Christina & Malachi
Things To Do
Ichetucknee River Tubing
Ichetucknee Springs State Park | Florida State Parks : The Ichetucknee River is a clear, spring feed, 100-year-old cypress lined river that is 72 degrees year-round. The state park is the starting point for tubing. This is “North Florida” and we highly recommend everyone do this at some time when visiting in the area. The river is open before and after the wedding date. It is about 40 minutes north of Gainesville pretty close to the wedding venue. The park costs $6 per car and you rent tubes (less than $10 per person) outside the park. Inside the park there is a shuttle to takes you to the put-in and brings you back to the parking lot after the trip. It is about a 1.0-1.5 hour float with a take-out/put-in at the half way point. There is a changing room and small grill at the parking lot. You can refloat as much as you want. The park limits the number of people on the river so it is always important to get there early. It is usually a 0.5-0.75 day trip.
Santa Fe River Canoeing and Springs
Santa Fe Canoe Outpost – Paddle the Santa Fe River: the Santa Fe River Outpost rents canoes and both single and double kayaks for about $30-50. There is a 3-hour trip that starts from the Outpost and ends a Poe Springs County park. The price includes the shuttle back to your car. It is very easy paddling and the price allows you to enter and swim at Poe Springs, a clear 72-degree spring. You should take drinking water and maybe snacks along. The Outpost is about 40 min north of Gainesville and fairly close to the wedding venue.
O’leno State Park Hiking
O'Leno State Park | Florida State Parks: Located 40 minutes north of Gainesville and close to the wedding venue. Interesting fact is that here the Santa Fe river goes underground and comes up miles away. So, the river just ends. This is a nice State Park for hiking. Remember in May the weather may be ok but it can also be really hot for hiking.
Devil’s Millhopper
Located on the north side of Gainesville, the Devil’s Millhopper is a big sink hole with stairs you can use to walk down into. You can walk around for a little while, but it is not a major time commitment. There is a small park entrance fee.
Red white and Blues Farms Blueberry Picking
This is a very neat place located in Williston about an hour west of Gainesville. They have 44 acres of blueberry plants from which to pick. They have a kid’s playground, a grill, a micro-brewery with blueberry beer, a gift store with blueberry lemonade, patio with rocking chairs, and a band shell with bands at least on the weekend. It’s almost a blueberry theme park. Check first to see if they are still open as the end of May is nearing the end of the picking season. Fun place, but take drinking water and sun screen as it can get hot and there is little shade. They take you to the bushes on a big hay wagon.
University of Florida Bat Houses
University of Florida Bat Houses (ufl.edu): There are multiple bat houses on the UF campus across the road from Lake Alice (favorite place for looking for alligators). If the temperature is greater than 65-degree F they (hundreds of thousands) all emerge about 15 minutes before dusk. This does not take a long time and this is worth seeing.
University of Florida Sporting Events
The regular season for the UF Softball, Baseball and Track teams will be over but there may be regional games around the time of the wedding. Stay tuned for more information.
Cedar Lake Woods and Gardens
Cedar Lakes Woods and Gardens: this is a botanical garden privately owned and built by a retired dentist. The owner purchased an old phosphate mine and turned it into a semi-Asian style botanical garden. It is located in Williston, a town about an hour west of Gainesville and near the blueberry farm. You will spend more time driving there and back than visiting but it is pretty neat what he has done. Perhaps you can pair this with blueberry picking and/or the Ivy house restaurant
Kanapaha Botanical Garden
Kanapaha: a small botanical garden located in SW Gainesville. It is also where Tina and Malachi took engagement pictures. Again, like most places in Gainesville, it does not require a large time commitment and can easily be paired with other things like dinner or micro-brewery.
Cade Museum of Innovation
CADE MUSEUM - Home: located near downtown Gainesville, this a small museum which highlights the research of Robert Cade the creator of Gatorade. This will take you about an hour and is neat if you are into Gator stuff. But it is a tad bit expensive for its size. You can pair it with a trip to First Magnitude (micro-brewery) which is right down the street.
Florida Natural History Museum and Butterfly Museum
Florida Museum – Florida Museum of Natural History (ufl.edu): a museum located on the UF campus and it is paired with a live butterfly enclosure (extra cost). I think the museum is free, but they ask for donations. You can spend a few hours there, and it is not bad if you like this sort of thing.
Harn Art Museum
Home | Harn Museum of Art (ufl.edu): located on the UF campus next to the Florida Natural History Museum. Not really big and not bad if you like art.
First Magnitude Micro-Brewery
Home | First Magnitude Brewing Company (fmbrewing.com): This micro-brewery has 15-20 selections and has both indoor and outdoor (picnic tables) seating. It is located at the southern end of Gainesville near the Cade Museum. At certain times they have food trucks parked at the brewery. But you are also welcome to bring in food (picnic) or have food delivered order (pizza). They have a small play area for kids.
Swamp Head Brewery
Swamp Head: Swamp Head is another micro-brewery located a little to the south west of the UF campus. They also have about 15-20 selection and it is a little more upscale than first magnitude. They only have indoor seating. Food trucks are sometimes available and dogs are allowed inside.
World of Beer
World of Beer Gainesville - Tioga | Craft Beer - Delicious Food - Craft Cocktails WOB is a bar and limited grill (pretty good though) with 400 selections of beer from a large number of countries. It has both indoor and indoor seating and lots of TVs like a sports bar without the typical sports bar crowd. There are two locations; one just south west of the UF campus and one to the west of Gainesville (Tioga). The Tioga location typically has a giant Jenga outside and has bands at certain times.
Tipples Brew’s and Wines
Small specialty beer and wine store located in SW Gainesville that has some selections on tap but also a variety of canned and bottled beers. Unlike the micro-brewery you can buy a can for $2-3. It is not a bar but you are allowed to drink your purchases inside or outside the store. On Thursday night there is a running club that hosts a 2 and 4 mile run from the store. At this time there is also a taco truck present. The running club people say they are really a drinking club with a running problem.
Saporitos Oilve Oil Tasting
This store is located in NW Gainesville and is a specialty store for infused oil and balsamic vinegar. If you like cooking and healthy ingredients this is a must. We take most of our visitors there. It won’t take you more than 30-40 minutes. They have about 10 different infused olive oils and 60 flavors of balsamic vinegar. We use these regularly for cooking and salads. You are welcome to sample their selections. It is a family owned by a husband and wife who have 7 children who also work there. The wife (Katrine Dunn) and her daughters are a special pleasure to interact with. Katrine provides information on the sustainable source of the olives, nutrition information, creative ways to use for cooking, and suggests which oil to pair with which vinegar.
Dueling Pianos
The Keys Grill & Piano Bar - Gainesville (thekeysgainesville.com): located in Celebration Point on the SW side of town. This is a Key West style bar and grill with indoor and limited outdoor seating. Dueling pianos are featured every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. For a few dollars, they will play your favorite old-time hits or contemporary selections. Cedar Point is a new outdoor mall, so there are places to sit outside and you can visit the coffee and ice cream shops as well.
Great Outdoor Restaurant
Restaurant with an outdoor bar which frequently has a band playing. It is located in High Springs about 20 miles north of Gainesville and close to the wedding venue