Scenic multi-model
 

My wife and I pick up the keys to our house in a week and our golf cart gets delivered a couple days later. We are looking forward to driving around The Villages and getting a lay of the land. Which multi-model paths are scenic and worth taking a drive just for the enjoyment?

Welcome to the Villages!

There's many so would helpful to know your starting point?

Yes, it's important to know what your idea of an enjoyable ride would consist of. Are you okay with spending a half hour in each direction, just to get to the starting location of a nice drive? Or would you prefer that your ride take no longer than an hour in total? Or something inbetween.

If you're near Dabney, your scenic area will probably be somewhere south of 44. I've found that my favorite "scenic" drive so far has been getting from Brownwood to Sumter Landing. But taking El Camino Real from Morse west, and down the golf cart tunnel to the other side of the road on the way to Lopez Legacy, is a really beautiful ride. Much shorter too. From my house. If you're in Dabney it'd take well over an hour just to get to El Camino Real by golf cart though.

I will be living down by Eastport. Sawgrass Grove should be an easy ride up Bexley so that could be my starting point. Not much to see yet down by Eastport.

Sawgrass to Aviary Rec Center might be kinda nice. Bring a bathing suit and your Villages ID and you could enjoy a couple hours by the pool before heading back to Sawgrass for an early supper, or something like that.

Fenny grill is a nice 15 min ride, the rec center has a resort pool where they serve food and drink.
L. There's Also a short walking nature trail around bubbling Fenny springs.

Edna's is another 15 min destination, food, drink and music.

Brownwood is about 30 min away.

Be careful to look for "No carts beyond this point" signs and do not drive the cart through a gate. if so.

Paths with one white post at the entrance are open to carts.

Two white posts means no carts, they are for bikes and pedestrians only.

Hogeye Sink south of 44. Tunnel of Trees Buena Vista Blvd north of 466. Buena Vista Blvd from Odell Circle to Belvedere. Odell Circle from Havana CC to Mallory Hill CC.

If you’re real adventuresome, Downtown Middleton, up Marsh Bend Trail to Everglades RC, Hogeye Sink Trail, over Waterlilly Bridge to Brownwood, up Buena Vista Blvd Trail to Fist Responders RC! Better have good seat cushions and plenty of time - - - about 30 Miles and about 2 Hours —- One Way !!! Nice Sunday Drive! Pack a Picnic Lunch!

If you are driving on local streets without cart lanes, seeing all the lovely homes with the range of landscaping is scenic. Even driving on Morse north of 466 is scenic and often shady. It’s just a bit more crowded (much better now that the snowbirds have migrated north for the summer). As for the cart paths along lower Morse and all of Buena Vista and the miles of multi-modal paths, they are all scenic. Beautiful. A pleasure to drive. Take a picnic lunch and dine at the picnic tables under the huge trees just southeast of 466A and Morse. Or stop at the stopping areas on the Lake Sumter bridge and enjoy a sunset or sunrise. For an adventure underground, there are tunnels! No, we don’t have spectacular views like Yosemite or the Grand Tetons or Banff or Skyline Drive, but what we have is relaxing and a delight.

By the way, did you know that the argument has been made that until the Romantic Period in Art and literature, there’s not much evidence that humans found spectacular views of mountain peaks to be anything but frightening and daunting. The term used in England in the 1820s for sights such as the Alps was not lovely or beautiful but “sublime.” It wasn’t. Best seen from a distance. It wasn’t until trains and later cars could travel among those mountains that tourists began flocking to see them and finding them “pretty.” The vehicles sort of tamed them. In 18th century England and America, beautiful and lovely was more for land that was cultivated, under control. Given that, I consider our cart path views scenic and pleasant. Below is a photo of the Cotswolds in England. Beautiful. Not sublime.

I like to follow Buena Vista all the way north. Great trees and a peaceful ride. On your way back cruise down 466 and cross the bridge to Sumter Landing.

Be sure you have one or both of the Villages GPS apps. We prefer the paid one for navigation, but the official Villages app is great for seeing what all there is to see and do here. Both apps are very helpful while you’re getting your know the lay of the land, and it’s also fun to just explore and see where you end up. The ride from Sawgrass to Chitty Chatty is fun, then over the Chitty Chatty bridge and on to the Sharon Rose Weichens preserve to walk the boardwalk.

We are south of 44 and spend a lot of time at Fenney rec, pool, grill, and nature trail around the natural springs. Fenney has the prettiest parking lot of all the rec centers because of the huge oak trees shading the whole area. The other day we counted 17 turtles and two alligators in just one area of the springs. There’s an otter fishing and playing there too.

We’ve been here 2 years now and have probably seen only 1/3 of the villages by cart because of how huge it is. We’re trying to see it all!

Welcome, and have fun! You’ll love it here.

But...that is only about 5 minutes by golf cart, and not exactly "scenic."

Exploring The Villages by golf cart is a great way to learn the different areas. Since there is not a great deal to see (yet) in the Eastport area, I would venture north and see where the urge takes you. When we first moved here, we literally spent hours riding around in the golf cart, and yes, even getting lost more than once. The "tree tunnel" north of Laurel Manor is always fun.

To me, the prettiest path is between Laurel Manor and Saddlebrook under the canopy of Oak Trees. That being said, it is also probably the roughest path right now. It DESPERATELY needs resurfaced.
Any one out there with the clout to get it done?

So right you area! This beautiful pathway has been ruined by a half dozen cut throughs for utilities to the new apartments to the east. It definitely needs resurfacing!

Not to mention it's been patched a dozen times in the past 2 years instead of being resurfaced.