Sandwiched Between Tallahassee And Pensacola Is Florida's Underrated City With Natural Beauty And Historic Charm

Florida's panhandle often gets overlooked for the bigger-name attractions on its peninsula. Yet it's home to offbeat, modest attractions like Freeport, a low-key coastal city perfect for paddling and fishing. Another lesser-known yet equally worthy destination can be found in Chipley, an underrated locale sandwiched between Tallahassee and Pensacola. The small city of around 3,400 is filled with natural beauty and historic charm worth seeing on its own, or as part of a larger trip through the region.

Chipley has historically served as a humble growth generator for Washington County. Railroads passing through buttressed a local economy dependent on timber and mineral extraction, eventually leading to a blossoming town. That little hub has become a welcoming, worthwhile weekend getaway, with attractions ranging from natural phenomena to fodder for railroad aficionados. You can snuggle with a wolf, too — but more on that later.

There is also the requisite encounter with a gator, almost a rite of passage in Florida. The Orange Hill Gator Farm, a mere 13 miles outside of Chipley, lets you have that encounter in controlled and safe circumstances. Its two-hour tour lets you come face-to-face with not just alligators, but lizards, goats, and a whole menagerie of other animals. Consider it an intro to one of the wild encounters you'll experience in Chipley.

To visit Chipley is to understand the sheer economic force and momentum of the railroad era, which has left us behind. The county's Historical Museum, a rail station just off Chipley's Main Street, serves as a reminder of the era, its displays laced with maps, artifacts, and memorabilia that harken back to when rail ties were a harbinger of development. Sticking to the downtown Chipley area offers the usual smatterings of eateries, boutiques, and gift shops. If you want to live like a local, get a new hairdo; hair salons make up a surprising number of the small businesses on Main Street.

Chipley may hold all the usual small-town appeal, but it's also at the center of a plethora of natural beauty and attractions. Falling Waters State Park, just seven minutes out of town, is home to the state's tallest waterfall, a stream that descends 73 feet into a pit that leads to... who knows where. Butterflies flutter about the park, which creates a serene detour to your visit. Travel a little farther, and things become less peaceful. The Seacrest Wolf Preserve, about 20 minutes outside of Chipley, gives visitors the jarring experience of interacting with wolves as if they were domesticated dogs. The Gray, Arctic, and British Columbian "wolf ambassadors" get up close and personal with guests. Your initial trepidation as you meet the wolf pack will be real, though it'll quickly disappear as the wolves begin snuggling against your feet like oversized puppies. Reservations are required, and the dress code is strict (no leggings, jackets, or tank tops).

Like most Florida panhandle destinations, Chipley is quite remote. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, the nearest major travel hub, is 231 miles away, taking about four hours to reach by car. If you can, finagle a trip to the smaller tri-county airport, which is only six miles away. Better yet, you can turn the drive into a road trip. First, stop in Dothan, a small Alabama city considered the "Peanut Capital of the World."

If you're looking for a place to overnight, Chipley itself offers plenty of options for any budget. Florida summers tend to get muggy and hot, so visit outside the summer if high temperatures can ruin your stay. Though visiting in late June offers its own rewards, with Chipley's Panhandle Watermelon Festival offering free music and, yes, watermelon. Then, end your road trip at the shore, with a trip to Destin, a coastal Florida fishing city with some of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world.