Our locals write songs and make art about our little town. A place of serenity, Spanish moss, remnants of once-grand orange groves, and historic homes—Melrose is so much more than “the town your drive through on the way to Gainesville.” (Go Gators!)

Melrose is a place you grow up in, then come back to retire in. Once a small merchant town famous for its citrus, Melrose was hit with a freeze which ruined a promising harvest year and left the town in shambles—but what remained was beautiful land, lakes and culture that have survived the test of time!

Lake Santa Fe is the crown jewel of Melrose—spanning 5,850 acres! Lake Rosa, Lake Melrose, Lake Swan, Lake Winnott, Lake Alto + so many more populate the surrounding area. It’s not called “the beautiful city of lakes” for nothing… even though we’re not technically a city… ?‍♀️

Some call Melrose “the little art town [on your way to Gainesville]”. It’s gotten that reputation because many artists settle here. We have multiple art galleries in the span of our small downtown, and have a monthly Art Walk on the first Friday of each month (6pm-9pm)! You don’t have to look far to find some artistic talent on display in Melrose.

Melrose is known to have some “characters”—giving our town all the charm… and then some! We’re a one-stop-light town, and everybody knows everybody. So come on in and belly up to the bar! Who knows?! You might just become our new favorite “local”!