FLORIDA PLACES AND DESTINATIONS - ALACHUA
Just northwest of Gainesville in North Central Florida, Alachua was originally established in 1884 on a railroad line and incorporated as a city on 12 April 1905 with a population of 526. Today Alachua is home to more than 6,500 residents.
At the heart of downtown Alachua, picturesque Main Street is filled with quaint family owned shops and a vintage candy store straight out of the 50’s. Here visitors can shop in charming stores for collectables, art, and unique gifts. A highlight of the street is Govinda’s restaurant, a restored, old family home complete with a white picket fence.The Annual Alachua Spring Festival held on Main Street in April comes complete with arts, crafts, jewelry, home & garden, writers, artists, musicians, clowns, children’s activities, inspirational, self-improvement, music, fishing tackle and boaters “toys”, home improvement, tools, quality yard sale items, and anything that makes people happy!
Not far from Alachua, Poe Springs Park, 202 acres of scenic woodlands and rolling fields situated along the banks of the pristine Santa Fe River, offer swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and canoeing. Bubbling up from the limestone rock of the Florida Aquifer, this spring flows in excess of 44 million gallons of cool, clear water per day.
Nearby, one of the few remaining mature forests in Florida, the San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park provides outdoor adventure to hikers, off-road bicyclists, horseback riders, and nature lovers. Bobcats, white-tailed deer, gray foxes, turkeys, and many species of songbirds make their homes in the 18 natural communities found in the preserve.
And for the amazing admission price of only two carrots, horse lovers can visit the Mill Creek Farm (Saturdays only) Retirement Home for Horses. This home gives lifetime care to horses seized by law enforcement; those rescued by the SPCA or Humane Societies; horses retired from government service such as police patrol, state or federal parks; horses used by handicapped riding programs; circus horses; those used in experiments or similar cases.
Photo: Visit Florida
