[douga]

In early Feb. my wife and I plan on visiting the Villages for a day in order to scope out possible rentals for next year. We have never visited the Villages before so don't know how to go about finding information etc. Do I need a pass or something to visit various areas. Sorry if this is a stupid question but thought it would be better to be safe than sorry.
thanks doug

[Hope2b]

A gate pass you do not need. Most villages have a visitors lanes to get in. To check out the rec center you would probably need a Village ID. A good way to see things and not need an ID is catch the Trolley at either Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter Landing.

[Frank2]

The trollly ride is free and there is no pressure to make a home purchase...enjoy.

[zcaveman]

Please just do us residents a favor and used a manned entrance and not a Residents Only entrance when visiting the various villages.

There is a lot to see and a lot of different house layouts with great landscaping setups. Just to ride around some of the villages is a fun trip. After six years i still enjoy a ride around.

Enjoy.

[redwitch]

Doug, will you be looking at specific rentals and then just driving around a bit or just looking around? If you're looking specific rentals, I'd suggest you see them in the morning and then leave the afternoon to explore TV. Do stay for the entertainment in the Squares in the early evening. It is a very big (and fun) part of TV.

My neighbor is a tour guide for the trolleys, so I can find out their schedules, etc. if you'd like.

[JohnN]

The first trolley is at 9am and we did it, it was fun and interesting. Then we hooked up with a sales rep and looked at a lot of properties and rec centers, plus cruised past the shopping etc. The next day we free-lanced and drove around on our own.

[thehags]

The Villages does a lifestyles stay which might be worth your while exploring. It's a huge place and I personally feel rather hard to see in one day.

[douga]

Thanks for all your input and help. Everyone is so helpful. I will definitely use the manned entrance and the trolley ride looks interesting.
What exactly is the trolley ride? Is it a pitch for sales?
Thanks redwitch I would love to know a little more about their schedules. We arrive in Florida on Sunday Feb.3 and plan on driving from Kissimmee to the villages on Monday or Tuesday depending on weather.
We have been searching the 'net' for rentals for Jan,Feb,March of next year and have had 4 or 5 interesting responses so would like to check them out sometime during the day. I assume there must be various rental offices or real estate offices that offer rentals in addition to private rentals. We are completely 'in the dark' about how to go about renting and never been to the villages so the geography is daunting but 'talk of the villages' forums have been most rewarding. Any help is very much appreciated.

[Hope2b]

No sales pitch on the trolley. Shows you around. You can see a sales person when you get back if you want--if not no pressure at all. The Villages sells itself.