From the world's biggest McDonald's to the Tallahassee capitol

---

We started our day off at the world's largest McDonald's (in Orlando) for breakfast. I'm a sucker for anything that starts with the words "world's largest" in front of it, so this was a must see on our journey through Florida. The place doesn't really look that big from the outside, but the inside is quite impressive, full of strange themed areas, a huge arcade, a singing Mac Tonight, a painted jungle, a 50's section complete with jukebox and celebrity photos...oh, and food too! They have a special bistro menu on top of the regular McD's fare, so I took advantage and ordered a Belgian waffle with strawberries (served on an actual plate, and with a real fork!). It was a fun experience, and certainly any other McDonald's I visit in the future will pale in comparison.

After loading up on carbs and caffeine, we decided to push ahead and make the 256 mile drive all the way to Tallahassee today. This puts us two days ahead of our itinerary and gives us some wiggle room to do some extra exploring during the drive to New Orleans. We arrived in Tallahassee at 3pm and drove straight to the downtown area to check out the capital building (just for you, Mom!) and neighboring area.

The Old Capitol, which has not been used by state employees since 1978, has since been restored to its original 1902 appearance and is now a museum. We didn't tour the inside, but did wander the grounds and take some pictures of the outside and some nearby buildings. After wandering around a bit, we drove down the main street (Monroe Ave.) and found a cheap Motel 6 ($36) to stay at for the night.

We also noticed a Cracker Barrel restaurant down the street and decided to eat there for dinner. I had the chicken tenderloin dinner (sooo much food!), and after stuffing our faces, we left the place happy and about 5 lbs. heavier I think. After dinner we headed out in search of a post office and accidentally stumbled across the governor's mansion, so we stopped to walk around the park area outside and take a few pictures before driving back to our motel.

Tomorrow we have no set plans aside from heading west on the 1-10. Not knowing our destination is half the fun!

---