Gainesville is a college town and home to the University of Florida. University of Florida is among the largest universities in the country with over 40,000 students and a campus that occupies 2000 acres with 875 buildings. As a result this relatively small town is very youthful and spirited.

On campus and available to the public is the Florida Museum of Natural History. This is Florida's official natural history museum and is the largest museum of its kind in the Southeast with over over 25 million specimens and artifacts. The museum focuses on geographic areas of Florida, the Caribbean Basin and Latin America. This is a great place to gain a better understanding of our natural and cultural heritage.

The University of Florida Center for Performing Arts theater hosts concerts, theater, and dance throughout the year. This center offers both local and professional performances.

The Harn Museum of Art contains a large collection of American, African, pre-Columbian, Asian and contemporary works of art. The museum also offers a range of film, lectures, and workshops.

Of course the place that unquestionably generates the highest level of enthusiasm and spirit is at Florida Field -- the home of the Gators! This facility has a capacity of over 85,000 - can you image!

Outside of Gainesville to the northwest is the interesting Devil's Millhopper State Geological site. This 60 acre park is best known for the huge chasm, about 500 feet wide and over 100 feet deep, that formed from the collapse of an underground cavern. Over the years it has evolved its own ecosystem.

Nearby Ichetucknee Springs State Park is nice place to cool off in the summer. Northwest of Gainesville, the park features numerous springs from which an enormous volume of cool, clear water flows on which to enjoy tubing, canoeing, and swimming.

Gainesville Map