Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens covers 68 acres of varied garden landscapes in southwestern Gainesville, ranging from a bamboo forest and herb garden to a butterfly garden and Florida's largest public display of vines. The gardens are particularly known for their collection of native Florida plants and for the water gardens, which include a stand of giant Victoria water lilies — their leaves can support the weight of a child.

The gardens are pleasant to walk at any season but are at their best in spring when the butterfly garden and the wisteria arbour are in bloom. A small lake runs along one edge and attracts wading birds and turtles. Admission is charged; the gardens are closed on Fridays.

things to do sight
A story
The gardens were established in 1978 on the site of a former farm and opened to the public in 1987. The name comes from a Timucua word for the lake on the property — the Timucua were the indigenous people who inhabited north-central Florida for at least 3,500 years before European contact and whose descendants were essentially eliminated by disease and warfare by the early 18th century. The name is one of the few surviving traces of their presence in Gainesville's landscape.