GainesvilleMoms.com

Next month, I have some family coming to visit. I want to get advice on where to take them while they're here. They're very low-key and enjoy nature things. I'm planning some local Gainesville activities (ie the bathouse), but was wondering what to plan for a bigger outing. I think we're going to St. Augustine on day. Any recommendations for a relatively close beach (particularly Gulf coast)or spring for another day?

In town, check out Devil's Millhopper, the Florida Natural History Museum and the Butterfly Rainforest, Kanapaha Gardens, Paynes Prairie, Morningside Nature Center...for an out of town day on the Gulf Coast, definitely check out Cedar Key. Very low-key. Small beach, playground for kiddies, very rustic and weathered..some shops and restaurants. Very "the place that time forgot" old Florida.

Cedar Key is nice and close, but more boardwalk-y than sandy if I remember correctly. I usually take people to St. Augustine, I love it and they love it too!

My mom said that they have redone the playground at the beach at Cedar Key and the boardwalk too. She says it's really nice. I agree with all this, but the butterfly rainforest is not cheap so check on that before you go.

Link

This is a link to the Nature Operations website with the CIty. They have tons of things to do.

Marianne,
I had family from out of town in Aug. Of everything we took them to, they loved the tour of the stadium the best (huge Gator fans tho) and a walk around the campus while eating Ben & Jerry ice cream cones . We also took the kids to skate station which was a hit!

Manatee Springs in Chiefland is nice.
And Anastsia State Park in St. Augustine is a great beach with a really nice snack shack.
San Felasco on Millhopper Rd. is nice, sometimes there's ticks though.
The Santa Fe zoo is nice too, during the week you have to make an appointment to go.

Thank you all for such great ideas! I'll talk to my sisters and see what sounds the most fun to them.

Cedar Key does have an awesome playground! Some great seafood restaurants and it is like going back in time. BUT, they do have really bad sand gnats so bring spray!! We stayed over 4th of July holiday and they were really, really bad, of course we forgot to bring the spray!

Cedar Key and Manatee Springs are my neck of the woods!!

Sand gnats at Cedar Key are much better now that the weather has cooled off and they have redone the boardwalk and the playground, it's much nicer. Also Manatee Springs is in Chiefland and on the way to Cedar Key if you wanted to do both in one day. Beautiful sun sets at Cedar Key...

Manatee Springs is very naturey(is that a word!?)It has a nice boardwalk with spots to stop at and observe the springs all the way out to the main Suwanee River and down t a floating dock...also admission to the park is only $4.00 per car load of up to 8 people. Can't beat $.50 per person!

take them to the butterfly rainforest! It is beautifull and a great place to see!!! Not everyone has been to one before!

Has anybody been to the state park near Keystone? I think its called Goldenhead or something like that. I was told they've got cabins you can't rent out for the weekend and go canoeing and ride bikes on the trails for hardly any money at all.

If they are into outdoors and some walking, going on a hike across the Prarie is fun, especially since most people don't get to see live wild gators right where they live. The Alachua Sink has always been a hotspot for many sightings so bring a camera!

I think St Augustine has a lot more to do and see than Cedar Key, but the drive is a bit longer. I would LOVE to do the walking ghost tour one night there! If there are mostly kids or many kids, Cedar Key might be the ticket but be prepared - their "beach" leaves a lot to be desired. The park is awesome, I agree.

Perhaps I am a bit biased, living in walking distance to the gulf coast, but the beaches down here are pretty amazing. I think the total drive time is about 3 hours (depending who is driving, I do it in 2.5) and there are the great beaches, the museums, shops and so forth. Sarasota has a ton to offer but it isn't a "Gainesville" thing I know. Just an idea if they would like to see the white sand beaches and so forth. Kind of depends on how much driving you want to do and if staying overnight is in the budget. Word of advice if you do happen to head my way, don't stay in Sarasota proper - go south! Venice is a short drive and the hotels will be MUCH cheaper. No matter where you stay in Venice, Osprey or Nokomis you are within a mile or less of a great beach. I would be happy to send you some links from here if you like, just let me know!

It is so nice to hear of all these different places around town. My husband and I have been searching for places to do little family day trips that don't cost much. Thanks for all these great suggestions!

It will be my 2 sisters and 2 year old nephew coming. I think locally we'll go to the bathouse, Alachua Sink, and possibly the butterfly rainforest. I'll talk to them about a day trip to Cedar Key (and possibly to Manatee Springs), I haven't been to the Gulf Coast yet. They leave on a late Saturday afternoon, so I think we'll head over to St. Augustine and spend the day there before taking them to the Jacksonville airport. Thank you all for great suggestions!! I'll definitely plan doing these with my boys, too.

Michellev - I definitely want to check out your 'hood but it will probably be just my family. I'll be sure to ask you for some local tips!

Thanks ya'll! (See, I'm trying to speak 'southern')