Who Let the Dogs Out? Check Out Gainesville's Pet-Friendly Lodging and Activities!

Gainesville is the perfect vacation spot--for you and your dog(s). The pet-friendly lodging and attractions mean you don't have to leave that extra-special canine at home while you let loose. For the month of July, Magnolia Plantation Bed and Breakfast Inn is giving 10% off for guests who bring their dogs (only for those staying in cottages). Camellia Rose Inn, Sweetwater Branch Inn, and the Herlong Mansion also allow pets as guests.
You have your dog in Gainesville, now what? Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Paynes Prairie Reserve State Park, the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail and Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park all offer outlets where you and your dog can play and explore. Of course, there is always Dog Wood Dog Park as well.
We know how much your furry friends mean to you, so we offer a vacation experience you can enjoy with them.

Nothing Says American Like Free Concerts and Fireworks

Join other patriotic Gainesville-ians on Fourth of July weekend for free activities! Listen to the All American Song Fest for Free Fridays downtown on July 2. There will be various artists playing songs that celebrate America's past to present. The concert will take place from 8-10 p.m. in the Bo Diddley Community Plaza.

For fireworks and another free concert, head out to UF's Flavet Field on Saturday, July 3, for Fanfare and Fireworks. The concert will start at 7 p.m. with performances by 6th Street Rhythm and Blues Review, Hartley Leacock and the Collective Format Band and the Gainesville Community Band. The firework show will begin around 9:40 p.m.

The city of Alachua will once again host its "Largest Small Town Firework Display in America" on July 4 at the Hal Brady Recreation Complex. The annual event draws around 20,000 people per year and provides them with activities for kids such as a petting zoo, bounce house and water slide. For adults, there is live music, dancing and bingo. Don't miss out on any of the opportunities to celebrate 2010's Independence Day in Alachua County!

Whet Your Appetite Wednesday

The featured recipe this week is: Cinnamon Raisin Souffle from the Camellia Rose Inn. It was chosen because of its inspiring list of ingredients to this already-hungry author. They are:

• 1 large or 1 1/2 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread (chopped enough to fill a 9'x13" baking pan)
• 12 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 6 oz. butter, softened
• 3/4 cup maple syrup, divided
• 10 eggs
• 3 cups half & half
• cinnamon sugar
• more maple syrup

Place chopped bread into well-buttered 9"x13" glass baking dish. With a mixer, whisk cream cheese, butter and 1/4 cup maple syrup until smooth. Spread on top of bread, leaving some openings to pour egg through mixture. Beat eggs, half & half and 1/2 cup maple syrup. Pour over bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cover and leave overnight in the refrigerator. Uncover and bake 60 minutes (covered with foil for last 10 minutes to keep from burning) at 350 degrees. Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with maple syrup. Serves 8-10.

This is a great treat for the family on Father's Day which is coming up Sunday, June 20. Make sure Dad gets the biggest piece with breakfast in bed. For more mouthwatering recipes, visit the Camellia Rose Inn or better yet...make a reservation for Dad at this charming Bed & Breakfast -- one of Gainesville's seven historic inns!

Set Your Mouth on Fire at the Hot Pepper Festival

Spice up your weekend at Harmony Gardens with its annual Hot Pepper Festival! It takes place at the plant nursery at 10100 NW 13th St. on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20. The festival celebrates all things hot from peppers to spicy icecream. This is a must-do for the seekers of all things spicy. Once your mouth is sweltering, it's time to enjoy the music and other fun activities at the festival. For those interested in a challenge, there is a chance to enter a Hot Concoction Contest on Saturday by 1 p.m. The Hot Pepper Festival is put on by Harmony Gardens and Bike Route.

Shear Madness! A Cut Above the Rest

Shear Madness opened at the Hippodrome on June 4 where hair stylists from all over Gainesville provided attendees of the show with blow-outs and updos. For the rest of the summer, participating salons will compete to see who can send the most clients to the show. Those involved are: Absolutely Hair Styling, Charisma for Hair, Elan Hair Studio, The Hair Groomers, Jacquelyn Totura Hair Salon, Mode Salon, Nice Cut!, Scissors, 6th Street Station, Tecnicolors Salon, The Salon @ 716, The Strand, Thornebrrok Hair Design, Total Image Salon and Veda Salon & Spa.

Shear Madness is a comedic murder mystery that will be different every night it plays. It calls on the audience to solve the crime, making it a mix of comedy, mystery and improvisation. It also incorporates current events, celebrities and gossip into the script. Each show will be different and fresh, keeping you guessing no matter how many times you attend a production of Shear Madness this summer.