게인즈빌 (FL) 로컬 커뮤니티

Gainesville is home to two very important universities in the country: the University of Florida, the nation's ninth-largest university campus by enrollment, as well as Santa Fe College. This place was also considered a GREAT place to live back in 2007 when the Gainesville MSA was ranked as the No. 1 place to live in North America. We know that was a couple of years ago, but if it was once on the ranking it might be still pretty good nowadays. 

Gainesville is known for being a huge supporter of the visual arts. Each year, two large art festivals attract artists and visitors from all over the southeastern United States. Definitely, the presence of these universities in the city make the place a lot more open to culture and to any cultural representation. When you come here, you are going to be delighted by the arts in any of their forms. 

If there is a lot of culture in this city, then you know what you are going to find: museums. 

The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida is a 112,800-square-foot-facility, which includes 40,400 square foot of exhibition space, 5 garden spaces, a 250-seat auditorium, study center, museum store, café and classroom spaces. The Harn’s collection totals more than 10,000 objects including African, Asian, modern and contemporary art, and photography with significant representations of Ancient American and oceanic art, as well as a growing collection of natural history works on paper. We especially recommend their Becoming a Woman, Poetical and Politica, and Show Me The Mini exhibitions. 

Visit the Historic Haile Homestead, a historic house museum that is filled with history and stories. Visit the house of Thomas Evans Haile, his wife, Esther "Serena" Chesnut Haile, and their four children, a family that established a 1,500-acre cotton plantation. They say that the walls here talk, and trust us when we say they do. The Hailes had the habit of writing on their unpainted walls. These walls revealed over 12,500 words and artwork in almost in every room including the closets!

For an extra artsy and historic visit, there is a charming place where you can book a room. The Thomas Center is housed in a beautifully restored Mediterranean Revival-style hotel and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This breathtaking beautiful place contains art galleries, 1920's period rooms, local history exhibits, performance space, banquet rooms, and meeting rooms. The Thomas Center is surrounded by the lovely Thomas Center Gardens and the Grace and Sidney Knight Children's Theatre. 

Here are other places you can visit as well: 

- Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park. A bowl-shaped cavity 120 feet deep, which contains a miniature rainforest. Visitors can enjoy picnicking and learn more about this sinkhole through interpretive displays. 
- The Fest. One of America's premier independent music festivals concentrating mainly on punk; hundreds of bands, over three days in eight or more venues.
- Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: University of Florida's stadium known as "The Swamp" seats over 90,000. It's one of the largest (and loudest) anywhere. 
- Lake Alice on the UF campus. Lake Alice is a sanctuary for alligators and birds. 
Please join the Gainesville community and help make it a thriving resource for local information! Visitors are welcome to post messages asking questions that local experts can help answer.