A Weekend Your Way

Alachua County bustles with creativity and a vibrant arts community. Make a weekend your way with local flavor from innovative experiences and a unique collection of crafters, curators, artists and makers.

Local Galleries and Gift Markets

Pop-up makers markets, and unique boutiques showcase local handmade gifts. The How Bazar is a worker-owned creative hub featuring locally made fashion, art and gifts with vendor markets and fashion shows during the year. The Artisans’ Guild Gallery is one of the oldest artist co-ops in the country with a selection of handmade art from local artists. The Gainesville Fine Arts Association celebrates 100 years in 2023 with a gallery of monthly rotating exhibits and a gift shop of local art. Located behind Curia on the Drag, The AUK Market houses a diverse collection of fashion, jewelry, art prints and hosts outdoor pop-up markets throughout the year. Take a self-guided tour of the Gainesville art scene at monthly Artwalk Gainesville events with artists and demonstrations across multiple galleries, studios and event spaces.

The charming downtown in High Springs includes a vibrant collection of storefronts with monthly Art Walks in the spring and fall. Unique Notions offers their own soy candles with locally made gifts including pottery, macramé, art, succulent arrangements and more. Find local honey, hats, t-shirts and jewelry at High Springs Mercantile. Choose from springs-themed pleinair paintings ready to hang at Lanza Gallery and Art Supplies.

Stroll under the Live Oaks in Micanopy for a charming shopping experience in Florida’s oldest inland town. Find jewelry, art and gifts at Shady Oak Gallery, JEMs Originals and Mosswood Farm Store and Bakehouse.

Learn New Skills with Hands-on Instruction

Make the most of local instructors sharing their knowledge and skills with topics ranging from screen printing, rug tufting, blacksmithing, ceramics and more. The How Bazar features a summer schedule of skill share classes including jewelry-making, herbalism, song-writing, wood burning and more. Paradise Press and Print Studio offers hands-on experience for letterpress, screen printing, risograph and book binding. Learn pottery and ceramics techniques at Studio TM Pottery and Clay with one-time sessions or multi-week courses. Good News Arts and Lanza Gallery and Art Supplies in High Springs offer classes on a variety of artistic techniques.

Cook up something new with pasta and bread making classes, wine pairings and cooking demonstrations with Chef Michelle Gioviti-Reeves at The Fat Tuscan. From beekeeping to fishing to cooking with herbs, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County offers demonstrations, instruction and hands-on experiences.

Forge metal creations with single-day and multi-day blacksmithing and welding workshops at [Fe]ver Metal Art Center and Crooked Path Forge.

Taste Local Flavors at Food Hubs and Markets

Grow Hub is a collaborative nursery for sustainable living supporting adults living with disabilities. Retail sales, pop-up shops and plant sales connect locally grown produce with the community. Working Food cultivates the local food community by providing commercial kitchen space for foodie entrepreneurs and offers seasonal events including tomato tastings, seed and soil school and pop-up markets.

Find a list of U-pick farms and farmers markets in our What’s Good Guide of Weekly Events. Browse local produce, crafts and artisan foods with markets to explore nearly every day of the week throughout Alachua County.

Locally prepared foods include breads, pastries, cheese, coffee and more. Slice into French baguettes, sourdough and croissants at Uppercrust, Vine Sourdough Bakery, Baker Baker, Karma Cream, Main Street Sweets and Eats, Colsie Coffee and Mosswood Farm Store. Local coffee roasters include Afternoon Roasting, Flagship Coffee Roasters, Opus Coffee, Resident Coffee Roasters, Rembrandt Coffee, Strongtree Coffee Roasters and Sweetwater Organic Coffee Co. Dairy and meat products include cheese from Hawthorne Creek Creamery, yogurt from Swallowtail Farm Creamery, sausages and more from Fehrenbacher’s Artisan Sausages, steaks and custom cuts from the UF/IFAS Meat Processing Center and organic halal options from Zeezenia International Market.

Raise a Glass at Local Craft Breweries

Explore local breweries on the Alachua County Ale Trail. Find award-winning craft beer with inspired local flavors at Blackadder Brewing Company, Cypress and Grove Brewing Company, Daft Cow Brewery, Dry Wrought Cider, First Magnitude Brewing Company, Grand Scheme Brewing, High Springs Brewing Company, Swamp Head Brewery. Bring home local brews with packaged cans and growler fills.  

In addition to craft beer, local wineries offer unique twists on local crops of grapes and blueberries. Bluefield Estate Winery offers u-pick blueberries in season and wine tastings. The Island Grove Wine Company Tasting House features wine tastings, small batch bottles, frozen wine pops and entertaining events during the year.

Browse Unique Gifts

Storefronts fill their shelves and display cases with a variety of gifts and supplies inspired by local culture. Hunt for local music, vinyl and cassettes at Hear Again Records and Sunshine Record Shop. Locate a perfect plant at Serpentine Plants and Provisions, Plantstay, 108 Vine and Roots Plant Studio. Browse vintage vibes and antique treasures at Antique City Mall, Delectable Collectables, Flashbacks Recycled Fashions, The Bird Nest Vintage Market, and the Waldo Farmer’s and Flea Market and Antique Village.