Atlanta to Gainesville FL road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance

Planning an Atlanta to Gainesville FL road trip itinerary

The Atlanta to Gainesville FL drive connects the capital of Georgia to a university city in northern Florida.

Atlanta played a massive part in the Civil Rights movement, and a black history and civil rights tour is pretty much a must-do.

For more Atlanta experiences, try a sightseeing trolley tour for orientation and overview. Or a guided bike ride to get a better feel for the neighbourhoods.

Other Atlanta favourites include the World of Coca Cola, Midtown food and cocktail tours and multi-brewery beer tours.

Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and will be best known to college football fans as the home of the Florida Gators.

For everyone else, there’s the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Harn Museum of Art and the Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park. The latter is based around a limestone sinkhole.

Atlanta to Gainesville FL distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Atlanta to Gainesville FL is 332 miles. That makes for a driving time of around four hours and 48 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-75.

The best stops to add to an Atlanta to Gainesville FL road trip itinerary are Macon GA, Valdosta GA and White Springs FL.

Best stops between Atlanta and Gainesville FL: Macon GA

Macon GA, on the Ocmulgee River, is a handy journey-breaker on the drive to or from Florida.

There are several interesting cultural attractions in Macon. These include the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Italian Renaissance-style Hay House.

The Tubman Museum is devoted to African American culture, history and art, while music fans should enjoy the Allman Brothers Museum. The top historic attraction, however, is the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. Here, there is evidence of more than 17,000 years of continuous human inhabitation.

Atlanta to Gainesville FL road trip attractions: Valdosta GA

In Valdosta GA, the Lowndes County Historical Museum does the local history thing. And the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts hosts strong porcelain and East African art collections.

Most visitors, however, will beeline it to Wild Adventures. This is a zoo, water park and theme park rolled into one, and there’s a decent clutch of thrill rides.

Atlanta to Gainesville FL drive: White Springs FL

The Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs is named in honour of the composer who wrote Old Folks At Home. The park features a museum that goes into Foster’s work, plus a 97-bell carillon that plays his songs throughout the day.

Several hiking trails also have their trailheads in and around White Springs. Stephen Foster’s Hammock Loop Trail is perhaps the best, taking in several scenic riverside spots, such as Catfish Hole and the Overlook. The 8-mile trail is also suitable for mountain biking.

The Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Photo by DNJdesigns/ Pixabay.

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