Alachua Harvest Festival

After an appointment this afternoon we stopped by downtown Alachua and caught the end of the Alachua Harvest Festival. This was the 77th annual Harvest Festival. Main Street was sectioned off so that only walking traffic was allowed in. The street was lined with vendors, and filled with revelers.

Noche De Gala

Last Saturday evening the Sebastian Ferraro Foundation hosted Noche de Gala, an annual fundraiser to help bring a children’s hospital to Gainesville, FL. The theme of Noche de Gala 2009 was Venetian Masquerade ball, and the event blew away my expectations. This is a description of the evening, if you can get tickets next year I would absolutely recommend attending.

Alachua & North Florida Riding Trails

If you dream about spending an afternoon on the trail with your horse and a few of your best friends take a look at the trails below.  You might find a new trail to enjoy.
Ocala & Marion county are the heart of equestrian activity in Florida, but Alachua County has it’s share of horse lovers.
There [...]

Shooting Star Sushi

This is my new favorite sushi bar in Gainesville, Fl.
The Food
From their website:
“The chefs at Shooting Star all cooked at upscale dining establishments in the chic areas of Tokoyo.”
I believe it. After eating here twice (I sampled about 5 different rolls, with cooked and raw fish) I have decided that this is my [...]

Fireworks in Alachua

The 4th of July celebration was a blast (he, he)!  I would recommend heading there next year, especially if Gainesville starts a tradition of no fireworks.
Corner of 235-A and Peggy Road

Slightly edited to remove the boring wait time between explosions.
235-A was a trap
One my way to the fairgrounds I found a large group parking near [...]

Warm Greetings at the Corner Store

A short video of downtown Haile Plantation, and an overview of what it’s like to be here.

Fun restaruant: O!O Tapas & Tinis

We stopped here for lunch recently and were impressed with the quality of the food and presentation.
The mood is relaxing and classy, and there is a cool round bar in the middle of the restaurant.  It must be intended for serving the little appetizers and martinis that the place is named for.

O!O Tapas & Tinis
2725 [...]

Grouper at The Top

After listening to live Blues tonight we neaded to The Top for dinner.  It’s just north of  the intersection at UniversityAve & Main St in Gainesville (FL).
Great Food
I had a grouper fillet and it was fabulous!  As good as I ever ate when I lived in Key West – and that is quite a compliment.
The [...]

La Chua Trail – Paynes Prairie

The La Chua trail is a short 1.5 mile walk from your car to a raised observation platform. In between there is an amazing array of wetlands and animals. We saw 30+ gators in Alachua sink, just 1/2 mile or less from the car. There were wild boar, many birds, and even [...]