Gainesville is a college town in north-central Florida, home to the University of Florida and shaped almost entirely by it. When school is in session the city buzzes with energy; when students leave, it goes noticeably quiet. For visitors, Gainesville offers a pleasant surprise — more culture and nature than you expect from inland Florida.
The Florida Museum of Natural History is excellent, and the adjacent Butterfly Rainforest is one of the best of its kind in the country. The Devil's Millhopper — a 120-foot sinkhole with its own cool microclimate — is one of the more genuinely unusual natural sights in the state. The surrounding area is rich in natural springs; Ichetucknee Springs and Ginnie Springs are both within an easy drive and offer crystal-clear water for swimming and tubing. The town itself has a decent live music scene, good affordable restaurants near the university, and the kind of independent bookshop culture that college towns do well. The nightly bat emergence at the campus bat houses is a free spectacle worth timing your evening around.