As a college student in Gainesville, you’ll likely discover that the nightlife is the main attraction.
But that shouldn’t stop you from hitting the town in the daytime and early evening, either.
Gainesville’s got cultural and historic landmarks worth visiting.
The Hippodrome State Theatre in downtown Gainesville, commonly known as “The Hipp,” hosts both plays and movies.
The main auditorium, where the plays are held, seats 266 people and recently hosted two popular shows, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” and “Shear Madness.”
The movie theater, which seats 80, hosts independent films that you won’t find at mainstream cinemas. It will also re-run some indie films after their original runs in theaters expire.
The building was built in 1911 and served as both a post office and a courthouse. In 1972, it was converted into a theater.
The building, which features six large Corinthian columns, also contains one of the oldest manual elevators in the state.
“It’s a really neat old building,” said Tony Farah, an employee at the theater. “The architecture alone adds to the theatrical experience. And the actors are very devoted to their roles, so it makes each play a completely new experience from the last.”
The Thomas Center
, located at 302 NE 6th Ave., was originally a home built for former Gainesvile mayor William Thomas in 1910. Thomas played a key role in securing the city as UF’s home by donating about 500 acres to entice the state to choose Gainesville for the university.
The center was converted into a hotel in 1928 and
in 1972, the city planned to demolish it. A resistance campaign saved it and the City of Gainesville purchased the property.
The 100 year-old building hosts piano recitals, weddings and
art and history exhibits.
Although hanging at a museum may not seem like the most interesting activity, Gainesville is home to the state’s official national history museum and one of the largest university museums in the Southeast.
The Florida Museum of Natural History is a place that typically stands out not only because of its traveling exhibits, fossil collections and skeletons, but because of the Butterfly Rainforest.
In the Butterfly Rainforest, you can walk around in a giant screened room filled with plants that support up to 80 species of butterflies, according to the exhibit’s website.
“The butterfly museum is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before,” said Dan Deep, a Gainesville resident who will be enrolling at UF this year. “Just the amount of butterflies in there was enough to make my head spin.”
There are also live butterfly releases on weekends between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Additionally, the museum sells butterfly-attracting plants on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The museum features 10 plants each week, along with at least one unannounced species. Proceeds benefit the exhibit.
The other museum to check out is the Harn Museum of Art, which contains
about 7,000 works of art.
In 2009, the museum added a 26,000-square-foot wing dedicated specifically to Asian art.
The museum also hosts events such as the Student Government-sponsored Museum Nights, which open the museum up from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. and features guest lecturers and guided tours.
The Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is adjacent to the Harn in UF’s Cultural Plaza.
The center has played host to a variety of acts, from a touring Chinese drum group, to the legendary reggae group the Wailers, to comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld.
