I had no idea that Gainesville was such a beautiful part of Florida. I always thought of it as a college town but everywhere I went Mother Nature exploded with beauty. I had never heard of Paynes Prairie so I was not really sure what to expect. I walked up to the cool visitor’s center and got the lay of the land. I found out there was an Observation Tower where you can climb up & get a spectacular view of the prairie. What an amazing view it was. Such variety of color and the panoramic view was stunning.
After soaking it in for who knows how long, just rocking on the bench, swinging without a thought or care in the world, I headed off to the next park. On my drive, I spotted another view of the prairie, this time from the ground. An observation dock was built and stretched out into the prairie. There was a sign that showed all the different looks of the prairie depending on the season. I was excited to see the landscape chance with my own eyes. I strolled down the dock enjoying all of the flowers and colorful foliage along the way. When I reached the end of the dock there was a gator below, just basking in the sun, taking a little nap. What a treat it was to see such a different part of the state.
Before you visit, make sure you check out the parks website for all of the up-to-date park information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/paynes-prairie-preserve-state-park
