I did the splatter room here and had such a great time. The staff were super friendly and…read moreexplained the whole process really well, which made it easy to just relax and have fun. The space was clean and organized, and I appreciated that they had everything ready to go when I arrived. They give you protective gear (which you definitely need!) and you "gear up" before walking in by wearing a mesh suit, hair net and cover your shoes too but you can take them off and just slide on their "socks" they give you . Once you're in there, it's just a blast--literally throwing paint on the canvas, the walls, and maybe a little on yourself too. It's messy in the best way, and weirdly therapeutic. You can also use their Alexa to play music of your choice and make it a fun vibe and have your own mini party. I really liked that you get to take home your canvas afterward, it's such a cool keepsake. You wait 24 hours to come back and once it is fully dry you can take it home. It's not something I'd do all the time, but for a creative, out-of-the-box experience, it's totally worth it. Highly recommend if you're looking for something playful and a little different to do in Gainesville. I love that they have so many options such as acrylic projects, string projects, painted glasses and other DYI experiences. You can set an appointment and come in at your reserved a lot. I'll 100% be coming back and already want to try one of their other DIY experiences!

My wife and I had a wonderful time doing the splatter room! Highly recommend this place.read more

This is just about the most quanit and unassuming park in Gainesville. It is in the Duckpond area,…read moreclose to the Thomas Center. It's not big, there are no baseball diamonds or fields to play ball. It's in a quiet neighborhood, and easy to find. What it is great for is little children. Whether a newborn, toddler or preschooler, this place is perfect for parents with small children! Even one of the play areas looks like building blocks! You can let your child play in the sandbix, swing on a swing or just play on the climbing stuff. It is perfect to get out of the house and let your child explore without worrying too much about bike traffic or bigger kids, or anything elsethat you'd have to "watch out for". It is a small minimal park where you can relax and have quality time with your new family addition in the out of doors, breathing fresh air, with less worries on your mind. If you have small children, this park is for you!

This nice quiet historic city park located in the Downtown area of Gainesville offers a great…read morerecreational area with a range of outdoor play for children and families. This scenic green space has a great playground with swings, slides and a rock climbing attachment on the equipment with a shade structure. We walked around the small park and enjoyed the grassy area and magnolia trees. There is a picnic table but no bathrooms.

Beautiful place! The springs were closed but we went to Poe springs 5 minutes away and have a…read morenatural pool and river current with stairs, restaurant and bathrooms

County-owned and run park with a beautiful natural spring. There is a "dive platform", which I put…read morein quotes because as a platform diver myself, it's not high enough to be a proper dive platform but still you can do basic stuff or just jump off. Most of our state parks sadly have removed their dive platforms (Fanning, Madison Blue, Gilchrist Blue) so it's nice to find one. There are picnic tables and a I think a playground for little kids plus a sand volleyball court which gets very popular on weekends. Actually, the entire place gets very popular on weekends and I'd advise going on a weekday if possible. Otherwise, it's super-crowded and mostly rowdy teens. There are a lot of fish in the springs but if you want to freedive or snorkel and see them, come on a weekday, ideally in the morning. Once kids come around after school, the dive platform is the highlight and there's enough kids jumping off it to make the water very murky so you won't see anything then underwater. Tips: --It's cash-only, $2 admission for adults, not sure what for little ones. --No footballs: volleyballs are allowed, but no footballs! I asked why and was told by the girl at the concession stand "two boys playing football trampled a Karen who complained". So yeah, that. --The focus is very much on family fun: again, if coming to see nature come on a weekday, ideally early. --If you dive/jump off the platform, swim clear off it immediately. There's likely a middle schooler jumping right after you. Some run, jump, and don't look down and I've been hit before by flying tweens. --The road leading to the park is pretty long and paved. People drive like proverbial bats out of hell on it, 60 MPH or more. Be careful.

Super fun time! Loved it! Great for all agesOur kids has an awesome time! Perfect for a rainy day!!read more

We had the little dudes in town, so we were looking for something fun and were excited to try the…read morenew mini golf place. We went on a weekday afternoon and basically had the whole place to ourselves. The staff at the front desk was super friendly, and I thought it was really cool that you can choose a character themed golf ball. The space theme is awesome, and from peeking into the party room, it looked like a fun place for birthdays or other celebrations. The course itself was enjoyable, but my only suggestion would be to have a little more space around some of the holes. They felt pretty close together, so I could see it getting a bit crowded on a busy night. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely go back. As a bonus, groups of five or more receive a discount!

We headed up to Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo this past Saturday. They were having a Party for the…read morePlanet Day. They threw a party for the animals and celebrated Earth Day. There's a lot to see at this little zoo. We saw lemurs, a tree kangaroo, Visayan Pig, squirrel monkeys, gibbons, Caracals, owls, a beautiful bald eagle, Herons, Cranes, Emus, Kookaburras, Gila Monster, tortoises, a Wood Stork and more! Hard to get photos through some of the fences. What a fun time!

Well worth visiting if up in Gainesville for a medical appointment as we were…read more Cleo the caracal was our favorite. Many exhibits with much vacant land awaiting "The Master Plan". Numerous helpful staff who I think are students at the college. Paths are unpaved and leafy, not wheelchair friendly, but fine for walking. Gift shop had minimal adult sized shirts and none featuring caracals. Yellow parrots nice eye candy.

After playing Human Foosball at random events around town, my daughter asked to have it at her 9th…read morebirthday party. Dan and his team set up Human Foosball in our front yard and it was by far the most fun party we've had yet! The set-up process was impressive as the foosball structure is very well built and safe. Dan brought speakers that we were able to play our own playlist on and he was so much fun as a referee/color commentator during our mini tournament. A good time was had by adults and kids alike, I would highly recommend!

There is a lot to like about this park: lots of playground equipment, nice gazebos with picnic…read moretables, and plenty of shade. Hopefully as they continue to develop the park they will add permanent bathrooms (right now it is port-a-potty only), and clean it more regularly. Often when we visit, there is significant amounts of litter on the ground from irresponsible visitors. We are looking forward to the upcoming addition of a splash park here.

I am only here for two nights. Micanopy is a weird little town in Central Florida with a main…read morestreet of shops and a few restaurants. Everything closes just at 5pm. The mansion itself is very impressive. Great care was taken to keep it true to the period it was built. It is full of antiques and polished floors. Comfortable sitting rooms with big chairs and fireplaces. We stayed in The Pump house, which is out behind the main house. The room was comfortable, the water pressure fine, a great bathtub (I would love one in my house). Repairs are taken care of quickly. And the afternoon snacks are yummy. The staff is very nice and helpful. I would visit and stay there again.

Herlong Mansion review: Her (Kim, the owner) website states…read morethat the Mansion is the "most eloquent bed and breakfast in Florida". So that coupled with a $386 price tag for one night gave me great expectations. Right out of the gatem the trumped-up antique piano was a bomb. No self-respecting pianist worth their salt would be caught dead playing such an atrociously neglected and out of tune instrument. The website said we would be offered complementary wine or beer. Never happened. We paid extra $40 for two people in room, yet only one key. If you plan to sit at the table on the very hot (with no fans) balcony, take some cleaning wipes with you as it was filthy. The room door has a mounting for security chain, but no chain. The drapes just barely cover the glass on the windows. Disconcerting for sure. The wood floor is sticky beneath your bare feet. Yuck! Bathroom lighting is so poor you only hope you got your eyebrow pencil somewhere close to your eyebrows. The toilet is so low it must have been meant for children, oh wait, no children in the big house. Cheapest toilet paper ever, your fingers go right through it! The no slip strips on the bottom of the tub were loose and flying in the breeze. Safety first! A book about Floridian painters, antique or not, is only of value if one can actually turn the pages. When it is falling apart literally at the seams it is classified as junk! The cook, "E" was delightful and went above and beyond expectation. The layer of dust on every windowpane in the dining room was a little gross. Being old and decrepit does not qualify as "eloquent" , and is not worth the exorbitant price tag.