Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr
It's too big to walk everywhere.
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If you've been to other retirement communities, you would of course have the idea that The Villages is fully walkable. That just isn't the case. I've heard it said that The Villages is essentially the size of the island of Manhattan.
I you really want to walk into shopping, dining, etc., then you need to stay near one of the three town centers. Spanish Springs is the northern-most and is near a couple of hotels, such as the Marriott and the Holiday Inn Express (which is better than it sounds). Lake Sumter Landing is about in the middle of The Villages and the only hotel near it is the Waterfront Inn (which is very nice if rather pricey). Brownwood is the southern-most (and newest of the three) but doesn't have any nearby hotels that I'm aware of.
As has been mentioned, hotels and doing it on your own are good for a few days but may not give you the experience of living there. The "lifestyle preview" option through The Villages may well give you a better taste. However, they only offer it for a week at a time and getting one of the few units they have at more desirable times of the year may be tough.
The other option is to rent a furnished house and stay for a month or two. Some even come with golf carts or you can rent one for a week, a month or whatever. Be aware that these are not offered by The Villages but by private individuals, usually working through a rental management company. They will vary from small or very basic or dated to huge, luxurious and very new. The prices will reflect that. Such rentals also vary greatly in price by the time of year. Getting something in the winter will cost you more (actually, a LOT more) than in the height of summer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by baustgen
You must get the $5 map from the Villages sales office. If you are comfortable driving a golf cart, it is the way to get a true Villages experience. If you are not comfortable, use your car, but GET THE MAP.
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The map is essential as this is a BIG place and it is NOT laid out in any kind of simple grid pattern. I've heard it described as something like a ladder. There are two main north/south streets Buena Vista and Morse) with three major east/west roads (466, 466A and 44) plus several other main east/west roads (Stillwater, Bonita and Pinellas) plus about a bazillion other smaller streets in the neighborhoods themselves.
The first time my wife and I visited, we took the bus tour (fun and VERY informative) but got hopelessly lost driving around, even with the map. Our GPS just did NOT have The Villages streets in it. We visited again a year later and were able to get around better (GPS got updated maps and we were less intimidated). We visited again a year later and felt pretty pretty comfortable. Now these were just visits of a few days each and did not include a lifestyle preview. We really meant to stay for a week with a lifestyle preview but we were so convinced by the third visit (having visited several other communities over that time) that we just ended up buying a house. Now we are counting down the days to moving there.
Good luck with your investigations. Picking a home and a community for retirement is a big decision. The Villages is NOT for everyone. Some people want a much quieter, more sedate, less active community. Some don't want a retirement community at all, preferring to stay near family or whatever. We want to be very active and have a lot of fun until we die with smiles on our faces, so The Villages seems right to us.