Plan for a Perfect Gift or Weekend Escape at a Gainesville and Alachua County Bed and Breakfast

A weekend at a bed and breakfast inn can make the perfect gift for your partner by treating them to a romantic getaway or make for that perfect weekend escape. If your feeling inspired, read on and explore your options for rest and relaxation in the Historic Gainesville Downtown Bed and Breakfast district.

Gainesville’s bed and breakfasts are filled with character and history, beautiful gardens and relaxing fountains, innkeepers who love hosting guests and giving personalized recommendations, themed rooms with modern amenities, and impressive home-cooked breakfasts.

The bed and breakfast inns in the downtown district (as well as the nearby hotels) are just a sweet stroll away from excellent restaurants such as Mark’s Prime Steakhouse or Dragonfly Sushi & Sake Company. Enjoy a delectable meal and then grab a coffee at Wyatt’s Coffee. Explore the record collection at Hear it Again Records, or take in a play or movie at the historic Hippodrome Theatre. You could also make your way a ½ mile south on SE 2nd Street to experience one of downtown’s gems, Depot Park, home to Box Car Beer & Wine Garden, Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention and the Gainesville to Hawthorne Rail to Trail.

The Laurel Oak Inn Bed & Breakfast

The Laurel Oak Inn is a beautifully restored 1885 Queen Anne Victorian known for providing southern hospitality with an east coast flair.

Each guest room is intimate, quiet and carefully curated to tell a unique story. The Inn offers a sitting room off the kitchen, which is a great place to socialize with other guests and often times the Innkeepers. Enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the porch listening to the streaming fountain or birds chirping.

Our Favorite Enhancement: Rose-Petal Turndown

Magnolia Plantation Bed & Breakfast Inn and Cottages
Innkeepers Cindy and Joe

The Magnolia Plantation Bed & Breakfast Inn is an 1885 Victorian Painted Lady that features gardens, a central foyer, period kitchen, formal dining room, sitting rooms, guest rooms and cottages.

Guests can choose to enjoy their full-course breakfast in the formal dining room, on a porch or in the garden gazebo. Or, stay in bed and have your breakfast delivered to your cottage.

Relax the day away with a cup of coffee or glass of wine in their beautiful landscaped gardens.

Our Favorite Enhancement: Goody Basket

Sweetwater Branch Inn
Innkeeper Cornelia Holbrook

Sweetwater Inn is a Victorian complex of two Victorian-era mansions, the McKenzie House and the Cushman-Colson House dating back to 1895.

The Sweetwater features 20 different rooms, suites, and cottages, an in-ground, heated saltwater pool and spa and sculptured gardens. Sweetwater is an eclectic blend of Victorian charm and Southern hospitality. 

In the evening, find your favorite spot in their gardens or near the pool to delight in their complimentary wine and cheese.

Our Favorite Enhancement: Sweetwater Package

Additional Accommodations in Micanopy and High Springs

If you prefer to stay outside of Gainesville, two options in historic Micanopy and High Springs might make the perfect choice to get away from it all.

Herlong Mansion Bed and Breakfast

Leave the stresses of modern life behind in Micanopy, Florida’s oldest inland town. Built circa 1845, the Herlong Mansion Bed and Breakfast is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features southern hospitality with a 3-course breakfast served every morning.

Our Favorite Enhancement: homemade cookies and wine in the afternoon and evening.

Grady House Bed and Breakfast
Innkeepers Sara and Scott

The Grady House Historic Bed & Breakfast has five spacious color-themed rooms, each with a private bath. Other accommodations include Skeet’s Cottage, a beautiful two-story Victorian home built in 1896. Skeet’s Cottage has two spacious bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom downstairs with claw foot tub and shower, a full kitchen, family room and parlor.

Our Favorite Enhancement: Candlelit Dinners

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