University of Florida Homepage

Visitor Information


Location

The UF Astronomy department is located in the Bryant Space Science Center building at the corner of Stadium Drive and Fletcher Drive across from the International Center. You can find a campus map below. The department office is located in room 211 on the second floor and various faculty and student offices can be found on floors 2, 3, 4, and the basement. See the department’s personnel directory for a listing of faculty and office numbers.

Nearby Airports

There are four airports that serve central Florida: Gainesville, Jacksonville (1.5 hours from Gainesville), Tampa (2 hours), and Orlando (2 hours). American Eagle, Delta, United and US Airways airlines serve the Gainesville airport with connections through Miami, Atlanta, Tampa or Charlotte, respectively. Most major airlines fly into those other airports. All are within an easy hour or two drive of Gainesville. Silver Airways, a regional carrier, flies to and from Tampa and from Orlando.

Flights

Visitors are encouraged to make their own flight reservations. If your travel is to be reimbursed via UF, then please provide receipts for your expenses. We suggest that you check flights to Gainesville (GNV) first, as they are most convenient. Usually a connection in Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT) or Miami (MIA) is required. Flights into Gainesville can become fully booked and/or quite expensive, so please try to make reservations at least a couple months in advance. There are a few alternative airports that are often cheaper and sometimes more convenient. The next best airports are Jacksonville (JAX, ~1.5hr drive) and Orlando (MCO, ~2hr drive). Occasionally people use Tampa, which is about ~2.5 hrs away.

Hotels

Short-term visitors usually stay at the Holiday Inn, AC Hotel by Marriott, or the Reitz Union on campus, since all are within easy walking distance to the department. Visitors interested in saying closer to downtown may also consider the Sweetwater Branch Inn or the Hampton Inn & Suites.

Local Transportation

If you fly into Gainesville and stay at the Holiday Inn or Reitz Union, then a car is not recommended. There is a free shuttle between the airport and the Holiday Inn. You must call the Holiday Inn to arrange a pickup. If the delay would be incovenient, visitors could consider taking a cab or use a rideshare service (~$20).

Any car rentals for visitors need to be arranged through the Astronomy Department Office Manager.

Reimbursements

If you are to be reimbursed via UF, you’ll need to save receipts and coordinate reimbursement submission with the Astronomy Department main office.  Please contact the  Office Manager with any questions.

Schedule for Colloquium Speakers

The astronomy colloquia are scheduled for Thursday at 12:45 pm. We suggest ~45 minute talks plus ~5-10 minutes for questions. Graduate students normally take the colloquium speaker to lunch on Thursday and we organize a dinner on Thursday night.
If your schedule is such that you’d prefer lunch/dinner on another day, please let us know in advance.