Culture, Leisure & Recreation
You can find Greater Gainesville’s spirit not only in its people, but in every one of its cultural landmarks. Whether you’re walking through the butterfly rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History or watching a play at the Hippodrome Theatre, there is something for everyone.
Greater Gainesville is not only home to a chamber orchestra, a professional ballet company and a rapidly growing retail environment, but it also boasts excellent museums and theatres.
Located on the UF campus, the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums at a public university in the nation. The museum offers more than 40,000-square-feet of exhibits, five garden spaces, a 250-seat auditorium and a cafe.
In near proximity to the Harn is the Florida Museum of Natural History – Florida’s official state-sponsored and chartered natural-history museum – and the Curtis M. Phillips Center for Performing Arts, which presents on its main stage some of the most established and emerging national and international artists.
The Cade Museum for Creativity + Invention, named for Dr. James Robert Cade, the lead inventor of Gatorade, opened to the public on May 19th, 2018. The museum focuses on thinking, creativity and discovering the wonder in all things.
For those looking to spend time outdoors, Greater Gainesville offers superb eco-tourism spots offering world-class fishing, snorkeling, canoeing, scuba diving, tubing and swimming. Geologists estimate there are about 1,000 known springs in Florida, ranging in size from those that discharge little more than a trickle of water to first magnitude springs like Wakulla, Manatee and Silver Springs that discharge hundreds of millions of gallons of water per day.
There is no shortage of offerings for the sports enthusiast, whether interested in viewing a game or in joining a team, Greater Gainesville offers everything from college football to adult softball leagues.
Foodies will be pleased with the hundreds of eateries and breweries in the area. The community can definitely satisfy anyone’s cravings.