The other Florida

While all roads lead to the University of Florida campus, there are also many trails into the past in this historic town. History, nature, and culture are intertwined, and visits to the Matheson Museum, the Thomas Center, the Harn Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, the Devils Millhopper, and Paynes Prairie State Preserve are recommended. Lovers of hunting might enjoy the Bear Archery Museum (I've never been there). There are ample opportunities for hikes and nature walks, as well as plenty of ethnic and other reasonably priced restaurants. Gainesville grows on you like moss. At first it seems as though nothing much is happening here, but the pleasant pace of life and the ease of meeting people provide a great deal of comfort.

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While walking is almost mandatory on the university campus and is a viable option in the downtown area, the city is too spread out to make that feasible as one's only form of transportation. There is a good bike path system. City buses have recently expanded both their routes and their frequencies (a few years ago, there were no buses on weekends, but that has changed. However, having a car is pretty much a necessity in Gainesville. Traffic is not bad, but parking can be impossible on campus and costly downtown. Free parking is readily available in most other residential areas, at museums, and in shopping malls.

The first time I ever ate Thai food was at Tim's and it is still my favorite place for this cuisine. Although their menu is not too long, all of the basic Thai dishes are included. Their Pad Thai is wonderful and can be prepared with shrimp or without. There are many vegetarian selections. I also like some of the curried dishes and the fish cake, which is sort of like gefilte fish. However, the best thing on the menu here are the spring rolls, which are clearly the best spring rolls anywhere. They are large and perfectly fried, never greasy. The inside is filled with bean thread noodles instead of the boring cabbage normally included. One of my friends orders them as an appetizer and then has more later for dessert!

This is a family owned and operated restaurant. It has charm and personality to go along with its very good food. They do not serve alcohol, so if you want wine or beer, bring your own and they will supply glasses.

While the Harn Museum of Art is not large, it offers well displayed, varied exhibitions. Most are temporary, so it is necessary to visit the museum about once every two months to see everything.

The Harn's curators try to offer a good sampling of what is important in art today. For example, the current exhibitions include one of handmade art quilts, another of f64 photographers (the group that included Ansel Adams and Edward Weston), and Asian pottery. The museum owns one excellent Monet painting, "Champs d'Avoine," which is permanently exhibited, and usually has several fine paintings by Herman Herzog on display. There is a large rotunda area for which many original sculptures have been designed.

The museum is closed on Mondays and UF holidays. Admission is free (but donations are welcome).

The Baughman Center is a lovely modern chapel on the shore of Lake Alice. It was built in the late 1990's. It can be rented for weddings and other events. Other than that, I don't know when it is open. Regular religious services are not held here. The building is such an architectural gem, it is worth seeing.

Lake Alice is home to many alligators. They are wild animals; do not feed them. There are also many birds frequenting the area. Slightly farther up the road from the center on the other side of the street is the Bat House, which was built to provide a more suitable home for bats than the nearby football stadium. If you are there at dusk, you can see them exit and fly away to feed on mosquitos and other insects.