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.

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 southern 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 based on a Timucua word meaning sinkhole.

Don’t miss special events and performances at Legacy Park and off-road mountain biking and equestrian trails at San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park.

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. The largest Hare Krishna community in the Western Hemisphere brings its unique brand of Hinduism to Alachua.