From enjoying the historic neighborhoods, cultural offerings, springs, and wildlife of North Central Florida to reveling in the incredible array of delicious food offerings, we had a blast. Best of all, we even had some very fun visits with friends.
Downtown Gainesville
Peaceful Paynes Prairie State Park on the outskirts of town
We Could Live Here
Our Airbnb was on the edge of the historic B & B district, walking distance to downtown, and just a few blocks to the charming Duckpond neighborhood, which is brimming with adorable vintage homes. I could see us living there. Except, as Eric reminded me, we are building a tiny house in North Carolina. And we do not want a 1920s house to maintain, no matter how appealing it looks.
1920s cottage that I would love to have (in theory)
Stone cottage in the historic Duckpond neighborhood
Victorian in the historic BnB district
The Birding Is Glorious
Sweetwater Wetlands Park was only three miles from our Airbnb. The trails and the abundant birdlife drew us back several times a week. We never tired of it.
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Herons
A Purple Gallinule, AKA “Crayola Crayon bird”
In addition to lots of birds, there are lots of alligators at Sweetwater Wetlands. People get really excited about seeing alligators. We’ve seen way too many alligators in our Florida travels, and we’re not excited about them. But here’s a mother alligator with a baby on her back, which is sort of cute, in a reptilian kind of way.
Alligator and baby gator
The La Chua Trail, part of vast Paynes Prairie State Preserve, was a five-mile bike ride from our apartment on the lovely Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail. The bird life is fantastic there, including an established population of the endangered Snail Kite. These picky eaters almost went extinct until they decided that the invasive apple snail is an acceptable substitute for the native apple snail.
A Snail Kite eating a snail
White Ibis in Spanish moss
The Gainesville Food Scene
I can’t believe how many times we ate out in Gainesville. It was GREAT. In Apalachicola, we were mostly stuck at home with our own cooking for three years, which is not a bad thing, but it’s fun to have options.
We had too many good options in Gainesville.
Opus Coffee Shop in a repurposed Airstream
Click on photos for a larger image
Other Fun Stuff
Gainesville is a university town, which means there is always something interesting going on. South Main Station was just one mile from our Airbnb and offered frequent music events on an outdoor stage, a weekly farmers’ market, and a couple of our favorite restaurants with outdoor venues.
With lovely outdoor space for more of our favorite restaurants, Fourth Avenue Food Park was our other regular hangout. It’s also a gathering space for community events, like the Flora Fauna Festival where we met some enthusiastic entomologists from the University of Florida who offered to let us hold their creepy crawly friends.
In addition to our many, many field trips to Goodwill (to donate stuff from our RV travels) and Target (to try to find the perfect containers for Airbnb travel) we managed to squeeze in a couple of culturally enriching field trips to the museum complex affiliated with the University of Florida.
The Florida Museum of Natural History is one of the top natural history museums in the country. It’s a fantastic collection of all-things Florida.
The beautiful Harn Museum of Art is one of the largest university art museums in the South. Their vast collection of paintings from artists worldwide who have been inspired by Florida’s landscape is especially delightful.
Eight Springs In Eight Miles
We were intrigued by a kayak trip down the Santa Fe River that promised eight springs in eight miles. Just like our trip on the Ichetucknee River, we rented kayaks. But these were beat-up old kayaks, the opposite end of the spectrum from the brand new, well-maintained kayaks we rented on the Ichetucknee.
The seats were uncomfortable, the paddles were ridiculously heavy, and I didn’t realize until too late that one of the foot braces was missing in the front of the kayak. It was a long eight miles.
On the Santa Fe River in a battleship
Gilchrist Blue Springs reminded me of a Monet painting
Most of the river was peaceful, except for the two mile run past Ginnie Springs, which is a private park. That place is wild, and not in a good way. Unless, of course, you like being on the river with hundreds of other people and loud music obliterating the sounds of nature.
Navigating through the inner tubes at Ginnie Springs
Meeting Up With Friends
Our stay in Gainesville was made even better by visits from friends both old and new, all of whom we’ve serendipitously met in our travels and/or through blogging about our journeys.
Ed and Diana are now long time friends who we first met on Dauphin Island in 2016. They rented the Airbnb next door to ours, and we spent several days birding and exploring Gainesville.
Annie of WynnWorlds and Mary and Alan of Reflections Around The Campfire are new friends that we connected with through the blogging world. It’s so much fun to meet up with fellow bloggers who share a love of travel and nature..and of course, to discover how much we enjoy them in person!
Leaving Gainesville
Despite our best efforts and many trips to Goodwill, on the day we left Gainesville—AKA our Day of Reckoning—packing up our new Subaru didn’t quite go as planned. Even with the new car top carrier, we struggled to find room for everything.
At the last minute, we left our grill behind, figuring that wherever we’re traveling, there will be a grill available. And we donated our 20-year-old bikes to the owners of our Airbnb. We’re getting new bikes, and we don’t yet have a bike rack for the car.
Unfortunately, Magnolia’s cat tree didn’t make the cut. But Eric did bring along the basket from the top of the tree, which she continues to enjoy even though she barely fits into it.
Does this basket make our cat look big?
At the moment, my feeling is that simplicity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe one of these days I’ll be writing a post about the joys and freedom of simple living, but at the moment it just feels annoying. It was so much easier to haul anything and everything we wanted with us. LOL.
Such a fun read, Laurel. I love Gainesville, but even when I stayed in Ocala with Bel so many years ago, I didn’t see some of the fun things your wrote about. I did get to visit that magnificent refuge, and can see how you would never get tired of it. My heart is fantasizing staying at an airbnb and walking that trail. Even maybe renting an electric trike, my new fantasy for broken legs that Mo has no interest in doing. Still I can dream, right? And I will remember that kayak rental thing and definitely return to Ichnetucknee for a paddle. Oh my…looks like you had good weather too. Still, my favorite part of the blog was that last line, how simple living is simply annoying. Good for a morning laugh, because I know I could never downsize completely to a tiny home and live as simply as you are attempting. Good luck with your goals!!It is like I told my daughter, who is trying to decide what color to paint her bedroom….you can always repaint. And nothing is written in stone. You can build, buy, live, enjoy, and change your mind and later on do something else entirely. You have done that a few times in the past, I know. Keep up the adventure.
Thanks so much for your encouraging words, Sue. There have definitely been moments when I have doubted our decision to move into a tiny home (and sell our trailer!!) but I think it’s because it’s just all so much effort in a short period of time. I think we’re going to be fine, and that we’ll ultimately be happy with our decision, but as you said…we can always change our minds! We’re good at that, LOL.
I think you and Mo would love staying in an Airbnb in Gainesville. It’s a great location for visiting many of the beautiful nearby springs. And I’m betting you could rent an electric trike there, as well!
Oh, man…we are going to be in Starke for a couple of nights next month and were hoping you’d still be in Gainesville! We look forward to following your move into your new home. We’ll catch up down the road at some point!
Hey Jim, we would have loved to catch up with you and Diana! I hope you had a great winter. We’re making plans for next winter in Florida, so let’s keep in touch!
Simplicity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, eh? It’s the buzz word of the day, but a little bit of simplicity goes a long way in reality. One of the reasons I enjoy traveling in the motor home is that I don’t have to spend precious time deciding “what to take, what will fit, what do I really need”….I can just take it all (within reason of course!).
You’ve finished your life in Florida with a bang haven’t you! Who knew Gainesville would be such a great place to spend time – I certainly didn’t. I love all the bird pictures, especially the Crayola Crayon and the Snail Kite.
Sweet Miss Magnolia fits perfectly in her little basket, she doesn’t look like she minds it’s new elevation at all.
Sue, you are absolutely right. It’s a ridiculous amount of effort making decisions about what to take, what will fit, what do I need…
I’ve always considered myself somewhat of a minimalist (having only the things that I love and use) but as it turns out, what I love and use is a lot of stuff. Sigh. Anyway, we did love our time in Gainesville, and are actually considering returning next winter for a few weeks in the same Airbnb. The area offers so much of what we enjoy! Magnolia is missing her cat tree so I just ordered her a new one. I guess that is not an optional item, LOL.
Gainesville sounds lovely, aside from alligators of course. I imagine it still gets hurricane fall out, even though it’s in the middle of the state. Where to next? I hope the moving in process into your tiny home will go smoothly, and you’ll have plenty of room, now that you’ve experienced your narrowed living space.
Keep on blogging!
Sheila, you’re right…as lovely as Gainesville is, it is in Florida, which of course, means that it still might get hurricanes, although it’s nowhere near as vulnerable as where we were in the Panhandle.
We just arrived in South Carolina, not far from where we’re building our tiny house. Now the process of figuring out how to furnish a tiny space begins. I’m excited about the challenge. I hope we can do this, haha! Hugs to you and Bruce and Vivienne!
Sounds delightful. We have secured a place in the panhandle next winter Dec-Feb. could you or would you refer us to your Airbnb for March?
Hi Sharyn, I think you and Jamie would enjoy Gainesville. The birding is fabulous! And we ended up really liking the Airbnb. I’ll email you the link. :-)
Asheville says hi, and see ya soon! We were just there for a week, and like you said about G’ville, our thought was, “We could live here…” Onward!
Thanks, Gretchen! How fun that you were just in Asheville. We’re very excited about living in Western NC. Asheville will be only about 30 miles from us and we’ll be visiting often. We can meet up there!
I love the photo of the Snowy Egret. Thanks for such wonderful nature photography. The Florida getaway circa 1952 looks just like us here in Borrego Springs. (Not).
Hi Nancy, I’m so glad you enjoy the bird photos. I took that photo of the Snowy Egret looking down on it from the boardwalk at Sweetwater Wetlands. The birding in Florida is truly spectacular! How wonderful to think of you in Borrego Springs. Isn’t that 1952 painting of a Florida winter getaway fun? :-))
There is something so appealing about college towns — the energy and activity from the college is great, but it also seems to spill over into a community-wide appreciation for interesting food, music, and outdoor spaces. Plus the museums are usually free, which I particularly appreciate when there are so many tempting restaurants to visit. Your very positive recap of Gainesville (after a rocky start) definitely makes me think we need to plan a visit.
Shannon, we share your appreciation for all of the cool things about college towns. They really are the best! There were so many times during our long stay in Gainesville that Eric and I said, “Shannon and Ken would love this!” I know you would enjoy the great food venues, and the excellent grocery options (no Piggly Wiggly, LOL!), and the excellent museums. I’m looking forward to your write up when you visit!
(P.S. There are many cool little Airbnbs if you don’t feel like hauling your trailer…check out the Duckpond Neighborhood.)
… which is sort of cute, in a reptilian kind of way. You make me laugh! Onward!
Haha!!! Thank you, Leah! Laughter is the only thing that keeps me sane during this crazy time of transition. I hope you’re doing well. OX
Those old homes are lovely and very tempting, but we owned a house built in the 1930s and there is always something the needs to be fixed or updated! But, looking at your beautiful photos (great shot of the two herons!), I can see why you fell in love with that area. I would love all those dining options, too. We have some nice restaurants on the coast, but not as many as I’d like and they are almost impossible to get into during tourist season. With regard to college towns, we loved our time in Lincoln, Nebraska and for a while considered selling our house and moving into a condo downtown (which is quite walkable). But, as you know, we opted for rain instead of snow, so here we are. :) Great post! Safe travels onward.
Les, As much as I appreciate historic homes, you’re right, there’s always something that needs to be fixed or updated. Our tiny house is the first home that either Eric or I have owned that will be brand new! We’re looking forward to just coasting for awhile, haha.
Gainesville is such a cool town. We were delighted with the food options, and the birding is fantastic. We enjoyed watching those two herons together daily—it was almost as though they were nesting, but that isn’t how they nest. They were definitely paired up, though! I hope spring is on the way for you on the Oregon Coast! :-)
Although Florida isn’t somewhere I have any desire to live, Gainesville looks delightful! As my enthusiasm for trips out of the country wanes, I am drawn to the idea of exploring interesting parts of this country by staying each place for at least a few weeks at a time. It looks like you took great advantage of your time there.
I love your blogger meet-ups! I hope to rendezvous with Mary and Alan later this year when they come out my way. And, hopefully, a meet up with you is somewhere in our future!
Janis, it’s interesting that you’re finding your desire to travel outside of the U.S. is waning. Sometimes I want to head out on an international adventure, and other times it just seems like way too much work with the craziness of travel these days. Meanwhile, we’re going to continue on with our travels in North America, because as you said, there are so many beautiful, interesting places to explore right here in our own big backyard. Staying in one place for several weeks is wonderful!
We had so much fun with Mary and Alan. How great that you’ll be meeting up with them. And I’m definitely hoping we’ll be meeting up with you two somewhere in our travels!
Yes, yes! Alan and I had SUCH a good time with you and Eric! I continue to be amazed at how many wonderful connections we’ve made through blogging. What I’m guessing is a mural in your header photo is absolutely gorgeous. I’ll take one of those, please, as well as that sweet little stone cottage. Although I’m sorry to hear that Magnolia’s cat tree didn’t make the cut, I have to say that she doesn’t look very upset about it. (Told you there are advantages to driving a “living room sofa!” Wink, wink.) While the downsizing you’re going through is difficult, at times, and stressful for you, please remember that your continuing goal is a life that the two of you will enjoy together. If you and Eric decide that some of the items you left behind are essential to your happiness, you’ll find a way to make it right. I have no doubt that your journey on the path to Tiny Houseville will have a happy ending! Keep the faith!
Hi Mary, those are very wise words indeed! This downsizing/simplifying process has been challenging, and I’m sure that we’ve let go of some things that we will decide we really need (Magnolia’s cat tree, for example, LOL). I feel pretty confident things are going to get easier as we continue on this journey. It’s just such a big learning curve! But ultimately, we do think it’s worth the effort. :-)
We are so happy that you and Alan made the effort to meet up with us in Gainesville! But we needed much more than two hours…the time flew by with stories and laughter. Can’t wait to see you two again! We need to make a plan.
Having enjoyed Gainesville myself, I can totally see why you could see yourself living there. It’s got all the things you love and so much going for it. But it also has those pesky hurricanes, and alligators. So…No. Time to move to NC. :)
Seriously, I’m really glad to hear you had such a great time there. After so much craziness and stress, you two deserved it and I’m sure it was rewarding to finally live the life you’ve been dreaming of. Even if that life has turned out to be slightly annoying. LOL.
It’s all gonna work out. I know it!
Thanks, Laura. We tell ourselves every day that this is all going to work out, and it’s really great to hear it from friends, too! You know all about the stress of making a big life change, and how consuming it is to do so. Months and months of work! Right?
We’ve always wanted to spend more time in the Gainesville area, and we’re so glad we decided to stay there for a few weeks. We enjoyed it so much that I just booked a month for next winter…in the same Airbnb, LOL. We loved the location, and if we need to do a bit of cleaning, so be it.
How enchanting and so deserving. Can’t wait to hear more of that great life of yours.
Thank you for your kind words, Kathryn. Step-by-step! Big changes are challenging, as you know. I hope you’re doing well.
I too would love one of those vintage homes–but wouldn’t want the upkeep. Oh to have so many great restaurants!! I’m glad your first stop in simplifying your life was so good/fun. Simplifying isn’t easy is it–and like Sue, I don’t think I could do it–I have too many hobbies that take up too much space. My idea of simplifying is to have ONE house! I hope your next stop has a great Airbnb and is just as much fun–I look forward to reading all about that stop! Lovely photos as always Laurel!
Haha!!! Your idea of simplifying is to have one house! But which one could you let go of, Janna? You and Mike have done so much work on both of your beautiful homes. And they’re in such different locales. That would be a tough decision.
We are so happy we chose to spend a few weeks in Gainesville. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. :-) I’m now certain that wherever we live I want to be in close proximity to good restaurants and great grocery stores/farmers’ markets/etc. Three years with a funky Piggly Wiggly as our only grocery store was annoying!
I already have stuff I want to get rid of, believe it or not. Simplicity IS heaven, but it does take a little getting used to. At least you’ll have cabinets to put whatever stuff you do have away. Grrrr.
You said those folks offered for you to hold their critters, but you didn’t say whether or not you did. I’m guessing not, but surprise me!
That kayak trip looks lovely, even with the loud place and no manatees. Glad you didn’t get got by a gator and that your time in Gainesville gave you some much-needed fun :D
Joodie, I do believe you have stuff you want to get rid of! I am constantly curating our stuff (well, I can’t curate Eric’s stuff because he won’t let me, but it doesn’t stop me from making suggestions, haha!).
So, I didn’t hold the critters, but I did pet all of them! Does that count? The tarantula was really soft and the scorpion was like a lobster. We loved our time in Gainesville, and although we wouldn’t repeat the Santa Fe River trip, there are other springs that we want to kayak next winter. :-)
Laurel,
Your birding pictures are awesome, but the picture of you in front of the mural is a framer. I really enjoyed this post and the fact that you and Eric are getting accustomed to downsizing (I think). Gainesville has a lot to offer, and the food scene appears delightful. Nevertheless, I am eager to see how you like Hendersonville and its four distinct weather seasons. I’m betting you’ll love it. Have a great week, and please stay in touch. Joe
Aww, thanks, Joe! Gainesville has so many cool murals, and that one was my favorite.
We arrived in Landrum, SC several days ago and the temps dropped about 50 degrees. (Seriously, we had temps in the 20s overnight!) So we have had a pretty chilly introduction to spring in the Carolinas. Overall, we enjoy a four-season climate. It’s more what we were accustomed to in Southern Oregon. But we’re already planning our Florida vacation for next winter. :-)
WOW what a header picture. What gorgeous homes. I want the Victorian and a crew to maintain it and another to clean it weekly. I had no idea about Gainesville. Good thing I have you to show me all the things I have not seen in a dozen years on the road. Thanks for the warning. I know just the outfitter to whom you refer. I might try to kayak the Santa Fe and do some of those springs but not in a “battleship”. Made me laugh – great description. Hate to think what you paid for this priviledge. Envying you all these folks you met up with. Wish I could have been one of them but you were gone by the time I managed to get nearby and we couldn’t connect in Cedar Key. Do I have bad karma? Loved your ending. Now you see why I just closed the door behind me and drove on down the road. LOL
Sherry, I know you’ve stayed at Payne’s Prairie, but there are some really cool things in Gainesville that I think you would enjoy. I know you would love the natural history museum! I wish it had worked out for us to meet up in Gainesville (or Cedar Key). We’ll have to make a better plan for next winter!
I can certainly understand why you haven’t wanted to take on the challenge of simplifying your life in Virginia. Since you want to keep your farmhouse and your house in town, you have plenty of space for everything….and you can luxuriate in just closing the door behind you when you take off on your RV travels! :-)
What an awesome Gainesville stay! You did the area justice with all your activities. Love those little cottage type homes. Glad Eric is there to keep you grounded!! You do have a tiny home on its way soon. We’ve never stayed in Gainesville. Thanks for sharing the city.
Gainesville was SO much fun, Pam. It was exactly what we needed after the months of work involved in selling our home and moving out (although I could have down without the initial cleaning binge at the Airbnb, LOL). College towns really do have a lot to offer, and winter in Florida (as you know) is delightful. I think we’re going to appreciate Florida even more now that we aren’t going to be living there year-round!
Hi Laurel!!!
Gainesville looks delightful… the BIRDS, the brews, the beautiful old homes. Will have to put that on our must visit list.
Looking forward to hearing more about the tiny home.
Hey Brenda! I’m happy to hear from you! I know you guys are getting ready to embark on your big boating adventure, but if somehow you end up near Gainesville in your RV travels, I think you would really enjoy it.
We’re going to be starting the build on our tiny home very soon! We’ll find out just how crazy this idea is, haha.
I forgot to mention how much I loved the egret and turtle pic in the last post, and the two herons in this post are incredible! It’s hard to beat the water fowl in that part of the country. Bummer that the rentals were subpar this time :-( Gainesville does look like a pretty perfect place to spend a few weeks. Something for everyone including getting to see fun peeps! Your continued downsizing sounds challenging for sure. At least you’ll be adding a small house and a trailer at the end of this journey! LOL that a piece of the cat tree made the cut :-))
We loved our stay in Gainesville, Jodee. Should you guys ever decide to come to Florida, put it on your list! It’s one of the coolest towns we’ve visited in all of our travels. It was great to have lots of fun (and delicious) distractions in the midst of our downsizing saga, haha. We had to bring something from the cat tree! Someone has not been too happy about that particular downsizing. :-)
Thank you for giving me my Heron, Egret and other water birds fix for me, I missed those big birds. And of course as soon as you leave Florida you will yearn for those crystal clear river to paddle.
Im sure Magnolia is not happy, you gave away her house. boo hoo :(
Trust me downsizing is a good thing and you will embrace simplicity when you live your tiny house.
Oh, ML, I am so happy I could provide you with some photos of the herons and egrets and other fabulous Florida birds! We know we’re going to miss them, too, along with the beautiful spring-fed rivers. We’ve made reservations for next winter for more Florida adventures. Maybe you guys could meet us sometime for an Airbnb Florida adventure?
Haha, yeah, Magnolia was really missing her cat tree. She already has a new one. :-)
It’s been a while, but I’m finally catching up on blog posts, comments, and well, life in general! It was so great to meet you in Gainesville, and I’m kinda hoping I can sneak over to your tiny home sometime and check it out! Hope you’re getting excited about it, despite all the “omg, more moving and carting stuff around…” involved.
Hi Annie, I’m so glad to hear from you. It was great meeting up with you in Gainesville, and I really hope you’ll come visit us in North Carolina. We still have a ways to go before we can move in (we’re hoping August!!) but we’re making progress. We’re still in the simplifying process of letting go of stuff while at the same time buying new furniture for the tiny house. It’s interesting trying to visualize the space and figuring out what we really need! I hope you’re doing well.