Alachua

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  Main Street Alachua during Third Thursdays

North of Gainesville, among fields of wildflowers and piney woods is the town of Alachua, Florida. It’s a place rarely found this day and age right down to a Main Street that looks like exactly how small-town America should with small family-owned shops, and restaurants.

Neighbors still come to each other’s aid in the time of need and farmers still come to town on Saturday to sell their beans, corn, squash, peppers and cucumbers. In this small community, local folks still spread news by word of mouth and watch out for each other’s kids. It’s a healthy dose of nostalgia and Old South charm for sure, but that’s not all. While a far cry from Silicon Valley, there are a number of high-tech and manufacturing companies that call Alachua home. Not bad for a town whose name is taking from an Timucua word meaning sinkhole.

Some other facts about Alachua: the area is home to the world’s largest freshwater natural springs and thus is considered a cave diving mecca. The Retirement Home for Horses at MILL CREEK provides a quiet countryside sanctuary to over 100 horses and is a site to see and visit. And perhaps surprisingly, the largest Hare Krishna community in the Western Hemisphere brings its unique brand of Hinduism to Alachua’s mid-20th-century American ambiance.