Things to Do in Paynes Prairie and Micanopy
Wild bison, alligators and big skies on Gainesville's doorstep, and an old town beyond.
See top-rated activities »About Paynes Prairie
Paynes Prairie is one of the strangest landscapes in Florida: a basin roughly eight miles across that floods into a shallow lake in wet years and dries to grassland in others. In the late 1800s it held so much water that steamboats crossed it. The state bought the land in 1970 and made it Florida's first state preserve, and today it covers about 21,000 acres. It is named for King Payne, a Seminole leader whose people kept cattle here.
Wildlife is the reason to come. The park reintroduced American bison in 1975 and keeps a small free-roaming herd, and a band of Florida Cracker horses, descendants of Spanish stock, grazes the open prairie. Alligators are everywhere in the wetter sections, especially around Alachua Sink, and in winter sandhill cranes gather by the thousands. The main entrance on U.S. 441 near Micanopy leads to the visitor center and a 50-foot observation tower. On the north rim, the short La Chua Trail follows a boardwalk and levee out to Alachua Sink, often past basking alligators; stay on the path and keep your distance. The paved Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, about 16 miles long, skirts the prairie's northeast side for cyclists.
South of the prairie, Micanopy is one of the oldest inland towns in Florida, and it looks the part. Its short main street, Cholokka Boulevard, is lined with antique and book shops under live oaks draped in Spanish moss, and the town has appeared in films because it needs so little set dressing. The fall festival brings crafts vendors and music to the street each year.
A few miles southeast, at Cross Creek, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park preserves the cracker farmhouse, citrus grove and barn where the author lived and wrote The Yearling. Rangers lead tours of the house on a seasonal schedule, and the grounds are open to walk. The nearby Yearling restaurant serves the kind of Old Florida food Rawlings wrote about.
Don’t Miss
About 21,000 acres of prairie and marsh with free-roaming bison, wild horses, alligators and a 50-foot observation tower near the visitor center.
A short boardwalk and levee walk from the prairie's north rim to Alachua Sink, one of the best places in Florida to see alligators up close. Keep to the trail.
About 16 miles of paved rail-trail from Boulware Springs past the edge of Paynes Prairie to Hawthorne.
Antique and book shops along Cholokka Boulevard under moss-draped oaks, in one of Florida's oldest inland towns.
The farmhouse, grove and barn where Rawlings wrote The Yearling, a National Historic Landmark with ranger-led house tours.
Top-Rated Tours, Tickets & Activities in Paynes Prairie
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Get free trip quotes »Paynes Prairie — FAQ
Is the La Chua Trail safe with all the alligators?
Yes, if you follow the rules. Stay on the boardwalk and levee, keep at least 15 feet from alligators, never feed wildlife and keep children close. Pets are not allowed on the trail.
How far is Micanopy from Gainesville?
Micanopy is about 20 minutes south of downtown Gainesville by U.S. 441 or Interstate 75, just past the south rim of Paynes Prairie.
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