Hidden In Florida's Panhandle Is A Charming City With Breathtaking Hikes And Agricultural Festivals

Standing close to the Alabama-Florida border in Jackson County, 90 miles north of Tallahassee, with its scenic trails and Southern charm, and 125 miles away from Montgomery is the small agricultural city of Graceville. This is a small city with a population of a little over 2,100 people. Located in Jackson County and incorporated in 1902, Graceville is named after early resident Henry Grace. In the early 1900s, Graceville was struck with the boll weevil, which ruined its cotton industry. However, the town soon became home to one of the world's biggest peanut-growing operations, and you will find a long Peanut Road connecting Graceville with nearby Cottondale to commemorate this history. Graceville has the chill, unpretentious vibe of a small Southern town. It has a cute playground and ballpark where kids can play, and it's pretty close to a number of quirky state parks. 

Public transport is pretty limited in Graceville, and it is definitely easier to explore the surrounding nature by car, but if that's not an option, it is possible to get a bus from Tallahassee, Florida, to Dothan, Alabama, and get a taxi to Graceville from there. While there aren't any formal hotels in Graceville itself, there are a few rooms and properties available on Airbnb, as well as options in nearby Cottonwood and Dothan. You can also camp in Falling Waters State Park, which is 16 miles from Graceville near the city of Chipley.

Every year in the fall, Graceville puts on the Annual Graceville Harvest Festival. This is a free day-long event featuring an antique and classic car show, arts and crafts, a morning parade, and live music. There is also a 5k Harvest Hustle Run, local food vendors, and activities such as bouncy castles for the kids.

Graceville is close to a number of unique state parks that offer hiking, nature views, photos ops, and wildlife spotting. Falling Waters State Park, 16 miles from Graceville, is home to the tallest waterfall in Florida. Here, you can gaze into the abyss of a 100-foot sinkhole that the water from the waterfall trickles into before eventually disappearing into a cave. Where it goes after that, nobody knows. The park also has over 100 species of birds to watch, a pine forest, campsites, hiking trails, a playground, and a freshwater swimming area, and the park provides refuge to a bunch of wildlife, including deer, foxes, turtles, lizards, and snakes.

Florida Caverns State Park, 26 miles from Graceville, sells guided cave tours where you can explore dazzling underground caverns and take advantage of subterranean photo ops. You can also swim, paddle, hike, camp, canoe, and bring your horse for a gallop above ground around the state park.

You can enjoy some quintessential Southern spirit in Graceville. The local store is a Piggly Wiggly, which sells a wide selection of fruit and vegetables and offers a bakery as well as deli, pantry, wellness, and household departments. There are a few American and seafood restaurants in town such as Grady's Shrimp and Gary's Southern Grill for some family-owned, small-town, unpretentious, friendly vibes and solid food. They're also the two top-ranked joints in town according to Tripadvisor, where users praise the battered shrimp, pickles, and onion rings at Grady's and the grilled chicken and steak from Gary's. The shopping here isn't anything too special, but visitors should stop in a cute thrift store called My Father's Closet.

Graceville is home to a campus of The Baptist University of Florida, a private university that has a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs including Christian studies, counselling, music and worship leadership, psychology, the arts, and divinity. This is a beautiful campus built in the 1950s that gives quaint church vibes surrounded by pleasant, pastoral nature. While you're in Florida's panhandle, pay a visit to Lichgate on High Road, a secret fairytale cottage that looks like a magical English garden.