About Gainesville

Gainesville is located in an area that locals know as “the end of the South”. At this point in Florida, the vegetation changes from deciduous to sub-tropical trees and plants. Gainesville exhibits some of this dual personality within its city limits, as parts of the city resemble the Deep South while others are more like south Florida. First and foremost, though, Gainesville is a college town. Home to the University of Florida, the largest university in Florida, Gainesville is packed with the quirky eateries, funky shops and art-house theaters that every college town should have. Art museums, music venues and galleries fuel a booming arts scene – essential for any city's cultural health. And of course, no discussion of Gainesville as a college town is complete without mentioning the Swamp, notorious as one of the loudest college football stadiums in the country and powered by the college football frenzy Florida is famous for.

While Gainesville is in many ways the quintessential college town, this city has much to offer aside from its collegiate establishments. A sixty-three square block area in the northeastern part of the city is home to an extensive historic district, with nearly three hundred buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Those seeking to know more about the lives of Florida's nineteenth century farmers will enjoy Morningside Nature Center, with its preserved cabins, turn of the century kitchen, and pastures full of farm animals. Gainesville is also home to natural treasures of its own. Less than a half hour away from Gainesville is Cross Creek, where the beloved children's book The Yearling was written, and Paynes Prairie State Preserve, which is home to a rare herd of buffalo as well as descendants from the first horses brought to Florida. Lucky wildlife spotters might catch a glimpse of these animals, but it's far more likely that they will see lots of gators, armadillos and sandhill cranes.