Visiting in January
 

My wife and I are considering the Villages for retirement, and will be visiting for the first time in January. We will likely do the Lifestyle thing. Initially, we plan on just looking around and soaking it all in. Does anyone have recommendations for specific things we should be looking at on our first visit? We plan on going down again during the summer, to experience the opposite side of the weather spectrum.

January is our coldest month just so you know. Remember to bring some warmer clothes but you can shed them by 11am and back into lighter ones again. In the summer, bring your suntan lotion. Enjoy!

Here's a quick reply, call now, the LSV usually get booked up 2 to 3 months in advance. January is prime season. I did that myself, originally scheduled for February and when the weather forecast was for colder than normal, I called and moved it to late April. Also, this question gets asked at least once a month going back years. To get you a quicker response, I've done a search for you at this link. There are hundreds of past replies.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...rchid=12694041

Hello geofitz13,

First of all, welcome to TOTV. This is the place to get information about moving to and living in The Villages. As a Villagers wannabee, this site has been so helpful in keeping up what is going on in The Villages from 1,500 miles away.

My recommendations...take the trolley tour. The last time I took the trolley tour was on a visit about 3 years ago. It lasts about 1 hour. The trolley tours used to leave from the sales center at Lake Sumter Landing, but that may have changed since the last time I took the trolley tour. If you call The Villages' sales office, they will be able to give you the correct info.

As another poster mentioned, I would also not wait too much longer to book the Lifestyle Visit if you are planning to come to The Villages in January as that is high season.

There are open houses in The Villages every day so you may want to visit some while you are in TV. The open houses are advertised in The Villages Daily Sun newspaper, and also on The Villages web site.

Definitely visit all three squares (Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing and Brownwood) in the evening as there is free entertainment nightly from 5:00 to 9:00.

When you are in a restaurant or just out and about, don't hesitate to ask Villagers about life in The Villages. Most people are glad to answer questions and share their experiences.

Enjoy your visit, and when you visit The Villages, please post about your visit. :wave:

:agree:

Talk to anyone and everyone as villagers love their hometown and enjoy talking about it.

I would visit the Eisenhower Rec Center near Brownwood if you get a chance. If you coming for a few days, time will fly by. One thing about TV is that it is enormous, (anywhere from 36 to 42 sq miles). Buy a map to study for your future visit.

Welcome to TOTV!

:agree: The Villages is quite large, and it has grown quite a bit since first time I visited The Villages in 2011. I think TV's population is now 110,000+, and in 2017 the new Village of Fenney will be open with eventually another 3,000 homes, according to the news site that cannot be named.

If you want to buy a $5 Villages map and have it shipped to you before your visit, call Banner Merchantile at Lake Sumter Landing, (352) 753-2129 or Spanish Springs (352) 753-4676 or Brownwood (352) 205-8902, and you should be able to order one.

Thanks for the replies. I spoke to Isabelle at TV, and she is sending some info out to us. She says the January dates are not yet out, and won't be till Oct or Nov. She did take my info, and said as soon as the dates are released, she will contact me. So, here's hopin'....
Also, we chose January for the first visit precisely due to the weather. We want to see the extremes...January and either July or August. I have a feeling anyone could fall in love with the weather down there in spring or fall. I didn't think about either the trolley tour, or the idea of getting a map before we go. Being the obsessive type, the map is a great idea, I can probably get it memorized in no time! And we will definitely be doing some open houses.
Thanks again!

You are wise to plan visits for different seasons, especially if you are thinking about moving to The Villages full time; beneficial to see how you deal with central Florida weather in the summer. I have visited TV several times in July and August, once in May and once in October. I have a brief visit scheduled over New Years weekend, but I have been to Orlando in January, so I know the nights/early mornings can be chilly, but by late morning you can usually ditch the jacket/sweater. Believe me, I would rather deal with wearing a jacket for a few hours at night than putting on a heavy coat, boots, hat, gloves, etc.

If you come in August, it will be hot. Drink plenty of water, 8 to 10 OZ glasses, minimum. Do things early in the morning or later at night.

Afternoons should be for indoors like the movies, events at rec centers, etc.

BTW - This August was hotter than usual.

Call for lifestyle visit today you will have to take the time that is available. January is the start of high season, so you will get an idea of how busy TV is

I too am coming for the month of january. My wife and I stayed for a week in july and loved it so we came back for another week in august and didnt want to leave. We now rented a house for the month of january and plan on looking for something to buy. Seems like the perfect way to spend your retirement.

It's a decision that many of us have not regretted.

Can over 110,000 people be wrong? :D

We rented a house last year for the month of February and made a decision based on that. We found the rental in the daily rental section of the Villages website. We loved it and now live here full-time.

If you do the lifestyle visit you will have a golf cart and 2 bikes at your disposal. Make use of them but do yourselves a favor and search You Tube for the videos that show you how to navigate the multi modal paths and the rules for golf carts. It will make your visit go that much smoother. There are also a number of videos available from TV on You Tube.