Gainesville residents can easily visit Jacksonville, the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and Orlando, home of Disney World, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld. Gainesville hosts the annual GatorNationals Drag Race, bringing together thousands of racing enthusiasts. The quaint town of Micanopy is a half hour drive and features antique shops, restaurants, and other specialty stores. The motion picture Doc Hollywood was filmed there. Cross Creek, the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is preserved as a state historic site .
Students can enjoy the rotating exhibits and permanent collections.
The picturesque campus has been featured in such motion pictures as Parenthood , Just Cause , Higher Learning , and Devil's Advocate . When the spring semester ends and UF students leave Gainesville for their summer activities, the town becomes much more slow-paced.