The Best Is Yet To Come

Tallahassee’s standouts are close at hand

I first visited Tallahassee in March of 2020 to attend an open house for Florida State University’s graduate creative writing program. I stayed downtown on Park Avenue, ate alone at the now-closed Goodie’s Eatery, and walked to campus and back and everywhere under the oaks. I spent a night exploring Gaines Street and a day at Railroad Square with folks who would soon become classmates and in some cases, forever friends. I was instantly at home.

I knew Tallahassee would be the place for the next chapter of my life. And at the Tallahassee airport, waiting to return to my then home base of Wilmington, North Carolina, I got the email breaking the news that I wouldn’t be returning to teach that semester at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and finish my master’s degree in-person. Thus began another, entirely new chapter.

When I moved to Tallahassee in August 2020 to begin my doctoral degree, the city I found was not the one I had left. It was quiet, and despite how much I longed to continue exploring local bars, restaurants, and shops, I was redirected. Instead, I took long walks at Tom Brown Park
and Cascades. I watched the ducks at Lake Ella.
I was drawn to fresh air—another wonderful facet of Tallahassee. As time passed and businesses embraced guests with open arms again, I was thrilled to continue discovering the establishments that would become my mainstays. How did I book shop before Midtown Reader? Where did I laugh with friends before Bar 1903?

This spirit of discovery is reflected in the 2025 Best of Tallahassee feature, which spotlights all the local businesses that make us feel at home. Whether they’re filling our homes with delicious treats, taking care of the homes that are our bodies, or literally building our homes from the ground up, our world wouldn’t be the same without them. Get to know the winners beginning on page 84.

The joy of this season continues as Marina Brown introduces us to Maestro Yaniv Dinur, the celebrated new music director of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, on page 123. Brown also takes us into the costume shop of the Tallahassee Ballet on page 43, and Pat MacEnulty presents a guide to jazz nights at local watering holes on page 128. Settle in with a warm cocktail, like the Winter Blues on page 78, and read on for all this and more.

I’m so excited to join Tallahassee Magazine as your new editor and continue sharing with you the best our city has to offer.

With warmth,

Olivia Sokolowski, Editor

Photo by Alicia Osborne