I’ve been living in Gainesville for nearly two months now and I have just fallen head over heels for my new city! From the beautiful parks to the bustling downtown, Gainesville has a big-city feel with small-town perks.
I moved from Orlando to Lake City in 2016 and that was a HUGE culture shock. Going from a metropolis to a small southern town was a big adjustment. Orlando was just a little too big, and Lake City was just a little too small. Gainesville feels just right!
I’ve gotten to do some exploring since moving to Gainesville and I’ve discovered some places that I absolutely love! So I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with y’all!
Here are four of my favorite spots in Gainesville:
Celebration Pointe
Celebration Pointe is relatively new to Gainesville and I’ve gone there like once a week since I moved here! It’s an outdoor shopping and dining destination with plenty of entertainment. There is a beautiful promenade going right through the center with tons of seating and sometimes there are live musical performances! There are also restaurants (I’m obsessed with Midici Pizza), stores, an amazing movie theatre and my new favorite day spa, Azulene! It’s definitely a great date-night spot or a fun place to go with your friends!
Depot Park
I’d visited Depot Park a few times on my lunch break, but now that I live in Gainesville I get to go a lot more often! It’s a beautiful outdoor park built on an old train depot. There’s a playground, picnic areas, walking paths and more! There’s also a general store selling snacks, drinks and fresh-made meals, a beer and wine garden and a pizza spot! It’s a beautiful place to spend a warm Florida day. I love taking time to get out of the office and eat my lunch there!
Haile Village
If you haven’t been to the Haile Village Center in Haile Plantation, you’re seriously missing out! It has total Stars Hollow vibes (if you don’t know what that is, I’m not sure we can be friends) with it’s tree-lined streets shading adorable small shops and restaurants. Every Saturday they host an amazing farmers market packed with local vendors selling everything from flower to artwork to delicious homemade muffins. I wrote a whole blog post about it a few months ago, which you can read here!
Downtown Gainesville
You can’t pass up a night out in downtown Gainesville. There are some amazing restaurants and bars located all along the streets! One of my favorite things to do is to walk around and look at all the amazing murals! There are some seriously stunning ones. Let me know in the comments if you want me to do a whole post on Downtown Gainesville specifically!
The Happy Floridian 