Grandfather live oaks and century-old magnolia trees grace the residential streets of DeFuniak Springs, a Victorian community in Northwest Florida with more than 250 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Surrounding Lake DeFuniak –a perfectly round spring-fed lake a mile in circumference – this unusual slice of Florida, with its classical architecture, evokes a village in New England. It is the county seat of Walton County, established in 1881 as a railroad town along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and named for Fred R. DeFuniak, General Manager of the railroad. In February 1885, it became one of the first grand cultural centers of the Southeast when the Florida Chautauqua Association organized and held its first assembly here.

Established in 1874 in Chautauqua, New York, the Chautauqua movement established the first “learning vacations” in the United States. Presenting a summer school for adults through college-level lectures and the arts, the programs grew into forums for discussion of public issues, international relations, literature, and the sciences. Centered on lectures and music, the programs offered affordable higher education to ordinary folks on vacation.  

At DeFuniak Springs, the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood, built in 1909, is an imposing structure along Lake DeFuniak. It seats more than 4,000 people. The Florida Chautauqua, established as “the Winter assembly in the land of Summer,” lasted from 1885 through the Great Depression. In 1976, it was revived by local citizens and continues to this day for two weeks in the month of February, featuring lectures by Southern authors, concerts, a film festival, and more.

A walk around Lake DeFuniak offers a tour of notable homes and public buildings. Near the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood is Florida’s oldest continually operating library, the Walton-DeFuniak Library, which opened in 1887. Privately owned homes that can be viewed from Circle Drive include The Verandas, 262 Circle Dr, a 1904 “steamboat” style folk Victorian with wraparound porches; the Dream Cottage, 404 Circle Dr, built in 1888 for poet Wallace Bruce, former U.S. Consul to Scotland; and the turreted Thomas House, 188 Circle Dr, an elaborately decorated 1895 three-story Queen Anne.

Downtown DeFuniak Springs offers antique shops, bookstores, and a lovingly restored 1920s hotel, the Hotel DeFuniak. The rich ambiance of the hotel’s architecture is accented by 19th-century furnishings throughout. It’s an intimate location, with only three suites and seven rooms (all uniquely themed), a massage therapist on staff, and breakfast for guests. Room rates start at $75. Wander the compact downtown to find homespun goodness at a variety of eateries, including Murray’s Café – where the fried green tomatoes can’t be beat – and tiny H&M Hot Dog, a lunch counter with cooked-to-order standards, in business since 1947.

Three miles south of downtown at I-10, Chautauqua Vineyards tempts with homegrown wines; their vineyards were planted in 1979. At the winery, open since 1989, they utilize a 12,000 liter Europress, the largest wine press of its kind east of the Rocky Mountains. Open 9-5 daily for winery tours and wine tastings, Chautauqua Vineyards produces a dozen different wines of red, white, and muscadine (our native grape) varietals, and a handful of specialty products including chocolate port and vanilla sherry.

Find the quieter side of Florida at DeFuniak Springs, a hamlet of culture and history in the center of the Florida Panhandle.

Florida Chautauqua Assembly    www.floridachautauqua.org
Hotel DeFuniak            www.hoteldefuniak.com
Chautauqua Vineyards        www.chautauquawinery.com

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