Part of the University of Florida in Gainesville, this venue presents varied forms of performances…read more With about 1700 seats they offer a variety of shows. I purchased tickets for I thought a children's play but it happened to be a local dance school recital. The website did not have a good description. It was not what we expected and left halfway through the show. The theater is very nice but just made a mistake picking the wrong show. Parking is free on the weekends in the garage across the street.

Fun Fact: I graduated from high school right here, at The Phillips Center! I also remember…read moreattending many Nutcrackers, plays, and other field trips here while in grade school! It's definitely (or used to be) an Alachua County public schools field trip staple! While it's a place of nostalgia and great memories, it's also a favorite venue. Upon returning for a graduation, it all came rushing back. Seating is comfy, it's quiet spacious, and there's not a bad view in the building. Great theatre in good ol' Gainesville!

Among the best in small theaters in Gainesville. This African American run theater presents unusual…read moreplays dealing with contemporary issues or history that shines light on the present. Every play we've seen has been well staged with incredibly fine acting. They're housed in a converted church, and make the most of their small stage and clearly low budget sets. We try not to miss a performance - check it out and I'm pretty sure you'll be a fan too! Pro Tip: Arrive early for the performance. Parking is on-street in a residential neighborhood, so you may have to walk a bit if you don't get there early.

I would say having this event at Depot Park is definitely an improvement. Although the event space…read moreis a bit more condensed, it's a much nicer space. The food vendor lines are incredibly long so don't come hungry. However, they do have some really good options. If you hit the dominos pizza line just right, you'll get a freshly delivered pizza with a low wait time. The bathroom lines were just as crazy. They do have porta potties that are much faster but if you want a real bathroom, you will need to wait. The shows seemed to be more entertaining than in previous years. All in all, it was a good time. Go into it expecting it to be packed with people and having to wait in lines but you will enjoy yourself. Depot Park is so much better of a venue than previous years and it was free...you can't really beat that.

So we missed a year of the fair because of the pandemic, but it has returned for 2022! With the…read morereturn comes a new location as well, as Alachua County has sold off the old fairgrounds by the airport. The new location off of Archer road near Haile Plantation has some things to be desired, but for a temporary location it wasn't so bad... at least, the fairgrounds themselves weren't that bad. The layout of the fair at the new location is different from the old two-lane model that was used at the airport. Now it is more of a quadrangle approach, with one quad assigned to vendors where you can buy all kinds of really expensive things that are half the price on the Internet, one quad assigned to food, one to the jousting field, and the final one assigned to the living chessboard and SCA fields. This actually presents a problem, because the location is the site of the old YMCA baseball fields, and the fences for the fields are still in place, creating barriers for a number of the areas and preventing the flow of people from one area to another. In addition, no longer is there a draw of people past some of the areas that they would normally have been drawn past in order to get to the jousting fields, which means that the SCA and living chess area had a lower flow of patrons, which is too bad because the living chessboard had its best year ever. Parking was also an issue, as the dirt road leading to the parking was rutted and kind of scary, particularly for those with lowered vehicles. Hopefully your suspensions are in good working order! Traffic to the fair is also an issue, with the line of traffic backing up along Archer Road all the way to the Interstate at a couple points during the day. As it is near Haile Plantation, a number of newer housing developments are in the area as well, and the added traffic was not a welcome thing to people living in the area, as could be witnessed by some signs along the road as you worked your way to the parking lot. It would be very surprising to see the medieval fair occur again at this location. As for the fair itself, it is about the same. Most of the same performers and vendors were there, and the horses did their thing by charging back and forth across the jousting field. Good times for those that want to see a good show and buy some expensive trinkets.

Awesome old school arcade. Super advanced pinball machines. Huge variety. Great price $25 entrance…read moreand all the games are free play. There are a couple scary 2 player games. Many classics like Centipede, pac-man, Mario, skeeball, basket ball. Can't wait to bring our grown kids next time they are in town. They have a big variety of drinks including beer and wine soft drinks. You can leave and come back if you want. There isn't a lot of parking but owner said the building across 8th Ave is theirs and there are many spaces there.

I went here again when I stayed in Gainesville last month. It's still about 25 dollars during the…read moreweekend, which I believe is pretty reasonable for an arcade. They still have their old school games like Terminator 2, Rampage, and Ski Ball. The condition of the machines varies due to a lot of use and wear/tear, but most machines still work. Since almost all games are on free play, you can play as many times as you want, beat the game, and watch the credits roll. There were newer games too and the condition looked good. It got crowded more during the afternoon with kids playing everywhere. The games that cost money were the ticket games and prize games, and the prizes they had looked really nice. The pinball machines are in the expanded area. While I didn't play any of the pinball games, they all looked in great condition and people were having fun. I was very happy they still had Final Furlong 2, and it was a workout rocking the horse in a jockey position. And they still have the mechanical alligator you can ride at the entrance for free. I didn't try the food or drinks, but there are spaces and booths where you can eat. Parking is free, but it can sometimes be hard to find as the lot is a bit small. While I would love to see more newer and better condition games, this is still a great place to spend 25 dollars for a long weekend fun. Overall: B+

Very nice outdoor concert venue. online for your specific…read moreshow but they often allow you to bring your own lawn chairs . Pro tip: stop next door to Grand Scheme Brewery to get a to~go to drink inline while you wait to get into your show.

The Acoustics Are Amazing!…read more The Atmosphere Outstanding! Can't Wait For the First Day of the next Petty Party At HeartWood!

SwampCon is a multi-genre convention held in the Spring semester at the Reitz Union at the…read moreUniversity of Florida every year. Looking to do some CosPlay? They have it. Want to do some dragon busting (as my old Navy shipmates used to say) and defeat the evil wizards? Come on in, there will be a room full of players. There really is sort of everything you could want at this smaller convention if you are into geeky or nerdy things. Anime viewings pretty much the entire time, panels on a bunch of different things, and a general coming-together of people from all aspects of life who have similar interests in things that are not so mainstream. The entrance fee is free, they just ask that you register in order to get into the various panel rooms and vendor areas. The registration acts as a way for them to show how many people attend each year so that annual funding of the event can be justified. It was unfortunate that the various food vendors entrenched in the Reitz Union did not take note that SwampCon was going to be happening, as they had decided to keep their normal hours. This meant that half of the food vendors (Papa John's Pizza, the Orange and Brew, etc.) were closed up completely, so the rest had to handle the load. The line for Subway was out the door and across to the elevators, with only one make line open. However, I cannot fault SwampCon for that. That is just piss-poor management on the part of the various store locations that serve food for not scheduling enough people or even opening in the first place. The convention itself is a fun time, and I was there both days, all day long. I caught a panel or two, saw a bunch of cosplay getups, and just generally enjoyed myself. I certainly plan on returning again next year!

SwampCon is an awesome convention and the best part is that it is FREE!…read more Saw a lot of cool cosplay and Doctor Who Musical was cute~~

Once a month, UF's IFAS opens up their private stocked fishing ponds to public access. For no fee…read more(but do give a donation) they provide the ponds, fishing poles, bait (hotdog or beef liver), and a virtual guarantee to catch brim, catfish, or bass. If you have a kid that wants to catch fish and catch them often, this is a fun place to spend an hour or two. You are welcome to bring your own fishing gear, but theirs works just fine. I do suggest bringing a chair, as there are not many places to sit.

This is my second year attending The Fest, and I can confidently say it's quite possibly one of the…read morebest long running punk rock festivals ( 23 years ) in the entire world. There are very few true punk-only festivals out there anymore. Sure, there's Riot Fest in Chicago or Punk Rock Bowling in Vegas, but I've been to them all, and let's be honest, Riot Fest hasn't never been a pure punk rock festival. Punk Rock Bowling is the only one that really compares, and now The Fest has finally reached that same level, with around 8,000-10,000 attendees this year. What really sets The Fest apart is its layout and vibe. Instead of cramming everyone into one scorching, blacktop parking lot under the Vegas desert sun, The Fest spreads over downtown Gainesville with more than 350 bands playing across multiple venues. The whole experience feels more like a punk version of SXSW, with shows going on everywhere and the fall Florida weather making it all the more perfect. And the kicker? A three-day pass is only about $250, compare that to other festivals that charge three or four times that amount. For what you get, it's an unbeatable deal. If you're a punk rock enthusiast, this is the festival to be at. The community, the energy, the music, it doesn't get any better than this. Hope to see you all out on the dance floor!