The year 1704 brought the end to this peaceful village. In that year Col. James Moore of Carolina brought a small army of colonial militia and a much larger force of allied tribes to bring the Spanish colonial system to an end. While the numbers remain in dispute, at least a thousand or more Apalachee were carried off into slavery with another thousand forced to immigrate under threat of enslavement. What you see here is a re-creation of the what the village and fort are thought to have looked like.I grew up in Tallahassee in the 70s and 80s and as a child who visited on a school field trip there was nothing here but an outline of where the council house had stood (it had been excavated), an open field and a monument or two. It was quite a shock to return for a visit a decade ago and find all this built.It is a special place as well because I brought my father here a few times in his final years---one of his best friends and mentors was the chief blacksmith of the site. And when my father passed away five years ago my family held my fathers celebration of life here in the conference center. The staff were extremely helpful and supportive and we gave my father a great send off.As you visit the site imagine it as it was and how it was the single largest Spanish/native village and population outside Pensacola and St. Augustine. Much of the remainder of northern Florida remained wilderness with scattered villages of various native peoples spread throughout. Only tiny vestiges of native peoples inhabited central and southern Florida.

Great place to visit with your family. A lot of preserved history. How people lived and even buried. Very quiet place. They keep the whole area in great shape. There are actual people manning the houses and certain work stations on certain days making ones experience so real. Highly recommend visiting this place.

The location of the mission restoration and the museum are both beautiful. The in costume guides were very well informed. Nice stop.Also, the mission is pet friendly. We didnt know this so we left the dogs in the car.

Definitely a recommended stop while visiting Floridas capital city. The museum contains a small collection of objects from the colonial era as well as an introduction to the life of the inhabitants of this land. Although most of the buildings were constructed based on hystorical records, the live representations and explanations by the staff are really helpful to better understand the context where the mission developed. The entrance is $5 per adult and its open from Tuesday to Sunday. Recommended!

We love Mission San Luis! We love photographing at it professionally and we love taking our children there. It’s a great place full of history.

When I first moved to Tallahassee area my family went to Mission San Luis. We got the passes for members. That is a large part of w hhy I will go back. It really wasnt as we expected. Dont get me wrong it was a very beautiful place. A stroll down memory lane... theres a lot of history here, but theres not a lot to do. My kids became bored quickly. They told me it was dog friendly but I never saw ityb posted or never saw any other pets. We didnt take ours but Im going to call to double check and start taking him out tere for the long, relaxing walks there. Its really like a secluded trail with buildings to tour. There was a guy making nails and other things with iron I believe. That was the most excitement we had and we were just intrigued at the old fashioned method used. This is awesome place to get a quiet walk in. Maybe sit and read a book on the lawn. Theres a huge teepee which maybe the wrong phrase but that was pretty cool. Nothing at all on the inside but logs on the ground but you see a piece of history. Ill go back alone or even better with my dog for a long walk.

Very interesting but wish we could have seen it when they reenact in period times. Beautiful grounds

The grounds are beautiful and the period actors were very friendly and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and learned a lot about the Spanish presence in Florida 100 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It is worth your time and money if your in the Tallahassee area. Got lots of great pictures.

A little treasure right in the midst of town. A great display of area history. The Winter Solstice Day was very nice. If there had been folks in the council house to talk about the exhibit (s), Id rated a 5.

Beautiful place! The interpreters were friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Loved our visit

WENT with Family and Friends GREAT PLACE. A lot of historical context very PEACEFUL and RELAXING WeekendWe had a big picnic with Everyone.GREAT TIME sent half day inside looking at the stuff in drawers then half walking around. They had a wedding there BEAUTIFUL. ENJOYED EVERYTHING .BEEN back twice by my self a lot of history.Thank You Again will be BACK

Great Florida/US historic site. The first European settlers were the Spanish around 1600 AD who intermingled with the Indians. Site was later abandoned by both Spanish and Indians due to the encroaching Brittish. Really enjoyed the walking tour.

You should visit this living history museum if you are in the area.

We stopped here on a whim on the way back from the beach, and I’m so glad we did! It was a great break in the drive that we could all enjoy, even my 10 year old black lab! They are SO dog friendly. Dogs are allowed inside and out, and the staff offered my dog water in almost every building- it was a hot day! The blacksmith even made a makeshift water bowl for my old dog with his pocket knife and a gatorade bottle. My son loved it, too. The history is really fascinating. It is actually an outdoor museum, and it is a beautiful place to walk around. There are flower gardens with sunflowers and zinnias. They are growing aloe vera plants and squash. The staff was amazing. Everyone was very kind and friendly. The soldiers in the fort were very knowledgeable and chatted with us about the fort’s history for at least twenty minutes. Fascinating history- a very well kept park with excellent staff. We’ll be back!!! I highly recommend it. We had a great time and learned a lot.

A beautiful place to learn about the Apalachee Indians tribe in the early 1700. Excellent restoration of the local tribe as well as the Spanish influence from the 1650 to 1700. Minimal admission (seniors are 3.00 each) it will take over 4 hours to really see all the exhibits. Really tells the history of a lost tribe.

We found this to be a great place to spend the day with the kids. Open areas to run, we hiked through the woods, checked out really cool buildings, and learned many new things. Great time.

Overall the grounds were clean, and employees were very informative and the demonstrations were interesting. All of the buildings are replicas of the historical time period, but some had modern day touches such as a new tent in the upstairs area of the fort. There were a lot points of interest that described what the buildings were. While I was there the blacksmith made a nail, it was a pretty quick process to observe. Also, was able to see a volunteer group I assume constructing another Point of Interest. It is a very calm and relaxing place, but from a historical standpoint there could have been more offered that may have been unique to only that area and location.

This place allows you to go back in time and see and feel how people lived in Tallahassee a few hundred years ago.

Worthwhile for history buffs. Beautiful grounds, and guides in all buildings, explaining what you were seeing. Has a real blacksmith showing the lost art. Also used as destination wedding venues and other.

Great place for a family vacation. I went with my daughter on a school trip and we had alot of fun exploring. We will be back again soon.

The workers on site are very knowledgeable about the history of the area and were willing to put up with my endless stream of questions. The place is very beautiful and well kept. You can also take everything in at your own pace as youre in charge of where you want to go.

Mission San Luis is a majestic and historical venue. The grounds are plentiful and the buildings are replicas of its historical past stories of communities and its people of the times.A great place to walk about, picnic, meditate, take the historical walk with user friendly docents and volunteers. A wonderful local for a wedding, celebration, and fiesta....the gift shop has a variety of handmade goods and items made from the blacksmiths on hand. Entrance fee is reasonable, as well as, membership fees. Its a must see mini adventure right in the heart of Tallahassee.

We enjoyed this. Interesting to see how cultures combine

Very interesting place to visit. Specially for visitors driving through Tallahassee and decide to stop on beautiful Sunday morning and relax learning a part of history of our country. It appears well run place. This weekend was Native American Festival on property what make our visit more enjoyable. Also, we learned today that Apalachee are not recognized by Federal Government what made us sad.

Worth the visit! Pros: meticulously cared for artifacts and re-creations, staff are well-educated, friendly and passionate about this time period. Cons: the historical narrative throughout is arguably a bit whitewashed.

The reenactors are very knowledgeable about the history of the mission. The grounds feature a near authentic recreation of life and living during the missions life and Spanish colonial life in general.

Great interaction with staff. Pertinent info offered at each station

Great experience! Peaceful place and even the blacksmith fired up real iron!

Beautiful place and the people acting out the characters of the time were very enthusiastic and helpful! Just be wary that the heat is torture in the summer and there are only two spots with air conditioning.

Love history. I found out a lot about the area. Found out Seminoles were Creeks. That’s crazy though I may have read it wrong.

Great place to spend a couple hours. The buildings look amazing. And the blacksmith and I had great conversation!

I have been before, but today was the last time I will go. I went with my 4th grade daughters class on a field trip. Several other parents including myself were shocked that the staff was rude to the kids, who were very well behaved. At no time did the staff try and make it a fun learning experience for these kids. If I had been with my daughter, just us, I would have left and asked for my money back. It is a shame that an amazing learning experience was ruined by the staff.

A young lady was cooking Sunflower soup. We enjoyed watching her make it. A really cool morning with the rain.... My son enjoyed the teepees and chasing a mysterious animal around. Fun day........

Very interesting place to visit! FREE ADMISSION on the day of Blessing of the Animals.They have more special events coming soon,such as Winter Solstice.Watching the blacksmiths at work making nails was fascinating.The property is extensive,and it was a pleasure to see the people in period costume.They were all had great stories to tell.If you visit during Solstice there will be native dancing!

Got married here with my amazing wife, the staff was absolutely awesome. They were so helpful and helped take care of so many things for us. We both love this place (and their great staff) and cant wait to keep visiting this place as we grow old. Truly a treasure of Tallahassee

Blood ties to this place but mostly curious. Great experience will definatly be back.

We have always loved the Mission as a family, particularly in the Fall when the weather cools off. Staff is costumed and in character (think a living museum) and ready to teach you about all the different structures such as the Apalachee Council House, Spanish Catholic Monastery, farm house, and Spanish Fort. However it is sad when you know the history of erasure that was born of these settlements. The museum is also dog friendly and has amazing annual events that bring together many of Floridas indigenous communities.

We totally enjoyed the visit. Staff was very kind and informative

Excellent archival for archeology and history! Paul and Maureen spoke with us in depth about a wealth of Florida history. God bless each and all.

This place did not do the natives and their culture justice. There were few artifacts, and the ones that were there were broken/poorly taken care of. There was no signage up or description telling me what the artifacts were or their significance. It is also very distasteful to have Americans dressed up and acting as natives at different exhibits if not done with honor. During my time there I saw only 4 actual natives and they were performers. Maybe having guided tours every 30 minutes to an hour would help visitors better understand the rich history that took place on these grounds. Sad to say, but I felt as though this was more of a mockery than anything else.

Good history of how good God was and is

OMG i learned so much from the mission san luis

I enjoyed myself admission St Louis I went there for a graduation call roommate graduated culinary arts and that was the best time I had in a while have a good time there and everybody that went with had a great time too CJ from Tallahassee Macon community

The atmosphere is authentic and historical, service is excellent.

Interesting history on the settlement of the mission. Have staff dressed and playing like they lived in those times. Worth seeing.

I visited on a cool, January day to avoid the crowds and was pleasantly surprised that the staff was fully involved. Men and women, dressed in period appropriate costumes, act out the daily life of villages at the Mission while telling stories and answering questions. Many of the staff I spoke with (out of character) are anthropologists who genuinely enjoy what they do and it shows. The small museum of artifacts is quite interesting and most of the historical buildings can be explored. Ill definitely visit again.

CLOSED due to covid

The whole place was great. The blacksmith was amazing to watch! Cant wait to go back for some of the festivals and stuff they have.

Great. Informative. Not expensive. Go when its not quite so hot. Would have loved to have seen the living history actors. Will go back when it is cooler.

This is a great place to learn about culture and have fun doing it.Make sure you wear comfortable shoes because you will have to walk the grounds. But it was exciting going on the scavenger hunt and my kids enjoyed interacting with the characters, making corn meal, and helping the blacksmith make nails. I recommend this place for everyone to visit at least once.

Great place to be in contact with the real American living history

This was a great experience. I took my five year old granddaughter to the back to school event. She was amazed to learn about the Spanish and Indians living together. She got to help one of the workers make a nail. It was a lot of fun for her. My saying was back in the day for almost everything we looked at. She wanted me to read every poster for her.

Loved it all. Employees were really friendly and we learned a lot. Took under 2 hours. Go and enjoy some of America’s history.

Great place. Lots of history.

Closed Dec 1st 2020

Such a neat place in tally to visit. The entry price is dirt cheap and its a fun way to kill a few hours on the weekend if you are into history. They act in character too!

Highly recommend visiting this museum. Learned a lot about the Apalachees.

Well maintained and well organized museum. Very informative.

This place was incredible, the people are kind and knowledgeable and allow you to be fully immersed in a time period of when this existed. Would absolutely reccomend for all ages especially for only 5 dollars!

Had a good time. Was nice to experience. Staff was amazing and they did a great job staying in character. The also informed our 3 kids what their life would be like in that time. Like what chores they would be doing. Would do this again.

Reasonable price museum. Lots of history. Great area for children to run around. Love it.

Great place to bring your family to experience living history.

Beautiful grounds with amazing replica of Apalachee community center!

We go here every few months, and is fun for ALL ages!

Fun and educational for little & big kids alike

Nothing short of amazing. The models portraying period sellers we awesome. A great history lesson

This is a beautiful site, theres so many different parts to check out. This is a great thing to do for a family. There are people in costumes playing the roles of the original villagers who lived there, the employees are very informative and helpful.

Wonderful learning experience for all ages; served as a field trip for homeschoolers.

Really enjoyed this place... very historic

Fantastic piece of history. Great actors that are always in character throughout the grounds. Great experience!

We visited Mission San Luis on a class field trip. I have nothing but positive things to say about the staff, volunteers and period actors that helped bring the history of the mission and fort to life. The buildings are in excellent cond, and the grounds are pristine. It is clear the professionals that work here at every level truly care about its purpose and its importance in Tallahassee, Florida, and National history. Thank you for hosting Admiral Farragut Academy, we all had a great time and learned so much from everyone there that day. We really enjoyed the period actors that helped create such a vivid and real life picture of life at the fort and mission.

Worthwhile visit if you’re in the Tallahassee area. Volunteers make it interactive and interesting.

Indian big house is amazing.

A very nice site to visit. The day I visited it was 105F. It was hot but enjoyable. Each actor plays their parts well, especially the friar.

Its a beautiful and big venue outside and inside, my friend/co-worker held her Wedding there. The staff was also pleasant.

Chill place, chill energy, Gr8 people.

Spanish and Native Americans historic museum and walking trail. Beautiful outdoor landscape. A favorite place for European and Australian tourists to visit. Open Tuesday through Sunday. 10 AM to 4 PM.

Dope place to take the fam. Perfect place for a picnic with kids or a date.

This archaeological site / natural history museum has come a long way since the visits I remember as a child. They continue to rebuild the old buildings around the mission, furnishing them with period tools, furniture, and other artifacts. The last time we went they had added staff dressed up in period clothing acting as if they were living on the mission. Very cool addition! This is a great, interactive, entertaining way to learn about native American and Spanish history and culture. Cant wait to see what they add next. :-)

A very well done, well kept part of Fla history.

The true story has not been told yet. Waiting for the truth to come out about thus place.

Great place to visit in Tallahassee. Prices are affordable and there is a lot to see

The history of the place. The grounds are beautiful for a wedding

Educational and interactive. The grounds are well maintained. Great place to experience alone or as a group

The staff enjoys what they do. Very informative. Dont hesitate to ask questions! The year-long membership for 15 dollars is definitely worth it for students. I took advantage of it and have been here at least 7 or 8 times.A great way to pass time, be outdoors, and learn more about some of the lesser-known history of Florida.

Fascinating History, beautiful walking trails and historical buildings, and fun interactive people really make this a great place to visit. Huge Plus: its open on Sunday!

Good history and visual education. Loved it.

Pine needle basket workshop was fun, historical and met new people.

Unique Anns educational

Very great historical information.

A wonderful combination of beautiful nature and informative history. My family and I go at least once a year!

I had a great experience hear

Great to see preservation of history in the middle of a big city ..

Really interesting and impressive recreation of a Spanish mission. Lots of history. Remarkable reconstruction of native dwellings, Spanish fort, and the mission. Well worth a visit while you are in Tallahassee.

The place was wonderful the blacksmith was great with our grankid let him start the forge and made a nail great place

Beautiful site. My son is getting married there in November. Very excited

Great local place to enjoy some history.

I just adore this place. It is beautiful and peaceful, and everyone is so kind and happy to help! I learned so much.

Very nice place to visit & very educational.

A step back in history, with personal guides who take u back in history. Very educational.