I wish I had not thrown out that bottle of odd nuts and bolts when we moved, but had brought them with me.

Moving to TV
 

No regrets. Love it here. Moved here for a more active life style and to be with people of common interest. Miss the Fall so we make a trip north for a week or so.

We have lived in many places. All had their pros/cons. As a middle class couple from modest beginnings, we can't think of a better place to live out our golden years. If you're searching for an active place to be active - it's the tops.

Definitely miss a larger home... basement, pool room, bar, etc.... BUT.... it is what it is here. And, I imagine as we age we don't necessarily want so big of a home. I don't enjoy having "guests" as the walls are paper thin and you can (as well as they) hear everything... even someone peeing. Other than that.... wish we would have come sooner but we didn't. Only been here 4 years and yes it seems as if it has doubled in that short of time frame. It is only going to get larger and eventually the "south" will have all that the "north" does but until then you may be in your car more than golf cart... all depends on where you live. Like others I highly suggest you rent a month or two or more and get a feel of #1 if you even want to live here and #2 where you want to be..... this place is HUGE now and not near the size as even 10 years ago. Lastly- if you like it just do it.... you can always go back to TN... you won't lose any $$ on your re-sale. Or maybe better to rent a year and try it out..... Good Luck!!!

The extreme heat and humidity, overcrowding, poor restaurants, shopping and more importantly is the lack of good Healthcare. They'll also want you to switch to Medicare Advantage, big mistake, Don’t do it.
Don’t make a second mistake.

10 years plus for me. Like others above I miss a few things from up north, but no real regrets.

At age 63, you're in the cusp of being full-time villagers. The Villages is by far, the most "active" lifestyle community....or sit and do nothing.

It's not a wide open country sort of place. It's not rural, but is set in central Florida which is indeed rural horse ranch country and farmland. Kind of like Las Vegas in the middle of the desert.

Don't get too swept up in where you might buy in The Villages. The lifestyle sales agents will push you to look South of the Florida turnpike (Eastport and beyond). But there won't be much there realistically for 5+ years, maybe ok for your timeframe. Check out rental info and more at The Villages 101 The Villages 101 You've come the right place for renters and snowbirds to learn about The Villages "Florida's Friendliest Hometown". Neighborhoods, house rentals, activities, and pointers to the many other resources.

Not one single regret, it's everything that my husband imagined and more! FYI just be sure to rent for a couple months or more and choose where you want to be. In the very beginning of our arrival we thought we really wanted to be near Brownwood between the 6's . Then we continued to venture out looking for homes , met all of our neighbors in the Polo Ridge / Glenbrook area where we were renting and fell in love with the area .Three months later we found our perfect home in Santa Domingo! We're moving in in a couple of weeks 😁 I got the home I really wanted and my husband got his garage space,( a 20×24 and enough space to build a 15× 20 on the side of our home)a view and wonderful new neighbors. We are very pleased with our decision. Don't settle and take your time choosing. Good luck and welcome to the Villages.

It's a subjective question that bears many answers. We moved here 15 yrs ago and no regrets for us. We're from the Upper Midwest and do NOT miss the winters there!!!! We used to go back to visit but friends are now scattered, many family members have passed away. We don't feel we'd like to drive up there anymore and air-lines keep having issues. So we'll stay here---guess we're FROGS!! Our kids/grandkids seem to be too busy with their lives, so if they'd like to see us the road goes both ways.

I knew the houses were close together, but I do miss not having a larger yard (but not mowing). Also, I am disappointed that there are so many hours reserved for private groups on the Pickleball courts. Unless you get up early you are not going to find open play most days. The Pickleball Community group takes up way too much court time throughout the Villages.

If you move, “ next to” instead of “in The Villages”, you will not experience the many benefits that the city has to offer. The clubs, etc., require a card that you get when you pay the amenity fee. Just a thought.

No regrets, fits us perfectly.

Rent for a few months in the summer. If you can stand the heat, you will be fine. Summer starts in late April and ends in October. Good luck.

Like many have said, it all depends on how you want to spend your retirement. I tell friends that ask about TV, it's a wonderful place but not a good fit for everyone.

If you just want a place to hang out and chill, you're wasting your money here since you do pay more for the lifestyle.
But if you want to live a fun, active and social lifestyle, there's no place like TV to retire. There's way more things to do than you'll have time for, which is a good thing.

We love it here, but since we've only been here for a couple years we still kinda miss the kids and grands. My wife more than me. lol. But that's getting better with time.

But like everything in life there's trade offs. For us it's been well worth it.

No more Indiana winters. I get to play softball, run outside, golf, ride my Harley, mountain bike, and my dirtbike year round. Lots to do, inside and outside the bubble. For us life is great here.

We've made some great friends and had some from Indiana move here.

We live a bit south of Lake Sumter in Amelia and love it. Check out the northern, middle, and southern areas to see what checks the most boxes for you. We all have different needs and wants.

Good luck!

We've lived here for 21 years; came from West Hollywood Hills, CA, to TX for 8 more years, and have never regretted ending up here. Had a large home w/pool backed up to a nature preserve, and everything else we wanted. After 21 years we moved into Watercrest Senior Living, and even tho it's an enormous down-sizing experience, it was necessary and to our advantage. SO many opportunities here! Take advantage of the thousands of activities offered between sports, crafts, education, exercises, performing (music, dancing, acting), etc., etc. If you can't find what you want here, I don't know what more I can say.