Research Triangle offers lessons for Gainesville in cultural, natural options

Nathan Crabbe, The Gainesville Sun
·4 min read

Of all the screwy slogans our community has cycled through in recent years, “Where nature and culture meet” is the only one that really makes sense.

It captures two essential elements that make Alachua County great: cultural attractions including art, music and theater — enhanced by the presence of the University of Florida and Santa Fe College in Gainesville — in an area with top-notch parks, nearby springs and other natural beauty.

I thought about how Gainesville might strengthen these attributes during a recent trip with my wife Colleen to another place with a number of cultural and natural attractions. North Carolina’s Research Triangle includes world-class universities such as Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State, along with a multitude of opportunities to appreciate the arts and the outdoors.

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Most of our visit was spent in Durham, which has turned former tobacco company warehouses into tourist attractions housing restaurants, shops and other businesses. But we also spent time in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, visiting as many concerts, museums and restaurants as we could fit in.

We saw Old Crow Medicine Show and Gangstagrass perform at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh at an amphitheater surrounded by a sculpture park, along with attending the Blues and Brews Festival in Durham’s Central Park. Other highlights included visiting the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, watching a Sylvan Esso concert from outside the fences of the Historic Durham Athletic Park (where "Bull Durham" was filmed) and hiking at nearby Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area.

Comparisons between Alachua County and the Research Triangle are certainly inexact. The Triangle includes the state capital, three major research universities and several other colleges in close proximity, along with a total population topping 2 million — compared to around 330,000 residents in Gainesville's metro area. But there are still lessons to be learned from how the Triangle leverages its best qualities to attract people and employers there.

Gangstagrass, a group that fuses bluegrass and hip-hop, performs at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on May 20.
Gangstagrass, a group that fuses bluegrass and hip-hop, performs at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on May 20.

My takeaway was that Gainesville and Alachua County should double down on natural and cultural offerings in our community, improving the quality of life for residents while drawing more visitors to the benefit of local businesses.

The Wild Spaces and Public Places program and its predecessor, Alachua County Forever, have done a great job protecting environmentally important areas. But there are more wild spaces to be protected along with a need for more public places to host concerts, meetings and sporting events. Thankfully, county voters will have a chance to extend funding for the program on the ballot this fall.

But our community also needs to change its mindset by really embracing the idea of hosting more significant events. As I watched concerts in Durham’s Central Park and the historic ballpark nearby, with people listening on the balconies of condos between them and other places outside the gates, I thought about how plans for a Tom Petty festival in Depot Park were greeted by complaints from some Gainesville residents.

People take pictures on the arched bridge at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina. Located on Duke University's campus, the 55 -acre public gardens are renowned both for landscape design and the quality of horticulture.
People take pictures on the arched bridge at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, North Carolina. Located on Duke University's campus, the 55 -acre public gardens are renowned both for landscape design and the quality of horticulture.

UF’s efforts to extend its presence off its main campus have also generated hostility. But Duke University’s offices in the old American Tobacco Company campus in Durham demonstrate the benefits of having university employees helping to support restaurants and other local businesses. UF should be a major presence in downtown Gainesville, at a cultural center in the former downtown fire station and beyond.

An outdoor venue to host concerts, whether it be an expanded Citizens Field or an amphitheater closer to downtown, would allow more musical acts to perform here. Ron Cunningham’s push to revitalize Sweetwater Park and connect it with other parks is another key way of improving downtown and our whole area.

Nature and culture meet in Alachua County, but our community should do a better job of providing options to experience both. We have plenty of other problems, but Gainesville would draw more visitors and tax revenue to help address those issues by solidifying its reputation as a cultural and natural mecca in Florida.

Nathan Crabbe is The Sun's opinion and engagement editor. Follow him on social media at twitter.com/nathancrabbe and www.facebook.com/nathancrabbe. 

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Nathan Crabbe: Research Triangle offers lessons for Gainesville