Hanging out in Gainesville: 20 Best Places to Sleep, Eat, Shop and Sightsee

Hungry? Good. Burrito Brothers is the Mecca of Takeout Mexican food. Get a beef-n-bean combo, with guac and sour cream, double-wrapped.

I lived on Caribbean Spice's lunch specials (pattie, banana bread and soda) while in grad school at UF. Cheap and tasty eats. They have veggie pattie and turkey-n-cheese pattie as well as the traditional beef (mild or spicy is your choice).

Generous margaritas and nacho chips.

A nice place for dinner--a good restaurant to take guests to. For a more casual dining experience (dinner or lunch) try the New Deal Cafe next door (also owned by Mildred's).

A good place for Italian food--this is in NW Gainesville off of 39th Ave and I-75 (in Publix shopping center).

Nice little French bakery at the corner of 43rd St and NW 16th Ave (next to Fresh Market). Great pastries and crusty french bread. They sometimes have lunch stuff--stuffed croissants, etc.

Like plants? Garden Gate is a great place to get your plant-loving friends gifts. It is just north of the 43rd St. and NW 16th Ave intersection, near Zaxby's.

Used & new books, along with an assortment of other gifty items: cards, jewelry, new age/folk music, wind chimes, etc. A good place to get some paperbacks before heading to the beach. I always stop in and shop whenever I pass thru Gainesville.

Get some exercise by taking the boardwalk and stairs down into a sinkhole at this small state park.

If a hike is what you want, then head over to San Felasco. There are two locations in which to enter the park: one off of Millhopper Rd (CR 232) and thru the Alachua Tech Park. To hike, go to the Millhopper Rd trailhead. Mountain biker and horseback riders go to the Tech Park. There is a relatively short hiking loop on the south side of Millhopper Rd (off of parking lot). The north hiking loop is longer. Be sure to bring water, sunscreen and bug spray, especially if you are going for a longer trek.

You want to see gators? I mean the real scaly, toothy reptiles, not UF students--then go to Paynes Prairie and walk the La Chua Trail. Also has a nice visitors center that tells you about the early native inhabitants of North Florida and William Bartram's expedition thru Florida.

So you're driving along Museum Rd on UF's campus around sunset, when you see a large group of people just hanging out alongside a wooden fence. Families, senior citizens, college students, yuppies in 'date clothes'...what is going on? BATS--about 100,000 of them. Getting ready to fly out of the Bat House and over the heads of the assembled "bat groupies"! Join the fun!

Side note: You can also see gators (the reptiles) at Lake Alice, especially on sunny days. Do NOT let your dog go near the lake--unless you want them to be a 'puppy nugget' to an alligator.

A nice place to picnic, or to attend the Spring Garden Festival. I've also been to some of their evening events (celebration of the harvest moon) which had musical performances and star-gazing. Check the calendar online or the Gainesville Sun for events. Spring Garden Festival is usually held in March.

Good place to bike without fear of being run off the road by an SUV. Also good in parts for roller-blading--the section near SR 20 and 234 is better than at the Boulware Springs trailhead because it is not as hilly. Note that it is 32 miles round trip--be sure to bring at least 2 bottles of water, some food/energy bars, waterproof sunscreen and sunglasses, and bug spray. Also don't leave any valuables in your car--its rare but there have been break-ins at the Boulware Springs parking lot.

After biking and hiking in Gainesville, you will need a refreshing dip in cool clear water. Head over to Ichetucknee Springs and tube down the river.

Just south of Gainesville on US 441, near Micanopy, is the little town of Cross Creek. ("Town" is probably too big!) This is where MKR wrote the novel "The Yearling" and is the inspiration for her book "Cross Creek". The house is classic Floridian Cracker style.

If you want to learn more about the flora and fauna of North Florida, visit the FLMNH. Right now they have an exhibit on prehistoric sharks (Megalodon), the 'largest shark that ever lived'. Very cool.

The Harn is a nice museum for a smaller city like Gainesville. During the academic year, it is open to 9 p.m. on Thursday nights (check schedule). It has a cafe, though I cannot say that I have eaten there yet. Something to try next time I'm in Gainesville!

Next to the Natural History Museum and the Harn Museum of Art, this is UF's venue for smaller concerts, dance, and theatre. I've attended several classical music concerts and saw Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash perform there. Check the schedule online--you can get tickets thru the website via Ticketmaster.