If you can’t get tickets to a game or the Gators are on the road, don’t worry: Gainesville has plenty of options for where to watch Florida sports.
Heading into the 2025-2026 school year, Gators sports are buzzing with opportunity. The football team looks to build off of last year’s late-season success, the men’s basketball team will defend its national championship title and several other teams are determined to maintain the bragging rights of being Florida’s “everything school.”
To make the most of the UF sports scene, The Swamp Restaurant and MacDinton’s Irish Pub & Restaurant are two of Gainesville’s game day staples.
For Brandon Worley, a MacDinton’s front-of-house manager, game days are something he always enjoys.
“Game days are insane,” Worley said. ”It’s probably the funnest environment I’ve ever been part of.”
The Swamp Restaurant
The iconic Gainesville sports bar opened in 1994 across the street from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on West University Avenue. After a 2019 demolition, the restaurant relocated to its current location on Southwest Second Avenue in 2022, just down the road from Infinity Hall.
The new location opened just in time for the first football game of the 2022 season, where Florida defeated then-No. 8 Utah 29-26 at home. Ever since, the spot has maintained the legacy of its old location.
“Our restaurant is unique in the fact that it is a small business but nationally known,” event coordinator Kylie Coulter wrote in an email. “People all over have heard about The Swamp Restaurant and come to Gainesville to experience the atmosphere we have curated.”
Enclosed by an iconic white picket fence, the restaurant’s large outdoor seating area is the first thing you see upon arrival. The seats face an enormous TV, creating the ultimate spot for Florida watch parties. The outdoor area also includes cornhole boards.
The restaurant also uses the outdoor space to feature a portable bar, provide extra seating and host live music for special events. It also hosts the Swamp Market, an event that showcases local small businesses.
“We have an outdoor footprint unlike any other restaurant in Gainesville,” Coulter said. “It is incredible what we can do with it.”
When you walk into the first floor, you are greeted by plenty of TVs and a variety of UF merchandise on the wall. You can get lost in Gator memorabilia from UF’s football, men’s basketball and baseball teams. At the end of the first-floor area is the bar, which features even more TVs.
The second floor has less indoor seating but includes a wraparound outdoor patio that ends at the restaurant’s outdoor bar and seating area.
The Swamp offers traditional gameday food, such as burgers and wings, and healthier options like bowls, salads and wraps. There is even a dog menu for those who wish to bring their pets along for game day.
Many of its features resemble the old location on West University Avenue while still allowing the restaurant to keep up with modern trends.
“The Swamp Restaurant emphasizes the spirit of Gator Nation,” Coulter said. “We are built off the loyalty of the fans and students.”
In February 2024, the restaurant welcomed Kendall Jenner, who was promoting her tequila brand, 818 Tequila. The restaurant was packed wall-to-wall with students and Gainesville residents looking to take a photo with the 29-year-old Los Angeles model.
The Swamp was also a hot spot during the Florida men’s basketball 2025 championship run. Hours before the championship game tipoff against Houston, hundreds of people waited outside the restaurant in the rain.
Coulter said the legacy and history behind The Swamp are what keep drawing Gators fans back.
“New students should come to The Swamp Restaurant for the same reasons that students have been coming since 1994,” Coulter said. “The atmosphere and sense of community at The Swamp is unlike any other restaurant in Gainesville.”
MacDinton’s Irish Pub & Restaurant
Located in the heart of Midtown on West University Avenue and across the street from the Murphree Commons Building, MacDinton’s has become a popular spot for UF students.
The two-story venue replaced The Social at Midtown in July and continues to be a significant attraction for students.
During the day, MacDinton’s is an Irish pub restaurant offering tableside service with game day food like wings, burgers and chicken tenders. At night, the venue converts into a nightclub and bar, opening up both of its floors, four bars and two DJ stands.
The venue’s size contributes to its success.
At two stories tall, the building features a variety of spaces that allow the staff to accommodate private and public events. From regular lunch and dinner services to private events for Greek organizations, MacDinton’s hosts it all.
“This building is like a chameleon,” Worley said. “We can make it kind of whatever we want.”
The bottom floor of the building features two bars and a variety of seating, allowing fans to view the numerous TVs throughout the space. The walls showcase a collection of Gator athletics memorabilia. A mural of the 2025 national champion Florida men’s basketball team decks the back wall.
What sets MacDinton’s apart from other bars is its second-floor rooftop area, the only bar in Gainesville with such an amenity. The open-air space features two bars, a DJ stand and a food truck, which required city approval to use a crane for delivery.
During the night, the rooftop is lit with LED lights and bumping with music, making MacDinton’s stand out among surrounding bars.
Worley admitted that, due to how much of a hit the rooftop area is, staff is exploring ways to keep people on the first floor as well.
From the rooftop, customers can enjoy the view of University Avenue, including Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Century Tower. The proximity to many UF sporting venues helps create MacDinton’s distinctive atmosphere during gamedays.
“Midtown is a staple in Gainesville for the University of Florida,” Worley said. “It’s been here longer than I’ve been alive. It’ll be here probably longer than when I’m gone.”
During the men’s basketball national championship run, MacDinton’s was the place to be.
Anthony Kurtz, the venue’s general manager, said it sold out all 1,000 tickets within the first two hours of releasing them. People wanted to get into the building so badly that he was booed when he had to tell the 150 people waiting outside that the venue was not pre-banding, Kurtz said. After the game finished, and the Gators were crowned champions, he said the bar went insane.
“This entire place went crazy,” Kurtz said. “You could feel the vibrations of people cheering. It almost felt like you were in the O’Dome.”
After a successful inaugural year, the staff looks forward to the upcoming seasons, welcoming all students and their families with open arms.
“The expectation is to remain the best bar in Gainesville,” Kurtz said. “We have the best atmosphere that you’d want to come and get, and we have great deals as well.”
MacDinton’s offers 15% off food to UF and Santa Fe College students who show their student IDs.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Summer 2025 women's tennis beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
