What makes Gainesville so special to me is its proximity to a large number of springs. You can drive 45 minutes to an hour in almost any direction and end up in clear, 72-degree water any day of the year.
Some of my favorites are Blue Springs Park, Ichetucknee Springs State Park and Ginnie Springs. Blue Springs is beautiful because of its crystal water and flowing vegetation, the Ichetucknee is great because there are two springs to swim in as well as an entire river to explore and Ginnie is my favorite cave dive in the area.