Jubilee Orchards LLC

Jubilee is truly a very special place. Jubilee is 209 acres of thousands that grew cotton in Leon County before and after the Civil War. By the beginning of the 20th century, these thousands of acres were quail plantations, frequented in early days by wealthy Midwesterners and their shooting pals. For well over 100 years these large tracts have remained intact no more than a dozen miles from Tallahassee proper. Jubilee was portioned from Chemonie Plantation in 1990 and sold to my father, Walkin Lawton Chiles. Here he escaped for hours at a time from the stresses of running the State of Florida as Governor. Here he established his now famous 19th century homestead of vintage centuries old cabins. Here, at Jubilee is his wonderful 'cookshack', smoke house, outdoor Loo and cane grinder. And the vintage barn every board scrounged from old tobacco shacks. The driving vision for Jubilee is a shared experience deeply rooted in our heritage, but pointing toward our future. Featuring the 19th Century Homestead and legacy of Jubilee and Lawton Chiles, while demonstrating the best practices in agricultural sustainability- commitment to great stewardship of land, environment, workers, and fruit quality. The day I convinced my wife Kitty, to sell our house in town and move to Jubilee, was the day I died and went to heaven. And, after an adjustment period, she has grown to love this place as well.