Been here 24 years north of 466. No regrets. It gets better and better every year with more to offer, more classes, more rec centers, more shopping, more friends. We moved here in our late 40s and so glad we did. Yes there's more traffic, but that's true back home too, yes prices have gone up, but that's also true back home. Summers here are not as humid as some areas up north and along the gulf, so we find that they are very liveable, especially in the evenings and early morning hours. We would do it again in a heartbeat. Look at resale homes up north of 466 and 466A if you want a larger lot and to be near shopping. You'll love it here.

No privacy,even a courtyard Villa is nosy and lack privacy as well as lousy parking.23 year has seen lots of changes.Centralized mail stations where people park as they wish with no regard to others. Over an hour to the ocean.So frequent trips outside the bubble. Fair to poor health care, although that seems true all over now. As we have aged here it is very different. No easy transportation to airports.
All that being said. It is still relatively safe here. It is well maintained at the public places Plenty to keep busy if you enjoy those activities.After all these years the recreation activities are same same and aging body parts prefer strolls on the walking paths.Definitly enjoy areas to travel outside of the pink walls. Where in Tennessee are you moving from? Good luck. People are people all over most nice and some real good ones. Others, well guess it depends on circumstances.

regrets
 

I had a few.

Too Cold but Decent Compromise
 

TV is much colder in Dec/Jan than I expected. Can’t golf in shorts year round. I probably wouldn’t want to pay the taxes and suffer hurricanes and crowds found in Southern FL tho. I probably wouldn’t like the politics in AZ/NM/NV either. TV is good as it gets.

We did (and still do) had problems with our Designer house. Should have bought spec (NCH) or pre-owed.

Otherwise no regrets - FL is awesome and TV keeps me busy.

Our only regret is we wish we hadn’t wasted valuable years living elsewhere. Now that we are here it would have been much more enjoyable had we been here 10 years earlier while our bodies were still able to do so many activities. My husband would have been on the softball leagues, pickleball leagues, and a lot more golf. Unfortunately, his body isn’t able to do some of those things due to his lower back issues. Enjoy while you can because you don’t know how things can change tomorrow.

My only regret is I didn't move here sooner!

After moving several times in my life it seems each place had its pluses and minuses. I find that I remember the good and tend to gloss over the bad in my memories. We mostly choose our happiness IMO.

The JOY of the Villages. The best part of the Villages is the great people who are here. People you want to live with. Not like some of those other places. People are happy, no fake JOY around here. 👍🙃

As you have seen the list of regrets is a small one, and likely to have many of the same regrets if you stay put. Retirement is what you want to make of it and The Villages lifestyle provides more opportunities than all other communities.

No regrets!!! None - We LOVE it here . . . My wife and I moved to The Villages 4.5 years ago from Southern California and we can't imagine living anywhere else. We stay active golfing, playing water volleyball, swimming, enjoying the town squares and sailing. We drive about 30 minutes from our home to go sailing once a week on a local lake. Our drive takes us through "farm country", where we enjoy seeing cattle, orange groves, etc. for 20 minutes of the drive. If you enjoy being active, The Villages is a great place to live. If you golf, shop for homes in the Northern and Central areas of The Villages, which have an abundance of Executive Golf Courses.

We just sold our Villages home and are moving to Knoxville next week!
Different strokes for different folks. 🙂

Here 5 years very happy to be here. Never gone out as much as we do now.

Only regret is further from kids and grandkids so do not see them as much as we would like.

Look at your own expectations and personalities. Do you golf? Do you need to attend a club meeting, activity, or event every single day? If yes, the TV will probably suit you just fine. You’ve already heard about the summer heat, and we’re about to go into the season where it feels like we’ll be living in a blast furnace for the next 7 months. We were snow birds for a decade; been full-time for the last 5 years. Getting used to the brutally hot was probably the biggest adjustment for us. Remember to examine TV through the lens of living here every day, not just for a lifestyle visit or vacation.

Ironically enough, after being set to drink the kool-aid and coming thisclose to purchasing inside the bubble 8 years ago, we ended up buying in a border community. We don’t golf and have enough in our community to keep us busy. Contrary to popular belief, one can still have an active lifestyle outside TV. As mentioned, look at your own wishes and expectations. As for us, no regrets.

I didn't see it mentioned so far, but if you're a Coast Guard retiree like your handle suggests, don't forget that The Villages is home to around 15,000 Veterans and the largest American Legion Post in the world. Also, since we have a Coastie for a son, I notice many Coast Guard license plates and bumper stickers all around here. I think there's even a Coast Guard Club.

Zero
 

Zero regrets.