| The Gainesville Sun
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that there are 20 total prizes.
A piece of The Swamp Restaurant, torn down from its original location in August, could be yours to keep.
Restaurant owner Ron DeFilippo donated several pieces of memorabilia — including fence posts signed by legendary former Florida Gators football coach Steve Spurrier and strings of lights that hung on the trees on the outside patio — that are up for grabs for 20 people who find one of the “prize indicators” hidden around Gainesville.
Those indicators, which are already hidden and available to search for, are standard-sized bricks painted in white, orange and blue. Each is marked with the prize name on the brick.
Prizes include:
• A fence post autographed by Spurrier
• Swamp Restaurant T-shirts
• A framed Sports Illustrated story titled “The Best College Towns”
• An award/wall plaque given to The Swamp by the Key West Gator Club
• A beer keg tap
• A laminated poster about the purchase of personalized bricks in front of the old Swamp
• Strings of lights from the trees in front of the restaurant
• Free lunch for two when the new Swamp Restaurant opens
All prize indicators are hidden outdoors in safe locations away from roads, electrical boxes and other hazards. They are all at ground level.
In some instances, there are multiple prize indicators at one location. There’s a limit of one prize per person, so please be considerate of others. Prize names are written on each prize indicator.
To arrange an exchange of your prize indicator for the corresponding prize, please email [email protected] with a photo of your find and put the word “Giveaway” in the subject line. The list of available prizes will be updated online as close to real time as possible.
Search locations and clues
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens
• At the circular driveway facing the front entrance, look far left in the extended parking area. The gardens are a beautiful place to visit and support after your find.
Celebration Pointe
• Where would dogs go to be happy and play together in a designated place? No need to enter the fenced area when looking.
• Where would a fisherman and other outdoor enthusiasts go for their gear? Look for a very large outdoor sign to make your find.
• It’s near the pool and directly across from the headquarters. Look just outside the fenced area.
• It’s near the biggest place to park — on the lower level at the south end. You need not enter the structure, rather look by the external columns.
• Consider where to go for a refreshing ale. A green box will help guide you to this find.
• To make this Regal find, look behind it and all the way across the lot — near a sizable rock.
St. Elizabeth the Wonderworker Greek Orthodox Church
• Look not far from the driveway and before you get to the black mailbox on the right.
The Swamp Restaurant will be rebuilt as part of a development project from the 908 Group, a Tampa-based developer. It’s set to open in August 2022 in time for football season, and will feature a patio, similar exterior facade to the original building on the first floor and memorabilia from the original restaurant.
There also will be an additional 8,000 square feet of street-level retail space, which two to four tenants are expected to fill following construction. A group of 181 student housing units will anchor the development on the upper levels.