Gainesville labyrinths are easy to miss. Seasons here are highlighted by games. Football takes the fall focus. Soccer, basketball and lacrosse play hard in winter months. Baseball blooms in springtime. Tennis courts reverb with the sound of balls being whacked over the net even on sweaty summer days.
Need a break from all that action? Or are you just looking to gear down from life’s daily noise?
Come walk the soothing circuits of Gainesville labyrinth – I recommend three in Gainesville and one nearby in High Springs.
When fall arrives and the Bahia grass dies back to a dull brown then Mary Lynn Jamison and her husband Richard spray outline an 11-circuit Chartres Cathedral design classical labyrinth on their front lawn then seed the outline with rye grass seeds.
Lovely bright green rye grass grows up along the outline making it easy to follow the path, that dead Bahia grass. This is a perfect labyrinth for walking barefoot.
Nearby trees offer shade. There is a bench to sit and ponder a while. No reservations needed. Come anytime.
This seasonal labyrinth lasts until May or so, when the sun heats up and starts frying everything.
But right now, in February and March, is a great time to walk their labyrinth. The address is: 8820 Millhopper Road, Gainesville. Questions? Call 352-538-2070.
At Kanapaha Botanical Gardens there is a seven-circuit Cretan design labyrinth. Surprised? Many visitors have never noticed it. Exiting the Summer House where the gift shop is located and you pay admission, most visitors turn to the left on the sidewalk and head for one part of the garden, or turn to the right along the sidewalk for a look at the rest of the gardens – have to see all those 24 major plant collections.
Guess what – the labyrinth is straight ahead, directly behind the Summer building, no sidewalk needed to get there. Just look up when you exit the building.
The dirt path is outlined in Mondo grass. Two winged griffin statues mark the start of the labyrinth path.
Address: 4700 N.W. 58th Drive, Gainesville. Admission required. Note: Gardens are closed on Thursday.
At Coffrin Nature Park, 4810 N.W. Eighth Avenue, Gainesville, there is an outdoor, public five-circuit contemporary Medieval labyrinth. The path is made of bricks, many of them inscribed, and outlined in pavers and gravel.
The labyrinth is part of a garden area called Survivors of Suicide Loss Memory Garden. Also included are natural plantings that attract pollinators, benches and a Remembrance Sculpture by Greg Johnson, a Gainesville artist.
Suzie Anne Clark, owner of the Wellness Spa of High Springs has a sweet five-circuit mini-Chartres design labyrinth that is painted on canvas. Call ahead to arrange a time for walking. She will unroll the labyrinth on the yoga room floor.
Address: 340 N.W. First Avenue, High Springs, phone: 386-454-8889.
Note: In researching the Gainesville labyrinths chapter of my book Circle the Center Labyrinths in Florida I tried to walk four other labyrinths. They are not included due to vandalism, neglect or difficulty of access. My criteria: To be one of the labyrinths in my book a labyrinth had to be easy to find and comfortable to walk. Ninety-five labyrinths made the cut.
UPCOMING
Love books? This book festival is for YOU
Saturday, March 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Venice Book Fair at West Blalock Park, 300 block Nassau Street South across from Venice Museum & Archives
Author Lucy Tobias will be one of 100 book authors in the park. Stop by and say hello!