Category: City Guide

Florida¹⁷ vs. Oklahoma kicks off at 7:45 PM on Saturday, Nov. 7. That leaves a whole day to fill before you head to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Here’s how to spend it, whether you’re a parent in town for the weekend, a student with friends visiting, or a fan who wants more than a parking lot. Every spot below has hours that work on a Saturday.

Game logistics like parking, shuttles, road closures and bag rules are in our Florida¹⁷ vs. Oklahoma game guide.

Morning: markets and brunch

Alachua County Farmers’ Market (the 441 Market)

13900 Tech City Circle, Alachua. Saturdays from 8:30 AM to noon, rain or shine, all year. It’s a growers-only market, which means vendors grew, raised or made what they sell. Come early for the best picks, and bring bags and small bills. The market is now at San Felasco Tech City in Alachua, so put the address in your map app instead of heading to US 441.

Brunch in town

• OAK, 15 SE 1st Ave., downtown. Weekend brunch from 10 AM.
• Bagels & Co, 1111 W University Ave. Bagels right by campus.
• Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille, Celebration Pointe. Weekend brunch 11 AM to 3 PM, and you’re close to the game-day shuttle afterward.

More ideas on our Eats page. Book ahead if you can. Home game weekends are busy.

Late morning: get outside

November is a good month to be outside in Gainesville. Pick one of these and you’ll still have time for everything else.

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Open 8 AM to sundown every day. The La Chua Trail is the one to do if you want to see gators, plus wading birds and sandhill cranes in season. It’s about a mile round trip, and pets aren’t allowed. Admission at the La Chua Trail is $4 per vehicle. The main park entrance is $6 per vehicle for two to eight people. Stay on the trail and give gators plenty of room.

Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park

4732 Millhopper Road. Open 8 AM to sundown, every day. This sinkhole is 120 feet deep and 500 feet across, and it’s a National Natural Landmark. Stairs take you down into a shady, mini rainforest. The climb back up is steep, so wear real shoes. Admission is $4 per vehicle (up to eight people), or $2 if you walk or bike in.

Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

4700 SW 58th Drive, off Archer Road about a mile west of I-75. Open 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays, with last entry at 4:15 PM (closed Thursdays). Admission is $12 plus tax for adults and $7 plus tax for kids ages 5 to 13. Kids under 5 get in free with a parent. It covers 68 acres. Look for the big bamboo grove, and there’s a paved path that makes for an easy walk.

Sweetwater Wetlands Park

325 SW Williston Road. Open 7 AM to sunset every day. More than 3.5 miles of gravel trails and boardwalks wind through 125 acres of wetlands, and over 260 kinds of birds have been seen here. Look for alligators and great blue herons. Entry is $5 per car or $2 per person on foot or bike. Bring exact change or use the Passport Parking app. No pets, and bikes have to stay at the rack by the restrooms.

Afternoon: museums and downtown

Harn Museum of Art

On the UF campus. Saturday hours are 10 AM to 5 PM, and admission is always free. Parking is free in the surface lot and the garage on weekends. It’s an easy, quiet stop for parents and grandparents before the stadium gets loud.

Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention

811 S Main St. Open Thursday to Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Hands-on exhibits about invention, named for Dr. Robert Cade, who led the UF team that created Gatorade in 1965. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for ages 5 to 17 and $12.50 for college students with ID and seniors. Parking is free.

A note on the Florida Museum

The Florida Museum of Natural History and its Butterfly Rainforest are closed for an expansion until Monday, Nov. 23. Save them for your next visit.

Depot Park and First Magnitude

Depot Park is a city park built around Gainesville’s old train depot, near downtown. Right next door, First Magnitude Brewing Co. (1220 SE Veitch St.) opens at noon on Saturdays and has food trucks on site every day it’s open. Kids are welcome with an adult, and there are non-beer drinks too. It’s a good spot to sit for an hour before you head to campus.

Sunset: the UF bat houses

This is one of Gainesville’s strangest and best free shows. The bat houses are on the north side of Museum Road, across from Lake Alice, at 2664 Museum Road. On calm, warm evenings when it’s above 65 degrees, the bats come out 15 to 20 minutes after sunset. Sunset on Nov. 7 is around 5:40 PM, the first Saturday after the time change. Watch the western sky over the pines. High wind, rain or cold keeps them inside, so it’s a gamble in November.

Campus roads and lots work differently on game day, and parts of campus close to cars by late afternoon. Don’t plan to drive to the bat houses that evening. Only try it if you’re already parked for the game and can walk.

Evening: head to the game

• The game-day shuttle runs from 3 hours before kickoff, so from about 4:45 PM. It picks up at Celebration Pointe, UF Park and Ride Lot #2 and Garage 109. It costs $20 for adults and $10 for kids under 12.
• Road closures around the stadium start at about 4:45 PM.
• Clear bags only at the stadium. Full rules are in the game guide.
• Kickoff is at 7:45 PM on SEC Network.

Three ready-made plans

The parents’ plan

Brunch at OAK, the Harn Museum, a walk through Kanapaha, then the shuttle from Celebration Pointe. Easy on the feet, and you’ll have a seat on the way in.

The outdoor plan

The 441 Market when it opens at 8:30 AM, the La Chua Trail at Paynes Prairie, the Devil’s Millhopper stairs, then an afternoon at First Magnitude next to Depot Park.

The student budget plan

Bagels & Co, the free Harn Museum, Sweetwater Wetlands for $2 a person on foot, then the bat houses at sunset if you’re already on campus for the tailgate.

Staying the whole weekend? See Things To Do and City Guide for hotels, getting around and more.

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Florida plays Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3:30 PM ET on ABC. This year the game is in Atlanta, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. If you’re staying in Gainesville, you don’t have to watch it on a laptop in your dorm. Here’s where to watch with a crowd, plus a few ideas for Halloween night after the game.

Heading to Atlanta instead? Our Florida¹⁷ vs. Georgia³ weekend guide covers the drive, MARTA, parking and the stadium bag rules.

The game

• Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 31, 3:30 PM ET
• TV: ABC
• Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
• Radio: Gators Sports Network

Big screens and watch parties

First Magnitude Brewing Co.

1220 SE Veitch St., right next to Depot Park and the Hawthorne Trail. First Magnitude is hosting a “Brewery Tailgate” for the game, with food trucks from Germains and Soul Spice. The brewery says it has the biggest screen in town. Saturday taproom hours are noon to 11 PM. It’s family friendly, and kids are welcome with an adult. Not drinking beer? It also pours house-made cider, wine, seltzer, kombucha, craft sodas and NA beer.

Dave & Buster’s watch party (WCJB TV20)

3023 SW 45th St., at Celebration Pointe. WCJB TV20 and Dave & Buster’s are hosting watch parties for Florida’s road games this season, and Oct. 31 is on the list. Parties start one hour before kickoff, so plan on 2:30 PM. Expect giant screens and giveaways, and you might win real Florida football tickets. The next ones are Nov. 14 (at Kentucky) and Nov. 27 (at Florida State).

The Swamp Restaurant

1104 SW 2nd Ave., between campus and downtown. It’s a Gainesville landmark that’s been around since 1994. It moved here after the land under its original building off W University Ave was sold, and the new building kept the white picket fence and front lawn. Students told The Independent Florida Alligator it’s a favorite for road games because of the big outdoor screen and the big tables. City parking enforcement is off on weekends nearby, but park legally.

MacDinton’s

1728 W University Ave., in Midtown across from the stadium. Two floors and a rooftop. It opens at 10 AM on Saturdays, and it has a UF vs. Georgia event listed for game day. It’s the classic Midtown game-day bar, so expect a crowd.

Cantina Añejo

1680 W University Ave., Suite 10, in Midtown. A Mexican street kitchen and tequila bar with a patio bar. Students named it a favorite road-game spot in the same Alligator story. Tacos and nachos are easy food for a crowd.

Sports bars across town

• Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille, Celebration Pointe. Big screens and a rooftop bar. Weekend brunch runs 11 AM to 3 PM, so you can eat brunch and stay for the game.
• Crafty Bastards, 4860 NW 39th Ave. 15 TVs and 60 beers on draft.
• Gators Den Sports Grill, 4200 NW 97th Blvd., in northwest Gainesville. There’s a TV at every table.

Just outside town

High Springs Brewing Company, in High Springs northwest of Gainesville, has a UF vs. UGA watch party listed for 3:30 to 6:30 PM. Check the brewery’s page before you go.

Quick picks

• Outdoor screen and lots of room: First Magnitude or The Swamp Restaurant.
• Closest to the stadium crowd: MacDinton’s or Cantina Añejo in Midtown.
• Brunch first, then the game: Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille.
• Bringing kids: First Magnitude welcomes kids with an adult.
• Prizes and giveaways: the TV20 watch party at Dave & Buster’s.

Watching at home

The game is on ABC. In Gainesville, ABC is WCJB TV20. If you stream, you’ll need a service that carries your local ABC station.

Tips for a packed Saturday

• Go early. A rivalry game, a Saturday and Halloween all on the same day means busy bars. Get there by 2:30 PM if you want a table.
• Bring your ID if you plan to drink.
• Plan your ride home. Midtown and downtown will be busy with game and Halloween crowds. Pick a sober driver or set up a ride before the game ends.
• Hours change. Call ahead or check social media before you go, especially for watch parties.

After the game: Halloween night

Once the game’s over, it’s still Halloween night.

• The Smiths Tribute Halloween Dance Party, The Wooly, downtown Gainesville, 9 to 11:30 PM. Live music from Robert, a tribute to The Smiths, plus a costume contest. Admission is $10 for ages 21 and up and $15 for ages 18 to 20.
• Downtown and Midtown bars will be busy all night. Costumes plus team colors will be everywhere.
• Extra hour: daylight saving time ends at 2 AM, so clocks fall back an hour overnight. Phones update on their own. Set any manual clocks back before bed.

Next week: Oklahoma comes to Gainesville

After Georgia, Florida comes home to host Oklahoma on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:45 PM on SEC Network. Read our Florida¹⁷ vs. Oklahoma game guide for parking, shuttles and gate rules.

More places to eat and drink: Eats. More things going on this weekend: Events.

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