In the world of vacations, Gainesville, Florida doesn't exactly rank in the top most popular destinations; however, once someone usually discovers all the adventures there are to be had here, it's popularity catapults. Here are just a smattering media feature ideas to illustrate many of these journeys and jaunts.
one of nation’s top-ranked universities, education is the foundation for manythings
Gainesville. So it only stands to reason that Gainesville is fast-becoming a
hot-spot for active mature adults wishing to combine educational and
entertaining adventures in a slightly off-the-beaten path Florida destination.
Itinerary highlights include searching for pre-historic Mastodon bones on an
archeological dig with the staff from the Florida Museum of Natural History or
join in on a ‘Gentle Walk’ around the La Chua Trail with a Paynes Prairie State
Park ranger or help grind sugar cane with the Florida Cracker farmers at Dudley
Farm State Park.
way for even novice outdoor and soft-adventure travelers to experience
Gainesville/Alachua County. Armed with little more than a hand-held GPS,
plenty of water and some sunscreen, finding literally dozens of caches at such
awesome outdoor vistas such as next to a nesting gator on the Gainesville-
Hawthorne Trail or along the lush, sub-tropical pathways at the pre-historic
sinkhole -- Devil’s Millhopper - make for great geocaching treks…and
interesting ‘guess-what-cool-things-we-did-on-our-vacation” stories.
some of the best consumers of Gainesville’s local produce are actually
vacationers staying at one of the area’s historic Bed and Breakfasts.
Each morning, the proprietors at each of Gainesville area’s seven charming inns
busily dish up traditional favorites -- most made with fresh ingredients
purchased at one of Gainesville’s growing number of Farmers markets. From
fresh plucked seasonal fruits drizzled with locally produced honey to a savory
frittata loaded with red ripe tomatoes and just-snipped basil, a sampling of
delectable dishes are always on the menu at Gainesville charming B&B’s.
winning college sports teams, Gainesville also has an impressive and
internationally revered repertoire of cultural and performing arts venues.
Gainesville is home to numerous theatres including the Hippodrome State
Theatre or the Phillips Center for Performing Arts. Gainesville is also home to
the Harn Museum of Art, one of the Southeast’s largest university art museums
with more than 70,000 works. Their collections include African, Asian, modern
and contemporary art and photography. Downtown Gainesville is the site of
two nationally acclaimed and top-ranked Art Festivals one in the Spring, the
larger one in early November.
Smithsonian.com listed Gainesville among its list
of 15 town and cities of intriguing places for culturally-attuned people – April
2008.
who still prefer to browse the shops rather than the web, will be delighted with
this area’s offerings. Most notably, the small, quiet hamlet of Micanopy, just 15
minutes south of Gainesville as well as the equally quaint towns of Alachua and
High Springs just minutes to the north are Meccas for all-things remembered
relics and collectables. Micanopy and High Springs consistently trade top
billing for the best antiquing by a reader’s poll conducted by
Florida Monthly.
world, it is sometimes difficult to stop long enough to imagine, that in the
not too distant past, people thrived in a much simpler and slower pace. It’s no
wonder that the “return to slow” movement would then find a walk through
any of Gainesville/Alachua County’s historical sites as a perfect primer for this
new school of old thought. On the National Historic landmark: Marjorie Kinnan
Rawlings Historic State Park; Haile Homestead to name a few.
the holidays during Gainesville’s Annual Historic holiday weekend stay during the
annual Historic Homes Tour celebration on the second weekend each December.
Lavishly decked for the holidays, each of downtown Gainesville’s four historic Bed
& Breakfast offer exclusive weekend holiday packages starting at $400 and include
two-night accommodations, holiday wine & cheese, and admission in the annual
Holiday Historic Home Tour on Saturday evening.
Florida, Gainesville is conveniently located to the largest number of highmagnitude
springs in the world…making it the perfect location for outdoor
enthusiast, bikers, hikers and paddlers.
“Top 50 Best places to live and play” --
National Geographic Adventure, September 2007
neighbor to the University of Florida offers visitors to Gainesville a wealth of
fun spots to experience …for free or for less than $10. Free or low-fare
experiences include the Greathouse Butterfly Farm (one of the world’s largest
suppliers of butterflies), the Florida Museum of Natural History; a tour of Santa
Fe College’s Teaching Zoo or a leisurely stroll through Kanapaha Botanical
Gardens, Florida’s second largest botanical garden. Two carrots is the hefty
admission price for tours of the Mill Creek Retirement Home for Horses open
only on Saturdays.
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