Gainesville, FL

Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

The Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention is dedicated to inspiring creativity and invention by encouraging people to look at everyday things in a whole new light.

Although the museum will only open to the general public in spring 2018, it already offers educational programs aimed at stimulating young minds.

The Early Entrepreneurs Program teaches critical skills required in the business world, while the Living Inventor Series teaches creative problem solving.

The museum also offers popular weekly field trips where children and young adults are exposed to hands-on experiments in a real laboratory setting.

Participants get to do really exciting and stimulating tasks, such as creating robots and other objects from scratch.

811 S Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601, Phone: 352-371-8001

Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation

The Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation is home to an interesting collection of rescued exotic animals and rehabilitated local wildlife.

More of a sanctuary than a zoo, the owners of the facility are dedicated to providing the animals, many of which have been abandoned or traumatized, with a life-long home and plenty of TLC.

Besides caring for the animals, the primary focus of the foundation is to aid conservation through education and they offer special educational tours for schools and groups.

The price of your private or semi-private tour of the facility goes directly towards providing for the animals.

Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation, 8528 E. County Rd 225, Gainesville, FL 32609, Phone: 152-468-2827

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park is a most unusual historical and geological site located in a giant sinkhole just outside Gainesville.

Surrounded by dry and sandy terrain, the steep walls of the bowl-shaped sinkhole descend 120 feet below the surface and protect an amazing miniature rainforest.

It is quite evident that the sinkhole has been a lure to the curious for hundreds of years, and researchers have found many valuable fossils, marine shells, and fossilized skeletons of extinct land animals in the sinkhole.

You can go on a short half-mile hike around the perimeter of the depression and then descend a boardwalk to the bottom.

The visitors center offers lots of information, and a ranger-led tour is available every Saturday.

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, 4732 Millhopper Rd, Gainesville, FL 32653, Phone: 352-955-2008

Florida Museum of Natural History

Located on the campus of the University of Florida, the Florida Museum of Natural History is a national gem you should not miss during your visit to Gainesville.

The museum hosts a remarkable collection of permanent exhibits as well as regular temporary exhibitions.

A few of the most popular exhibits include the Butterfly Rainforest, the Florida Fossils Collection (which traces the evolution of life and land), and the interactive Our Energy Future exhibit.

Younger visitors can have hours of educational fun in the children's discovery zone.

You can visit most of the museum free of charge (donations are gratefully accepted), but a small fee applies to some temporary exhibits and to the Butterfly Rainforest.

Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida Cultural Plaza, 3215 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32611-2710, Phone: 352-846-2000

Haile Homestead

At the historic Haile Homestead on the Kanapaha Cotton Plantation you can step back in time to the 1800s and see the amazing craftsmanship of the enslaved laborers who built the 1854 homestead for the Haile family.

The homestead was constructed completely out of pine and cypress wood. One of the most unique features of the house are the Talking Walls – for reasons which are no longer clear, the family covered most of the walls with writing that tells the story of their lives and that off their slaves.

You can find out more on one of the guided tours of the property, which are offered on Saturdays and Sundays.

Haile Homestead on Kanapaha Plantation, 8500 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville, FL 32608, Phone: 352-336-9096

Ichetucknee Springs State Park

Located 4 miles northwest of Fort White, Ichetucknee Springs State Park protects the head spring of the Ichetucknee River.

The surrounding state park provides a wonderful summer playground for outdoor enthusiasts, offering a diverse selection of activities that include hiking, picnicking, swimming, and wildlife watching. One of the most popular activities in the park is tubing the Ichetucknee River or exploring the waterway by canoe or kayak.

The crystal-clear waters of the river are also perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving.

The park is home to abundant wildlife, and you can reasonably expect to see dozens of birds as well as white-tailed deer, raccoons, and more.

Ichetucknee Springs State Park, 12087 SW U.S. Highway 27, Fort White, FL 32038, Phone: 386-497-4690

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

At Gainesville's beautiful Kanapaha Botanical Gardens you can feast your eyes on 24 major horticultural collections, including the largest herb garden in the southeast and Florida's largest display of bamboos. You can see it all as you stroll along the accessible 1.5-mile pathway, which is dotted with benches and gazebos where you can relax and just admire our surroundings. The gardens are at their eye-catching best in spring (March), when the annual Spring Garden Festival takes place, and in May you can enjoy the magical Moonlight Walk, when the paths and meadows are gently lit with twinkle lights and lanterns. Other annual events include the fall plant sale and orchid show.

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608, Phone: 352-372-4981

Lubee Bat Conservancy

A visit to the Lubee Bat Conservancy is the ideal way to cure bat phobias and lay to rest the many entirely unfounded bat myths and legends. The conservancy is at the forefront of conservation efforts to protect dwindling bat habitats and to save several species of bat from extinction.

The conservancy offers guided educational tours on weekdays – you need to request a tour online. If you happen to be in the area in October, you can visit the annual Florida Bat Festival, which takes place at the conservancy and offers a fun and educational day for the whole family as well as the chance to meet some of the giant fruit bats.

Lubee Bat Conservancy, 1309+ NW 192nd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32609, Phone: 352-485-1250

Matheson History Museum

You'll find the Matheson History Museum nestled in the heart of historic downtown Gainesville, where it is dedicated to protecting and showcasing the history of Gainesville and Alachua County. Some of the highlights of the museum include a huge collection of thousands of historical Florida postcards, illustrated gazettes, and photographs, all of which are housed in the former American Legion Hall, built in 1932. In addition, you can see a re-creation of the Matheson Country Store and several other permanent and visiting exhibits. You can request a guided tour or explore at your own pace. The museum shop stocks many interesting books on the history of the region.

Matheson History Museum, 513 East University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601, Phone: 352-378-2280

Morningside Nature Center

When you feel like escaping the city and embracing the outdoors, you can head to the Morningside Nature Center, which covers over 260 acres of pine savannah, encompassing a good network of walking and hiking trails. You can check out all the trails and loops at the Environmental Education Center and choose which of the well-marked trails you would like to explore. The center also includes the Living History Farm (open September to April), where you can see a collection of historical farm buildings, animals, and costumed guides who offer children a wide range of interactive farm experiences reminiscent of the pioneer days of the 1870s.

Morningside Nature Center, 3540 E University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32641, Phone: 352-334-3326