Activities Pre-Christmas Weekend

[swtroy]

Adult children visiting this weekend. What are some things to do in and around The Villages? They have been here a number of times before, so the squares, golf, etc. the obvious stuff has been done. Thank you for any ideas!

[EdFNJ]

Adult children visiting this weekend. What are some things to do in and around The Villages? They have been here a number of times before, so the squares, golf, etc. the obvious stuff has been done. Thank you for any ideas!


Good question ... teenage grand kids coming down for a couple days next week ... what to do? I often see lots of teenage grand kids looking very bored visiting their grammy & grampy especially listening to our town square music. :)

[BK001]

1. I would take a ride to Mt. Dora to see the “Van Gogh” house. You can only see the outside but check out the history by googling it. Interesting story and while at Mt. Dora have lunch, shop, etc. Here one article about it: Owners of Mount Dora house painted like van Gogh's 'Starry Night' masterpiece fined $3,100 - Orlando Sentinel (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/lake/os-mount-dora-van-gogh-house-fines-20171208-story.html)

2. I would also suggest Mystic Ice Cream 1217 W Miller St (466A) Fruitland Park –. They have trivia nights and karaoke nights – check out the website for details: Mystic Ice Cream --- The best ice cream in The Villages, FL. (http://www.mysticicecream.com/)

3. Perhaps Mini Golf - 175 South Rolling Acres Rd Phone: 352-259-2313 – They may have batting cages, I’m not sure though – ask them.

4. The Lady Lake Museum Located in Log Cabin Park at the intersection of US 441/27 and West Lady Lake Boulevard. It is housed in the town's 1883 old train depot. Lady Lake Museum (http://www.ladylakemuseum.org/)

[graciegirl]

Teach them a card game. Buy a board game. Bake cookies with them. Drag out old pictures of their parents. Give them each ten bucks and take them to the dollar store and Bealls outlet and tell them to buy something for a name that was drawn out of a hat of family members now HERE.

Get the coloring books out. Watch some movies together and make popcorn.

[champion6]

This is a great time of the year to see huge numbers of manatees.
To the west: Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River. In the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.
To the east: Blue Spring State Park, Orange City.

[seoulbrooks]

Yes, great idea on the Mt. Dora adventure. Very nice area to visit.

[EdFNJ]

Teach them a card game. Buy a board game. Bake cookies with them. Drag out old pictures of their parents. Give them each ten bucks and take them to the dollar store and Bealls outlet and tell them to buy something for a name that was drawn out of a hat of family members now HERE.

Get the coloring books out. Watch some movies together and make popcorn.


Unfortunately ADULT children (per the OP) and Teenagers (my post) just ain't into baking cookies, coloring books and buying dollar stuff these days. They've seen movies of their parents even too many times for us already! :D

[ColdNoMore]

Unfortunately ADULT children (per the OP) and Teenagers (my post) just ain't into baking cookies, coloring books and buying dollar stuff these days. They've seen movies of their parents even too many times for us already! :D

Yep.

[graciegirl]

The oldest flew down from NYC earlier this year to watch the Royal Wedding with me and Helene. We had tea and crumpets when we arose at four to watch the proceedings.

I think she did it because she wanted to. We didn't invite her or expect it.

It is so wonderful to have them with us, no matter the age. I can see why you want to find something very special to do.

[EdFNJ]

Unfortunately ADULT children (per the OP) and Teenagers (my post) just ain't into baking cookies, coloring books and buying dollar stuff these days. They've seen movies of their parents even too many times for us already!

Our adult grandchildren were here at Thanksgiving and the two of them enjoyed cooking with me and playing euchre and looking at themselves as little again in photographs. Even though one of them is a line producer at MSNBC in NYC and the other is a Law Clerk.

We also have a gift exchange that is for gag gifts if we will be together at Thanksgiving and not Christmas, and they both enjoy coloring books. It is a tradition that we have done for years.

Nice! Beautiful family. Merry Christmas to you all.

Ours (referring to grand kids who are the ones coming here) are teenagers, 1 - boy - starting college for engineering in the fall the other - girl - 1 yr behind him just aren't into that any more, frankly neither am I. When they were younger, yes. They're from Philadelphia and are big sports fans. We want to do something with them we didn't always do. We found that as much as they courteously went along whenever we wanted to do the "traditional" thing (baking brownies and making sugar cookies in holiday shapes with Grammy) for them it got tiresome. Unless we ask we'd never have have known. We did and we do. We had our gift giving a couple weeks ago.

[ColdNoMore]

Snip> We found that as much as they courteously went along whenever we wanted to do the "traditional" thing (baking brownies and making sugar cookies in holiday shapes with Grammy) for them it got tiresome. Unless we ask we'd never have have known.<Snip

Yep.

Older/adult, children/grandchildren, often acquiesce to parents/grandparents, simply to make them feel better...not because that's what they really want to do.

[My Daily Run]

Check out Wide World of Sports at Disney to see what is going on there and Disney Springs is a great place since it has grown into a very cool destination...hot air balloon, continuous entertainment, Christmas tree village, and themed restaurants (not Disney themed) free parking, and free admission. Artisan gift shops and very unusual items.

[redwitch]

It may not be a fun thing, but it may be one of their best memories. Call around and see if a shelter, an organization, a group could use a family of volunteers for a day. Agree to do whatever is needed, whether hosing out garbage cans to rocking a baby. If nothing else, make goodie bags for those in need — include socks, a pack of cigarettes, a gift card to McDonalds. Find out where the homeless hang out and pass them out. Get some hot chocolate when done. Gather up books gathering dust, box them up and take to the Merchant Marines or hospital. Have a sick neighbor? Get the family to spend half a day running errands, etc. for that neighbor.

Have a scavenger hunt that will take them all over TV. See who can visit the most pools via golf cart in X amount of hours (no excessive speed allowed). Make some crafty things. Either exchange them with each other at a mini family party or take to the squares and just randomly pass them out, wishing the recipients a Merry Christmas.

For teens, almost any amusement park will win over any other form of entertainment (except a concert).

[My Daily Run]

Did this a few years ago with my son, daughter in law and 10 year old grandson...it was great...Snorkel With The Manatees (Homosassa) - 2018 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - TripAdvisor (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g34300-d1627393-Reviews-Snorkel_With_The_Manatees-Homosassa_Florida.html)

[graciegirl]

It is so wonderful to have them with us, no matter the age. I can see why you want to find something very special to do.[/QUOTE]

Merry Christmas to you and yours too. Here is a picture of us when oldest flew down from NYC just to watch the Royal Wedding with me and Helene. We had tea and crumpets at four in the morning. We didn't invite her or expect it. Her grandfather found some scones at Publix and made us a Royal Breakfast. He had poured tea with her many, many a time when she was little.

[BK001]

the Royal Wedding... We had tea and crumpets at four in the morning... scones ... a Royal Breakfast... poured tea

With this experience and those hats, I say it's a downright shame y'all weren't invited to attend the wedding in London!

[Harry Gilbert]

Since their into sports The Camping world bowl is in orlando on the 28th Looks like tix are still available

[raynan]

Some of the card games here were never heard of up north. We taught some millenials hand and foot and samba and mah jong and now they ask for them when they come.

[Kirsten Lee]

Zipline course at Sanford Zoo, Airboat rides, take a drive to and on Daytona Beach and climb the Ponce de Leon lighthouse 10 miles south of Daytona. On Christmas night go see Scooter the DJ in Brownwood. Even my teenager who doesn't dance will dance with Scooter. No one knows who he is in TV.