By Jackie

If you are currently considering an intensive week of treatment at CPT’s Florida location, you may wonder what you will be able to do in your free time.

The CPT therapists and staff encourage all patients to use their intensive week to restore their mind, body, and spirit. As CPT works to restore your body, you can use your free time to rejuvenate yourself and start a journey towards better mental, physical, and spiritual health. Gainesville provides many resources and opportunities to help you on your way. I highly suggest you take advantage of Gainesville’s many riches in this way:

Eat well. Nutrition greatly impacts your body. Use your week of treatment to make better eating choices. Gainesville offers many healthy places to eat. Try out the Booklover’s Vegan café. You can leisurely read while you eat delicious, local food at any time of the day. For a fantastic salad with a great atmosphere, head to Satchell’s. If you can’t tame your junk food craving, you can head to Leonardo’s Pizza and try a vegan pizza – along with vegan rolls! They also have great salads. If you want to curl up in your bed with some late-night snacks, you can head to Mother Earth for organic food of Fresh Market for great, healthy options.

University of Florida Chapel for Meditation and Reflection

Relax. Gainesville offers great, quiet places to sit and think in peace. For an incredible experience, I recommend you visit Lake Alice on the University of Florida’s campus. Not only are you likely to see alligators, but also huge Oak trees that drape across the lakeside trail – and don’t worry, no one has even been attacked by an alligator. If you continue on the path, you will find a nature trail in one direction and a chapel in the other. The chapel remains a relatively unknown jewel. It is a quiet sanctuary open to the public for meditation and self-reflection. As dusk approaches, head back along the path to the bat house. As the sky darkens, hundreds of bats swirl out in a breathtaking spiral.

Get in touch with nature. CPT therapists recommend all patients walk daily while undergoing treatment. One of the best places to do this is in nature. Gainesville is full of great parks that will quickly lead to a sense of awe and relaxation. If you are interested in a long walk, I highly recommend the Hawthorne State trail. I guarantee you will se an armadillo, deer, or alligator before your feet leave the path. I also suggest you slip into the Natural History Museum. The recreation of the Florida ecosystems is incredible. You walk inside, only to feel you stepped outside. The museum truly sucks you in to another world and will help you appreciate the Florida environment even more. You can also visit the museum’s butterfly rainforest.

Take a mini vacation. If you have time to schedule a mini-trip on the weekend, I highly suggest you take the opportunity to see some nearby areas in Florida. My top two recommendations:

• St Augustine: The oldest city in the U.S., St. Augustine is 1.5 hours to the east of Gainesville. It has an “old-city” charm with an artsy vibe, unique shopping, great food, beautiful beaches, and a castle!
• St. George Island. This is my personal favorite for someone who wants a quiet retreat to the most beautiful and quiet beach in Florida. It is a longer drive, perhaps four hours, but you won’t regret it. I suggest you stop half-way at Wakulla springs to go kayaking along the river and see manatees. Afterward, head to Apalachicola, a little sea-side town less than 15 minutes from St. George Island. Eat some great seafood and then slather on some sun screen to go check-out the island. Its crystal white beaches stretch for 25 miles alongside the emerald ocean. One third of the island is a state park: pristine, untouched, and open to the public. You can walk by yourself along the beaches without seeing a single tourist.

Gainesville and the surrounding area is a pretty incredible place. Don’t be afraid to ask CPT Florida therapists or staff for more information. This is our home and we’d love to share it with you.