Florida State Capitol

Wednesday, June 6 - This morning we hit our fourth and final state capitol here in Florida.  A few interesting things about it:  The old State Capitol was almost torn down in the 1970s when they built the new high-rise capitol behind it.  Preservationists prevailed, and they restored the building to it's 1902 configuration shortly after.

Also interestingly, we keep encountering commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts.  They had an entire exhibit in the Capitol dedicated to the history of Girl Scouts in Florida.  Sandy was in seventh heaven.

State Capitol #3

Tuesday, May 29 - Three state capitols in three days!  We're definitely a fan of the Alabama State Capitol.  The oldest one we've seen so far, and nicely positioned at the top of a hill in downtown Montgomery, Alabama.  This was also the first Confederate capitol.

We really timed this one right, and got it in some great light as the sun was setting.  We definitely liked this one, although it's hard to say it was the favorite so far, since they've been so different: Louisiana is the art deco monument to Huey Long, Mississippi is traditional and strong, and Alabama is regal and genteel.

We walked all the way around the capitol building, and found some pretty prime parking spots in the back:

State Capitol #2

Monday, May 28 - Our second state capitol in two days!  We exited the Natchez Trace Parkway near Jackson, Mississippi, and headed straight downtown to take a look at the Capitol. Obviously, much more traditional than the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge.

The one strange thing was that there almost wasn't a soul in downtown Jackson.  We were standing in this park in front of the Capitol, and for a few minutes we didn't see one human being.  Granted, it was after 5pm on a holiday, but it was almost like one of those movies where everyone just disappeared, and you're the last person in the city.  All you could hear was the cicadas...

...which I had to admit were so loud that I didn't think they could be insects.  Sandy thought they were bugs, but I thought maybe they were birds...?  My Yankee upbringing didn't teach me what a cicada sounds like, and crickets certainly aren't that loud.  Well, a quick Google search and a YouTube video proved me wrong:

Views from the observation deck

Sunday, May 27 - The views from the observation deck on the 27th floor of the State Capitol were pretty striking:

North: The petrochemical factories in the distance almost look like an alien skyline.  

West and Southwest:  The Mississippi River.

South: The Capitol Gardens with Huey Long's statue and grave, 

downtown Baton Rouge, and LSU in the distance.

East: Formal rose gardens.

Louisiana State Capitol

Sunday, May 27 - We also love state capitols.  We're going to hit a few on this trip.  This capitol is pretty interesting.  Built by the "controversial" Governor Huey Long in the 1930s, it is the tallest state capitol in the country with 34 floors, and is a pretty amazing example of Art Deco architecture.