Surrounding area and...
 

I'm thinking of moving to the Villages. I spent a day there last year, but I know that's not enough. I'm going to spend 3 there this fall.

But I'm wondering if anyone can address why there are such limited options outside of the Villages for shopping and entertainment? The area seems so depressed and devoid of options. Did I just not see it, or is there a reason. I'd hate to have to drive an hour just to get some options.

I'm concerned that the town squares would be a bit of a monopoly with little competition.

Thanx! :confused:

Options? What is it you are looking for?

Limited?
 

What kind of options are you referring to? Shops at the squares are just boilerplate. Anything & everything you would want or need are just minutes away from the squares.

30 minutes or less north to Ocala, LOTS of shopping, also to a lesser extent, west to Leesburg and Mount Dora. Take a look a google maps for the type of shopping you are looking for.
Hope this helps.

Entertainment? We have the 1100 seat "The Sharon Performing Arts Center with entertainers to name a few as Bobby Rydell, Johnny Mathis, Jerry Lewis, Willie Nelson, and coming soon Howie Mandel and The Beach Boys. The Savanna Center a 700 seat venue with a wide variety of great entertainment. This fall Tierra Del Sol will feature a 90 seat dinner theater with a variety of Broadway style plays. Katie Bells offers afternoon entertainment with May evening specialty dinners shows. Three town squares with nightly entertainment 365 days a year. If you are looking for Celine Dion, Streisand, or similar superstars then you may have to travel an hour to Orlando or Tampa. Plenty of shopping and restaurants, with more coming each year, and additional in nearby Ocala. If you are considering The Villages for "exclusive entertainment" and shopping this may not be for you, but if the options mentioned above can fit your needs it will. The entertainment and shopping are a small part of the "Lifestyle" available here. A three day visit will not be nearly enough for you to experience the Lifestyle here so plan some additional time to absorb it all.

If you are looking for shopping and entertainment outside of The Villages and its immediate surounding area you are not going to find much. The Villages is a community of approximately 120,000 in season. We are pritty much self sustaining in the middle of nowhere. You can travel to Ocala or Leesburg, but combined the are smaller than The Villages. If you are looking for a highly active retirement community, this is it!! If you are looking for a city life type of community, this is not it.

bobnunny: Perhaps your responses would more accurately reflect your concerns if posters knew what city you are living in now and what it is you are looking for.

I moved down from the Minneapolis area and my wife misses the abundance of malls and the vast and varied amount of entertainment there. We both don't miss the higher taxes nor the snow; albeit its always a trade off as the last few days have felt like an oven here

having said that apparently on line shopping is overtaking mortar and brick stores anyway

We all adjust and we find that our needs change as we age
To satisfy her fix for mall shopping we travel to Ocala and Gainesville because in that she will never change:D

Three days may not be enough for you to determine what you are looking for. It's hard to take in inside the bubble much less out. The squares are like small time town shopping. If you want target, SAMs, Marshalls/ HomeGoods, Steinmart, they are minutes away. If you are a window shopper outlet mall is within an hour. Almost everything I buy is online.

YOU need to come here and spend a couple of weeks and drive around and talk to people. This is for ME, so that you won't move here and complain that it isn't to your liking. Then I will have to defend this place.

I was happy in Ohio and I am happy here. I think that the business that runs The Villages does a good job. You need to remember that you will see a LOT of older people and they are mostly conservative and traditional people, who organized their lives so that they could afford to live here. You can buy a home from about 100K to about two million, and everyone gets exactly the same amenities. The golf courses and pools and Country Clubs and Recreation Centers belong to EVERYBODY. You won't get to vote to decide what kinds of flowers are planted or whether The Villages will keep expanding. There are alligators, sinkholes, snakes, palm rats and sometimes Hurricanes.

The lots are small and the population is largely Republican. Most of them have guns. Golf is not what you are used to, but there is a lot of it and the nine hole courses cost about four dollars to play if you drive your cart.

I love it here. LOVE it here.

GG.......snakes, rats, and Republicans with guns. The OP won't leave the house for the three days. [emoji6]

Orlando is less than 1 hour away and Tampa is only a little bit further to find what you can’t locate in or near TV.

My wife usually cancels out my vote and still undecided if I should get a gun for the gators?:icon_wink:

GG said, "The lots are small and the population is largely Republican. Most of them have guns."

Wow, I love being a minority! I'm not a Republican, I don't have a gun, I'm younger than most at 62 and I don'y play golf....what the hell am I doing here? And BTW, we all saw last week what happens when a horny senior with a Sig Sauer semi automatic 9MM handgun with multiple clips, mixed with alcohol can do.

I was told that before The Villages were developed here Lake and Sumter counties were the 2 poorest in the state. This development has brought thousands of jobs to this area and so much for residents to do. You will find more to do than you have time to do.

You forgot to mention love bugs and alligators.:1rotfl:

I agree with the OP. There is a sameness to the merchandise here. I'm hoping the Sharon will start booking younger acts. However, there are bus excursions one can take to Orlando for shopping or plays there. Not the same but once you start doing activities here, an occasional trip may be all you can fit into your schedule.