March 2 – 9, 2020 ~ After leaving our wintering grounds in Palmetto, FL our first stop was The Villages in central Florida to see Scott’s cousin, Donna, and her husband, Chuck. The Villages is a 55-and-older retirement community encompassing parts of Sumter, Lake and Marion counties in Florida. The main feature of The Villages are three Town Squares, each with it’s own look and theme. Each Town Square features their own movie theatre, dining, shops, and free nightly entertainment. We got to experience all three Town Squares (Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing, and Brownwood Paddock) before Covid19 affected daily life.
We stayed at Recreation Plantation Resort, which was the closest campground we could find to Scott’s cousin. It turned out to be a very nice place. Our site along the side fence was level enough and had full hook ups. There was a nice looking clubhouse, which we never went in to see, as well as lots of active recreation opportunities. Also, there was a convenient parking lot with room enough for a few big rigs while checking in.
Donna and Chuck were great hosts and did their best to show us all around The Villages. The main mode of transportation in The Villages is via golf car. I know them as “golf carts” but I guess once they are tricked out with lights and powerful engines they become “golf CARS.” No matter what they are called, they are a blast to drive and The Villages does a great job of providing designated driving paths and parking for them.
The community relies so heavily on golf cars as transportation that they have their own filling station where the lanes are too narrow for regular cars. I liked the retro 50s look of the filling station, especially the neon at night.
We ate out a few times in various Town Squares, as well as having a lovely dinner at Donna and Chuck’s home. Each neighborhood has their own pool, country club and gathering places. They are all different, and residents are welcome to go to any facility regardless if it is in their neighborhood or not. Golfing is popular at The Villages. There are 12 Championship Golf Courses, 40 Executive Golf Courses, 2 Specialty Golf Courses, and 3 Instructional Golf Academies. That is 50 different golf courses! Most are no extra charge. We visited the Eisenhower Regional Recreation Center where there was an outstanding display of military memorabilia worthy of any museum anywhere. A lot was donated by residents and covered may decades worth of military history.
Each night, we went to a Town Square to enjoy the free nightly entertainment. The music was different each night so there was something for everyone’s taste. It was a great chance to grab a beer, sit outside in the fine Florida weather and people watch.
One night, Donna suggested we go to a certain Square that was hosting a very popular band. So popular, in fact, she offered to get to the Square an hour early and stake out some seats for us. Well, even that was not early enough and we ended up sitting on a retaining wall until some seats opened up. It was packed!
Lake Sumter Landing is built to resemble a quaint seaside town. There are bronze plaques situated throughout the Square telling the (made up) history of the place. The centerpiece of Lake Sumter Landing is Lake Sumter. For a nominal fee, we took a 15 minute boat ride around the lake and heard the (made up) history of the area. The man that narrated our boat ride was more comedian than anything else and kept us laughing the whole time. I had to keep reminding myself that what he was telling us was not real because he did such a believable job.
Brownwood Paddock Square is built around the theme of an early 1800’s Florida cattle town. We ate lunch here and walked around to see some of the artwork.
We did go to Spanish Springs Square, but I was so busy looking around I forgot to take a picture!
Our time with Donna and Chuck rapidly came to a end and it was time to move north to Jacksonville, Fl and Mayport Naval Station’s campground.
A big “thank you” to Donna and Chuck for showing us such a good time in The Villages. You have a beautiful home, and are extraordinary hosts! See you next time!