Paynes Prairie Now a state preserve, this large flat marshy plain embraces 20,000 acres. Named after King Payne, a Seminole chief, it was once the home of Timucuan Indian tribes and was a large Spanish cattle ranch in the 16th century. From 1871 to 1892, when the Alachua Sink was clogged, it became Alachua Lake. Naturalist William Bartram visited the prairie in 1774 and wrote about its wonders. Devil's Millhopper This large sinkhole is a bowl-shaped cavity 500 feet in diameter and 120 feet deep. Its name derives from its funnel or hopper like shape and the superstition that the devil rises from its depths to lure people into his abode.
Boulware Springs Waterworks A natural spring that was a local swimming hole, it became the site of a meeting in 1853 that created the town Gainesville and resulted in moving the county seat from Newnansville. It supplied Gainesville with drinking water for a decade. Its restored pump house museum is the trail head for a 21-mile rails-to-trails path.
Evergreen Cemetery This 50-acre, city-owned cemetery contains the graves of Gainesville's most significant pioneer families, including James Bailey, Rev. William McCormick and William Reuben Thomas.
Dudley Farm This 256-acre pioneer farm includes the Dudley family house and 17 farm buildings. A working farm since 1859, it is one of the oldest historic sites in the county.
Cottonwood Plantation This large cotton plantation in Archer was run by David Levy Yulee, Florida's first U. S. senator. In 1865 it was the terminus for the Confederate Wagon train, carrying gold and Jefferson Davis' personal papers. Now only a bronze plaque marks the spot.
Newnansville Once the site of the largest town in Alachua County and at that time its county seat, Newnansville flourished until the 1850s when it was bypassed by the railroad. When the City of Alachua was founded nearby in the 1880s, Newnansville became a ghost town.
The Bellamy Road Constructed between 1824 and 1827 and running from St. Augustine to Pensacola, this road opened up the interior of Florida for exploration and settlement. Six miles of the road have been designated as scenic.
The Santa Fe Canal Completed in 1881, this canal connected Melrose with Waldo through Lake Alto and Little Santa Fe Lake.
Oak Ridge Cemetery The second oldest cemetery in Alachua County and used primarily by the Micanopy and Rochelle families, it contains the grave and monumental marker for Madison Starke Perry, Florida's fourth governor, who served from 1857 to 1861.