lafayette with a 6-quare-mile township that encompassed a huge part of what is now Tallahassee. Many things here are named after Lafayette. But in this case, the clue was referring to “Lafayette Oaks” neighborhood, right across the road from the greenway.)

8. MONDAY, JUNE 3RD: The man that started the plantation that used to be on this land died in 1952. (The Miccosukee Greenway now sits on the land that was once part of the legendary Welaunee Plantation, owned by Udo M. Fleischmann. Welaunee was created from land that once belonged to several cotton plantations and smaller farms. In 1952, Udo Fleischmann died leaving the property to his wife. Under Mrs. Fleischman, the property was used for Hereford cattle. In 1962, Mrs. Fleischmann died and left the land to her nephew, John W. Mettler, Jr. of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mettler was an experienced cattleman and increased the size of stock cattle to 500 head. Also interesting to note is that Udo Fleischmann’s sister Louise married Alfred B. Maclay.)

9. TUESDAY, JUNE 4TH: The family of a famous baker used to own this land. (Few Tallahasseeans know that the Fleischmann name you see on the label of cinnamon rolls, bread, and RapidRise Instant Yeast is from the same Fleischmann family that owned Welaunee Plantation. Udo Fleischmann’s uncle Charles Louis Fleischmann founded Fleischmann Yeast Company in Cincinnati in 1868. They would eventually become the world’s leading yeast producer and the second largest producer of vinegar. Also interesting to note is that Charles Fleischmann’s son Julius once served as the mayor of Cincinnati.)

10. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5TH: Searching in the heat is for the BIRDS. But if you work up an appetite, there’s a place just east of here that serves Crabby Patties. (This was a two-part clue: the boxing gloves were hidden near a birdhouse at Miccosukee Greenway. And just about two miles east of the location is Backwoods Crossing, where they serve, among other delicious dishes, a Crabby Patty appetiser.) 

 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024: Congratulations to Stephen & Milisia Albro and family! The Albro family found Gene Deckerhoff’s Microphone on the morning of Tuesday, April 9, 2024 on Piedmont Drive in Tallahassee in one of the big bushes near the entrance to Roselawn Cemetery.

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

  1. MONDAY, MARCH 25TH: The microphone is inside the Lafayette Township. (The term “Lafayette Township” is used a lot in our scavenger hunts and it refers to a 6-quare-mile area that was gifted to Marquis de Lafayette as a token of appreciation for his help in the American Revolutionary War. The southwestern corner of the township is located at the Prime Meridian marker in Cascades Park. So this clue helped scavenger hunters rule out a large chunk of Tallahassee right out of the gate.)
  2. TUESDAY, MARCH 26TH: It has been said that there’s a stylist close to here and they are distributing snapshots. (This is a reference to the Beatles song “Penny Lane”, where there’s “a barber sharing photographs”. There is a Penny Lane located just SE of the microphone’s hiding spot.)
  3. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27TH: A former Florida governor used to own this land. Then a man from Scotland bought the land in 1887. (John Branch served as Florida Governor from August of 1844 until June of 1845. He owned the original Live Oak Plantation, a 1,560-acre cotton plantation, which occupied this land during the 1830s and 1840s. In 1887 the land was purchased by Edmund Hugh Ronalds of Edinburgh, Scotland.)
  4. THURSDAY, MARCH 28TH: One of the most infamous parking lots in Tallahassee is not far from here. (Yes it’s the Trader Joe’s parking lot, located about a mile northeast.)
  5. FRIDAY, MARCH 29TH: A well-known dairy farmer used to own the land south of here. Today there is a major road in Tallahassee named after him. (This clue referred to G. C. Tharpe, a prominent dairyman in Tallahassee who also served as an auditor for the Florida State Department of Agriculture. His house was located on Meridian Road near Lake Ella and his large dairy farm extended north along Meridian Road. Tharpe Street, which is now a major East-West artery in Tallahassee, originally existed for only one long block from North Monroe Street to Meridian Road and was created by the developers of the Anderson Heights housing development, built around Lake Ella in the 1930s and 1940s.)
  6. SATURDAY, MARCH 30TH: Tallahassee’s first golf course was actually not the Capital City Country Club. It was located near here in the late 1800s. (Edmund Ronalds of Scotland died On March 17, 1895 and his brother, Dr. Tennent Ronalds, inherited Live Oak Plantation. A keen sportsman, he spent his time enjoying hunting, fishing, and golf. By 1903 Live Oak Plantation boasted Tallahassee’s first golf course with a flock of sheep for maintenance of greens and fairways. The plantation was also extended to 3,226 acres and had the first tung tree orchard in Florida. Also in 1903 an additional 2,246 acres were leased from neighboring Ellen Call Long’s Orchard Pond Plantation for use in hunting. In 1915 and 1916 Tennent Ronalds purchased Orchard Pond Plantation from the Long and Call families. Ronalds also purchased the nearby James Kirksey Plantation. Sadly, Tennent Ronalds committed suicide on February 24, 1924.)
  7. SUNDAY, MARCH 31ST: Do NOT bake the microphone at 350 degrees for 20 minutes! (A reference to Dorothy B. Oven Park, located slightly to the northeast.)
  8. MONDAY, APRIL 1ST: Over 130 years ago, the Schrader Brothers were known for operating a stock farm very close to here. They specialized in jersey cows. (In the 1880s-1890s the Waverly Stock Farm operated just south of the massive Live Oak Plantation. After one of the brothers sold his share to the other, the property eventually changed hands and became the Waverly Plantation. Not to be confused with the Waverly Plantation owned by George T. Ward who also owned Southwood Plantation.)
  9. TUESDAY, APRIL 2ND: South of 10. North of 90. (This was another clue to help anyone who still didn’t know where to look. South of the interstate, north of Hwy. 90.)
  10. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3RD: Isn’t there supposed to be a banker, a barber, and a fireman near here? Very strange. (Another reference to the Beatles song “Penny Lane”, but this time it was more actual lyrics from the song. Penny Lane is just to the southeast.)
  11. THURSDAY, APRIL 4TH: What do you call a gentle slope leading from the base of mountains to a region of flat land? (This was a big clue because it’s the exact definition of the word “piedmont”. The microphone was found on Piedmont Drive.)
  12. FRIDAY, APRIL 5TH: Slightly northeast of here there is a city park that was built on land donated by the family of a well-known judge in Apalachicola. (This is another reference to Dorothy B. Oven Park. Judge William J. Oven, who served as Franklin County Judge and then on the state legislature, donated the land to the city of Tallahassee in 1985. The house on the park property was designed by Alfred Maclay.)
  13. SATURDAY, APRIL 6TH: There’s something very close by that was made in 1890 in the town of Lloyd in Jefferson County. And then it was moved 15 miles west to this spot in 1959. (This refers to the unique, gothic-style building of Advent Episcopal Church located very close by. They began worshipping in early 1959 at Yon’s Hardware Store at the intersection of Thomasville and Betton Roads. At that time, the congregation of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in the neighboring Town of Lloyd had experienced such a serious decline both to the membership and the structure that Bishop Edward West declared St. Clement’s to be inactive. In June 1959, he made the building available as a home for Church of the Advent.)
  14. SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH: A photograph. 1943. Water. (There are four famous graves at Roselawn Cemetery. This clue referred to Frank “Pappy” Noel, buried under a modest headstone not far from where the microphone was hiding. Noel had the honor of receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 1943. His photograph, “Water,” was an image of a begging Indian sailor on a lifeboat without any water for three days after his ship had been torpedoed by Japanese forces. When the bombs were being dropped on Pearl Harbor, Noel was in Singapore covering an assignment about the British Army stationed there. In January of 1942 in an attempt to flee the area, he took a freighter with 77 other passengers bound for Burma when the Japanese Navy torpedoed the freighter in the Indian Ocean. Trapped in his cabin, he used a heavy chair to break down the door to escape a sinking ship. He, along with five shipmates, fled in a lifeboat without food or water, but with the heat of the tropical sun or storming Monsoon rains. Allied forces did not know that Japanese forces were active in the Indian Ocean. On the third day at sea, another lifeboat came alongside theirs with Indian sailors begging for water, but no one had any to share. At this point, Noel, who was suffering from Malaria, grabs his camera and takes his black and white Pulitzer Prize photograph of an Indian sailor begging for water. Eventually, his lifeboat reaches Sumatra and the photographer with his camera were rescued. Only 27 of the 77 passengers from the freighter were rescued. Incredible story!)
  15. MONDAY, APRIL 8TH: Variations on a nursery tune. (Another famous grave located nearby is that of Ernst von Dohnanyi, a famous Hungarian pianist and composer. His most famous piece is “Variations On A Nursery Tune”. He moved to the United States in 1949 when he accepted a teaching position at Florida State University. His son, Hans von Dohnányi, was a leading figure in the anti-Nazi resistance in Germany and was executed by the Nazis in 1945 following a failed assassination plot against Hitler.)
  16. TUESDAY, APRIL 9TH: It’s not among the stones. But look for a colored rope that’s not supposed to be there and pull it. (The final clue let everyone know that it wasn’t near or among the headstones of Roselawn. The microphone was down in a large bush near the entrance. There was length of red rope that was tied to the microphone. The other end of the red rope was sticking out of the top of the bush.)


Friday, February 2, 2024: Congratulations Jared Jaworski! Jared found the hidden tomahawk on the morning of Friday, February 2, 2024 at Debbie Lightsey Nature Park on Capital Circle SW. It was hidden among some trees just to the right of the main path between the North and South boardwalks. Jared won $1,000 for finding the tomahawk!

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

  1. MONDAY, JANUARY 22ND: Beginning at the Tally 99.9 studios, head west. But stay inside the circle. (There’s a lot of Tallahassee to the west of the Tally 99.9 studios located at 2222 Old St. Augustine Road. But at least the first clue let you know that the tomahawk was inside Capital Circle.)
  2. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD: Half a mile to the east you’ll find something named after a former United States President. (This referred to Eisenhower Street, exactly half a mile west of the tomahawk’s hiding spot.)
  3. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24TH: The tomahawk is not located inside the Lafayette Township. (The Lafayette Township is a 6-quare-mile area that was gifted to Marquis de Lafayette as a token of appreciation for his help in the American Revolutionary War. The southwestern corner of the township is located at the Prime Meridian marker in Cascades Park. This ruled out another large chunk of Tallahassee.)
  4. THURSDAY, JANUARY 25TH: A country club was located near here a hundred years ago. People enjoyed dining, dancing, and swimming there for over 40 years. (The Lake Bradford Country Club was a happening spot beginning in the early 1920s. It stayed open until the early 1960s.)
  5. FRIDAY, JANUARY 26TH: There are at least 18 baseball or softball fields within 1 mile of the tomahawk. (If you look at the satellite view of Google Maps, you’ll see all of the ball fields within close proximity.)
  6. SATURDAY, JANUARY 27TH: A not-so-distant relative of one of our nation’s founding fathers used to live south of here. (Her name was Catherine Dangerfield Willis Gray Murat. She was the great-grandniece of George Washington. She was married to Prince Achille Murat. She moved to Tallahassee in 1825 with her parents and siblings. She married Prince Murat the following year in 1826. After her husband died in 1847, she operated Lipona Plantation in Jefferson County. And then in 1854 she settled at Bellevue Plantation, located just south of the tomahawk’s hiding spot. She died in 1867.)
  7. SUNDAY, JANUARY 28TH: Go for a spin near two odd tunnels. (When you first arrive at the new Debbie Lightsey Nature Park you’ll see a little play area that includes a small merry-go-round and two tunnels that go through a raised area on the fake turf.)
  8. MONDAY, JANUARY 29TH: A “sentry” is a soldier stationed to keep guard or to control access to a place. And there was one across the road from here 50 years ago. (Sentry Press operated across the road from here in the 1970s.)
  9. TUESDAY, JANUARY 30TH: Nearby you’ll spot the name of a famous co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. (Lake Hiawatha to south. Hiawatha was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he was born an Onondaga but adopted into the Mohawks.)
  10. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31ST: The English version of the divine name appears on a sign to the south. (“Jehovah” is the English transliteration of the Hebrew “Yahweh”. The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses is located to the south at the intersection of Orange Avenue and Rankin Avenue.)
  11. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST: Something to the east of the tomahawk seems to be pulling. It’s a good thing the tomahawk is surrounded by wood. (The National Magnet Lab is home to one of the world’s most powerful magnets and it is located to the east of Debbie Lightsey Nature Park. Some people believe the magnet is so powerful that it can affect the weather. The tomahawk was in fact surrounded by wood.)
  12. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND (FINAL CLUE): Remember the clue about the relative of one of our nation’s founding fathers? Well this relative’s house that was located just south of here was moved a very short distance to a different location and is still there today. And as for the tomahawk, it’s off the beaten path. I just wish I could give you the BLUEPRINT for it. (This was a two-part clue. The first part was to help anyone who didn’t know the tomahawk was at Debbie Lightsey Nature Park. The first part refers again to George Washington’s great-grandniece Catherine Murat. When she died in 1867, her planation home was kept preserved very well. Years later it was moved the short distance to the Tallahassee Museum and is still there to this day. The second part of the clue was intended for the people who were already pretty sure about Debbie Lightsey Nature Park. “Off the beaten path” refers to the little trail that goes off to the right of the main path between the North and South boardwalks. The tomahawk was hidden in that cove down by the water. Across from where this path diverts from the main path there is a sign that says “By order of Blueprint 2000”.)


December 4, 2023: Congratulations Jannette Mims! Jannette found the hidden Tallahassee Tigersharks Hockey Puck on Monday, December 4, 2023 at Lafayette Park in Midtown. It was hidden under the bench in the third base dugout of the ball field. Jannette wins $1,000 for finding the hockey puck!

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

  1. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH: Five plus five is too far north. The fruit/color is too far south. Brick City is too far west. Mr. Walton’s warehouse is too far east. (This first clue was designed to help everyone zero in on the side of town that the hockey puck was on, as well as help rule out a large area of the city. This clue referred to I-10 as being too far north and Orange Avenue as being too far south. “Brick City”, a nickname for the city of Ocala, Florida, refers to Ocala Road as being too far west. And Sam’s Club too far east.)
  2. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST: The hockey puck is less than 1,500 feet from an elementary school. (“As the crow flies”, the hockey puck was located very close to Kate Sullivan Elementary School.)
  3. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd: The namesake of an old Indian fighter is nearby. (Lafayette Park is bordered by N. Gadsden Street to the west. Gadsden served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, was a former military officer, President of a South Carolina railroad company, and as a close friend of Andrew Jackson, Gadsden was given the task of helping to expel most of the Seminole Indian tribe from their homes in Florida and Georgia.)
  4. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd: Many single-digit numbers are nearby. (This was a reference to all of the single-digit street names in midtown.)
  5. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24th: You could hold court here. And there’s a diamond next door. (This was a reference to Lafayette Park in general, just in case people were still looking elsewhere. Tennis court and softball field are located in the southeast corner of the park.)
  6. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH: Nearby you’ll find a business that has been open in the same location since 1970. (This was a reference to Whataburger on the corner of Thomasville Road and E. 5th)
  7. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH: “A Tallahassee Girl” used to live west of here. (This was a reference to Ellen Call Long, the daughter of Richard Keith Call, Territorial Governor from 1836-1839 and then again from 1841-1844. Author Maurice Thompson wrote the book “A Tallahassee Girl” in 1882, with Long being the subject of the book. She lived in “The Grove” mansion just north of the Governor’s mansion, just a few blocks away.)
  8. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27th: There’s a house nearby that was once lived in by a close family member of a former United States President. (This one is referencing the Governor’s mansion. From 1999-2007 it was inhabited by Governor Jeb Bush, son of George H. W. Bush and brother of George W. Bush.)
  9. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH: Lions, Cubs, & Crocs NEARBY! (Leon Lions, located just south. Cobb Middle School Cubs, located just east. Kate Sullivan Elementary Crocs, located just east as well.)
  10. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH: Famous former residents in this area include a man named Pepper and a woman named Green. (Notable people that used to live in Lafayette Park include Claude Papper, a distinguished lawmaker who served as U.S. Senator and then as congressman until his death in 1989. And Mamie Eaton Green, who was elected to the post of railroad commissioner in 1928, the first woman elected to statewide office.)
  11. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH: Let’s get crafty! (This was a reference to the Sue McCollum Community Center and Arts & Crafts Center located near the playground.)
  12. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1ST: Still pumping after 83 years! (The Lafayette Park Water Pumping Station is a neat looking building inside the park. Surrounded by chain-link fence, it has been serving as a city water pumping station since 1940.)
  13. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2ND: There is a street close by that was named after a man who came to Tallahassee in 1829 with a wagon full of money. (The hockey puck was found at the intersection of Martin & Williams Street. Williams Street was named after William Williams, also known as “Money” Williams, who moved to Tallahassee around 1829 and it is said that he arrived to town on a wagon full of money that was used to start one of the first banks in Tallahassee. He bought the lot on the southwest corner of Adams & Park where he built “The Columns” building. That building is still standing, although it has been moved to N. Duval St. and is now owned by the James Madison Institute.)
  14. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3RD: These strange pipes coming up out of the ground are for burning calories. (All throughout Lafayette Park you’ll find strange metal pipes and wooden blocks coming up out of the ground. They make up the fitness trail.)
  15. MONDAY, DECEMBER 4TH (FINAL CLUE): Rounding third. (At this point it seemed like everyone knew the puck was in Lafayette Park. So I wanted to give a clue that really narrowed down the search. The puck was hidden under the bench in the 3rd base dugout of the ball field.)


September 10, 2023: Congratulations Sarah Crawford! Sarah found Rob Nucatola’s bow tie at the bottom of a large oak tree at the corner of Mossy Creek Lane and Orange Avenue in Southwood on Sunday, September 10, 2023. Sarah won $1,000 for finding the bow tie!

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

  1. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2023: Less than 400 yards away is an elementary school. Less than 2 miles away is a high school. (I wanted the first clue to really zero in on somewhere close to the location of the bow tie. We do have a lot of schools in Tallahassee, but there aren’t too many locations that fit this criteria. The elementary school is Conley Elementary. The high school is Lincoln.)
  2. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2023: The nearest major intersection contains a shape and a color. (Just to the west of where the bow tie was located is the intersection of Capital Circle SE & Orange Ave.)
  3. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2023: Less than a mile away is a popular store. Just over a mile away is a place fit for a king with a sweet tooth. (Where the bow tie was located is under a mile away from Wal-Mart on Apalachee Parkway and just over a mile away from Donut Kingdom in the Publix Shopping Center near Southwood.)
  4. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2023: You could have a BALL nearby. (Many people thought this was a reference to a round ball or the kind of ball you get dressed up to go to. But this was a reference to Edward Gresham Ball, one of the most important people in Florida history. Ball founded the St. Joe Company, who owned all of Southwood and beyond before it was developed as a neighborhood community. He also purchased Wakulla Springs in 1931. His part-time residence was the beautiful home in Southwood named “The Ball House”, located at 3255 Hemingway Blvd.)
  5. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2023: Back in the day, you could have visited a well-known Chinese Acupuncturist not far from here. (This is the clue that would only make sense if you lived in Tallahassee in the 1980s and 1990s. Back in those days, Dr. Hui Hung Wang operated the thriving Tallahassee Acupuncture Center on Capital Circle.)
  6. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2023: A wealthy man used to own this land. But his father-in-law was even wealthier and owned even more land. (Now we’re getting into the rich history of Southwood. Its original owner was George Washington Ward, who moved to Tallahassee in 1825 not long after the city’s founding. His son, George Taliaferro Ward, inherited the land and turned it into a successful cotton plantation. He then married Sarah Jane Chaires, the daughter of Florida’s first millionaire, Benjamin Chaires. Chaires founded the Central Bank of Florida in 1832 and was one of the wealthiest landowners in Leon County. George T. Ward would go on to serve as a Colonel for the Confederate forces during the Civil War. He died in combat at the Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia in 1861.)
  7. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 (FINAL CLUE): Not in a park. Not near any water. (Many people thought that the bow tie would be located in one of Tallahassee’s 94 public city parks. But I wanted to rule that out with this clue. The tree cove where the bow tie was located is considered an open, public space but not a park. And since we have so many lakes and ponds in Tallahassee, ruling out that it could be near water was helpful.)

July 27, 2023: Congratulations Judah, Angela, and Solomon Young, winners of the first ever Great Tallahassee Scavenger Hunt! The Young family found Bobby Bowden’s hat in a bush at Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond Park near the intersection of Merritt Drive and Circle Drive in the Myers Park neighborhood on Thursday, July 27, 2023. The Young family won $1,000 for finding Bobby Bowden’s hat!

Here is a list of every clue that we announced for this scavenger hunt:

  1. MONDAY, JULY 17, 2023: Jackson is too far north. Munson is too far south. I would send you on a mission, but that would take you too far west. And where they throw a disc is too far east. But a popular 43-year-old square? You’re getting warmer. (For the first clue, I wanted to be vague, but still give listeners SOMETHING they can use to narrow it down some. Tallahassee is just over 100 square miles, or 66,000 acres, so I wanted the first clue to really narrow it down significantly. Jackson and Munson refer to lakes, of course. The “mission” referenced here is Mission San Luis. And the Governor’s Square Mall, built in 1979, is the “popular square”. So this first clue helped listeners rule out quite a big chunk of Tallahassee.)
  2. TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2023: I read a historical marker somewhere around here about a man from France named Lafayette. Must have been a little east of here… (There are actually several historical markers around Tallahassee that have Marquis de Lafayette’s name on them. But the one this clue is referring to is unique from the others. It is located in the median between Apalachee Parkway and Lafayette St. just to the west of Moe’s Southwest Grill, which is just east of where the scavenger hunt item was located.)
  3. WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 2023: The namesake of a saint is nearby. What a lovely setting, but going for a swim would be frowned upon. (It could seem like this clue was referring to Lake Ella, with St. Paul’s United Methodist Church next door. But the “saint” here alludes to Old Saint Augustine Rd., not far to the east. And of course swimming isn’t really allowed at any pond or lake within a city park, except for Lake Hall at Maclay Gardens.)
  4. THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023: Something Wild took place near here…in 1986. (The movie “Something Wild” was filmed in Tallahassee, Quincy, and Havana. The hotel scenes were filmed at a hotel on Apalachee Parkway not very far from the scavenger hunt item location.)
  5. FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023: I hope these geese don’t run off with Bobby Bowden’s hat! Geese should be more careful anyway with so many snakes nearby! (We have so many wonderful lakes and ponds in Tallahassee, so of course the item was located near some water, hence the clue about geese. That doesn’t give it way, though, because we have too many bodies of water to count. The “snakes” nearby refer to the campus of the Florida A & M Rattlers, which is less than a mile to the west.)
  6. SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023: It’s ROUGH when there are HAZARDS to the east AND west! (Yes this was a golf clue! This refers to Capital City Country Club, just one street over. Hilaman Golf Course is also not far to the east.)
  7. SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023: There’s that French man’s name again. And he keeps company with a former Governor. AND a former President. (The name Lafayette is all over Tallahassee. But where do you find it in close proximity of a former Governor and former President? Just north of the location of the scavenger hunt item is Lafayette St., the former home of Governor John Martin, and Van Buren Street, named after the 8th President of the United States, Martin Van Buren.)
  8. MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023: Living the life of Riley? You’re close. Just on the wrong side of where the old chimneys billowing smoke used to be. (This is the clue that should have made it clear that the hat was not hidden at Lake Ella. A lot of people were looking there. The “Riley” in this clue refers to the John G. Riley House Museum on Jefferson Street. I wanted to give a clue that definitely let hunters know to look south of Apalachee Parkway. The chimneys refer to the Smokey Hollow memorial at the intersection of Franklin and Pensacola.)
  9. TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023: Territorial Governor William Pope Duval would be honored that we have a street named after him. And 200 years ago, you could have seen his house from here. (Just in case anyone was still looking for the scavenger hunt item on the west side of town, this clue should have been a hint to search east of Duval Street, which is located downtown less than a mile to the east. Duval’s house? Back when he was Territorial Governor from 1822-1834, it was located where the Myers Park tennis courts are currently located, less than two blocks from where Bobby’s hat was hiding. Duval’s home overlooked the beautiful “cascade”, a 40-foot waterfall that was once located in the area of modern-day Cascades Park.)
  10. WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2023: It’s not always easy to find the moon in the night sky. But from here, The Moon is always just to the northeast. (This refers to The Moon, which started out as the “Musical Moon” in 1985. Located in a building that used to be an A & P grocery store, The Moon is the premiere music venue in Tallahassee, and it’s located just a few blocks north of where Bobby Bowden’s hat was hiding.)
  11. THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023 (FINAL CLUE): Go see the doctor. The former FAMU professor. (The final clue pointed right to the location: Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond Park on Merritt Drive near Myers Park. Dr. Evans served as the Associate Dean of FAMU’s School of Business and Industry for more than 30 years.)

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