Gainesville, Florida is located smack dab in the middle of Florida. Home of the University of Florida, Gainesville is basically a college town. Therefore its population drops dramatically when students aren't in school. Besides the university, Gainesville has lots more to offer such as the...

Gainesville, Florida is located smack dab in the middle of Florida. Home of the University of Florida, Gainesville is basically a college town. Therefore its population drops dramatically when students aren't in school. Besides the university, Gainesville has lots more to offer such as the performing arts center, the natural history museum, and the brand new huge butterfly exhibit, just to name a few.

Gainesville gets pretty hectic during home football game weekends and hotel rooms can be scarce. If you happen to be stuck here on one of those fateful Saturdays, find out what time the game starts and plan to shop or eat out while the game is in progress. Be sure to stay away from campus (and streets leading to the interstate) during the hours immediately before and after the game.

Archer Road has a myriad of restaurants while the Oaks Mall on Newberry Road provides one-stop shopping. Downtown Gainesville is really only a couple blocks square and contains a few cute little shops, lots of bars, and some interesting dining. Most of the better hotels are at one of the four I-75 interchanges but a few are on US-441 (SW 13th Street) south of the university.

For travelers who could care less about the Florida Gators, Gainesville can be a handy hub for day-trips to Alachua/High Springs, Cedar Key, Manatee Springs, Paynes Prairie, Cross Creek, the Ocala and Osceola National Forests, or even St. Augustine. There are plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, especially in summer, at the many nearby cool springs or on the Santa Fe or Suwannee Rivers. In winter, hiking at San Felasco Hammock, on the Florida Trail, or the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail is very enjoyable. Alachua County is known for it's bike friendly scenic roads so bring your two wheeler.

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