Had a great time in the Villages
 

My husband and I just got back to Michigan after spending 5 days in the Villages. It was everything everyone says and more! We met some great people and every where I went I asked the opinions of the people living there. I honestly thought I would find some possibly negative or mediocre answers...I was wrong....EVERYONE loves living there!!! I took the advice given to us by Talk of the Villages, we went on the trolley ride, went to Katie Belles, saw a movie, I drove a golf cart for the first time, had breakfast at Too-Jays, ate at quite a few of the other restaurants..I must say, it's quite hard coming home! Hope to see everyone soon and thanks for all the great info you have given us!

Trish

I'm so glad you enjoyed the place I call home. Come back soon!

This made me smile!

So nice to hear.

The good things are just beginning.

Sounds great. Would you mind sharing whether or not you found the golf cart travel to the various town squares / restaurants etc. lengthy or o.k. time wise or mile wise. Basically, did you use the golf cart for all travel...or find you also had to use your auto?

We've rented a house , which is north of the Polo Grounds, for one month and were wondering if it might be better doing our exploring in our rental car?

We plan to stay at the Waterfront Inn for 2 or 3 days when we first arrive, so perhaps that trolley ride would acclimate us better? Once we get the keys to the house, we'll have the golf cart.

We do have the big map from the Villages Mercantile Store and have a general idea of where things are, however, the mileage seems to be a bit off. Also, being that the golf cart that comes with the house is electric, not sure how far 70 miles round trip would last.

Thanks in advance for any pointers or advice from your recent experience.

Trish, thanks for sharing your joyful experience. We can so relate! :wave:

You'll get a better feel for The Villages if you travel by golf cart. Take a map, you'll get lost anyway, but just pull it out and people will help you. Your location is fine for travel all over The Villages. Plug the cart in each time you come home, you'll be fine.

Trish:

i'm glad you had a good time. It sure does go fast doesn't it?

Words cannot describe how wonderful TV and it's people are.

Sounds like you'll be back before you know it.

Thank you. I've sent you a p.m.

We used both the car and the cart but I found the cart to be the most fun. I am a very impatient person and tend to drive too fast in my car at home but the cart was wonderful, relaxing and you can really pay attention to everything around there. The trolley ride does give you a good taste of the Villages and you will learn a lot but I would probably drive around in the car first (just to get used to everything)..then use the cart..much easier to park and great for stopping to take pictures. Have a great time (and, by the way, I am soooo envious!!).

Good advice....thanks.

I'm not looking at the map at the moment, but It seems to be a bit to the northern edge of TV as it's on the Nancy Lopez golf course. The Polo Grounds are below this area. How long do you think it would take by golf cart to get to Lake Sumter Landing? Probably better to take the car, right?
Thanks in advance.........appreciate it.

Very good advice....appreciate. I can imagine it would indeed be easier to park the golf cart. Thankyou.........

I was so glad to read your post about your 5-day visit. I am getting to leave for TV on Wednesday for a 5-day stay also. Did you stay in one of the Creekside Cabanas? How were the accommadations? My daughter is coming with me since my husband can't make the trip this time. Did 5 days give you enough time to really experience life at The Villages? It sounds like you really enjoyed your stay.

Senior Citizen, I drove a golf cart for the first time this past Thursday. My landlord's friend was gracious enough to take me for a driving lesson. If you have never driven a golf cart, I would recommend that you ask your landlord or an experienced golf cart driver for a lesson. It is a little different than driving a regular car. I felt comfortable enought this morning to drive from the rental unit in the Village of Chatham, near Nancy Lopez Country Club, to Spanish Springs. Took me about 40 minutes, but that includes pulling off to the side for about 3 minutes and some gracious couple stopped and assured me that I was headed in the correct direction to Spanish Springs on the golf cart path that runs along El Camino Real. On the way back from Spanish Springs another gracious person (a TV employee) saw my confusion as to how to get the golf cart trail leading back to El Camino Real, and he had me follow him to the Savannah Center were he works. Took me about 35 minutes from Spanish Springs to get back to Chatham. I've not been playing speed racer on the golf cart, so an experienced cart driver who knows exactly where they were going could probably have made the same drive in 25minutes. But I'm on vacation and a golf cart rookie, so if it takes me 10 or 15 extra minutes to get somewhere so be it.

On this trip I don't think I will venture in the golf cart from Chatham as far as Lake Sumter Landing, as that would probably take me as an inexperienced cart driver too long (for my comfort level), but it certainly can be done driving in a golf cart from Chatham to Lake Sumter Landing.

I can't speak to the electric cart issue as the rental villa I'm staying in came with a gas cart. I've gone to a few open houses while I have been here (in Buttonwood, Del Mar, Lynnhaven and Belle Aire) and I drove to all open houses in my rental car since I'm not familiar with the golf cart paths in the various parts of TV. I love the rental villa in Chatham, but if I were ready to actually buy in TV now, I probaly would buy in a village further south -- closer to 466 or even south of 466 closer to Lake Sumter Landing.

Definitely take the trolley ride from the Sales Office at LSL. It takes about 45 minutes, and last year when I took the trolley, the trolley went over by the Polo Club and over to Pennecamp and Buttonwood plus other places I can't remember. Just my two cents. Enjoy your time - I wish I could stay here for a month! :wave:

We just got the map out and your location is not far from where we will be.
It's good to have a better idea of the distances involved. We think we will take the car to do more of the longer distance exploring. I'll send you a p.m.

golf cart travel
 

Now everyone will be different but....when we go to TV we stay in Hadley and think nothing of going EVERYWHERE ....yes we have been up to Chatham...SS ETC by golf cart....it's not about the destination it is about the journey! My husband becomes a different person driving a golf cart....I mean that in a good way....he is not so impatient and we love the fresh air and breezes! However, if you are buying ice cream at the grocery store you may want to try going by car! ;)

bbhardister: We did stay in a creekside villa and it was very, very nice. They have a hair dryer, small bars of soap, small packets of laundry detergent and dish soap, plenty of towels and linens. They also provide some coffee with packaged cream and sugar..comes in handy! We went to the market and bought some soda, cereal, milk and a few other incidentals but we really didn't need to get any other food..there are plenty of great places to eat. As far as 5 days being enough..well, it's enough capture your interest and get a feel of the area. I wish we could have stayed longer. The creekside villas are very close to town, you will have a great time! Enjoy!

Take the cart!
 

We live in Belle Aire, and go EVERYWHERE by golf cart. It takes us about 25 minutes by cart to either Spanish Springs, or LSL. The ride to LSL is very pretty, I love the area around Hospice especially. We do have a gas cart. When we rented, we had an electric, and while we still drove it everywhere, you do need to add a little travel time on. Enjoy your stay!

It made me smile, too! I just got back from a short visit to TV, and I cannot wait to stay longer--like permanently. Sanibel is coming along nicely! :D

Thanks for the information Trish. We are really looking forward to our stay at TV. We are hoping to move there in 2-3 years if our home sells. I know from what I have been reading, we will have a enjoyable time.
~BB~

Is there somewhere/website I can find out all the different communities in the Villages.....I am a widow and want a small little place...its just for me!

Welcome to TOTV!

Here are the names of all the different Villages currently in TV:
http://www.districtgov.org/images/vi...ghborhoods.pdf

If you're looking for a small home, you can consider existing homes in the Historical section, which consists primarily of manufactured housing. Also consider a Patio Villa which are currently being built as two bedroom homes. Some of the ones that were constructed in the past are one bedroom. Some Courtyard Villa models have two bedrooms as well. See http://www.thevillages.com/homes/gallery/index.asp

You can also see new inventory homes here: http://www.thevillages.com/homes/search/

For resale homes, you can check with any one of a number of MLS realty companies in the area. The developer also handles the marketing of resale homes as well: http://www.thevillages.com/homes/vls/index_new.asp

Enjoy your search! Hope it's all of some help to you -

Bill :)

50teeslady, Welcome again to TOTV. If you go on this web site www.thevillages4rent.com and click on the button All Villages Map, it will show you a map of all the villages and their names. Good luck in your search. :welcome:

Traveling at night
 

I just wanted to share that traveling by golf cart is great. You should, however, consult your Villages MAP before traveling in the dark at night and make sure of your route.

Our first week of living in The Villages we went up to the Lake Sumter Landing for the nightly entertainment from Hemingway. Coming back down Morris we looked at the two routes at one intersection and took the wrong one. We ended up on the Mallory Golf course path. Oddly no one else was traveling on that golf path at night...LOL and it took us a little while to figure out how to get back on the right path.

Traveling during the day people will always stop and ask if they can help you if you are pulled over looking at your map with a puzzled expression. You soon learn the golf path routes in your journeys. :D