how to Avoid Getting Lost in TV?
 

My wife and I are looking forward to moving into TV full time next month (we close August 29th). We are very excited about the move and looking forward to being a part of the community.

I think my biggest concern about moving to TV is getting lost. TV seems huge! We've been for visits a few times and so far, all I know is that 466 and 466-A run east-west and that Buena Vista and Morse run north-south. Everything else seems a bit overwhelming.

Are there any decent maps available online where I can figure out where our new home is in relation to town squares, shoping, dining, etc.? I would like to learn the layout before we arrive.

Does anyone recommend getting a GPS navigation device for the car to help navigate around the area? How accurate are the maps available for these devices (it seems that TV keeps expanding, so I am worried that a GPS might not have updated maps)?

Thanks for any advice!

Getting lost is part of the experience of moving to TV.... ;) Actually, others have posted on line map sites, but getting a map at one of the local pro shops or from stores in town that sell them is the best thing to do. The maps are easy to read and are large enough to point out roads, cart paths, villages, etc.

You recognize important roads....466, 466A, Buena Vista and Morse. If you can get back to those, you're never really lost. The community is indeed quite large, but think of the size as lots of places to explore. If you purchase a golf cart, take your map, pack some drinks and a snack and head on out. If you are truly lost, just pull over to the side of the cart path and open your map. Quickly you'll be assisted by many Villagers who were once in your situation. They'll either point you in the right direction or have you follow them to where you need to be.

Congratulations on your closing and Welcome Home!

Pooh is right! We had soooo much fun getting lost and exploring! We did use our GPS to get us in the right direction when we would get lost. We would use our google earth app! Worked great!:thumbup:

I rely on my WPS (wife positioning system). I always am quickly told where to go and how to get there. No battery to charge, it seems to just go, and go and go and ..........................

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Oh wait... That's not funny.....

:BigApplause: :BigApplause: :BigApplause:

Thanks pooh and angiefox. You make it a little less intimidating. I have to get over the longheld belief that "real men" don't stop to ask for directions:D!

Bluedog, I have one of those WPS devices. Actually mine is pretty accurate, she has been to TV a few more times than me (her mom already lives in TV) and knows her way around a little better.

I did use the search function and was able to find some decent maps (as well as some threads similar to mine).

That is part of the fun, they say! The most important thing is to make sure you start out with a full tank (or charge if electric cart) and pack plenty of snacks and beverages just in case it is after dark before you find your way back home. LOL

We use the water towers as land marks. I hope this helps. As everyone has said, go out and enjoy, you will eventually arrive at your destination.

:gc:

Your concern about getting lost.........
This too shall pass.

I would not worry about getting lost. More important is driving a golf cart without errors. Before you go through a gate look for a cart path. If there is a cart path get on it don't go through the gate.

we are in buttonwood and our gps says we are just dirt..if you get lost someone will get you where you are going have fun its just your next experience in life and next month you will be helping someone else..enjoy

Hi Cappyjon,
Actually, even your long-held belief is safe. You see, to get directions in TV, it is not necessary to ask. You only need to look lost.

You'll see.

Here’s a link to a handy on-line map showing the shopping areas within TV. Clicking on any of the highlighted locations and it will bri9ng up a printable PDF that shows the retail stores and restaurants at that location: http://www.thevillages.com/lifestyle...gdiningmap.asp

I bought a small compass and attached it to the windshield of the golf cart. I told my husband if he gets lost just head south and west and eventually will find his way home.

Regardless of what you find in advance of your next trip to TV, buy one of the "$5 maps" when you get there. An indispensable item. Available at a variety of places around TV - the easiest place to locate would probably be the sales centers on the squares and at Colony Plaza Shopping Center.

Bill :)

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!

cappyjon - getting lost in the villages is the number one way to meet people and make new friends! it really is an experience not to be missed!

i believe there is a youtube video 'glen beck - lost in the villages' that will show you just how easy it is to become disoriented as well as how willingly folks come to the rescue of a bewildered traveler!

we have friends who, when feeling adventurous, will go out in their cart and make believe they are lost and/or seek out those who are lost!

enjoy the ride!

All the foregoing is true!

Heaven help me! A few days ago, I was driving along Buena Vista in my automobile when I saw a lady and her (presumed) granddaughter consulting a map in her golf cart, near the Bonnybrook gate. I almost stopped, to get out and help her!

I'm glad I didn't, though, as there were lots of cars behind me!

Had I been in my golf cart, I'm sure I could have sent them where they were going! Sorry to have missed the opportunity! :D

SWR
:beer3:

When we closed in January and the days were short, I got lost almost every night coming home in the dark from Sumter Landing. Although some may get it sooner than others, the layout of TV begins to make some sense pretty quickly. I found purchasing the $5 map to be quite useful and it helped me to make sense of the layout of TV.

Another option is using a navigation system. If you don't have a navigation system in your car, you can buy a very good one for around $100. Although you may not get a map with the newest parts of TV, it will, at a minimum, get you to the town squares and even to some of the major roadways. Another benefit is it will help you navigate outside of the TV.

I hope this works!!!

http://youtu.be/NX7ufYBbE1E

Bill is right about the $5.00 map. When on my first trolley ride I'll never forget what they said. "first, you WILL get lost, second, it won't be in a bad neighborhood". If you have a Garmin GPS, get the latest 2011 update that will have maps of the new neighborhoods north of 466A. Otherwise the newer neighborhoods as Buttonwood, St. Charles, etc will be blank. If you don't plan on going there, then any GPS should be OK.

If you are retired, you'll have plenty of time to find what you are looking for. :)

I prefer the map I got from the Sales Center as it was a better quality than the AAA map I had previously. I have to get an updated map as TV keeps on expanding.

I'll second that, 2B. We picked up a copy of the AAA map at the Lake Sumter store this past winter.........and the copyright date on it was something like 2008 or 2009. It's basically a map of the entire general area so, although the TV portion wasn't very up-to-date, we kept it because it's got detailed maps of the other towns in the area. Perhaps AAA's got newer maps now, though.

Bill :)

Here are some maps that might help:

http://www.districtgov.org/departmen...ges/RecMap.pdf

http://thevillages4rent.com/maps/

http://www.districtgov.org/yourdistr...-Districts.pdf

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the helpful advice and the links to all the different maps. I will definitely pick up one of those $5 maps once we arrive next month.

You guys are great and you've given me one less thing to worry about with our upcoming move.

Hello Cappyjon,

From my experience during my visit earlier this month to TV:

Car: Used my TomTom GPS when driving the rental car in TV. Worked great except when I went to an open house in Buttonwood as my GPS has not been updated in 2 yrs. -- can't figure out how to download the map updates, I'm technology challenged :confused:. I had the $5 TV map, so I found the location of the open house in Buttonwood just fine. If I were living in Buttonwood/Pennecamp/St. James, I would definitely update the maps on my GPS.

A salesperson at the Merchantile Store in LSL that carries the $5 maps told me these maps are updated twice a year.

Golf Cart: Bless the people who came to my aid when I got confused while driving the golf cart earlier this month. One person actually did a u-turn on the golf cart path that runs next to El Camino Real to stop and give me directions. You direction givers rock!!!

So Cappyjon, I wouldn't stress about getting lost.

Welcome Captain Jon,
Just a note: you can buy your map at the golf stores in the Country Clubs and save 10% as a Villager.
You will also find a short article on carting in the phone book. There is also a page on driving a car around those roundabouts.
Enjoy, we will help you!

You can get a very good street map of the Villages at either Banner Merchantile store. One in SS and the other in LSL. Price is $5.00.

There are reports of people who have been lost and have never found their way out. At night, you can see ghostly images of them in their golf carts endlessly crisscrossing the miles of cart paths searching for their home.



http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o...footinCart.jpg

You never get lost, you just take the 'scenic route' :thumbup:

RLove it!! I'm betting there are many models

Of these.Wish they could be updated annually!

Inspirational!
 

I love this. Gonna paste it to my dashboard!

Signed,
She who has been known to get lost in a phone booth.