Hi there!
Driving directly from Destin to Tallahassee is around 2.5 hours.
You would be driving along I-10 for much of the way.
The distance from Destin to Tallahassee is around 160 miles by driving this quickest route.
Explore the map.
Or, you can also mostly skip the interstate and take your time and make stops along the way!
There are many different ways to get from Destin to Tallahassee if you aren’t looking to drive directly to Tallahassee.
And of course a 2.5 hour drive is doable in one day.
Consider the list below some ideas of stops to make along the way, whether you want to make a quick stop or take all day to get to Tallahassee!
The stops can include white sand beaches, springs, and caves!
You can go to state parks and a national natural landmark!
Florida road trip to state parks between Destin and Tallahassee
There are many state parks in the Florida Panhandle, and Destin to Tallahassee driving route below includes a few Florida state parks.
The Florida Park Service says that you can see the “real Florida” when you go to state parks.
In general, Florida state parks have an entry fee. This is generally around $4 to $6 per car on the trip below.
If you plan on making this the year of visiting many Florida state parks, then there is also an annual Florida state park pass that you can buy when you arrive at any Florida state park that is staffed.
Florida state parks also have picnic tables so they can also make for a perfect stop for a picnic.
So stop by a Publix grocery store for prepared food or picnic food and eat your meal outdoors with views!
🌞
Now…
What is there to see between Destin and Tallahassee?
Explore the map. Play around with this map by adding and removing destinations to see how much of a detour (aka how much extra driving time) each stop requires!
Starting the drive from Destin…
1. Henderson Beach State Park
Cost: $6 per car
Before you leave Destin, one last activity to see views of the gulf coast in Destin!
You can head to the best state park in Destin.
There’s a Walmart pretty much right across the street from the Henderson Beach State Park entry.
So pick up picnic food from there and enjoy a picnic with views on the beach or at the picnic tables!
Picnic lunch at Henderson Beach State Park before you start your drive to Tallahassee!
There is also the Henderson Beach State Park campground for camping in Destin.
More beaches around Destin
If you haven’t spent a few days in Destin to go to some of the best beaches in and around Destin, then you might not want to go inland just yet!
Further to the east along the coast, there’s the 30A beaches and Panama City Beach if you don’t want to leave the white sand beaches of the gulf coast quite so soon!
Florida state parks with beautiful white sand beaches along this stretch:
- Henderson Beach State Park
- Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
- Grayton Beach State Park
- St Andrews State Park
There are also state parks with cabins in the Florida Panhandle.
These state parks also have campgrounds… if you can manage to get a reservation!
These state parks are known to be difficult to find campsite availability.
It can often depend on getting lucky and searching shortly after someone cancels a reservation!
It will be easier to find availability for a 1 night stay. But even then, there’s often no availability.
You can check availability and make camping reservations through the official Florida State Parks camping reservation website.
For another form of overnight lodging in Florida state parks, there are also the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park bungalows… again, if you can manage to get lucky!
See more about what to pack for a trip to Florida beaches.
Now heading inland…
2. Ponce de Leon Springs State Park
Cost: $4 per car
There are said to be over 1,000 springs in Florida!
Many of these Florida springs are for swimming, and that includes the Ponce de Leon Springs.
Florida State Parks says the water temperature of Ponce de Leon Springs is a constant 68 degrees year-round.
This means that in theory, you can go swimming in Florida springs any time of year, as long as you don’t mind the cooler air temperature outside of summer!
Bring goggles so you can see the underwater life! (You can bring snorkeling gear if you have it!)
You may also consider wearing a swimming shirt with UV protection for swimming in the Florida springs too.
See more about what to pack for a trip to Florida springs.
NOTE: Not to be confused with De Leon Springs State Park, which is another Florida State Park!
Who is Ponce De Leon?!
According to Florida State Parks, Juan Ponce de Leon led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513. And the story seems to be that he was after the fountain of youth.
Explore the map of Destin to Ponce de Leon Springs State Park to Tallahassee.
3. Falling Waters State Park
Cost: $5 per car
At the Falling Waters State Park entry, there’s a sign that says what the water flow of the waterfalls is like.
When I went in March, the water flow was listed as moderate.
Well, when I arrived at the upper waterfalls overlook, it looked more like a trickle to me.
Even so, going down to the lower waterfalls overlook was a wow feeling when you look down the sinkhole where the waterfalls “fall” into!
For camping, there is the Falling Waters State Park campground.
Explore the map of Destin to Falling Waters State Park to Tallahassee.
4. Florida Caverns State Park
Cost: $5 per car for state park entry + $11 per person for cave tour
The Florida Caverns Natural Area is a National Natural Landmark, as designated by the National Park Service and U.S. Department of Interior.
You can see a variety of rock formations by walking through the cave underground.
The only way to take a walk through the underground cave is through a Florida Caverns State Park cave tour.
This lasts about an hour.
The cave tours can only be bought in person on the same day, and it’s said that they can sell out. See the current info.
This means that it can be a risk to show up later in the afternoon. But it all depends on how busy the caves are on the day you go. You will likely have a better chance during the week.
Although, when I arrived on a Sunday late afternoon in March, there were cave tour tickets still available.
So when I went, it wasn’t all that busy.
Also note that no cave tours are offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. See the current schedule.
Florida Caverns State Park is in the central time zone. Tallahassee is in the eastern time zone.
While the cave tour is THE reason to go to Florida Caverns State Park, if it turns out you have some time before your cave tour (or want to make time afterwards), there are a couple of above ground things to do in Florida Caverns State Park.
You can hike the Bluff Trail to the Tunnel Cave (above ground) and beyond.
And you can also see and/or go swimming at Blue Hole Spring.
Florida State Parks says the water temperature of Blue Hole Spring is a constant 64 degrees year-round.
And then of course, as a Florida state park, you can always go for a picnic!
Also note that Florida Caverns State Park was in large part destroyed by category 5 Hurricane Michael in 2018.
According to Florida State Parks:
Florida Caverns State Park lost more than 90% of its thick canopied forest.
There are parts of Florida Caverns State Park where this destruction can still be seen.
When I went in March 2022, the cave tour guide noted that after you exit the cave at the end of the tour, you can still see the downed trees there.
Camping near Florida Caverns:
- Florida Caverns State Park campground
- Falling Waters State Park campground (30 minutes away to the west towards Destin)
- Three Rivers State Park campground (30 minutes away to the east towards Tallahassee)
- Torreya State Park campground (1 hour away to the east towards Tallahassee)
Falling Waters and Three Rivers are in central time zone. Torreya is in eastern time zone.
At Three Rivers State Park campground, just across the lake is Georgia in eastern time. My phone was showing eastern time in Three Rivers State Park! (I also had limited to no service there, by the way.)
If you look at a map, the Apalachicola River divides the central time zone and eastern time zone in Florida.
For hotels near Florida Caverns, there are chain hotels in Marianna FL (closest to Florida Caverns) and Chipley FL (30 minutes away to the west).
Explore the map of Destin to Florida Caverns State Park to Tallahassee.
See more about this stop between Destin and Tallahassee:
- Florida Caverns State Park cave tours
- Florida Caverns State Park springs
- Florida Caverns State Park camping
And then you can continue driving to Tallahassee!
👆 Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee
And that’s a bit about driving from Destin to Tallahassee!
I did a drive in the area between Destin and Tallahassee in March 2022. Your experience may vary! Things may change!
If you are head south next, then also see: Driving from Tallahassee to Orlando
HAPPY DRIVING FROM DESTIN TO TALLAHASSEE!
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