Page 116 - Travel Guide to Florida 2020

NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA

ARTS AND CULTURE
At the Harn Museum of Art at the University
of Florida in Gainesville see one of the
world’s iconic Hammering Man statues by
Jonathan Borofsky plus more than 10,000
pieces of African, Asian and contemporary
art. Also on display are comprehensive
collections of Ancient American, oceanic
and natural history art. Five outdoor spaces
include the Asian Water Garden and an
Asian Rock Garden.
Theatergoers can find live professional
productions as well as art cinema and art
exhibits at Gainesville’s architecturally
impressive Hippodrome. It’s housed in the
historic Federal Building, richly designed
with Corinthian columns and elaborate trim.
Anchored by an early (1867) Gainesville
homestead, Matheson History Museum
showcases local history and native plants in
its botanical garden. The complex also
includes the Tilson Tool Barn and the quaint
1933 Gainesville Gospel Tabernacle building
that serves as the museum library. The
Florida Museum of Natural History on the
University of Florida campus is best known
for its Butterfly Rainforest. Don’t miss its
extensive collections in fields of archae-
ology, paleontology and ethnography.
MUSEUM OF FLORIDA HISTORY • VISIT TALLAHASSEE/STEVE MURRAY
Outdoors, stroll along nature paths.
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State is Bellevue, a modest but caringly restored
Park in White Springs has campsites, cabins, plantation home of a real princess.
ranger-led events and hiking trails, the same Catherine Daingerfield Willis, great grand-
INSIDER’S as other state parks, but resident artists niece of George Washington, became a
royal when she married Prince Achille
make this stop a vibrant center for Florida
TIPS folk art every day. Programs feature concerts, Murat, a nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.
When Napoleon was exiled, the couple fled
retreats and expert crafters.
In addition to this area’s regional airports, Heading west to Tallahassee via I-10, stop from France to the United States. The
locals fly out of Valdosta, Georgia, where a briefly in Greenville. Tour the restored home prince served as Tallahassee postmaster
Delta Connection flies three times daily to of jazz legend Ray Charles, until he was 15, and Catherine bought a 520-acre cotton
Atlanta International Airport. (1930–2004) by appointment or just grab a plantation. Their burial plot is in the
Cell phone service in this region’s outback quick photo of the impressive bronze statue St. John’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in
is spotty and GPS is unreliable. Plan for of the iconic musician. Continuing west to downtown Tallahassee.
alternative ways to communicate and Monticello, see the historic Monticello Tallahassee’s performance arts include
navigate. Opera House. In the vaudeville era, touring fully staged Florida State Opera productions
Gainesville’s UFHealth Shands Hospital
troupes played the area’s many opera houses. at Florida State University. A large outdoor
at the University of Florida is internationally
This one still hosts live performances. venue for seasonal festivals, concerts and
known for medical tourism. Many local
The Tallahassee Museum is a 52-acre events is the Capital City Amphitheater at
hotels offer discounts and shuttle service to
th
collection of buildings representing 19 - Cascades Park downtown. Civic venues offer
patients and their families.
century commercial, farm and social life in occasional touring shows such as a
North Florida. One of the most intriguing Broadway series.
114 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA