Vacation Rentals & Villas

Centered around the city of Gainesville, the North Central region of Florida lacks some of the urban sprawl and overdevelopment that has taken over some coastal and central regions of the state. With a distinctive “Southern” feel, the region has more in common culturally with Alabama and Georgia to the North than it does with the Florida to the south. Holiday rentals are available throughout the region from urban condo rentals to countryside cabin rentals.

Home to the University of Florida –one of the largest colleges in the country - Gainesville is very much a college town. This translates to great nightlife, inexpensive dining and a vibrant music scene. Gainesville has been home to numerous big name performers over the years including The Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and is still popular with indie bands and record labels. There is an annual three day rock festival called The Fest and the annual harvest of Hope music festival which draw visitors from across the state and country. Fine arts and performing arts are also popular in this city, with numerous festivals throughout the year including the Gainesville Improv Festival which showcases new and upcoming talent. As a popular festival destination and a college town there are a number of holiday homes – mostly condo rentals – which are available year round or in the summer months between academic years. The countryside around Gainesville is ringed with state parks and lakes offering plenty for the nature lover in terms of fishing, kayaking, riding and hiking.

South of Gainesville is Ocala National Forest , the oldest National Forest east of the Mississippi River. The enormous expanse of largely untouched old growth forest and scrubland covers 607 square miles and incorporates over 600 natural lakes and ponds. It's varied terrain from sandy scrub to swamp and wetland plays host to a wide variety of native and non native species including Black bears, Alligators, Nine Banded armadillos, Gopher Tortoises, Whit Tailed Deer, Opossums, Gophers, Red and Gray Foxes, Raccoons and Otters as well as over a million tourists every year. Kerr City is an unusual ghost town within the forest, originally a community of orange growers, the town was abandoned after the freezes of 1894-95 destroyed the groves. Some of the towns remaining homes have been restored by the current owner of the land and even offer cabin rentals. Watersports are popular in the tree shaded waterways, fishing, snorkeling, kayaking and canoeing are all permitted as well as limited use of personal watercraft. Hiking and unpaved bike and horse trails are open year round for those not wishing to get wet. Unusually for a national forest, nearly 200 miles of off road vehicle trails are also available. Campsites are available year round for those wishing to forgo their luxury villa rentals for a night or two under the stars – don't forget your bug spray though!

Homosassa to the south provides access to the warm waters of the Gulf and is home to a large manatee population at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park where visitors can view and interact with them on a limited basis. Homosassa Springs is also home to the only hippopotamus in Florida to be granted honorary state citizenship, “Lucifer” is a retired movie star who now lives out his days among the manatees.The region is well served with I-75 offering fast north-south road travel and roads into Orlando and the beaches of the East Coast, making this a good location for visitors looking for holiday rentals outside of the urban sprawls but with access to the attractions of Orlando and Tampa.