The Woodlands is near UF campus, perfect for those wanting to check out the Florida Natural History Museum or Bathouse. Click to learn more!
While sitting down with your family in one of your Gainesville apartments might seem fun for a while, you may run out of things to talk about faster than you'd think! When your family has completed their grand tour of your new place, they might want to visit the area and have some fun together as a family. Gainesville may seem like a college town, but there are some great family-friendly places in the area that will keep the whole group entertained. Check out some of your options below!
If you have some history and nature enthusiasts in your family, consider taking them to the Florida Museum of Natural History, conveniently located on University of Florida's campus. Some of the wonderful museum exhibits regularly on display throughout the year include Florida Fossils: Evolution of Life & Land, Our Energy Future, and South Florida People and Environments. Moving to one of the apartments near Gainesville in the near future? Your family won't want to miss the museum's limited time exhibits Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs and A Black and White Odyssey, both running until September 2014. The children in your family will be thrilled with the museum's separate entity, The Butterfly Rainforest, where they can watch hundreds of free flying butterflies enjoy the luscious garden and blooming flowers. While touching the butterflies is not permitted, many butterflies will land on visitors on their own! When your family leaves Gainesville, they can head to the museum's website and continue their adventures by watching the live butterfly cams!
If your group is still up for some adventures after a day at the museum, apartments near Gainesville are just moments away from the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, a beautiful, spacious botanical garden with over 24 separate collection areas for your family to enjoy. If someone in your family is engaged, you could even suggest the gardens as a perfect wedding venue in the future! There are plenty of seating options all along the winding paths in the gardens if you have elderly or disabled family members that might get tired from the walk. Canine family members are welcome as well, as long as they are on a leash! Animal lovers in your family will enjoy the brightly colored koi fish swimming close to the water's surface, as well as several different species of birds lounging near the water. Don't forget to stop by the gift shop and grab some lovely plants and nature-themed decorations for one of your new apartments in Gainesville!
Visiting these two places can easily fill up one day, but if you're looking for more things to do, apartments near Gainesville are close to several other family-friendly attractions. You can always visit Santa Fe's Teaching Zoo, the Historic Haile Homestead, the University of Florida Bathouse (a truly unique experience!), or the historic Thomas Center. If the children in your family just want to have some casual fun, take them to University of Florida's Game Room for some bowling or arcade gaming!