City’s John G. Riley House & Museum Included on Great Florida Road Trip

Among 100 Highlighted for America250 Celebration

October 23, 2025

The City of Tallahassee’s John G. Riley House and Museum (Riley House) has been selected as a featured destination on the Florida Department of Transportation’s Great Florida Road Trip! This statewide effort seeks to highlight more than 100 historic landmarks and heritage sites that showcase Florida’s rich history, culture and unique stories. It is part of the national America250 initiative to celebrate the year-long commemoration of the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

As part of the Great Florida Road Trip, the Riley House will help illustrate the contributions of African Americans to Florida’s and the nation’s history. A sign will be installed on site, and the museum is being included in a road trip guidebook and on an interactive map of the historic locations around the state. The private non-profit foundation that supports education and exhibits at the Riley House also received $30,000 from the America250FL program (the state-level venture to align with America250). The funds will go toward a historical panel that illustrates the involvement of African Americans in the Revolutionary War in an upcoming 2026 exhibit. The exhibit, titled “The World Wars and Post War Life,” will showcase the enduring contributions of Tallahassee’s African American veterans and is expected to open in early 2026.

The Riley House stands as one of the last physical reminders of Smokey Hollow, a once-thriving middle-class African American community that flourished during the 20th century. The home was built in 1890 for John Gilmore Riley, a formerly enslaved man who become an educator, businessman, Mason and civic leader.

In the 1970s, to prevent the Riley House from being demolished, the John Gilmore Riley Foundation was created and led preservation efforts. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The John G. Riley Center & Museum was established in 1996 with the mission to discover, archive and illuminate the blended interrelationship of African American, Native American and European history and to preserve African American landmarks and legacies throughout the State of Florida as an enduring public resource through tourism, education, and heritage preservation. Learn more at rileymuseum.org.

Other local sites included on the Great Florida Road Trip include Florida’s Historic Capitol, Mission San Luis, the site of the Battle of Natural Bridge and Florida State University.

America250 was established by Congress and coordinated by the nonpartisan United States Semiquincentennial Commission. The commemorative efforts include a series of national and local events, educational programs and civic engagements to reflect on the nation’s progress since 1776, honor the contributions and sacrifices of Americans throughout history, promote historical understanding and renewing unity, patriotism and an appreciation of the ideals of freedom that define the United States.

America250FL aims to provide an avenue for Floridians and visitors to explore the state’s history, diverse cultures and natural landscapes through a series of statewide events, educational programs and community engagement activities leading up July 4, 2026.