A Walk Through Historic Lloyd, Florida

Located at the intersection of Highway 59 and 158 the town of Lloyd is tiny but full of interesting, historic buildings. There aren't any sidewalks but also no traffic to speak of so walking is pretty easy.

Most of the homes in Lloyd were built between 1855 and 1920. The town was named after Walter Lloyd a blacksmith from New York. In 1857 Walter Lloyd opened a store and took advantage of the railroad boom.

(I'm sharing just a few of my favorite photos.)

The Railroad Depot 

Built in 1858 the depot is the oldest surviving brick station in Florida. The golden era of the railroad in Lloyd lasted until the 1930's. In 1968 the Seaboard Coastline gave the station to the Jefferson County Historical Association. It was later turned over to the Gulfwind Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society. The depot currently houses the post office.

Laffette Store 

ca. 1912

Currently being renovated.

And a charming house in need of renovation. 

Love the tin roof and porch complete with a swing.

A tiny replica of the Bethel A.M.E, Church

The original Bethel A.M.E. Church was built in 1870 and closed in 2011 after 141 years of service. The church merged with another A.M.E. church in Jefferson County and the original building was demolished. The property owner built this replica to keep the history alive. 

Beautiful, old oak trees are in abundance in this area.

If you're traveling on Interstate 10 near Tallahassee take a short detour and get off on exit 217, Fl 59 S. Travel less than 1 mile and you'll see the sign for Lloyd. Lloyd is a Florida Heritage Historic District. 

Just a short ways off the highway and you can take a walk through history!

Fun Things to Find - Roadside America

We've passed this guy more times than I can count. There he stands rain or shine with his donut, cup of coffee and goofy expression.

Johnny Donutseed

Highway 59

Exit 217 off I-10

Lloyd Florida

It's funny how you can drive by something so many times and never really pay attention. Oh, I'd seen him the many times we took this exit on our way to the gulf. On one of our last trips that way we stopped at the Subway to get a sandwich and take a closer gander at Johnny. 

He's weathered many a storm and the heat of the Florida sun is catching up to him. But all in all he's looking pretty good for an old guy. The roadside oddity is about 10 -12 feet tall, made of fiberglass and looks like the famous Johnny Appleseed if it weren't for the cup of coffee and donut he's holding. 

You'll find Johnny Donutseed at the Big Bend Travel Plaza the longest serving independent travel plaza on I-10 in Florida. Take exit 217 and head towards Lloyd. You'll see Johnny on the right.

Some times you just have to get out of the car, take a walk and check things out. You never know what you might find!

Wednesday Walking - Wacissa River, Wacissa, Florida

This is where I share the favorite place we walked this past week.

We've probably driven through the tiny town of Wacissa two dozen times in the last few years as we headed for the Gulf.

This time thanks to Geocaching instead of just passing through Wacissa we veered off  onto a road we'd never been on and this is what we found.

The headwaters of the Wacissa River.

The river is located in Jefferson County on SR 59 southeast of Tallahassee. It's fed by 12 springs and flows for 15 miles. Made us wish we had our canoe and a little more time.

We parked and took a walk. Absolutely beautiful!

A perfect placed to sit a while.

You could take the plunge from the old diving platform or the rope swing.

Or do like we did and take a walk along the wooded banks of the river.



Have you ever detoured from your normal route and found an adventure?