Morningside Living History Farm

Location: 3540 E University Avenue. Follow signs from parking lot to farm trail, which leads to the Living History Farm. The Living History Farm is located at Morningside Nature Center located approximately three miles east of Downtown Gainesville, on State Rd 26. The Living History Farm brings Florida cracker family living in the mid to late 1800’s to life again. On Living History days (Saturdays, Labor Day through Memorial Day) farm visitors can observe daily life in 1870 as costumed staff interpret bygone days through chores and activities. Annual events at the farm include the Farm and Forest Festival in the spring and Cane Boil in the fall. For a complete listing of events at Morningside Nature Center, please see the Community Events & Press Releases web page. Hours: Park hours 9:00 am—4:30 pm , every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day. Information: 352-393-8756 or 352-334-3326.  Activities/Events: The living history farm is on a ten acre area of the park and represents an 1870's single family farm. This offers a unique experience for visitors who most often see developed historic "villages". The lifestyle is characteristic of early settlement if Florida and persists in some areas through the present. The farm features original historic buildings moved to Morningside from around the county, including a hand-hewn longleaf pine cabin, board and batten kitchen, twin crib barn and outbuildings. The half moon schoolhouse is being restored as a demonstration rural school and the new Shiloh forge blacksmith shop is open for demonstration. The buildings are open with costumed staff interpreters doing turn-of-the-century farm chores every Saturday from September through May. These farm days are free to the public, when you can peruse the historic items in the buildings, get questions answered, and sample fresh biscuits or cornbread hot from the woodstove with fresh churned butter and cane syrup grown and made on premises. The heritage breed farm animals are fed daily at 9am and 3pm. Larger annual events complete with craft demonstrators and vendors include the Farm and Forest Festival and our Cane Boil, both of which are listed on our Events Calendar. The Friends of Nature Parks are the original not-for-profit support organization which provides volunteers, supplemental funding, and advocacy for matters of concern to the nature parks. Amenities: The center has parking areas, a picnic area, restrooms, informational kiosks and interpretive materials, native herpetofauna display, 7 miles worth of various length loop trails, a wildlife blind, and a new Longleaf Pine ecosystem diorama. In addition, the living history farm has original turn-of-the-century buildings and historic breed farm animals in the barnyard for visitors to enjoy. Check out our Farm Interpretive Publications, modeled after the New Era newspaper that was published in Gainesville in 1870:

Documents & Links:
Around the farm		148KB
Our 1870's Life Guide		2MB