Once in a while, you are blessed with a 3 day weekend or a non-game day weekend. You are free and can get away from Gainesville for a day or two to rejuvenate and refresh. The Swamp gets exhausting and it is nice to have a chance to miss it. Here is a list of places you can easily visit from Gainesville.
1. St. Augustine (less than a two-hour drive away)
At St. Augustine, you can visit the Historic District and walk around the pretty, pastel colored buildings and shop around the locally-owned boutiques. St. Augustine brings you to a place with so much history, as it is the oldest city in the US. You can go see the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse and Castillo de San Marcos. There are also ghost tours that allow you to venture into the paranormal. Also, there are many coffee shops and breweries - not to mention the delicious seafood restaurants.
Fun Fact: They sell Dole Whip, a soft-serve ice cream dessert that is made with Dole pineapple juice, and you thought you could only find it at Disney.
If you're an early-riser, go out to St. Augustine beach and see the sunrise. The calming waters will ease your mind and many locals will be walking their dogs, you just might spot a corgi!
2. Orlando (less than two hours away)
On International Drive, they have the Orlando Eye and other tourist attractions like Madame Tussauds Orlando. There are really nice malls and outlets nearby called The Mall at Millenia and Orlando International Premium Outlets. You can shop till later in the night since the outlets do not close till 11 p.m. or later. Aside from Disney World and Universal/Islands of Adventure, however, Orlando has more to offer.
But if you want to avoid the traffic and tourists, you should visit the Downtown Orlando area where you can walk around Lake Eola Park. Ten minutes away is Winter Park, an area that is filled with art and culture. They frequently hold art festivals and farmers markets. There are cute coffee shops called Stardust and Krungthep. Also, a perfect place to try out locally grown eats is East End Market. They sell house-made desserts, fresh bread and cold-brew coffee.
3. Tampa/St.Petersburg (less than two and a half hours away )
Food. Enough said. Tampa has it all from ramen at Japanese Kitchen Dosunco to a cajun/creole-style brunch at Roux. They have a unique dessert wine bar called Swah-Rey that have mini-cupcakes paired with your choice of juice, wine or craft beer. There is also the Mini Doughnut Factory where you can customize your own mini doughnut.
There are venues like Mid-Florida Amphitheater and State Theater which always have concerts going on during weekends.
Ybor City holds large events like Guavaween and Gasparilla. Ybor was known to be populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly from Cuba, Spain and Italy so there is a plethora of food options to choose from.
St. Petersburg beach is conveniently located near the city so you can go out and go fishing or just bake in the the gorgeous, Florida sun.
