On another day of random exploring, I found myself in Northwest Florida. I had just finished visiting my sister at Florida State University and decided against taking the boring I-10 route. I swear, this highway lulls everyone to sleep, and I wanted to drive a route both scenic and new to me.

I opted to take US-90 this time, the original road connecting Jacksonville to Tallahassee to Alabama. After leaving Tallahassee, I found myself immediately on a two-lane road. On this late afternoon drive, the sun let off a golden glow over the hovering oak trees lining the road. Expansive ranches sat to my left and thick forests to my right.

Within less than 30 miles, I reached Monticello, the first town on US-90. With less than 3,000 residents, this historic town was named after Thomas Jefferson’s estate of the same name. As I came into town, a sign indicated the way to Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park. I was so tempted to do a U-turn and head back to this park, but I knew I had to keep going, otherwise I would be home late.

This state park definitely remains on my bucket list, however. It’s Florida’s tallest prehistoric Native American ceremonial earthwork mound, reaching a whopping 46 feet high and believed to have been built between 1,100 and 1,800 years ago.

As I approached Monticello, I found myself staring at the historic and beautiful courthouse. Uniquely, this building lies in the center of a roundabout, almost marking the dead center of the town where all traffic must circle, enter and exit. The courthouse is also modeled after Jefferson’s home. Branching off this roundabout are narrow streets lined with businesses. Unfortunately, because I was passing through on a Saturday, almost all were closed, as is the nature of small-town businesses.

A coffee shop retains the original façade of a bank that once occupied the same building. In addition to keeping the lettering above the shop, bars cover the window, perhaps to keep out thieves in the olden days.

Perkins Opera House also sits near the courthouse beside the roundabout. Built in 1890, this historic theater spans three floors and was originally built with the intention to become a theater hub in the South and hosted vaudeville productions. The opera house saw fewer attendees as the railroad bypassed Monticello. One of the theater’s last live productions featured LeRoy Collins, a future governor of Florida. Now part of the National Register of Historic Places, the building serves as a venue for murder mystery theaters and large musicals.

As I passed through the center of town on to the next town, I also spotted a large house with a historical sign posted out front. The Girardeau House was built in 1890 in the Folk Victorian style. Home to the Girardeau family of 11 children, the house still stands today. Fun fact: John Howard Girardeau, the owner and builder of the house, was superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools and oversaw the construction of the county’s first two African American schools.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor