Just because you live on campus doesn't mean you're stuck there.
Just outside the city limits of Gainesville are small towns and parks that offer tubing, camping, art and diverse menu items.
See a map of the locations in this story and more: Day Tripper
About 30 minutes north on U.S. 441, located in the town of High Springs, Ginnie Springs offers a getaway that is popular among UF students and Alachua County residents.
For $19.26, visitors can gain admission, rent a tube and float down the 72-degree water, exploring crystal-clear springs and jumping off a tree swing.
Kayaking, camping and scuba diving are also available and prices can be found on the Ginnie Springs web site.
Rose Meadows, general manager of Ginnie Springs Outdoors, said that college students are drawn to the springs because of the wealth of activities and laid back atmosphere.
"The best part of Ginnie Springs is being able to have freedom," Meadows said. "You can just spend your day out here doing your thing, like canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, hiking trails, camping or volleyball."
A long day on the river can bring on an insatiable hunger and thirst. The Great Outdoors Restaurant and Spring House Tavern is conveniently located on Main Street in High Springs about 10 minutes away from Ginnie Springs.
Voted Best New Restaurant by Florida Monthly Magazine, The Great Outdoors is more than just food. On Friday and Saturday nights, live music sets the mood for alfresco dining on a Christmas light lined patio.
Before transforming into a restaurant, the building was constructed in 1895 as an opera house and still holds the romantic atmosphere that was created over a century ago.
Another nature escape located south of Gainesville on SW 13th Street is Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Visitors can follow the prehistoric footsteps of giant ground-sloths, mastodons, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. These days, however, visitors are more likely to run into bison, alligators and wild horses.
The park, which is open daily from 8 a.m. until sundown, boasts more then 270 species of birds and holds about 21,000 acres of natural land.
If it is a classic Florida adventure that one craves, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park in Cross Creek offers a look inside the 1930s home and life of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist.
"It mixes the outside and the arts," Gainesville resident Cody Hunter said. "You can tour her house and grounds and learn about her literary impact."
Located 30 miles Southeast of Gainesville down a winding road, travelers can take in the native North Florida landscape and area wildlife. The park offers a tour of the house, farmyard, grove and a hike around the property. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rawlings' novel's namesake, The Yearling Restaurant, is just down the road and serves up Southern cuisine at its finest, including venison, quail, turtle and frog legs. Adding to the flavor and atmosphere, local celebrity and bluesman Willie Green plays his harmonica and guitar.
