Centerville Road Bike/Running Path
Granted, I’m biased since this pathway is 200 yards from my house, but this new (June 2000) bikeway/running path is already one of my favorites. From Capitol Circle Northeast head north on Centerville Road about three miles, just past the Shamrock Drive entrance into Killearn. Look for the Woodland Hall Academy building where you can park (outside of normal business hours) or just leave the car in the grass field next door. The field doubles as an overflow parking area for Celebration Baptist Church. Right in front of Woodland Hall you’ll see the beginning of the five-foot wide asphalt pathway. Just head north as far as the pathway goes.
The pathway extends to Pimlico Drive where the new elementary school will be located, a distance of about 1.6 miles. An out and back run to the end gives you a hair more than a 5K on a trail that's part asphalt and part concrete. There are numerous side roads cutting off the pathway into Killearn where you can easily add from one to ten miles and pick up some hills to boot. (The pathway itself is far from flat.)
You’ll run almost completely under a lush tree canopy and while it’s not air-conditioned (don’t we wish!) it is one of the coolest places to run when the Tallahassee heat bears down. You’ll run through trees lining Centerville Road and the backs of homes where you’ll get a chance to see kids swimming in pools, families cooking burgers on the grill, and you’ll even have a few dogs race to the fence to give you their normal greeting. It’s "picture post card" stuff to me.
No water stops that I have seen, but e-mail me at DavidRuns@aol.com and I’ll put a cup of cold water in my mailbox for you!