From Baby to Boomer, Art to Adventure, Gainesville is Where Nature and Culture Meet

  College students aren’t the only ones who come to Gainesville to expand their minds.   Magazines from AARP to Black Enterprise have recognized the area as a prime place to retire, but visitors can benefit from the same plethora of options, from outdoor adventures to visual and performing arts.

  Gainesville’s status as a top town for baby boomers starts with the youthful, urbane vibe of the University of Florida, but that’s only the preface to the story. Crack the cover of this classic vacation destination, and you’ll find an action-packed introduction to what can happen when arts, culture and intellect combine in a stunning natural environment.

 Choose your own adventure

 Paddling the crystal-clear springs that surround Gainesville, you’re truly are surrounded by nature: Fish and otters gliding below your kayak, majestic cypress trees alongside you, snow-white egrets soaring above. North Florida lays claim to the highest number of first-magnitude springs in the world: big bubblers that pump millions of gallons of pure spring water each day. Adventures at the springs range from hiking through longleaf pine forests to snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, even cave diving.

While Ichetucknee Springs State Park is the best known of North Florida’s springs, Manatee Springs and Fanning Springs State Parks also offer crystal blue springs for swimming and boating, as well as hiking trails. On the Santa Fe River, explore O’Leno State Park’s historic Civilian Conservation Corps buildings. (www.floridastateparks.org) Or, opt for a guided tour of the Suwannee River, including a float over the wreck of an 1880s paddleboat. (www.suwanneerivertours.com)

  The blooming fields and forests of Kanapaha Botanical Gardens (www.kanapaha.org) offer an idyllic way to spend the afternoon, while nearby Chapman’s Pond is an Audubon-recognized hot spot for birding. . (www.floridabirdingtrail.com)  

  At Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, where American lotus blossoms burst forth across the 22,000-acre savannah each May and marsh marigolds dot the landscape each October. (www.floridastateparks.org/paynesprairie) For a guided tour, join a park ranger for one of the park’s Gentle Walk and Talk outings, which cover the flora, fauna and thousands of years of history of this unique natural treasure.

 Guided wildflower tours are also given on weekends at the city’s flagship nature park, Morningside Nature Center, where colorful blooms dot a landscape of longleaf pine. www.cityofgainesville.org/tabid/182/Default.aspx#Morningside)

 Wildflowers are also a draw in nearby Evinston, where landscape painters flock to capture the fields of pink and purple phlox and bright yellow coreopsis. While you’re there, don’t miss the Wood & Swink General Store and Post Office, an authentic country store built in 1880. (www.floridaseden.org)

 For scenery, you can’t beat the rolling pastures of Mill Creek Farm, a retirement home for horses. Admission to the farm is just two carrots, but with residents as congenial as these – former police, therapy and racehorses – you’ll want several pounds to share. (www.millcreekfarm.org)

Arts alive

 From Broadway musicals to avante garde dance to major musical acts, each season at the 1,700-seat Phillips Center for the Performing Arts brings a world of creativity to Gainesville. (www.performingarts.ufl.edu) The Phillips Center stage is also home to the state touring company Dance Alive National Ballet, which features dancers from around the world in original and classic ballets. (www.dancealive.org)

  Visual arts flourish here as well, with touring exhibits that draw centerpiece reviews in The New York Times, along with plein air paint-outs that celebrate the beauty of the storied landscape. Leading the charge is the Harn Museum of Art, which recently added a café and contemporary art wing. Known for its exquisite collections of Asian and African art, the Harn also boasts sculpture and water gardens, a sizable photography collection, and even a Monet. (www.harn.ufl.edu)

 Art aficionados won’t want to miss the monthly downtown Art Walk, in which 12 studios and galleries give visitors a chance to meet local artists, from landscape painters to printmakers and photographers: a perfect date-night excursion.

 For professional theater, head to the elegant turn-of-the-century Federal Building for a mainstage show in the Hippodrome Theatre, which draws professional actors from around the region. At the Hipp Cinema, visitors can catch groundbreaking independent and international films.  (www.thehipp.org)  

 On campus, the lively arts scene presents a full slate of entertainment opportunities, from opera to a capella. In the historic University Auditorium, student groups from flute ensembles to string quartets perform, often for free. (www.arts.ufl.edu/events.asp)

And at the university’s Pugh Hall, a free speaker series organized by former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham brings eminent lecturers from former Secretary of State Madeline Albright to historian and author David McCullough.

   In Gainesville’s downtown nightlife district, evenings find a crowd amassed at the Bo Diddley Downtown Community Plaza for the “Let’s Go Downtown” entertainment series. From May through October, free Friday evening shows feature a wide variety of performers under the stars. (www.gvlculturalaffairs.org)  And at Savannah Grande, a downtown reception hall, the Gainesville Friends of Jazz and Blues concert series draws acts from Branford Marsalis to Manfredo Fest. (www.gnvfriendsofjazz.org)

  A look back in time

  From the gracious Victorian inns of downtown Gainesville to the stately Herlong Mansion in Micanopy, Alachua County’s historic inns are the perfect home base for exploring the area’s heritage. (www.visitgainesville.com/lodging) With 5,000 hotel rooms to choose from, Gainesville has a match for any taste and budget, including seven bed and breakfast inns, four of them lovingly restored homes in Gainesville’s downtown historic district. Tour the area with your own personal guide – right on your cell phone. Destinations on the customizable cell-phone tour include the inns as well as the historic Thomas Center, a gracious 1920s hotel that now serves as Gainesville’s art and culture headquarters. (www.gainesvillecelltours.com)

  After a sumptuous breakfast at your inn, head to Micanopy’s quaint downtown for a day of antiquing in Florida’s oldest inland settlement, or test out a rocking chair at Mosswood Farm Store, where the handmade, vintage and recycled wares reflect simpler times with a modern twist. (www.mosswoodfarmstore.com)

  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park sheds light on the history of North Florida, with Native American artifacts, wild horses descended from those brought by Spanish explorers, and displays that recall the days when the prairie, once a vast lake, was plied by steamboats before it abruptly emptied in 1891. (www.floridastateparks.org/paynesprairie)

 While history buffs often wish walls could talk, the walls at the Historic Haile Homestead actually do. The Haile family, cotton farmers in the 1850s whose descendents still live in the area, had the odd habit of scribbling notes on the plaster walls: everything from recipes to guest lists to notes on the weather. The gracious two-story plantation home is furnished with much of the original furniture built by the family’s slaves, whose history is also interpreted in the home. (www.hailehomestead.org)

 Ready to head back to present day? After a full day of exploring, your choice of dining options awaits. Gainesville’s college town pedigree and diverse population means unparalleled options for a mid-sized city: You’ll find authentic ethnic cuisines from around the world, steaks raised right on the University of Florida campus, Asian fusion and creative continental cuisine, to name just a few.

 Whether your ideal vacation is snorkeling the springs, soaking up the arts, or both, Gainesville’s mix of history, nature and culture puts adventure within your reach.