Romantic Bed and Breakfast with Victorian Suites and Tropical Gardens

Drive along East University Avenue in Gainesville, Florida, and you'll find the McKenzie House and the Cushman House—peach and powder-blue Victorian mansions that date back as far as 1885. They look as though they were plucked straight from the era, but they've lived through various states of disrepair. After purchasing the properties, the Holbrook family made it a priority to restore the buildings to their original splendor. Both mansions are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the town of Gainesville bestowed two City Beautification Awards on the Holbrooks for their hard work.

The 1895-built McKenzie House is surrounded by an intricate tropical garden with a koi pond, a bridge, stone fountains, statues, and ivy-laced trellises. Inside the house, each individually decorated room is outfitted with a clawfoot tub, except for Julia’s room, which has a 1930s art-deco-style walk-in shower. Just outside the stained-glass windows of Luisa's room, you can soak in a private 6-foot jacuzzi and look at the stars. Antique light fixtures illuminate seven guest rooms in the Cushman House, including the Tea Rose room with an Italian chandelier and a fireplace with an oak mantel.

Every morning, Sweetwater owner Cornelia Holbrook prepares signature southern breakfasts complete with french-toast casseroles and housemade granola. You can press your own fresh orange juice in the Cushman dining room or savor meals on the enclosed front porch. Around the corner, a red-brick courtyard serves as a quiet spot for sampling complimentary wine and chocolates. Head next door to Casa Ma Holistic Spa and Studios for a 30-minute massage or salt-foot-scrub-and-massage combo, included with this Getaway.

Gainesville, Florida: World-Class Museums, Historical College Buildings, and Legendary Sports Facilities

Located in northern Florida, Gainesville conveniently sits in the middle of several Florida destinations: it's about a two-hour drive from Orlando, Saint Augustine, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Livability.com recently named it the No. 1 College Town, calling it a "paradise for sports fans." The University of Florida Gators logo is brandished on store windows, car bumpers, and sportswear all over town. A visit to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium reaffirms the town's fervent love for its team: more than 90,000 rowdy, orange-and-blue clad spectators fill the stands of "The Swamp" on game day.

Indeed, a lot of the action in Gainesville centers on the campus, which lies about 2 miles from downtown. The campus is known for its cluster of historical buildings, including the Century Tower, a 156-foot-tall Gothic carillon that clangs out the "Florida Chimes" bell tune. On the campus’s western edge, the Florida Museum of Natural History tells the state's history with more than 500 fossils and Native American artifacts. Stroll through the museum's Butterfly Rainforest exhibit to see hundreds of butterfly species from around the world living among lush, tropical trees and cascading waterfalls.

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