More than 75 native and exotic creatures - including ocelots, springboks, a kookaburra, squirrel monkeys, barking deer and Perdido Key beach mice - call it home. Open seven days a week, the zoo is comfortable enough that visitors meandering along its quarter-mile of shaded, foot-friendly sawdust and mulch pathways can stop and soak in the sights and sounds without blocking others or being carried along by a sea of humanity. Situated in north Gainesville just four traffic lights east of Interstate 75 off Exit 390 and seemingly a million miles from the hustle of this vibrant college townвЂ™s hopping heart, this is where Santa Fe CollegeвЂ™s more than 200 Zoo Animal Technology Program students bring classroom lessons to life. Welcome to the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, where the usual and unusual converge in a 10-acre embrace of animal appreciation. Birds are chirping, kids are giggling and you havenвЂ™t even reached the front gate. Two gloriously iridescent peacocks are strolling near the entrance, pretending not to notice you marveling at their brilliant plumage. Still in the parking lot, you can hear the cheerful, high-pitched whooping that signals вЂ¦ what exactly? Feeding time? A game of chase is about to begin? Whatever it is, it sounds happy.

The white-handed gibbons get your attention first. A day trip in Gainesville, including stops at Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Butterfly Rainforest and SatchelвЂ™s Pizza, will sate both your soul and your belly.

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