Gainesville

In north-central Florida, Gainesville sits between springs that run as clear as glass and forests alive with birdsong. Just minutes from downtown, Paynes Prairie spreads into a vast wild plain, where bison graze, flocks of sandhill cranes fill the sky, and as many as 2,000 alligators bask along its waters. It’s a rare mix of small-city life and wild Florida just outside one’s door.