Page 121 - Travel Guide to Florida 2020

ANNUAL EVENTS
SHOPPING
The cities have popular shopping malls,
anchored by familiar national chain
stores, but the area’s most offbeat
shopping is in communities where former
main-street mercantiles have evolved into
boutiques selling antiques, handmade
items of all kinds, specialty foods and
baked goods. Within a stroll of two or three
blocks you can have lunch and shop for
one-of-a-kind souvenirs.
Micanopy (Mick-can-OH-pea) is a tiny
hideaway on the site of a pre-Colombian
settlement that was platted by a New York
developer in the early 1800s. Mansions,
homes and merchants took root, only to
see a fickle public move on to other settle-
ments. Seemingly frozen in the 1950s, the
WILD BLACKBERRY FESTIVAL, JASPER • HAMILTON COUNTY TDC
hamlet has restaurants, bookstores and
antiques.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY JUNE
Alachua’s old town center is home to Hoggetown Medieval Faire, Gainesville Blueberry Festival, Wellborn
quaint galleries and restaurants. At Florida African Dance Festival, Tallahassee
Dowling Park, crafters at Advent Christian FEBRUARY Jefferson County Watermelon Festival, Monticello
Fiddler Crab Festival, Steinhatchee Wild Blackberry Festival, Jasper
Village retirement community create
Olustee Festival, Wilson Park, Lake City
handmade quilts and baby gifts for sale in
JULY
the Rustic Shop. FEBRUARY–MAY 4 of July fireworks, region wide
th
The region has several wineries including Southern Shakespeare Festival, Tallahassee
Island Grove Wine Company and Bluefield SEPTEMBER
MARCH Smokin’ in the Pines BBQ Festival, Perry
Estate Winery, both creating fruit wines.
Hogtown Craft Beer Festival, Gainesville
Butler Plaza in Gainesville features two
Red Hills International Horse Trials, OCTOBER
million square feet of retail space that Tallahassee Alligator Warrior Festival, O’Leno State Park
includes 150 stores and numerous restau- Sante Fe College Spring Arts Festival, Gainesville Butterfly Fest, Gainesville
rants. In Gainesville, Celebration Pointe is Spring Festival, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Florida Bat Festival, Gainesville
Gainesville Florida Forest Festival, Perry
a new 225-acre shopping, dining and
Springtime Tallahassee Pioneer Day Festival, Mayo
entertainment center anchored by a Bass Suwannee Spring Reunion, Live Oak Stone Crab Festival, St. Marks
Pro Shop, a 140-room hotel and a multiplex
movie theater complex. APRIL NOVEMBER
Ethnic food stores are abundant in the Bradford County Strawberry Festival, Bradleys Country Store Old Fashioned Fun Day,
Starke Tallahassee
two college towns. On Southwest 34 th
Cedar Key Arts Festival Cane Boil and Fiddle Fest, Gainesville
Street in Gainesville, large stores specialize Down Home Days Festival Parade & Rodeo, Downtown Festival & Art Show, Gainesville
in Indian, Middle Eastern, Indonesian, Madison Florida Tap Invitational All Florida Beerfest,
Philippine and Asian foods rarely found Florida State Bluegrass Festival, Perry Tallahassee
LeMoyne Chain of Parks Art Festival, Micanopy Fall Harvest Festival
elsewhere.
Tallahassee
Bradley’s Country Store, reached from
Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin’ Festival DECEMBER
Tallahassee via one of the region’s oak- Tallahassee Jazz and Blues Festival Christmas on the Square, Live Oak
cloaked “canopy roads,” retains the old- Word of South Festival, Tallahassee Festival of Lights, Stephen Foster Folk Culture
Center State Park
time charm of the 1927 original. Sausages
MAY Maclay Gardens Camellia Christmas, Tallahassee
are still made and smoked on-site. Stop to
Florida Folk Festival, White Springs Market Days, Tallahassee
buy souvenirs and stock up on smoked Hamilton County Rodeo, Jasper Suwannee Lights, Live Oak
meats, local honey, coarse-ground grits, Suwannee River Jam, Live Oak
mayhaw jelly, cracklings and such.

2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO FLORIDA 119